If someone is going to get married, die, make a shocking confession, or stage a corporate coup, it’s probably going to happen in May. Many TV series bid viewers a temporary farewell last month and they want to make sure you tune back in when they return. That means jaw-dropping cliffhangers and nail biting plot twists.
Here are the big TV questions we’ll be stewing over while many of our favorite shows take an extended vacation. And, obviously, SPOILER ALERT!
1. Who is Still Alive after the Red Dinner? (Hannibal)
The insane final act of Hannibal’s second season found our favorite cannibalistic doctor promptly dispatching the rest of the cast. As Hannibal walks away for a new life in Europe, he leaves everyone else—Will, Jack, Alana, Abigail Hobbs—bleeding to death in his house. Bryan Fuller has stated that at least one character will not make it. Place your bets. —Mark Rozeman
2. Is Paige Going to Join the KGB? (The Americans)
For the entire second season of FX’s hit drama, the Jennings’ teenage daughter Paige (Holly Taylor) became increasingly dissatisfied with her parents and increasingly suspicious of what exactly they were up to. Why did they have to go to work in the middle of the night? Who were they talking to on the phone? She found comfort and a sense of belonging in a church group and took part in a nuclear protest. In the shocking season finale, Elizabeth (Keri Russell) and Philip (Matthew Rhys) learn that the KGB is actively recruiting second generation agents and that Paige is next on their list. Philip is horrified and wants no part of it, but Elizabeth thinks maybe it wouldn’t be such a bad idea. She observes Paige is “looking for something in her life. Maybe this is it?” Will Paige finally learn the truth about her parents’ occupation and if so, will she join them in their endeavors? Or will Elizabeth and Philip suddenly find themselves fighting an enemy in their own house? Will poor Henry be the only Jennings family member in the dark? We have a loooong wait to 2015 until we find out. —Amy Amatangelo
3. How Does Ellis Grey Have a Daughter No One Knows About? (Grey’s Anatomy)
In the final moments of the tenth (!!) season finale of Grey’s Anatomy, Dr. Maggie Pierce (Kelly McCreary) confesses to Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) that one of the reasons she wanted to work at Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital is because her birth mother Ellis Grey worked there. It’s shocking enough that Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) has yet another half-sister she didn’t know about. But more perplexing is how did a world renowned surgeon keep her pregnancy a secret? Did she go to Geneva with Aunt Rosamund a la Downton Abbey? Did she walk around the hospital carrying a gigantic purse like Kerry Washington on this season’s Scandal? Did she just think she was gaining weight like Peggy on Mad Men? Maybe Richard knew his mistress was pregnant and helped her cover it up? The mystery of Ellis Grey’s concealed pregnancy is something the show will need to address in season 11. —Amy Amatangelo
4. What’s Next for the Now-Millionare Sterling [Cooper] Draper Price Partners? (Mad Men)
There are a lot of loose ends to tie up over the course of these final seven episodes, particularly after Ghost Bert’s fantastic musical goodbye reminds Don—who has just agreed to a deal that will net him millions of dollars—that “the best things in life are free.” So Don and company have gotten the moon they’ve been chasing for so long professionally, but their personal lives still leave much to be desired. Can they use these last few episodes to turn things around there? Or, perhaps more importantly, can Don? Does he have what it takes to be an astronaut of his own, the first TV antihero to truly come out the victor, to get his happy ending with no strings attached? And also, is it possible that this is the last we’ll see of Megan? —Bonnie Stiernberg
5. Will Alicia Run for Office? (The Good Wife)
What a doozy of a season The Good Wife had! Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Cary (Matt Czuchry) left the firm. Will (Josh Charles) died suddenly (and no, I’m still not through my grieving process). Alicia and Peter (Chris Noth) decided to go the power couple route. And Diane (Christine Baranski), under attack at her own firm, asks to join Florrick/Agos. Just when viewers were in danger of getting whiplash from all the plot twists, Eli (Alan Cumming) had one more curve to throw our way. He gets a sly smile on his face and wonders if Alicia might want to run for District Attorney—Peter’s former job. There are a lot of reasons why this wouldn’t make sense (the District Attorney’s salary versus what Alicia makes currently, for one) but I have to admit it would be very interesting to see Alicia vie for a political office. How long until she makes a run for Governor and the Good Wife becomes the Good Candidate? —Amy Amatangelo
6. Who Attacked/Killed/Kidnapped Castle? (Castle)
Caskett shippers thought that, just maybe, their favorite mystery writer Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) would finally marry Detective Kate Beckett (Stana Katic) after six seasons. Wrong. At the very end of the Castle season finale, “For Better or Worse,” Castle’s car is followed by a black SUV; the scene then cuts to a distraught Beckett at a crash site with Castle’s car up in flames. We’ll go with the assumption that Castle’s not dead since Fillion’s signed on for next season, so then who attacked/kidnapped the groom? Was it a Bracken conspiracy? The return of the 3XK killer or his protoge Dr. Kelly Nieman? A deranged fan or ex-wife? Or a black-ops CIA thing related to Castle’s daddy dearest (James Brolin). Showrunner Andrew Marlowe and team are certainly keeping fans guessing until the show returns for its seventh season in September. —Christine N. Ziemba
