Kin season 2 was an explosive follow-up to the Irish crime drama from the moment of its release date on March 19, 2023. Kin follows the Kinsella Irish crime family, with an emphasis on “family”. This close-knit group of mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, cousins, and siblings runs the criminal happenings in Dublin, Ireland. After defeating Eamon Cunningham (Ciarán Hinds) in season 1, the Kinsellas have a new enemy in season 2 and one much closer to home. Former patriarch of the family, Bren (Francis Magee), returns from prison to take over, and causes massive chaos while he does. Season 2 pits the Kinsellas against foes in and outside their clan.
The cast of Kin includes some well-known talents, including Charlie Cox of Daredevil fame, Aidan Gillen from Game of Thrones, and Clare Dunne from Spider-Man: Far From Home. Kin is a dramatic, tense, and action-packed series filled with excellent performances. Season 2 replaces the calculating and sinister Eamon with the unsettling and violent Bren who is out to remove those in the family he doesn’t like and influence the young, innocent members of the Kinsellas. This leads to the siblings and children of the Kinsella family coming together to defeat Bren and a posturing Turkish gang element in Dublin, making for a thrilling season finale.
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What Happens In The Kin Season 2 Ending
In the Kin season 2 finale, “Episode 8”, the many problems facing the Kinsella family are finally laid to rest. The Turkish gang that has been threatening the Kinsellas for 19 million euros is finally taken care of. The leader of the gang, Hazma (Kenan Ece), is ready to kill the Kinsellas before his criminal partner, Nuray Batuk (Öykü Karayel), kills him herself, taking over the Turkish gang and calling off the Kinsellas’ debts. Simultaneously, Mikey (Cox) and Jimmy (Scanlan) decide they’ve had enough and set out to kill their father, Bren.
After making their plan to murder Bren, Jimmy and Mikey drive to the pub where they know he will be. As they approach the bar, they see people running out. Inside, Bren is on the ground dead from a gunshot wound with his brother Frank standing over him. Earlier in the episode, Bren beat Frank, threatening him when he heard his brother hoped to leave the criminal life and Dublin. Taking his revenge and saving his family, Frank kills Bren and then turns the gun on himself, taking his own life in front of the shocked Mikey and Jimmy.
Frank Kinsella Kills His Brother Bren And Then Himself
When Jimmy and Mikey arrive to kill Bren, they see their uncle standing over their dead father. Frank was once one of the major players in the Kinsella crime family, but his issues with drug abuse took their toll and in the season 1 finale, Frank overdosed. He became a different man after that brush with death and started backing away from the criminal aspects of his family. Bren, bent on keeping the family under his control, didn’t like this. When Frank starts suggesting he wants to leave for somewhere sunnier, it’s a hint that Frank is feeling depressed in Dublin, surrounded by crime, violence, and drugs.
Bren beats Frank within an inch of his life, telling him that no one leaves the family. Standing up for himself, it’s Frank who shows up at the pub. Bren’s last words are, “You finally grew some balls,” before Frank pulls the trigger and ends Bren’s tyranny. Jimmy and Mikey only see Frank for a moment before their uncle shoots himself. Frank’s life had been one of pain and torment due to his older brother, and so, being the one to end his assailant’s life has some poetic justice. It’s only too tragic that Frank believed with his archnemesis gone, he no longer had a good reason to live either.
The Kinsella Siblings Finally Work Together
Throughout Kin‘s two seasons, the Kinsella siblings are rarely on the same page and are often vying for power in their small insular circle. When Bren returns, brothers Mikey and Jimmy must put their differences aside to realize that despite being their father, Bren is dangerous, and will corrupt each of their children given the chance. Jimmy and Mike work together to make a plan to murder Bren. Amanda (Dunne), Jimmy’s wife, is even given the go-ahead by Mikey to deal with the Turks on her own. It’s an episode that shows the Kinsellas trusting each other and how successful they can be when united.
Bren Was Grooming Michael’s Daughter And Jimmy’s Son
What really infuriates the other Kinsellas and makes them realize Bren will have to be killed is how he treats his grandchildren. If Bren’s behavior toward his children and brother isn’t shocking enough, it’s his actions toward his granddaughter and grandson that are truly monstrous. Bren grooms both his grandchildren. Anthony (Mark Mckenna Jr.), is Jimmy’s son, and Bren trains him to be a part of the criminal gang, teaching him how to fire a gun and telling him he should take revenge on the people who killed his little brother. This is a lifestyle Jimmy never wanted for Anthony.
Even more disturbing, Bren appears to be grooming Mikey’s daughter Anna (Hannah Adeogun) in a way that has awful implications. He buys her expensive gifts and there is one chilling dance sequence that makes it clear Bren is without morals. Jimmy and Mikey know that murdering their father could be considered unforgivable, but after they witness what Bren has in store for their children, they believe their decision to kill him is justifiable.
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Amanda Creates A Truce Between Her Family And The Turkish Gang
Bren is trouble for the Kinsellas all of season 2, but the Turkish gang putting pressure on the family to pay them millions of dollars is also a serious adversary they must face. It’s during this storyline that Amanda gets to shine. Amanda and the second-in-command of the Turkish gang, Nuray, hit it off well in the season 2 premiere, commiserating on how difficult it is to be a woman in this male-run criminal world.
So at the end of Kin season 2, Amanda gives Nuray the idea to kill her business partner and take over his enterprise. Fed up with his obsession with the Kinsellas and the other poor strategic moves he has made, Nuray takes her new friend’s advice. She kills Hazma and takes over his gang, ending the Turkish feud with the Kinsellas.
The Real Meaning Of Kin Season 2’s Ending
Unlike Kin season 1, Kin season 2 sees the greatest threat to the Dublin crime family come from within their own ranks. Bren presents a threat that no one in the series has had to face before. Not only is Bren a part of the family, but he’s the patriarch, and as Amanda and Nuray say, it’s a man’s world in the Dublin underground. Though the Kinellas are not always operating on the same plane of understanding in Kin, season 2 shows what happens when they all realize the safety and unity of their family are more important than any one person’s desire to be in control.
However, Kin season 2 also shows the price that can be paid when the family does not stand together. The Kinsellas forgot about their uncle Frank for most of the season, and though he still bravely stood up for them, he dies. He’s a grim reminder of what can happen when someone comes into the family and is allowed to run roughshod over everything they’ve built.
