'Black Monday' Season 2 Ending Explained: With case solved and Dawn jailed, show reaches natural conclusion
Spoilers for 'Black Monday' Season 2 Finale
A sudden, severe, and largely unexpected stock market crash on October 19, 1987, has since come to be known as Black Monday. It was as historic as it was horrific. Showtime’s dark comedy of the same name chose to explore this story, but with a kind of alternate history twist.
‘Black Monday’ began as a show that focussed around a Black-run Wall Street firm with a few highly enterprising people who wanted to get rich. And it was their actions that led to the colossal stock market crash. But while that much was covered in season 1 of the show, the second season explored the aftermath.
It explored what happened to the lives of those who were behind the crash -- Mo (Don Cheadle), Dawn (Regina Hall), and Blair (Andrew Rannells). Season 2 of ‘Black Monday’ was fairly twisted, absurd, and had its trademark witticisms and hilarity. But the story seemed somewhat all over the place. But one could tell it was building up to something.
And the season’s finale gave that answer. It was building up to Mo’s plan to escape the persecution of the FBI. And Mo’s plan -- it had way too many moving parts for the whole thing to come crashing -- would have been absolutely successful and they would have gotten away scot-free, had they not considered one thing. Blair’s ruthless ambition.
One should have seen it coming. It’s the same Blair who married a woman despite being gay to get rich. It’s the same Blair who had an affair with a Congressman (Tuc Watkins) to get his bank bailed out. It’s the same Blair, who did not hesitate to threaten Roger Harris with their sex tape when he seemed hesitant to immediately fulfill his promise. And it’s the same Blair who cheerfully read out a fake suicide note from Harris to a crowd, blaming Harris for turning him gay.
Of course, Blair was going to be the reason why the plan went off rails. Blair, when he was supposed to ask for a pardon for Mo (who would go and confess to the stock market crash), instead used it to get politically ahead, leaving Mo for the sharks. But before Mo could jeopardize himself, it was Dawn (who was the brains behind Black Monday) who went ahead and took the fall.
The season ends with all their lives irrevocably changed. Mo is left without any of his friends. Dawn is behind bars. Blair moves into politics. Keith (Paul Scheer) replaces Lenny in Larry Lehman’s (Ken Marino) life. So what does this mean for the story ahead? Is this it?
It would seem like the second season of ‘Black Monday’ is its final one. No announcement for renewal has been made so far. And it’s unlikely that there will be one. At the heart of it, the story around the Wall Street crash came to a natural conclusion. The investigation was over. A person was convicted. And the rest moved on with their lives.
In many ways, the final montage of the main characters was also a hint at the show’s ending. It’s typically something we only see when a story reaches its conclusion, whether it's a film or a TV show. ‘Black Monday’ Season 2’s ending may have been a little too dark. But it leaves enough light to see that there may not be a season 3.