If you don’t know what Bloodline is, you’ll most assuredly be forgiven. It’s a Netflix exclusive series, wrapped up in a haunting thriller slash family drama. It hasn’t received the same attention as Daredevil, and it’s not quite as action-packed either. However, it is a damn good show.
The first episode opens with a jarring mystery, and by the time Season 1 closes it’s been solved. I won’t divulge what happens just yet, but be aware that as we look forward — at the future of the series — I will discuss spoilers.
Consider this your spoiler warning.
What’s Next for Bloodline?
Season 2 will premiere in 2016, on Netflix, just like the season before it.
Thanks to the shocking Season 1 finale there are going to be some interesting challenges going forward. In particular, who’s going to fill in the gaping hole of Danny’s character now that he’s gone?
In Episode 12, John ended the lifelong trail of disaster that followed in Danny’s wake, by drowning him. By the time the credits rolled at the end of the final episode (13) we had plenty of closure for Danny’s character arc. Plus, we finally learned what we saw happening at the beginning of the first episode, when John dragged Danny’s body through the water and on to a boat, just before torching it.
One way or another, Danny had to go. He posed a significant threat for the family and for all of their assets, including the business.
Despite the fact that Danny’s character met some amount of closure, there are plenty of questions left to be answered. The most important of which, is who is Danny’s son?
At the end of the final episode, John confronts a creeper — looking on at his family — that reveals himself to be Danny Rayburn’s son. He asks John about his father, wanting to know what happened to him. Then, fade to black.
This could pose a lot of issues for the family going forward, as they will be forced to explain what happened to Danny — maybe they’ll even have to tell the truth about how he died.
How Will the Rayburn Family Fend Off Enemies in Season 2?
If Danny Rayburn’s son doesn’t count as a threat in the next season, then Wayne Lowry certainly will. Danny owes him a lot of money now that Lowry’s product has gone missing, and it’s likely the kingpin will come calling for it. He knows that the Rayburn family was involved somehow, and it’s possible he may even fault them for the drugs disappearing. At the least, he’ll lash out since the cops believe he was responsible for Danny’s death.
Lowry isn’t the only enemy lurking in the shadows, however. There is an unnamed enemy out there somewhere that Danny also owed a lot of money to.
When John traveled to Miami, he learned that whoever Danny owed money to, had torched his restaurant. Now that Danny is dead, they might turn to the Rayburn family to repay his debts.
Will Lenny Potts Reveal Who Killed Danny?
Sally Rayburn hired Lenny Potts to find her son Danny, who had gone missing at the time. Days later he turned up dead. We know that John was responsible for his death, and that Meg and Kevin helped him cover it up, but Sally doesn’t know this, yet.
We are treated to a flash forward that reveals Potts continued to investigate the mysterious death. He pays a visit to Sally and tells her flat out that her children are lying to her, but he never actually tells her everything he knows. Does he know John killed Danny? Will he find out? If so, will he tell Sally or will he let it rest?
It also begs the question: will Sally start an investigation of her own?
What Else Has Danny Done?
The Danny we saw at the beginning of the season was very different to the one we saw at the end. Before John killed him, he had become cold and calculated. It was clear that he was hell bent on getting revenge against his family.
Despite the tragic accident with Sarah being just that, an accident, it’s clear that he felt responsible and that his family blamed him — all of them did including Sally, though she did take on some of the blame herself.
We also saw Sally reading the toast that Danny originally planned to give in Episode 1. We don’t know what the hell he said, but we do know it was pretty rough. Sally began crying shortly after reading it, and said to Meg that Danny had always hated her for Sarah’s death. Whatever he was going to say in that toast, it was sure to reveal the true Danny we had come to know by the end of the season.
With a man as spiteful and coldhearted as that, it makes you wonder what else Danny has done? There are years of his life uncounted for, time he spent away from the Keys. What was he doing? Why does he owe so much money to this mysterious party? What else has he done to get money and drugs in the past? Has he killed before?
How Will John Cope With What He’s Done?
John now has to live with the fact that he murdered his brother. He also helped cover up his illegal activities by stealing and hiding the drugs, and killing the man Lowry sent to take out Danny.
It doesn’t matter how much of a bad guy Danny was, he was still John’s brother. That is going to have a huge impact on John going forward. We know that Danny had some kind of personality disorder, since he frequently saw — and talked to — an adult Sarah. Will John suffer the same fate, talking to a conjured version of Danny?
The actor who played Danny Rayburn, Ben Mendelsohn signed on for a second season. That means, his character will definitely be returning but we don’t know how yet. I’m sure there will be flashbacks, but he could also be a part of John’s subconscious, as well.
Whatever happens, Season 2 is sure to be just as great as Season 1 — if not better.
Do you have any theories about the next season?
