Season 1 of “UnPrisoned” on Hulu followed Paige as she tried to make peace with her father Edwin, who got out of prison after 17 years. While he moved in with her, she struggled to get over their complicated history. They both dealt with their internal issues and tried to offer Finn a better future. However, their past kept sneaking up on them, turning them toward their destructive behaviors. So, as Paige got on stage to give a TED talk, she had to deal with the fact that Edwin got arrested. She changed the subject of her discussion and made it about her relationship with Edwin. However, Edwin felt guilty and decided to move out of her house. “UnPrisoned” (season 2) follows Paige, Edwin, and Finn learning co-dependence while healing their old emotional wounds. They learn to accept their reality and to grow together as a family.
Spoilers Ahead
UnPrisoned (Season 2) Recap:
“UnPrisoned” on Hulu is a comedy-drama series about Paige, a therapist and a part-time influencer with a large following. Her father, Edwin, was imprisoned for 17 years. Once he gets out, he hopes to reconcile with her. However, she finds it hard to make peace with him, considering their complicated past. This leads to her severe anxiety. Meanwhile, Edwin struggles to get employed due to his criminal past.
Episode 1: Don’t Try Harder, Try Different
While on a stage to give her TED talk, Paige (Kerry Washington) learns about her father, Edwin (Delroy Lindo), who got arrested. So, at the last minute, she decides to open up about her relationship with Edwin. The video goes viral, and she gets more famous. So, she gets a chance to be on the Kris (Wendy Bazar) & Chris’ (Jay Jackson) morning show along with Murphy Collins (John Stamos) to speak about family therapy. Paige talks about how detachment helps her get hold of her life. Murphy interrupts her. He thinks she wants the other person to change but isn’t willing to change herself. So, she gets speechless and loses her mojo.
After the public scrutiny, Paige loses a chunk of followers and starts losing clients. While driving, Finn (Faly Rakotohavana) accidentally crashes his car. Edwin and Nadine (Brenda Strong) come to check on him. At the hospital, Paige wonders why Finn didn’t ask her for help instead. Finn says he misses having Edwin around and blames Paige for making him move out of the house. Edwin starts looking for a job to support his family. Paige asks him to join her & Finn for family therapy. Despite her reservations about Murphy’s lack of qualifications, Paige chooses him as their therapist. Unlike Paige, Murphy bluntly shares his opinions and makes them confront themselves. He calls out Edwin’s ego & Paige’s detachment pattern, which makes her furious.
Episode 2: How To Be A Cat
Paige asks Edwin to move back home with her & Finn. Together, they continue to go to family therapy sessions. There, Murphy points out how Edwin has never maintained a healthy relationship. Then, he mentions Paige’s problem with romantic relationships and her recent break-up with Mal (Marque Richardson). Murphy suggests she start listening to her heart and not let the brain take control of all the decisions. So, with Esti (Jee Young Han), Paige starts looking online for a date. Edwin suggests she explore her options without any self-imposed limitations. So, Paige assumes her father dated everyone ‘like a dog.’
Instead, Edwin says he dated like a cat – being aloof and finicky. Paige asks if he wants her to be arrogant, reckless, and withholding. Regardless, she goes on a date and stops trying to impress him. Instead, she starts pretending she doesn’t care what he thinks of her. It works in her favor. Edwin meets Mal for a job, and Mal offers it considering Edwin’s experience with the inmates. While on the job, Edwin doesn’t report their drug use because he doesn’t want them to consider him a snitch. Mal makes him realize that he needs to follow the necessary discipline.
Murphy’s Advice
Paige wants Finn to not just stay in his room but go out and make friends. But it doesn’t go well for Finn. Meanwhile, Paige shares an update on social media about her new dating technique. She shares her experience of being finicky like a cat. During their next session, Murphy realizes her need for external validation. He also explains how being like an avoidant cat or an anxious puppy is equally bad for her. Then, he points out Finn’s anxiety issues. Paige says everyone Finn’s age feels that way. Murphy suggests she look at it not as a teenage issue but as something that her son goes through.
