Does Hub Get Out of His Hell Deal?
Editor’s Note: The following contains spoilers for The Bondsman finale.It seems that Prime Video has a new hit on its hands with the first season of the new Kevin Bacon series, The Bondsman. This supernatural-horror-comedy offers laughs, cries, and a host of bloody action sequences as the newly resurrected Hub Halloran (Bacon) is sent on a mission to hunt down demons for the Devil. But after battling these evil spirits for several episodes, Hub discovers a pattern in their attacks, namely a ritualistic sacrifice that is meant to bring something to our world from Hell. So, how does The Bondsman Season 1 end? Well, here’s what you need to know.
‘The Bondsman’ Pits Hub Halloran Against the Man-Hating Demon Lilith
It turned out that Hub was onto something, after all. The demons that had been escaping Hell had done so on the orders of none other than the demoness/fallen angel Lilith, Satan’s plaything who aimed to escape the Devil and his schemes by climbing topside. The only way to do that was through ritualistic sacrifice, and after Midge Kusatsu’s (Jolene Purdy) death in the previous episode, the cycle was complete. Aside from currently being under contract with the Devil, Hub finds himself smack in the middle of it when Lilith rises possessing the corpse of Cheryl Dawson (Kathrine Barnes), a young woman who Hub accidentally killed a month earlier when trying to murder Lucky Callahan (Damon Herriman) in his bar. Cheryl was buried in Hub’s backyard, and so the titular bondsman discovers the grave empty and is forced to confess the sin that sent him to Hell in the first place to Maryanne (Jennifer Nettles), with whom he recently reconciled.
Unsurprisingly, Maryanne doesn’t take it well, discovering that Hub is as much a murderer as Lucky is. She had just left Lucky because of his illegal dealings, and the fact that he had Hub killed before he was resurrected by Hell. After Maryanne runs off, a depressed Hub decides it may be best if he confesses his crimes to Sheriff Ruby (Denitra Isler). Except he is stopped by a newly resurrected Midge, who is brought back by the Devil to finish the job they started. It turns out that the last time Lilith escaped from Hell, she was captured in Jerusalem, and Hub soon discovers that yet another pentagram was used in order to bind her and send her back. But before they can capture the demoness, Lilith has been showing Cheryl’s face all over town, and many who believed that she was missing now see her as a threat, as the demon (using mind-control) is responsible for the deaths of several men across the city.
Hub Makes a Deal That May Prove Apocalyptic in ‘The Bondsman’ Season 1 Finale
As this is happening, Lucky works alongside Sheriff Ruby in investigating the Hallorans. Earlier this season, Lucky stumbled upon photographic evidence that Hub and his mother, Kitty (Beth Grant), had something to do with the death of local Pastor Ron (Dave Macomber) — who was actually possessed by the demon Valacor, but they don’t know that. Thinking that Hub and his family are part of some serial killer cult, Lucky sees to it that Maryanne, Kitty, and Cade (Maxwell Jenkins) are arrested, though Cade is not ultimately charged. However, this proves a ploy by the sheriff, who threatens Maryanne with Cade’s future, offering her son amnesty if she can deliver Hub to her. But while Sheriff Ruby is plotting a trap for Hub, the bondsman is working on one of his own.
Elsewhere, Hub and Midge set a trap for Lilith and soon catch the monster. Unwilling to return to Hell, Lilith offers Hub a deal: if she is set free, she will resurrect Cheryl, thus clearing Hub’s name in the process. Midge tries to convince Hub to stay on the mission, noting that if Lilith remains topside, the whole world could fall under her murderous spell, and none will be safe, but Hub only sees his future. Believing that Cheryl’s resurrection will allow him to be with Maryanne and Cade, Hub takes Lilith’s deal and the demoness walks free. Having finally found his “loophole,” Hub’s Pot O’ Gold contract with the Devil is dissolved, and he feels like a free man. However, Midge warns him that his actions will have dire consequences, and it turns out that she’s right. Though Hub takes a newly resurrected Cheryl back to Lucky’s club, he doesn’t realize that there’s a trap awaiting him.
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Nettles also compares ‘The Bondsman’ with ‘The Righteous Gemstones,” where she plays Aimee-Leigh Gemstone.
“Lilith” Ends With Hub Back Under Contract — and Satan Won’t Likely Be Pleased
Returning to Lucky’s club, Hub and Cheryl are almost immediately taken into police custody after reports have come in from all over town concerning Cheryl’s murderous rampage. While the poor woman is unsure of what’s going on, Hub tries to get Maryanne to listen to him, but she refuses to listen. Instead, she returns to her dressing room, where Lucky tries to comfort her. The problem is, the moment Maryanne fled the scene, she was followed by a black raven, which was possessed by none other than Lilith herself. By the time Lucky arrives, Maryanne has been possessed — though seemingly not killed in the process — and she wastes no time killing Lucky. Meanwhile, as Hub is being taken to the station, everyone stops to hear Maryanne sing, but it’s not Maryanne at all.
Lilith controls the minds of everyone in the room and holds everyone (including Hub’s family) hostage just so that she can speak with the bondsman. The demon reveals that Lilith’s presence on Earth will prompt Satan to send an army after her, and that neither she nor the Halloran family are now safe from Hell’s reach. There, she offers Hub a new deal: work as her own personal bondsman, keeping Satan’s forces at bay, or watch his family die. For Hub, it’s not a choice, and he regrettably chooses to serve Lilith instead. As the claw markings return to his hand, Hub Halloran is under a new contract, and this one may prove even more deadly than the last.
The Bondsman is available for streaming on Prime Video in the U.S.
