Will There Be A 'Mare Of Easttown' Season 2?
Who wouldn't want to see more of Kate Winslet starring as a badass detective with a nickname of Ladyhawke? Creator Brad Ingelsby's American crime drama Mare of Easttown was a hit with critics and audiences alike. The 7-episode hit is the second series in HBO history (alongside The Undoing) to see its viewership consecutively grow with each episode. The finale episode also set a record as the most-watched episode of an original series on HBO Max during its first 24 hours of availability.
With all of the strong reception and praise, Mare of Easttown is still not secured for a season 2...yet. What makes the series stand out is its fearless yet flawed protagonist and engaging secondary characters that comprise a realistic small-town community.
Previously on Mare of Easttown
Philadelphia Detective Mare Sheehan (Winslet) is working on two cases. One is a missing girl's case and the other case is the murder of a young mother named Erin (Cailee Spaeny). County Detective Colin Zabel (Evan Peters) is called in to assist Mare with the recent murder. The two discover the girls being held captive by local resident Wayne Potts (Jeb Kreager) who ends up killing Zabel in the siege. Mare seeks solace in her love interest, author Richard Ryan (Guy Pearce), as she processes the loss of her partner. A chance encounter with an elderly resident allows Mare to solve the other case of figuring out Erin's killer. Based on a stolen gun, Mare realizes the murderer is her best friend Lori's teenage son, Ryan (Cameron Mann). He confesses that he only meant to scare Erin into leaving his family alone after discovering that she was having an affair with his father, John (Joe Tippett). Ryan confessed to his dad and uncle who then tried to cover up the crime to protect him.
Lori (Julianne Nicholson) eventually forgives Mare for convicting her son while Mare struggles with Richard's departure as well as her daughter Siobhan (Angourie Rice) leaving for college. Mare makes amends with her ex-husband and embraces his new wife while also attempting to reconcile her rocky relationship with her brazen mother (Jean Smart). Normally stricken with grief, Mare eventually ascends into the attic where her teenage son previously committed suicide — a sign that despite all of her pain and trauma, she is ready to face it and move forward.
Will There Be a Sequel?
In an interview with TV Line, Ingelsby stated, "If we can crack a story that is as great [as Season 1] and that would do justice to the characters and carry on the story in a way that was organic and yet surprising, I would love to do it," He continues, "I just don't know what the story is. That's the issue right now."
The great news is that Winslet herself is entirely on board and told TV Line that she would "absolutely love to play Mare again." She expressed, "I miss her. I really do." In an interview with The New York Times, Winslet gushed about Mare's character by saying she is "in love with this wildly flawed, messy, broken, fragmented, difficult woman. I loved her marks and her scars and her faults and her flaws and the fact that she has no off switch, no stop button. She just knows 'Go.'"
However, Casey Bloys, chief content officer at HBO and HBO Max, stated that he doesn't know if it will happen despite the show's success. Deadline reported that Bloys told members of the press that "it's a decision with Brad [Ingelsby] and with Kate [Winslet]. I would rely on them coming to us, saying, 'We think there's more, here is what it is." He continued, "it's not a foregone conclusion that just because something does well it gets another season." Bloys emphasized that the decision starts with the creative team.
The Potential Evolution of Ladyhawke
At its core, Mare of Easttown is a story about small-town life, community, and the immense lengths that parents go to in order to love and protect their kids. There are several potential storylines that can yield a second season with these types of themes.
One potential plotline I would enjoy seeing is Mare further exploring her son's suicide. Perhaps this can be accomplished by her son having a secret past that causes a case to surface in which Mare has to solve. In doing so, she is able to continue her grieving process. Siobhan can also be a key character since she was so close to her brother. What I don't want to see is anything happen to Siobhan since her character brings LGBTQ representation to the series. And let's face it, Mare has seen enough loss.
Another interesting plot I would be into is an underground drug ring that has some sort of involvement from Richard, Mare's love interest. I always found it strange that he showed up right around the time of Erin's murder and then left town when the cases were solved. He served as a red herring but it could be interesting to explore his character as being more devious. Also, there are a ton of defiant teenagers in DelCo that could easily want to get into the drug business.
Whatever the case, I really hope a second season does come about sometime soon because I adore Mare and love all the quirky yet secretive community members of DelCo.