7. Where Is Haley’s Young Love Life Headed? (Modern Family)
In this season more than any other, the Modern Family kids have grown up on TV, both physically and emotionally. Haley went from vapid college drop out, to internet fashion entrepreneur, and for once developed a crush on a boy that is wholesome and kind. All season, the writers teased us with flirtation between Haley and Andy the male nanny, and viewers hoped she would realize her own feelings before the season ended. Alas, she let him go. Will Andy return? Will Haley find the courage to finally make a move? Or will he be the one that got away? —Madina Papadopoulos
8. Is Quentin Lance Dead or Alive? (Arrow)
As a comic book adaptation, Arrow certainly loves its cliffhangers. While second season finale “Unthinkable” does a fine job at resolving several ongoing plotlines, it also tries to mix in some new ones. Perhaps the biggest example of this involves the show’s de facto Jim Gordon character, Quentin Lance. After the final battle with Deathstroke’s supersoliders, Quentin collapses from an apparently fatal wound to the abdomen. We’re going to have to wait for season three to see his fate resolved. —Mark Rozeman
And now, here are some questions for a few finales that ended before May, but still have our heads spinning…
What’s Next for Jake and Amy? (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s solid first season ended with Jake Peralta taking an undercover job. As a result, he needed to be “fired” from the Nine-Nine Precinct. Knowing that his new job will mean great danger, Jake does the unthinkable and finally admits his romantic feelings to colleague Amy Santiago, effectively throwing a wrench in their combative, sibling-like relationship. How their interaction and dynamic will change when Jake eventually returns to the Nine-Nine is one of the many reasons to look forward to the show’s second season. —Mark Rozeman
Will the Final Season bring back Mockumentary-style Shooting? (Parks and Recreation)
Parks and Recreation’s hour-long sixth season finale, could have easily been mistaken for the show’s final episode. After Leslie arranges to have National Parks headquartered in Pawnee, Indiana, the show makes an unprecedented time jump to three years in the future. Ben and Leslie have had their triplets, Garry/Jerry/Larry is now “Terry,” an incompetent employee played by Jon Hamm has just been fired, and Ben has a job that requires him to wear a tuxedo. What’s more, the series appears to have completely shifted filming styles, going from its traditional faux documentary look to a slicker, more traditional single-camera style that feels reminiscent of an Aaron Sorkin program. What does this mean for the show’s final season—will we still be getting a complete format shift or will the show eventually return to its usual mockumentary format? Either way, it’s safe to say we’re all gonna miss Parks and Rec when it’s gone. —Mark Rozeman
Who Picked up Mark and Luke ?(The Following)
The Following’s season finale ending didn’t end in a fiery explosion like last year’s, but it was still quite a doozy. With Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) heading back to jail, the real questions surround psychopath Mark (Sam Underwood), last seen getting into a black SUV with his dead twin brother Luke’s body. He tells the unseen driver, “Thank you for coming. I didn’t know who else to call.” So who came to Mark’s aid now that Joe’s in prison, and his mother, brother, and adopted siblings are dead? Is it a new villain or a forgotten face from Joe’s cult? An FBI mole? Or maybe Joe’s mentor from boarding school, Dr. Strauss (Gregg Henry)? Only this is for sure—The Following still has a deep roster of crazy to choose from.—Christine N. Ziemba
Will Any of Our Heroes Escape? (Sleepy Hollow)?
Although Sleepy Hollow ended back in January after the first season’s 13-episode run, the cliffhanger was definitely May-sweeps worthy. Last time we saw fearless Lieutenant (aka “Leftenant”) Abbie Mills, she was trapped in purgatory—a life-sized replica of her childhood dollhouse—along with her younger self and her young sister. Meanwhile, her partner Ichabod Crane (Tom Mison) was buried six-feet under by vengeful son Jeremy (John Noble) as Ichabod’s beloved wife Katrina (Katia Winter) is kidnapped by the Horseman of Death. It’s quite a Season Two quandary for the writers, but Sleepy Hollow has been given at least two more episodes than last season to figure it out. —Christine N. Ziemba
Is The Great and Powerful D.C. Fixer Really Retiring? (Scandal)
Where will Olivia Pope be when Season Four begins? Will it be like that one season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer (post-Angel slayage) that started with her waitressing in some random town? Will we actually get to see Olivia and Jake living this new, scandal-free life? We see them taking off in a plane, leaving all of those White House/B613 troubles behind, but it’s hard to imagine Scandal without, well, the scandals!—Shannon Houston
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