Editor’s note: The below contains spoilers for The Madness.
All eight episodes of theNetflixseriesThe Madnesshave dropped, including a finale that finally gave Muncie Daniels (Colman Domingo) the chance to prove his innocence. Since Episode 1,Muncie has been framedfor the murder of white supremacist Mark Simon (Tahmoh Penikett). As he tries to clear his name, Muncie has a run-in with Julia Jayne (Alison Wright), a relentless killer and fixer who is after him and his family. He learns that Jayne works for Rodney Kraintz (Neal Huff), a silent investor in Revitalize, a company with deep political ties responsible for disseminating misinformation and interfering in elections. In the season finale,Muncie learns why he was framed and comes to terms with his part in “the madness.”
Muncie Discovers the Truth in ‘The Madness’ Finale
After Muncie learns that powerful billionaire Stu Magnusson (Bradley Whitford) isn’t responsible for framing him, he witnesses Julia Jayne kill him, before fleeing the scene. It turns outJayne was the one who hired Don and Ant to kill Markin the woods, at the behest of Rodney Kraintz, because Simon was trying to back out of the deal he made with him. In a tense scene at the top of the finale, Jayne is eliminated as a threat, thanks to a badass confrontation by Muncie’s wife, Elena (Marsha Stephanie Blake). However, the confrontation leaves Elena in critical condition after Jayne shoots her in the chest.
While Elena is in the hospital recovering, the authorities confirm that Jayne’s laptop fully exonerates Muncie and implicates her, not only in Mark Simon’s murder, but in multiple cover-ups since then. Muncie then gives them a thumb drive with audio evidence of Jayne admitting that she worked for Kraintz.However, to Muncie’s dismay, the police are not going to go after Kraintz. Muncie tells Lucie (Tamsin Topolski) Mark’s ex-wife, about Rodney being responsible and instructs her to tell Forge, the white supremacy group, about it. However, before that happens, Muncie’s son, Demetrius (Thaddeus J.Mixson),decides to take matters into his own hands and go after Kraintz.
Thankfully, Muncie stops Demetrius before he can do anything and, instead, goes inside himself to face Rodney with his gun. In a tense scene, Rodney says he framed Muncie simply because he was there in the woods the day Mark was murdered, and it was easy to do. It had nothing to do with his work as an activist and a CNN contributor, because he was the son of an infamous activist.Ultimately, Muncie was framed by circumstance. After Rodney says that he and Muncie are both cogs in a machine, with people in the wings ready to take their places,Muncie decides not to kill him.
Colman Domingo Unravels ‘The Madness’ of His Netflix Conspiracy Thriller
Domingo also talks about what it was like to see those dismembered body parts in the sauna.
Muncie Makes an Important Choice in ‘The Madness’ Finale
Earlier in the episode, Muncie returns to CNN to speak on air. Risking his life and refusing to stay silent, he plays the audio from Julia Jayne,publicly exonerating him and exposing Rodney Kraintz. In a great monologue, performed wonderfully by Domingo,Muncie takes accountability for being “part of the problem”and says he won’t be contributing to the madness anymore and will, instead, give back to his community and focus his energy on things that matter most.
In the final moments of the finale,Muncie is seen teaching in a classroom, giving back to his community, as promised. After deciding not to kill Rodney himself, a member of The Forge does it for him, shooting Kraintz and eliminating him as a threat to Muncie and his family. Although there’s still a brief moment of paranoia that Muncie can’t seem to shake, the episode ends with him spending time with Demetrius and his daughter Kallie (Gabrielle Graham). Now fully recovered, Elena shows and the last frame of the series is the couple looking at each other, signaling a potential fresh start for the two of them.
While Netflix has not officially confirmed a second season,The Madnessstar Colman Domingothinks there’s more to Muncie’s story.In an interview with Deadline, he said, “I think there’s more from Muncie. I would really love to engage with a Season 2.” While the show has been branded as a limited series, it wouldn’t be the first time that thesuccess of a series has led to more seasons. Just recently, theFXhitShōgungot a Season 2, breaking out of the limited series category.
In the first week of its premiere,The Madnessremained on the streamer’s Top 10 List and gained more viewers every day. Its ongoing success could give Netflix a reason to explore a potential extension of the show.The show is also full of rich characters that could be further exploredif given the opportunity for more screen time, building on the world ofThe Madness.
The Madness
Muncie Daniels is a political consultant-turned-TV pundit who may have lost his way in life. While on a work sabbatical in the Poconos to write the great American novel, Muncie finds himself the only witness to the murder of a well-known white supremacist, and now he’s being framed for the crime. Muncie is forced to go on the run in a desperate fight to clear his name and unravel a global conspiracy before time runs out. Along the way he’ll reconnect with his family, find unlikely allies, and fight against disinformation in a post-truth age.
All Episodes ofThe Madnessare now streaming on Netflix.
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