Episode 3: How To Be Friends
Paige & Edwin have a difference of opinion on whether Finn should have a college education or not. Finn’s guidance counselor advises them to act like a team. Later, Edwin takes Finn to volunteer at the halfway house to help with his college application. He wants Finn to learn how to fight for himself and be confident. During that lesson, Finn gets injured. Edwin prepares him not to make a big deal about that minor injury. Meanwhile, Paige attends a panel discussion that also involves Mal. Later, she learns about Mal’s new girlfriend, Ava (Brandee Evans), a lawyer & a pole dance instructor.
Paige thinks she can still be friends with Mal. Esti advises her against it. Still, Paige joins Mal & Ava for a dinner. There, she learns that Ava’s father was also in prison. They laugh at Mal’s evident ‘type.’ Then, Ava invites Paige to a pole-dancing lesson. During the lesson, Paige gets hurt. She returns home to find Finn hurt and blames Edwin for it. Edwin understands that Finn is almost 18 and cannot be sheltered anymore. But he also admits that manhood is being able to accept the blame for your actions. He regrets not being the responsible father that Paige deserved.
Episode 4: Into-Me-You-See
While going through her memories, Paige remembers Kiki (Jamie Chung), whom she had kissed years ago. She believes Kiki is still romantically interested in her. So, she goes on a date and then shows up at her house. After they kiss each other, Paige learns that Kiki is married to a man. Meanwhile, Edwin learns that one of his old mates, Sadiiq, has been arrested. Initially, he tries to keep his distance from this case. Still, later, he asks Nadine to help him know the details about Sadiiq’s drug case. Despite her initial hesitation, she agrees to help him.
Later, Edwin meets Fox (Edwin Lee Gibson) to learn what happened to Sadiiq. Recently, Edwin helped Fox with one of his deals. In the past, he would not have cared much about it. But now, he doesn’t want to get caught in any issue while trying to reunite with his family. Back home, Paige senses Edwin is hiding something from her. She fears it might break their family again. Edwin comes clean about what he did. Esti tells Finn about her issue making peace with her white, adopted parents. She realizes Finn is interested in learning about his father. So, she gives him his dad’s album to listen to. Edwin lets him play it on his record player.
Episode 5: Trigger Happy
With Nadine’s help, Edwin prepares food for Esti’s open house. Paige worries he will leave his day job for this passion for food. He promises he will keep it part-time until he gets a clearer picture. Then, Paige finds her ex-husband’s record in Edwin’s room and gets frustrated. She tries to record a message about emotional triggers but can’t make up her mind about what she wants to say. Later, Finn asks her why his dad never meets him. She doesn’t reveal much because her memories with him still upset her. Edwin’s catering at Esti’s open house becomes a hit.
The Family Matters
Nadine’s continuing presence in their lives triggers Paige. So, Paige invites Nadine to their next family therapy session. There, Paige speaks about how Nadine made her feel abandoned and confronts her for putting herself before her child. Finn feels Paige does the same to him and questions why she doesn’t let him meet his father. Their argument leads Paige to realize her abandonment issues stem from her father’s absence. He mentions how she refuses to let go of his past and keeps reminding him how terrible he has been.
Paige admits that Nadine’s constant presence reminds her of when Edwin got arrested and left her with Nadine. She knows Edwin loves her but fears he will leave her again like before whenever she sees Nadine. After the session, Edwin decides to take steps to help Paige in her healing journey. Paige decides not to stop Finn from meeting his father despite her reservations.
Episode 6: The Legend of the Rollerblades
Paige, Finn, Edwin, and Esti travel to Los Angeles together so that Finn can meet his father, Johnny (Oliver Hudson). Paige is surprised to see Johnny’s lavish house. Johnny reveals the reason behind this: his wife inherited it from her chips manufacturing empire. He realizes Finn might feel slightly awkward and invites Finn to play video games with him. Then, Finn realizes his asocial behavior likely stems from his father. Johnny invites Finn to join him on a tour. But Paige refuses to let Finn go with him. So, Johnny and Paige argue about their past and why their relationship didn’t work out.
Edwin joins Esti at a Korean trans-racial adoption meetup as she meets a group of Korean adoptees who do not know their biological parents. They talk about their identity crisis because of their white parents. Edwin points out how well those parents took care of them. So, he thinks they should be grateful and not complain. Regardless, their gratitude doesn’t negate their discomfort over growing up in predominantly white neighborhoods. Later, Edwin advises Johnny to be a responsible parent. So, Johnny agrees to meet Finn on Christmas.
