The Ending Of Hulu's Black Cake Explained
Contains spoilers for "Black Cake"
The Hulu miniseries "Black Cake" takes audiences on a journey back in time as two siblings learn the truth of their past and how it could impact their future. Benny (Adrienne Warren) and Byron Bennett's (Ashley Thomas) mother Eleanor (Chipo Chung) dies, leaving them several audio recordings to listen to. What they learn from them forces them to confront what they thought they knew about their family, and they come to realize they were in the dark about their family's past.
While listening to the recordings, they learn that their mother had a different identity in Jamaica, was not an orphan as she claimed, and that they have more family than they realize. The reason their mother took on a new name and fled her home is rooted in a murder, one she had nothing to do with but which changed her life forever. By the end of the series, Byron and Benny reflect on what they know and how to move forward with the weight of this new information.
A story about family told across two timelines, "Black Cake" covers a ton of ground during its eight episodes. Here is everything you need to know about the ending of the series, from who is the murderer and where the story could go next.
What you need to remember about the plot of Black Cake
"Black Cake" follows Byron and Benny Bennett as they learn that everything they thought they knew about their life is a lie. After their mother Eleanor dies from a brain tumor, she leaves audio recordings for them to listen to together. Benny hasn't seen her family in eight years, so after being late to the reading of the will, the two siblings discover that it isn't merely listening to words that awaits them.
They thought their mother was an orphan. The audio recordings reveal that this isn't the case. Born Coventina, also known as Covey (Mia Isaac), she grew up in Jamaica before fleeing to London after an arranged marriage ends in tragedy when her husband Little Man (Anthony Mark Barrow) dies during the reception. As Covey tries to build a new life in London, she can't catch a break: She gets in a train accident, struggles to find work, and feels isolated before running into Gibbs. He was her boyfriend on the island before he moved to London for school. He also happens to be the father of Byron and Benny.
As Benny and Byron listen to their mother's words, they struggle with aspects of their personal lives, from Byron being passed over for a promotion at work to Benny coming to terms with why she stayed away from her family for so long.
What happened at the end of Black Cake
Byron and Benny discover the identity of and meet Bunny (Lashay Anderson), their mother's friend from Jamaica, and finally learn what happened at Eleanor's wedding reception all those years before. They also realize that Eleanor followed Bunny's career as the famous swimmer Etta Pringle, supporting her from afar. Their mother leaves her former friend an audio recording, asking her to tell Byron and Bunny her side of the wedding night.
After listening to all the recordings, Byron, Benny, and their newly discovered half-sister Mabel put Eleanor to rest. Bunny shows them how to honor their parents in traditional Jamaican fashion, helping relieve their spirits of regrets. As they all share a meal together, their mother's oldest friend shares stories from their childhood, giving them a further look into the life they never knew Eleanor had.
Each of the siblings goes off on their own adventure. Byron, with the help of their mother's estate lawyer, begins to record himself talking about his experience with workplace discrimination because of his race. Benny taps back into her creative side, writing a song about her grandmother and recording a video of her singing and playing the guitar. Mabel flies back to the United Kingdom and listens to the separate recording Eleanor left for her.
Who killed Little Man?
Throughout the series, several individuals could be involved with Little Man's murder. Initially, it seems like Covey's father did it, feeling remorse for what he did to his daughter in marrying her off before she was even 18 years old. Though he is actively trying to undo his deal with Little Man, he isn't the one who poisons him at the reception. Later on, scenes imply that Gibbs is responsible for the murder, a final act of love and devotion for Covey before he leaves for London.
However, we learn that Bunny is behind Little Man's death. Covey's housekeeper and surrogate mother Pearl (Faith Alabi) shows Bunny a poison she plans to ensure ends up in Little Man's nightcap at the hotel, ensuring he will fall asleep and never wake up. Bunny decides to take matters into her own hands, spiking his champagne toast and giving Covey an opening to run.
