The Ending Of FUBAR Season 1 Explained
Contains spoilers for "FUBAR" Season 1, Episode 8, "That's It and That's All."
Arnold Schwarzenegger is back in his element in Netflix's action comedy, "FUBAR." He stars as CIA agent Luke Brunner who is nearing retirement when he discovers his daughter, Emma (Monica Barbaro), has also been keeping the same secret from the family and working as an operative. The series' formula is similar to Schwarzenegger's other famous spy gig — James Cameron's "True Lies" – where the dynamics of family and friends play an important part in the overall plot. Whether it's those in the know helping to cover up for Luke and Emma's day job activities, or others becoming frustrated as the father-and-daughter duo's stories don't always seem to add up and they let people down.
The "FUBAR" Season 1 finale ends on an action-packed note that ties up a few loose threads, but also introduces a bunch of new ones into the mix. By not closing the chapter conclusively, it further indicates there is more story to tell about the Brunners and their cohorts. So, let's take a look at what happened at the end of Season 1 and what it means for the future of the series.
What you need to remember about the plot of FUBAR Season 1
After discovering Emma is also a CIA agent, Luke works together with her and a team consisting of Aldon (Travis Van Winkle), Roo (Fortune Feimster), Barry (Milan Carter), and Tina (Aparna Brielle). Their main mission is to take down an international terrorist and arms dealer, Boro (Gabriel Luna). Naturally, they get close a few times and have to go off down tangential paths to get their man as he's a slippery customer who has his own network of bad guys doing his bidding.
The other story of "FUBAR" is how Luke and Emma's personal lives continue to suffer due to their top-secret work. Luke tries to encourage his daughter to learn from his mistakes and not repeat them, but this only accelerates her issues. She and her fiancé, Carter (Jay Baruchel), break up after she starts snogging her colleague, Aldon, whom she has conflicted feelings for.
Similarly, Luke has his relationship woes as he rekindles the romance with his ex-wife, Tally (Fabiana Udenio), whom he has never gotten over. There's a problem here, though: Tally is in a relationship with Donnie (Andy Buckley), but she promises she will break it off for Luke. After Luke breaks her heart for the second time — in what he deems an effort to spare her from further pain — Tally takes the plunge and decides she wants to commit and marry Donnie.
The false finish of FUBAR Season 1
Luke makes a big call in the season finale after Emma and Boro work together to try and avoid the impending explosion in Sardovia (which is a nice homage to "FUBAR" writer Nick Santora's other show, "Scorpion," by the way). While Luke has the ability to help Boro out of danger, he decides against it, fearing that he will come after his family later on. Despite his closeness to the criminal as a child and his previous reluctance, Luke leaves the villain to perish in the nuclear explosion and escapes with his daughter.
Back home, Luke announces his official retirement from the CIA and gets blindsided by the news that Tally is marrying Donnie. Initially, he accepts the decision and wishes both Tally and Donnie well, despite having no plans to attend the wedding. Emma eggs her father on, though, telling him to fight for her mother and what he wants.
Spurned on by his daughter's encouragement, Luke arrives at the church before the ceremony and tells Tally the whole truth and nothing but the truth. He reveals everything about his past as a CIA agent, explaining how it was the reason for his odd behavior all those years ago and how he kept it a secret to protect his family. Then, all of a sudden, Luke's car explodes outside of the church.
What happened at the end of FUBAR Season 1
It goes from church bells to Hell's bells, as terrorists swarm the ceremony and start firing. Luke and Emma pull out their weapons and return the gunfire, revealing themselves as something much more to the wedding guests. A burnt-looking Boro reappears, holding Tally at gunpoint and demanding revenge. In a typical dastardly villainous monologue, he discusses how he survived the explosion and found Emma and Luke. His nefarious plan is for them to shoot each other in front of their loved ones.
Tally uses the medal that Luke showed her as proof of his past to stab and unstabilize Boro, who is then on the receiving end of a hail of bullets from Emma and Luke. However, both father and daughter understand this is only the start of their problems since their true identities have been compromised and they believe Boro might have sold the information to others.
