We Have a Theory for Furious Season 2

2 min readThis story contains spoilers for the season 1 finale of Furious.Why does Alice Black smile at the end of Furious? The expression from actress Emmy Rossum is the final image that she and series creator Elizabeth Meriwether leave audiences with following several revelations in the final episode of the Hulu crime series. But now that Furious is officially renewed for season 2, Alice’s smile seems less like a bookend to the series and more like a question about how the plot will continue into another season.At the end of Furious’s season 1 finale, Alice finally finds herself in the video room in the sex crimes division of the FBI. She forced her way into a case to track down a serial killer named Catherine (Lola Petticrew) who was a survivor of sex trafficking, but it wasn’t revealed until later in the season that the wealthy Jeffrey Epstein-esque abuser behind the operation, Jay Easton, also possessed a tape of Alice having sex when she was just fourteen years old. According to Rossum, the season was all about Alice needing to prove to herself that the tape was real.‘You can tell from the first episode, she wants to get in that room,” Rossum told Variety. “She knows, at least in my belief, that there is this tape out there that could be in that room, and it’s this thing that’s been eating away at her.”Sarah ShatzWhat’s next for Furious?While Alice is in the room, viewing the tape, Furious also reveals that she lied about what happened to Easton. She said he died in his bed that night after suffering from respiratory failure—which was actually caused by her stepping on his breathing tube and placing her hand over his mouth. But, even though it was Meriwether’s intention to end Furious with Alice giving in to Catherine’s motives and killing Jay Easton, there’s seemingly more to Alice’s smile than simply acknowledging that she enjoyed taking his life. After Alice confirms that video is real, she searches the computer to find that it’s been downloaded and viewed more than 50,000 times.“When your worst fears are confirmed that that tape exists and that 50,000 people have watched your childhood trauma, I think there’s almost a peace at knowing you were right—and now, what do you do about it?” Rossum continued.That’s a question for showrunner and creator Liz Meriwether, who teased previously that Alice will likely look toward a new case for season 2. “A hypothetical next season would pick up in C20 with Nora, working on a new case,” she told Variety. But that’s the easy answer.Furious’s final moment seems to suggest that Catherine’s vendetta might live on in Alice. The FBI worked all season to get in the room, confirm the tape was real, and then do something about it. In the end, she’s learned that more than 50,000 people have viewed the tape. In my eyes, that’s more than 50,000 new names for Alice to track down.