While several people in Covey's life try to remove her from the situation, her childhood friend saves her. Before the wedding, Bunny went to Gibbs and Covey's father to convince them to take action. When no one does, Bunny takes the opportunity in front of her to help her friend. It's a wonderful reminder that the truest of friends will always help you in your time of need, even if it may impact them negatively.
It only takes one event to modify everyone's destiny
"Black Cake" features many events that quickly change the lives of one individual and everyone around them, for better and worse. When Covey's father is a young boy, his winning a bet starts a chain reaction that results in him having to give away his daughter as an adult, which then changes Covey's life forever. That one little event creates the story the series follows.
You never know how something you do will impact you or your loved ones in the future. As a child, Covey's father thought he was helping his family have a bit more to eat. Instead, he started the fall of dominos that continued for decades. Sometimes we don't remember the impact our actions can have, both in the moment and the future.
The butterfly effect, though typically used in conjunction with chaos theory, applies here. While we only see the start of it in one generational cycle as it applies to Covey, there is another set of chain reactions that impact Covey's father's situation and the financial ruin of his family. These little scenarios add up to what becomes a borderline catastrophic event for Covey when she leaves the only life she knows. That snowballs into the hardships she experiences in Europe, particularly until she finds Gibbs. Everything always links back to a single defining moment, even if we can't identify what it is.
People who love you don't always have your best interests at heart
One of the main themes of "Black Cake" is that not everyone has your best interests at heart, even those you love. This is initially shown through Covey's relationship with her father, who sells her to the highest bidder to rid himself of the debt he puts himself in from his gambling addiction. Though he regrets this action by the wedding night, he doesn't hesitate to push away the last family member he has to save himself.
The cycle repeats itself in a way with Eleanor's daughter Benny. Benny has incredibly low self-esteem and doesn't believe in her abilities as an artist. Steve, a more established artist, takes her under his wing, becoming her mentor and romantic partner. When she tries to reconnect with her family, especially after her father passes away, Steve discourages her, filling her head with lies that she doesn't need them because she has him.
Not only is this something that becomes a generational issue, but it is an important reminder that, despite someone caring for you, they don't always lead you in the right direction. Benny lost out on eight years with her family because she let Steve manipulate her in the name of love. She can't get that time back. While you should trust those you love, you should also have the awareness to recognize when they could be impacting your life negatively.
We get in our own way
Byron and Benny's experiences as adults, and the negative ramifications associated with them, are not solely because of the institutions society has in place. The two siblings also get in their own way because they don't acknowledge the outside forces impacting them.
Byron's partner calls out the possibility that race plays a factor in him not receiving the promotion he is up for at work, when he loses the job to a white colleague. His girlfriend says that it is probably racial discrimination, especially since Byron is one of the only people of color within the field. He doesn't believe that's the case. While he eventually comes around to this mindset, he doesn't initially want to believe that's what is happening. It's easier to think that you aren't good enough and beat yourself up over perceived failure in life rather than admit factors out of your control impact your success.
Benny is the same way. She lets her parents' opinion of her career impact her self-worth and how she views her talent. This not only causes Benny to feel poorly about herself, but it forces her to stay in an abusive relationship because Steve is the only person validating her work.
Both of the Bennett siblings let the views of others impact their self-worth rather than confronting the root of the problem, preventing themselves from flourishing as adults.
What happened to Covey's mother?
A significant change in Covey's life happens when her mother Mathilda (Jade Eshete) leaves Jamaica. Covey never knows why her mother left, though she holds resentment toward her, and never finds her after escaping to London.
It's implied that Covey's mother left due to a breakdown in her relationship with Covey's father due to his gambling addiction. Pearl helped her disappear, just like she did for Covey the day after the wedding. However, the reason for her disappearance isn't known, and it's unlikely that Byron and Benny would be able to track her down at this point. There would be few people still alive who could help them, meaning despite having answers for some of the questions, audiences likely won't find one for this mystery.
