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Dead to Me Season 2 Finale Recap and Ending Explained

Yes, Dead to Me Season 2 Ends on Another Cliffhanger and We Need to Talk About It

Watch out! This post contains spoilers.

A lot goes down in the second season of Netflix's dark comedy, Dead to Me. The first episode picks up right where season one left off with Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) and Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini) dealing with the fallout from Steve Wood's death. Of course, a new problem doesn't erase the other problems they still have, namely Judy's confession for the murder of Jen's husband and Judy turning Steve into the FBI for money laundering. This means now the ladies have to cover Steve's death, keep Judy out of jail, and keep the FBI off their trail, which is nowhere near easy.

It doesn't help that season two also introduces new characters who find themselves entangled in Jen and Judy's lives, including Steve's "semi-identical" twin brother Ben, Judy's incarcerated mother, and her new girlfriend, Michelle. By the time we get to the season, it feels like the only way for anyone to find any happiness is to just tell the truth! And that almost happens — until that full-circle cliffhanger that put a big, red stop sign right in the middle of Jen and Judy's happy ending. Keep reading for a thorough account of season two's finale.

Image Source: Netflix

What Happens to Jen in Dead to Me Season 2?

Jen goes through it in season two. Not only is she still dealing with the investigation into Ted's death, but she also has to contend with killing Steve (which she tells Judy was in self-defence, but definitely wasn't). By episode ten, Jen has been completely overwhelmed by all the secrets and lies she's embroiled in to keep her out of jail. She decides to confess to Detective Perez after writing letters to Judy, Charlie, and Henry explaining why she left and dubbing the other woman her children's legal guardian.

But when Jen and Detective Perez get to the woods, she can't find where she and Judy buried Steve's body. As the two drive away, they bond over the shared loss of their mothers, and Detective Perez is compelled to not be a cop for once. She tells Jen she won't charge her for Steve's murder and that they'll never talk about "what we never found in the woods today" ever again. Burdens relieved, Jen returns to group therapy to talk about the loss of her mother and her need to forgive herself for how she acted and how she felt, the finale's first full-circle moment from the pilot episode.

Image Source: Netflix

What Happens to Judy in Dead to Me Season 2?

By the season two finale, Judy has buried her ex-fianceé, developed a relationship with another woman, gone through some serious emotional arguments with her best friend, and been embroiled in two murder investigations. It's safe to say it's been a dramatic time for her. To top it all off, her mother (played by the one-and-only Katey Sagal) makes a reappearance from jail! After a disastrous reunion earlier in the season, Judy returns to see her mother and tells her that her days of manipulating her are over. Anyone who spends a moment in her company can tell that Judy hungers for love and acceptance to a near-dangerous fault, a big factor in her emotionally-abusive relationship with Steve. When her mother attempts to get Judy writing a letter for the parole board, the gentle-hearted woman takes Jen's advice and says "no" to someone for the first time.

Standing up for herself seemingly sets off a run of good luck, which translates to Judy getting reunited with her paintings — which happens to have frames stuffed with the money Steve was laundering for the Greek Mafia! Jen and Judy use the money to buy Lorna out of the deed and celebrate their good fortune by buying a car for Charlie, which leads to the end of their good luck . . .

Image Source: Netflix

What Happens to Charlie in Dead to Me Season 2?

Charlie spent all of season two sticking his nose into grown folks' business and almost bringing Jen and Judy's house of lies down around their heads. By the season finale, he's managed to find the one piece of evidence that will answer all his questions: his mother's letter to Judy where she confessed to Steve's murder. The letter is dangerous in Charlie's hands — he's proven he can be incredibly reckless after taking Steve's car for a joyride when he found it in his mother's storage unit. Now, he has definitive proof that his mother has been hiding some seriously terrible things about his father's death and Steve's murder.

Image Source: Netflix

What Happens to Detective Perez in Dead to Me Season 2?

Detective Perez has to deal with a lot of Jen and Judy's shenanigans, but season two takes the cake. After Judy confessed to Ted's hit and run in season one, Perez finds her living with Jen again in season two. She continues keeping an eye on them while dealing with the FBI looking for Steve. Then, her ex-girlfriend finds a new relationship with Judy, who Perez has no love for. By the season finale, we're not shocked to find her crying and emotional over the way her life has taken her recently.

When Jen confesses to killing Steve and attempts to show the detective his burial place, the two manage to bond over their shared loss of a mother, and Perez is moved to ensure that Charlie and Henry don't lose their mother as well. She tells Jen she won't charge her and that they'll never talk about "what we never found in the woods" ever again. It's well-intentioned, but then, we not only see the dog that Jen and Perez ran in to start digging around Steve's burial site, but we see Ben receive a phone call that causes him to tear out of his home. It looks like Perez and Jen won't be able to keep what they never found a secret for very long.

Image Source: Netflix

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What Happens to Ben in Dead to Me Season 2?

Steve's disappearance leads his family to journey into town to find out what's going down with their family member. This includes Ben, his "semi-identical" twin brother who seems like the angel to Steve's devil. Ben is understandably determined to find out what happened with his brother, getting close to Jen and Judy as he investigates. He admits that the last time he spoke with Steve, the two got into a massive argument about Ben's drinking — which tends to get a little out of hand.

In the finale, Ben gets a phone call around the same time we see the dog and runner that Jen and Detective Perez ran into in the woods, start digging around Steve's burial site. We don't hear the conversation, but it seemingly throws Ben so off that he leaves the house Ben gets the call at his parents' house — at least, that's what we're led to believe. We don't hear who's calling or what they said, but we know it unbalanced Ben enough for him to run out of the house. The next we see him, he's barreling down the road right into Jen and Judy's moving car . . .

Image Source: Netflix

Are Jen and Judy Dead in Dead to Me Season 2 Finale?

In classic cliffhanger fashion, the last scene of the Dead to Me season finale is the second full-circle moment from the first season. Fresh from buying Lorna out of the house deed and buying a new car for Charlie, Jen and Judy are celebrating and planning a holiday. They abruptly stop when they notice that Laguna Beach finally put in the stop sign that Jen has been fighting to get all season. The two are cheering for the win when another car slams into the driver's side at full speed, knocking Judy unconscious and hurting Jen. As Judy wakes up and calls out to Jen, the smoke clears enough to reveal Ben as the other driver. The camera cuts to his panicked face and the empty bottle of whiskey beside him before he peels off.

Judy is left attempting to wake Jen, who is visibly injured with blood on her face. When Jen seemingly gains consciousness, she sums up their situation with two simple words. "Well, sh*t."

While both Jen and Judy seem fine after the crash, who knows how coherent either of them is after a hit like that. If Netflix orders a season three, we might open up with another death, and it could be one of our girls! (But we hope not.)

Image Source: Netflix

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