A black van arrives and Luke, Emma, Tally, Donnie, Carter, Barry, Aldon, Roo, and the rest of the family, including Oscar Brunner (Devon Bostick) and his wife and daughter jump in. It's made clear that everyone's life is about to change and they can no longer go back to how it was before. Luke even describes the situation as being particularly FUBAR: f***ed up beyond repair.
Why did Luke have to tell Tally his secret now?
"FUBAR" Season 1 is all about secrets and the damage they cause in the long run. It's also abundantly obvious that the lack of honesty is behind Luke and Tally's marriage falling apart in the first place. She believes he sells gym equipment for a living and is a generally unreliable human being who lets her down. Luke did have the chance to come clean to her, though, when they reignited their relationship in this season. His plan for retirement was already in place, so he could have been honest much earlier.
Instead, he puts her through the wringer again by luring her in, and dumping her when it becomes serious. Then, once he realizes he may lose her forever to Donnie, he unloads everything on her wedding day. While it might sound like a grand gesture to win her back, it isn't. It shows a bit of Luke's selfishness and trust issues. He might hide behind the fact that he's protecting her and the family from potential danger by not disclosing what he really does, but being a part of their lives and in that line of work will always put them at risk — as the finale proves. The least he could have afforded her was the truth from the start. He only told her now because she was about to get married to someone else, and he didn't like it.
How are the multiple love triangles going to co-exist?
The show features a lot of guns and fists flying, but at its heart is, well, matters of the heart. The season finale leaves a question mark on the status of two major love triangles — and no matter the outcome, some beloved characters will be left brokenhearted here.
The first involves Luke, Tally, and Donnie. Anyone can see that Luke and Tally share a deep connection and it has never gone away despite their divorce. Plus, they realize the sparks still exist after their latest fling. Then, there's Donnie — a nice guy who has genuine feelings for Tally. He might not have the bluster of Luke, but he treats Tally well and is there for her when she needs him. With all three together now, it remains to be seen if Luke will make a play for Tally in front of Donnie, or if Tally will admit her feelings for Luke. In all likelihood, it looks like Donnie will be the biggest loser in this situation.
Then, there's the drama between Emma, Aldon, and Carter. Much like Donnie, Carter is the secure, reliable option for Emma. However, Aldon possesses a more dangerous and seductive appeal. She has already cheated on Carter with Aldon, and it's evident there are also feelings there. While Carter and Emma may be broken up, there's a hint they may try to work things out again. However, Aldon might have something to say about that.
How do the others feel about Emma and Luke lying to them for so long?
After the gunfire in the church, no one has much time to process what just happened. It's understandable; the adrenaline must be through the roof and they are more concerned about their safety than anything else at the moment. However, once the dust settles, the noggins will start ticking and questions will be asked. Imagine how someone like Oscar must feel knowing his father and sister are CIA agents and he never knew about it. Surely, he must feel a sense of betrayal at how they kept this from him for so long.
Similarly, spare a thought for poor Carter. He already believes the relationship between him and Emma consisted of lies due to her locking lips with Aldon. Now, this extra bit of additional info will make him question everything about their relationship, including if it was even real in the first place. Make no mistake about it, Luke and Emma have a lot of explaining to do to their friends and family here. They won't be able to brush this incident under the carpet, and there will be more than a few people who will feel disappointed that they weren't trusted with their secrets in the first place.
Who is Tina speaking to?
Tina doesn't make it to the church as Barry's date since she's wrapping something up at the office. While there, she receives a call but insists she can't talk. Eventually, she switches from English to Russian and says, "I'm in the middle of something." It's a shocking moment that leaves the audience with a lot of questions about Tina and her real motivations.
In "FUBAR" Season 1, Tina arrives on the scene as a transfer from another department. She starts a romance with Barry and quickly earns the trust of the rest of the team. Later, she reveals to Barry that she is meant to be transferred out again. Undeterred, he pulls internal strings and calls on a few favors to ensure she stays where she is, so they can continue their relationship.
However, the big reveal in the season finale indicates that Tina may not be who she claims to be. There's a possibility that she could be a double agent and working with adversaries to infiltrate the CIA — including faking a relationship with Barry to gain his trust. Equally concerning is the identity of the person on the opposite end of her phone call. Is it her real boss or potentially the villain for the next season of the show?