However, not having her mother to help her through everything makes Covey's story so much stronger. She finds a way in a new country on her own. She has few loved ones she wants to communicate with when she leaves the islands, especially after what both parents did to her. In a way, not knowing where her mother is keeps her safe from those in Jamaica trying to find her.
The meaning of the black cake
The namesake of the series, black cake, is an important symbol of both Byron and Benny's journey in the present and their mother's past. A common dessert on the islands, it is one of the only parts of her past Eleanor could share with her children before they knew her truth.
When audiences first meet Mabel, she discusses how black cake is made up of ingredients from all over the world, and she is questioned about what makes a recipe specific to a region. It's not only a thought-provoking question, but it hints at a deeper meaning. Black cake is the only part of her childhood Eleanor could be honest about, and the only part of Jamaica Eleanor exposes Byron and Benny to before they hear her tapes. In a life filled with lies and half-truths, she could provide a cultural legacy for her children by making the cake with them.
Eleanor knows her children will view the cake differently after learning her story. It gives Byron and Benny a look into their ancestry and heritage, one they wouldn't have otherwise. With it, Eleanor preserves her secret until the time is right, while also ensuring her children don't lose a connection to their culture.
Where is Mabel's biological father?
As audiences discuss the need for a second season, theories surrounding Mabel's father are popping up. The question isn't who her father is, since the audience does have this information (even if Mabel doesn't know his name yet), but where he is in the present day. Mabel found out about Eleanor too late, taking away her ability to have a relationship with her biological mother. However, if her biological father is alive, there's a chance she could meet him.
Reddit user u/Mission-Adeptness501 posits that Mabel's adopted father could be her biological one in a post on the r/BlackCakeHulu subreddit. Another user comments that this probably isn't the case because we saw the young couple adopting Mabel during the series, and that was a different man than Covey's boss in Scotland. For this to work, the man in Scotland would have to divorce his wife, move to London, remarry, and conveniently adopt the baby all within nine months.
However, the thread does cause audiences to question if they have met Mabel's biological father in the present already. With plenty of people in the background, he could be lurking at Bunny's book signing or be a part of the food community in some way. Audiences or Mabel may already know him, but that will only become clear if Hulu greenlights a second season.
What the showrunner has to say about the ending
Showrunner Marissa Jo Cerar believes there's a chance for Benny and Byron to right the "wrongs of the past" after the end of the series. "If you watch it all, you'll see that so much of what Covey experiences in her past is a reflection of how our children are in present day," the showrunner shared in an interview with ScreenRant. "Now that they know all of this, and they've learned so much, they can either right some of those wrongs of the past, or heal some of those wounds and find each other closer together, or they can blow up their lives."
Audiences see how the siblings move on with their lives, and the difficult situation Mabel is in, but that doesn't necessarily mean Benny and Byron reach the end of their mother's story. It's ultimately up to them if they leave it as is or if they pursue more answers, especially when it comes to where their grandmother went when she left the islands. As Cerar notes, she sees this as having many possible outcomes.
What the end of Black Cake could mean for a second season
"Black Cake" ends with Mabel pausing her recording from Eleanor, hesitating because the next lines will reveal the identity of her biological father. Mabel knows that she is the product of a sexual assault her mother experienced while working in Scotland. However, it is a completely different experience to have a name attached to that knowledge.
The series is based on a book of the same name, which does not have a sequel. "Black Cake" is officially labeled a miniseries, but if it were to continue for a second season, it could follow Mabel's journey of learning the identity of her father and how that impacts her life. She also hasn't been truthful to her son Gio about his father.
Since the series initially follows two generations trying to understand the actions of their mothers, if "Black Cake" continues, following the story of fathers would make for a poignant second season. With two stories about fathers that need to come to light, another season could follow two generations of a family learning the truth about their biological fathers. As Mabel comes to terms with knowing who her father is, Gio could do the same if Mabel opens up to him as Eleanor did with Byron and Benny.