Warning! This article contains spoilers for The Buccaneers season 2, episode 8.
Following a tonally darker outing, The Buccaneers‘ season 2 finale brings fresh drama and multiple shocking twists that set up a potential third season. The titular American Buccaneers, Nan (Kristine Frøseth), Jinny (Imogen Waterhouse), Lizzy (Aubri Ibrag), Conchita (Alisha Boe), and Mabel (Josie Totah) were put through the wringer this season, with storylines involving kidnapping, forced institutionalization, adultery, surprise pregnancies, and even murder.
Though The Buccaneers season 2, episode 7 rightfully focused on Conchita’s grief after the death of her husband, Richard (Josh Dylan), as well as Jinny’s recovery following her own husband’s abusive deeds, The Buccaneers’ penultimate episode did tease what was to come: Nan discovered the truth about Theo (Guy Remmers) and Lizzy’s affair after learning that an earring that was left at Tintagel Castle belonged to Lizzy.
In The Buccaneers’ season 2 finale, Theo and Lizzy’s relationship is brought to light, and the Duchess decides to reveal her biggest secret at midnight during her masquerade ball. Perhaps fortunately, Theo beats Nan to the punch, making an announcement that gives him, Lizzy, and Nan the freedom they all so desperately wanted but believed they could never have – or so they thought.
Theo’s Abdication Explained
In The Buccaneers season 2, episode 8, aptly titled “She Knows,” Nan reveals to her mother, Patricia (Christina Hendricks), that she’s pregnant with Theo’s baby, the future heir of Tintagel. Throughout the episode, Nan acts wholly out of character, scheming and blackmailing Theo into letting her stay, using Lizzy’s vulnerability to her advantage.
Nan’s pregnancy explains her motivations, though: she was never truly going to expose Lizzy. She just needed to ensure that Theo and his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Tintagel (Amelia Bullmore), couldn’t separate her from her child. She was set to announce her pregnancy to the whole of society during her ball, forcing Theo and his mother into a corner, but Theo cut her off before she could begin.
In a shocking twist, Theo announces his abdication as Duke. He proclaims his love for Lizzy to the world. By abdicating, Theo can legally divorce, giving him, Lizzy, and, by extension, Nan and Guy, the freedom they all desire. Theo underestimated how much his mother cared about Tintagel and their family’s legacy, though. She secretly wrote a letter to Theo’s long-lost brother to ensure Tintagel stays in the family.
Theo’s reaction to his brother’s arrival will dictate how The Buccaneers’ potential third season unfolds. Will his love for Lizzy be enough? Or will he feel compelled to fight for his place as Tintagel’s Duke once he finds out the truth of his brother’s conception? There’s also the question of Lizzy’s loyalty and whether she’ll feel compelled to keep Nan’s pregnancy a secret.
Will Nan Be Able To Handle The Pregnancy On Her Own?
Nan will no longer be a Duchess, and when this realization hits her, she leaves everything behind to embark on a new life. Nan’s run on the beach is a moving moment for a character who, while having made plenty of mistakes, does everything she does for the ones she loves, rather than for herself. It’s how she ended up in a loveless marriage, after all.
Running away from Tintagel in The Buccaneers season 2 finale is the first time we see Nan make a choice that’s just for her. She wants to keep her baby and raise it outside the “institution,” so she’ll do it on her own. How far will she run? And will it be far enough away if Theo and the Dowager Duchess ever find out about the pregnancy?
Nan is a planner and a free spirit, but she is also a deeply social person. She relies on her friends and family for comfort. This was evident at the beginning of this season, when Nan succumbed to her loneliness. At some point, she’ll undoubtedly involve Jinny, Conchita, Mabel, and even Lizzy in her pregnancy, though there’s a chance that may put her freedom at risk.
Guy (Matthew Broome) is also still deeply in love with Nan, despite his whirlwind, drunken marriage to Italian beauty Paloma (Grace Ambrose). It’s unclear why Paloma is hiding the annulment papers from Guy, but if they remain married, it’ll be that much harder for Guy to find or even help Nan during this precarious time in her life.
Lizzy Has A Difficult Decision To Make
Once again, Lizzy finds herself at a crossroads: will she accept Theo’s love for her publicly, despite his change in status? Or will she accept Hector Robinson’s (Jacob Ifan) decidedly less romantic second proposal, for a life of stability and relative comfort?
As Nan said to Lizzy in the finale, the real love story of The Buccaneers is the one between these young, courageous women. Lizzy and Theo’s love may be doomed to fail simply because of Lizzy’s love for Nan.
However, the audience knows something Lizzy doesn’t. In a surprisingly devious move, Hector was the one who leaked the Duke’s affair to the press, forcing Lizzy into an impossible situation in which the safest option was to marry him after all, despite rejecting him at the altar previously. Hector’s scheme was undoubtedly one of the episode’s biggest twists.
Lizzy’s entire future and reputation now lie in the hands of two powerful, cunning men. Lizzy is flawed, but they’re essentially stealing her agency. While Lizzy’s current situation is devastating, it highlights just how vital the Buccaneers’ support is. Without her friends, Lizzy could become completely isolated.
Conchita, Jinny, And Mabel Find A Way To Move Forward
While Jinny’s harrowing ordeal with her husband, James (Barney Fishwick), was brought to a shocking end in The Buccaneers season 2, episode 6, she and Freddie are now safe at Conchita’s house. Conchita and Mabel still had a little story left in them in The Buccaneers’ season 2 finale, however.
Following her husband’s death, Conchita’s “introduction” business has been struggling; her family name no longer holds weight, and she needs money. Mabel, meanwhile, confirms her sexuality once and for all, and, after having said goodbye to her not-so-secret lover, Honoria (Mia Threapleton), she’s decided to embark on a new journey.
Mabel wants to help others struggling with their sexuality find each other. Conchita needs new business. There’s no better time for these two to team up, and their fireside chat is a real point of light in an otherwise dramatic season finale.
How The Buccaneers Season 2 Ending Sets Up Season 3
The status quo has been completely upended in The Buccaneers’ season 2 finale. With a mysterious replacement Duke named Kit on the way, the gossip surrounding his existence is sure to reach new heights. The Dowager may yet discover that her dedication to Tintagel has ruined them all. Why else would Reede Robinson (Greg Wise) be so shocked by her decision?
The love square between Theo, Nan, Guy, and Lizzy – although now that Paloma and Hector are involved, it’s more of a love hexagon – has yet to be resolved, too. How it will resolve itself is mostly down to Lizzy and Paloma.
Lizzy has to choose between Theo and Hector, though Hector’s secret will surely be uncovered at some point. Guy, meanwhile, can only truly be with Nan if Paloma decides to let him go. If anyone’s willing to raise another man’s baby, however, it would probably be Guy (though a part of me still wonders whether the baby truly is Theo’s; could Nan’s or the Doctor’s math be wrong?).
What a potential season 3 needs to focus on most of all, though, is the relationship between the five young women who started it all. Will Nan keep choosing herself? Will Conchita overcome her grief? Will Jinny find happiness? Will Mabel find her purpose? Will Lizzy find herself? Will they all come together again? Hopefully, we’ll find out in The Buccaneers season 3.
All episodes of The Buccaneers season 2 are streaming now on Apple TV+.
The Buccaneers
6/10
- Release Date
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November 8, 2023
- Network
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Apple TV+
- Showrunner
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Katherine Jakeways
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Kristine Froseth
Nan St. George
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Alisha Boe
Conchita Closson
