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Netflix’s Soapy The Hunting Wives Ends on Big Cliffhanger

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If you’ve chosen to spend your scorching summer afternoons by watching every episode of The Hunting Wives series in one go, you’re not the only one. Furthermore, if you’ve reached the end of the show and have queries about the dramatic finale, rest assured, you’re not on your own either.

As a passionate cinephile, I must say that Netflix’s “The Hunting Wives,” based on May Cobb’s novel, is an absolute thrill ride! It’s packed with hidden truths, gun-toting ladies, clandestine love affairs, missing teens, parenting dilemmas, shady politicians, and tainted clergy. TIME’s critic dubbed it as “the wildest, silliest, and most soap opera-esque wife show ever produced.” Once you dive into this addictive series, you’ll find yourself swept away by the Netflix current, unable to resist the allure of each episode. However, once the credits roll on the last episode, you might be left pondering some bigger questions that demand answers. And here I am, ready to help unravel the mysteries!

The story unfolds as Sophie (Brittany Snow), her spouse Graham (Evan Jonigkeit), and their child embark on a fresh chapter in Texas, armed with open-minded views, a Tesla, and aspirations for change. Graham is employed by Jed Banks (Dermot Mulroney), one of Texas’s influential figures, to begin work. Sophie’s sophisticated counterpart, Margo (Malin Akerman), swiftly befriends Sophie, introducing her to her circle of friends that includes Jill (Katie Lowes), the reverend’s wife, and Callie (Jaime Ray Newman), the sheriff’s spouse. It isn’t long before the Cambridge-raised, teetotal, gun-averse girl with a mysterious past is participating in tequila shots, performing donuts in the parking lot, hunting wild boars, engaging in steamy affairs with Margo, and purchasing firearms. This eventually leads to a troubling turn of events.

The fun-filled scenario takes a grim turn when high school student Abby (Madison Wolfe) is found dead in the woods. It’s later discovered that Abby was dating Jill’s son, Brad (George Ferrier). An unexpected twist unfolds as it’s revealed that not only had Abby removed her purity ring, but Sophie’s gun is identified as the murder weapon. Despite having no apparent motive (as she didn’t even know the girl), Sophie emerges as the primary suspect in the murder. Now ostracized by her new acquaintances and a terrible husband, Sophie embarks on a quest to uncover the true culprit. In doing so, she unearths some of the town’s most hidden secrets.

The Hunting Wives finale brings everything to a head

In the previous episode named “Sophie’s Choice,” Sophie, who was once a political PR and now a detective, finds herself surrounded by hints and deceased individuals. As the evidence mounts, she comes to understand that the true murderer had been hidden in plain sight all along – someone she chose not to recognize. A crucial piece of evidence? It all stemmed from the women’s restroom. Let’s return to that momentarily.

The series skillfully developed tension throughout, as in Episode 7, it seemed like the mystery had been resolved when Youth Pastor Pete (Paul Teal) was caught for preying on his congregation. He abducted one woman and was linked to the disappearance of another girl mentioned earlier in the season. He also provided Abby with a ride on the night she died and had her sweater in his car, making him appear guilty. Yet, he did not kill Abby. Another red herring was Jill, Brad’s mother, who openly disliked her son’s girlfriend, suspecting her of gold-digging and leading Brad astray. She acted oddly, erasing her GPS data, changing passwords, and cleaning a specific area on her car. She was also quick to provide an alibi for Brad on the night of the murder, which coincidentally covered her own whereabouts as well. Jill seemed guilty when Pastor Pete told Sophie that Brad had confided in him about getting his girlfriend pregnant and having an abortion, despite the challenges in Texas. Even Brad began to suspect Jill when it was discovered that she was one of Abby’s last phone calls—and she had Abby’s phone. Sophie believed Jill found out about the abortion and killed Abby to keep quiet. However, it turned out that Jill wasn’t the killer either. The reasons for her erasing her GPS data, changing passwords, and her actions on the night of the murder remain unclear, but she didn’t kill Abby—and eventually met with her own demise. Sophie’s release from jail marked the end of her being wrongly accused.

Who really killed Abby?

Sophie resumes living her life as well as possible, reaching out to Margo again and uncovering the truth about Abby. What ultimately solves the mystery for Sophie was a casual comment made by Margo in the series’ first episode. Their initial encounter occurred when Sophie stumbled upon Margo in the bathroom searching for a sanitary pad. Sophie offered her a tampon, but Margo explained she couldn’t use them. This detail resurfaces later, as after an intimate afternoon together, Sophie rummages through Margo’s drawers looking for lotion and discovers a box of tampons. Margo denies ever saying she couldn’t use them, but Sophie recalls the conversation vividly. With Margo already having deceived her and with Margo’s friends falsely imprisoning her, Sophie becomes suspicious. When given the chance, Sophie investigates why someone might be unable to use a tampon, discovering an intriguing possibility: “following an abortion.” It soon dawns on Sophie that her friend-turned-lover has been untruthful with her.

Margo, who used to be known as Mandy, has been involved in an affair with Jill’s son Brad, a fact that Sophie recently discovered. It wasn’t Abby who had the abortion Pastor Pete spoke about, but Margo, Brad’s other girlfriend. When Margo learned she was pregnant with her teenage boyfriend’s child, she sought help from her past. Specifically, she turned to her biological father, a doctor, for assistance. He not only terminated Margo’s pregnancy (contrary to Texas state law), but also lied about where she was on the night of a murder, claiming she was with him at her brother’s deathbed. Sophie managed to make the doctor confess his lie and get Brad to confirm the story about the pregnancy. Later, Sophie confronted Margo about her actions. To her credit, Margo admitted everything. She revealed that when Abby confronted her about the affair, pregnancy, and abortion, Margo took Sophie’s gun in a fit of anger and shot Abby. She then let Sophie take the blame, as she didn’t want to risk her husband’s political campaign or disrupt the good life she had built for herself.

It’s not surprising that Sophie is displeased with Margo’s arguments. In fact, when Margo attempts to reveal everything to her husband, he kicks her out of their home. Keep in mind, he had previously aided Margo in leaving behind her past as an escort and granted her a life of luxury as a high-society figure. Moreover, he was on the verge of making her the First Lady of Texas. However, it appears that sleeping with another man was the final straw for their relationship, despite the fact that killing an innocent woman was clearly wrong.

In a surprising turn of events, Margo appears to be unbothered by her involvement in the murder of a girl and hindering justice. She had visited her troubled brother Kyle (Michael Aaron Milligan) who advised her to stay focused. With Callie, her friend-turned-lover, now married to the sheriff, and the case closed under their watch, blaming Jill for the crime, Margo seems worry-free. Moreover, Kyle has agreed to take care of Sophie. In a chilling sequence, he attempts to force Sophie off the road, leading to a high-speed chase where he ends up in front of her car on the highway, threatening her with a gun. In the heat of the moment, Sophie accelerates, and Kyle meets his end on the hood of her vehicle. The season concludes with Sophie carrying Kyle’s body through the woods and tossing it off a cliff into the water below. Before his body vanishes beneath the waves, however, Sophie accidentally answers his phone, hearing Margo’s voice on the other line. She remains silent, only audible as heavy breaths, hinting at a grave situation that has left her regretting her decision to stay in town.

As Kyle plunges off the precipice, spectators ponder if this truly marks a cliffhanger or signals the arrival of another season for this Texas-set soap opera. The decision lies with Netflix.

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2025-07-24 00:09

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