The highly-anticipated second season of The Last Thing He Told Me is sure to be action-packed, but where did the first season leave off?
The Last Thing He Told Me, based on Laura Dave’s novel of the same name, premiered in 2023 and began with Hannah’s (Jennifer Garner) husband, Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau), disappearing while his company is under investigation for fraud. While leaving behind a duffel bag full of cash, he wrote a note for Hannah that read, “Protect her.” The “her” in question is his daughter, Bailey (Angourie Rice).
It is ultimately revealed that Bailey and Owen had to run away years ago due to his former father-in-law being a lawyer for a crime syndicate — and one of the associates killed Bailey’s mom in a hit-and-run car accident.
Owen then exchanged information about the syndicate in order to get legal protection and joined the witness protection program to protect Bailey. Owen and Bailey then left behind their identities — that is, until his company made headlines for the fraud investigation and prompted his recent disappearance.
Scroll down for what to remember before season 2 of The Last Thing He Told Me:
Do Bailey and Hannah Enter the Witness Protection Program?
After learning the full-story behind Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau)’s disappearance, Hannah (Jennifer Garner) proceeded to arrange a meeting with his father-in-law, Nicolas. Hannah then proposed a deal: if she promised to keep herself and Bailey (Angourie Rice) away from Owen, can Nicolas keep them safe? In short, he agreed, and Bailey was able to have a relationship with her estranged family.
Do Hannah and Owen End Up Together?
The show ultimately jumps five years into the future with Hannah (Jennifer Garner) crossing paths with a disguised Owen (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) at her shop. He proceeded to pass along a message that said, “The ‘could’ve been been boys’ still love you” — which is a reference to a past conversation and a token of his lasting love.
When TVLine asked Garner if she thought Hannah would spend days wondering if — and when — Owen might show up again, she replied, “How could she not? It must have taken everything in her power to not just sprint after him!”
Are Hannah and Bailey Still at Odds?
Despite Bailey (Angourie Rice) initially being prickly toward Hannah (Jennifer Garner), she ultimately embraced her. In the finale, Bailey met up with Hannah in the shop and called out, “Mom.”
“In the end, Hannah chooses Bailey, and Bailey chooses Hannah,” Rice told TODAY.com in 2023. “So that to me was such a beautiful story about what motherhood and daughterhood, if that’s a word, can be.”
Ultimately, Rice thinks the message from the season’s ending is about the “relationships you form with people.”
“You can find joy and comfort and a happy future,” she said. “Even if it’s not the one you thought you were going to have five years ago, it’s the place where you are, and the place where you end up, is still meaningful and still important, even if it was unexpected.”