Someone is going to get hurt here
Despite Luke and Emma's fears, none of their loved ones are actually hurt in "FUBAR" Season 1. They escape Boro's wrath relatively unscathed, which means they are incredibly lucky and fortunate. However, neither of those elements makes for riveting television shows, so this is merely the calm before the storm.
Saving all the main characters here, it's a sure sign that there is major trouble brewing down the road for the protagonists. In essence, Luke and Emma haven't suffered at all. Boro wanted revenge against them for what they did to him and for messing up his plans, but he didn't succeed in the slightest. The worst thing he did is reveal their secret to their family and friends. It's no big deal in the grand context of vengeance.
That being said, there is potential danger on the horizon, especially considering the group of untrained and unarmed people with them now. While no one doubts Luke, Emma, and the rest of the CIA's crew's ability to defend themselves, they are surrounded by regular folk, who make the best targets for rogues.
The question is, who will be doing the hurting?
Unless "FUBAR" takes a drastic left turn and introduces a mystical Lazarus Pit to its storyline, it's likely the audience has seen the last of Boro. There's no chance he survived all those bullets to the chest, and Roo makes sure he's done for by popping him as well. So, that's the curtain call on his time as the villain of the show.
As Luke states, though, it's uncertain how many others know Luke and Emma's real identities now. Boro could have sold the information to the highest bidder or even offered it up voluntarily as a middle finger to the Brunners. Perhaps he might have told a few of the other insidious characters he interacted with earlier in the season. Alternatively, there's the real possibility that Tina and the mysterious person she spoke to on the phone could be revealed as the next antagonists here. If she has been a double agent all along, this could be the next phase of some master plan.
What the end of FUBAR Season 1 could mean for the franchise
While there are many series that end their seasons in a way that allows it to be a series finale in case they don't get renewed, "FUBAR" chooses a different approach. It all but indicates there is a plan for a second season of the show. Of course, in the world of streaming services, nothing is ever certain or confirmed until it officially goes in front of the camera for the next season. And even then there could be a chance of a reversal if a tax break is on offer.
What does count in the favor of "FUBAR" is Arnold Schwarzenegger's star power. He is an executive producer on the series and received everything he wanted from a creative standpoint. "David Ellison came to me with the idea of a TV show," he told The Hollywood Reporter. "I said, 'It has to be something where I can use all my aspects and talents. It has to be fun. It has to be action-packed. It has to be sweet. And we shouldn't try to get around my age — let's play my age.' He came up with the idea of doing a 'True Lies'-type thing." As long as Schwarzenegger stays involved with the series, it's likely to always have a home — whether it be on Netflix or another platform.
The next season will need to change its approach
"FUBAR" Season 2 is likely to be much different from its predecessor. While the action-comedy formula is in the show's DNA, a major plot device will need to adapt after the events of the season finale. Moving forward, Luke and Emma's secret lives are no more. It's all out in the open now and there's no hiding behind it for the characters or writers of the show.
Fortunately, the "True Lies" movie has also paved the way for how to handle this scenario. In the film, Helen Tasker (Jamie Lee Curtis) eventually discovers her husband Harry's (Arnold Schwarzenegger) secret, and the two are forced to deal with all their past issues while simultaneously handling the physical threats in front of them. While one of the first season's main themes is about how lies will eventually get people into trouble, the second could address the consequences of the deceit. it could be time for the supporting characters to speak out and address all the hurt and pain Emma and Luke have caused them.
Who will we see in the cast of FUBAR Season 2?
As with any series, money talks — and contracts determine who will and won't return for future seasons. There are numerous supporting characters in "FUBAR" Season 1 that don't appear in every episode, but still play an important part in the season finale. At the end of "That's It and That's All," Luke, Emma, Carter, Tally, Donnie, Barry, Aldon, Roo, Tina, Oscar, Sandy (Stephanie Sy), and Romi (Rachel Lynch) all look set to return for further adventures based on where they find themselves respectively.
However, there are other characters that could feature as well. Scott Thompson's Dr. Pfeffer provides laughs whenever he appears on screen, while Tom Arnold's Norm Carlson is also likely to be a character explored in further guest appearances. Similarly, Dot (Barbara Eve Harris) acts as the M of the series, so it's more than probable she would return for future episodes as well.