Episode 7: A PTCD Christmas Carole
Edwin starts decorating the house for Christmas. But Paige does not share the same spirit. Esti arrives with her adopted mother, Carole (Carol Mansell), for the celebration. She keeps hurting Carole’s feelings. But Carole tries not to take it personally. Later, Mal arrives as Edwin invites him. Still, Paige stays disinterested in Christmas and ends up ruining it for everyone else. While others open their presents, she shows no enthusiasm. Later, she realizes she is suffering from Post Traumatic Christmas Disorder (PTCD).
In the past, Edwin was arrested around the time of Christmas. That’s also when Paige’s biological mother decided to give up her parental responsibility. This painful memory keeps Paige from enjoying Christmas. Suddenly, the lights go out. It pushes her to speak with her inner child (Jordyn McIntosh) and realize she shouldn’t let her past ruin the day for Finn. By then, Finn is disappointed at his father not showing up as promised. Meanwhile, Esti decides to tell Carole about her decision to look for her biological parents. While Edwin and Paige reconcile, Esti realizes that Carole has died.
UnPrisoned (Season 2) Ending Explained:
The final episode of the second season of “UnPrisoned,” titled “The After-Party,” follows the Alexander family trying to understand the progress of their family therapy. Claire’s sudden death takes a toll on them. While Johnny doesn’t show up as promised, Sadiiq gets a long prison sentence. So, the family struggles to find the right way to process their grief. In the middle of their session, Murphy suddenly says it is their last therapy session. So, the Alexanders fight for more help until the family gets fixed. Murphy says they will never be completely healed and suggests they find their way through their complicated emotions.
Unlike Paige, Esti doesn’t get emotional about Carole’s loss. She cannot separate her love for Carole from her identity crisis. Regardless, she suggests Paige speak with Mal and be honest about her feelings for him. So, Paige shows up at Mal’s doorstep to realize he is still in a relationship with Ava. She returns home disappointed. Edwin realizes Finn has stopped driving since his car accident. So, he gives Finn a chore to do to take the car out. But Finn makes someone do that chore for him and does not work on his social anxiety.
Do Paige & Mal get back together?
Edwin goes for a driving test to get back his license. There, he realizes that the license officer is a sister of a person with a felony conviction. So, she sympathizes with Edwin and relieves his stress. Back home, Mal and Nadine arrive for the reception. Unlike before, Paige doesn’t get into any argument with Nadine. Despite Carole’s loss, Esti does not get emotional. So, Paige takes the mic for a gut-wrenching speech. She admits that they all should express their love while they can and not wait for the future. Mal understands her underlying sentiment and isn’t ready to commit to her. He then walks out of the reception.
Edwin has a heart-to-heart with Finn. He tells Finn not to fear disappointing others and tries to make him understand that everyone is flawed in some way. Finn shares that advice with Esti. She gets emotional and acknowledges her love for Carole despite her other complicated emotions. Later, Edwin takes a major step in his catering business. Then, Mal shows up at Paige’s house and admits his feelings for her. He reveals he broke up with Ava because he still loves Paige. Finally, after Paige gets back with Mal, she gets another surprise. Her biological mother shows up at the house, adding to the complications in her life.
UnPrisoned (Season 2) Review:
Despite being a family dramedy, the first season of “UnPrisoned” explored many issues plaguing the United States. It examined the impact of systemic racism and incarceration through a relatable narrative of a family trying to get back together. So, despite its heavy themes, the show felt incredibly personal and moving. The second season continues its streak of a gut-wrenching bittersweet dramedy. But this time, instead of external exploration, it pushes its characters to look inward and confront themselves no matter how unflattering it may be.
The second season shows the Alexander family getting past their differences by accepting their flaws to be a better unit. John Stamos’ corporate-therapist character acts as a catalyst for their growth and healing process. This time, the writing doesn’t scrutinize racism but focuses on how the affected people carry on with their lives. Its self-improvement lessons do not imitate the social media pandering of therapy talk. They examine the root of their past traumas while being compelling. Besides, it feels far more tonally consistent than the previous season. Yet again, Delroy Lindo becomes the show’s highlight, reflecting Edwin’s pain and heartbreak with an unparalleled emotional maturity.
Read More: UnPrisoned (Season 1) Review, Recap, Ending Explained & Themes of Incarceration, Trauma & Racial Tension Analysed
UnPrisoned (Season 2) Trailer:
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