Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Hunting Wives' finale.
People who tune in toThe Hunting Wivesprobably don’t expect the title to be so literal, yet the show features a group of married women who brandish their hunting rifles and shoot at clay targets and boars alike — and, of course, other women. But when a young girl is mysteriously murdered one night, newcomer Sophie (Brittany Snow) starts hunting for clues to clear her name as her new bestie and secret lover, Margo (Malin Akerman), tries to frame her to distract the police from looking into her other affairs. Texas has never been so steamy and treacherous as inThe Hunting Wives. This investigation hurtles down a bloody path as more deaths arise and instances of sexual assault, leading tothe jaw-dropping finale where the real culprit behind the murder is revealed, yet things get even messier afterward.
At the start of the penultimate episode, it seems like Pastor Pete (Paul Teal) is Abby’s (Madison Wolfe) murderer, but we soon find out that he is actually a predator who sexually assaults young women, not a killer (unfortunately). As such, suspicion shifts back to Sophie, and she is thrown into jail, unable to prove her innocencedue to her memory loss during the night Abby was shot. While the cops' minds are made up, for us, the jury is still out about who the real killer is, butbefore the truth is revealed, two more unexpected deaths play out.The Hunting Wivesis based on a novel of the same name byMay Cobb, but fans of the book won’t have any spoilers for the series' finale, as it changes the source material and everyone’s lives in the show to boot.
Who Is Arrested for Killing Abby in ‘The Hunting Wives’?
The Hunting Wives' finale picks up from the shocking deaths of Starr (Chrissy Metz) and pastor’s wife Jill (Katie Lowe). Starr, Abby’s mother, learned from Sophie that Abby had allegedly gotten an abortion from her relationship with Brad (George Ferrier). She goes to confront Jill, Brad’s mother, with her rifle, likelybelieving that she is the culprit of Abby’s murder, since Jill never believed Abby was good enough for Brad. However, the tides clearly turned during the confrontation, as Margo and Callie (Jaime Ray Newman), another one of Margo’s friends-with-benefits,walk into the grisly scene of Starr’s bloody body lying on the floor and Jill standing over it.Tensions are running high in the house, with Jill brandishing her gun at her friends, leading to Callie’s knee-jerk reaction of shooting her.
While the deaths of two of their friends are tragic,Margo and Callie use this opportunity to pin Abby’s murder on Jill. And since dead women tell no tales, the police department is ecstatic to finally close the case once and for all, with even Detective Salazar (Karen Rodriguez) agreeing to stand down after all her suspicions earlier. Sophie’s name is cleared, even if the sheriff still warns her not to make any more trouble; Margo has her best friend and lover back; and Callie is riding the waves of fame for taking down a murderer.Everything seems resolved until Sophie accidentally makes a chilling revelation.
Who Actually Murdered Abby in ‘The Hunting Wives’?
To answer the question of who actually killed Abby, we have to go back all the way toThe Hunting Wivespremiere; the home of all secrets is always in the ladies' room. Sophie and Margo’s very first interaction involved Margo telling her that she cannot wear tampons, so Sophie is surprised when she finds tampons in Margo’s bathroom in the finale. When Margo denies ever saying she couldn’t use tampons, Sophie’s suspicions are raised,leading her down another trail of clueswhere she finds out women can’t wear tampons after an abortion. Now, originally, Pastor Pete told her that Abby had an abortion, which is what she told Starr previously, but upon speaking to Brad, he says it wasn’t Abby who got an abortion but his other girlfriend. Sophie knows about his affair with Margo and quickly connects the dots:Margo had an abortion.
Sophie confirms this by cornering Margo’s doctor, who was also her alibi for that night. He admits that Margo convinced him to lie, turning all the suspicion of Abby’s murder onto Margo. When Sophie confronts her, Margo confesses. Abby had confronted her that fateful night about Margo’s affair, pregnancy, and abortion with Brad, and in an effort to preserve her status as the would-be Governor’s wife,Margo grabbed the nearest gun (Sophie’s) and shot Abby. She relied on her brother, Kyle (Michael Aaron Milligan), to dispose of the gun, but he sold it to someone who was immediately arrested. As such, when the gun was processed and ballistics matched the crime scene, it was easier to simply shift the blame to Sophie.
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This is already vastly different from what happens in the novel, as it is Jill who kills Abby and is arrested by the end.The Hunting Wivesseries issure to shock long-time fans of the book, but it also has profound implications for Sophie and Margo’s relationship. They both leave the confrontation with high emotions, andMargo eventually goes to her brother for help, fearful that Sophie will talk to the police. Sophie intends to reveal the truth, but she makes the mistake of going home first, completely changing the expected trajectory of the story.
‘The Hunting Wives’ Ends on an Emotional, Jaw-Dropping Cliffhanger
Both women don’t only lose their secret affair by the end ofThe Hunting Wives, but also their relationships with their husbands. Before finding refuge at her brother’s house, Margo decides to confess her affair with Brad to Jed (Dermot Mulroney), which violated their agreement of only sleeping with women. In a jarring scene,Jed slaps Margo and kicks her out of the house, essentially leaving her back where she started socially years ago. It connects to the flashback at the beginning of the episode, where Margo is invited to a threesome with Jed and his now-ex-wife, ultimately capturing Jed’s interest in the process. But now, Margo doesn’t havethe shield of wealth and prestigeanymore, having to claw her way around with her limited resources, and thus, returning to Kyle is a deeply pivotal moment for her.
Meanwhile, Sophie also confesses the truth about her affair with Margo to her husband, Graham (Evan Jonigkeit), leading to a similar result of her being kicked out. Like what Jed was to Margo, Graham was a sort of psychological crutch for Sophie, as when they first met, it was after a confusing moment with her friend — it’s as if Sophie relies on Graham for a sense of normalcy. But their relationship is also pretty unhealthy, as Graham is constantly dismissing her anxieties and isnot empathetic to the trauma and guiltfrom her role in vehicular manslaughter due to drinking and driving in her past. Instead, he contributed to the facade of normalcy by prohibiting her from drinking or driving, wanting to avoid rather than confront. As such,losing Graham is the equivalent of all her repressed emotions cascading back, leading to Sophie drinking and driving that night.
The finale ends on a jaw-dropping note, asSophie meets Kyle on the road and reacts to his aggression by running him over. Instead of calling the police, she drags his lifeless body to the edge of a cliff and dumps it into the water. But moments beforehand, Kyle’s phone rings and Sophie accidentally answers it, hearing Margo’s voice on the other line. Margo is pleading with Kyle not to do anything to Sophie, but as she gets no response and hears heavy breathing on the other side, she knows something is wrong. Sophie hangs up the call, pockets the phone, and disposes of Kyle’s body, leaving another murder on her record. As such, Margo’s attempt to protect Sophie suggests there are still unresolved romantic emotions between the two, butThe Hunting Wivesends with another deadly secret between them — unless the show manages to score a Season 2 renewal.
The Hunting Wives
