After starring as a sleazy PI in A24's MaXXXine, Kevin Bacon has taken on a new horror project where he plays a bounty hunter with a twist. In Prime Video's latest horror series, The Bondsman, Bacon stars as Hub Halloran, a slain bounty hunter resurrected by the Devil who is tasked with rounding up demons that have escaped from Hell. All eight episodes of the new series are streaming now, and with its short runtime, it’s the ideal pick for your next binge-watch.
Created by Grainger David, each episode of the action horror sees Hub taking on a new task to capture a demon for his employer, Pot O'Gold. Pot O'Gold is an organization that recruits people by selling their souls to the Devil and binding them to a deadly contract. Although given a second chance at life, there are rules that Hub must follow if he wants to remain in the human realm. One is that he must do his job, and if he fails to capture a demon, he will be removed from his role and sent back to Hell. As he serves the Devil, Hub searches for a way to escape his damned fate.
By the end of The Bondsman season 1, does Hub find a way to break free from the Devil’s grip, or is he dragged even deeper into the underworld’s schemes? And what got him sent to Hell in the first place? We answered these burning questions and more below.
Spoilers from The Bondsman season 1 ahead!
Hub reveals to his family why he was sent to Hell
Throughout the first season, Hub makes it seem like he doesn't know why he was sent to Hell. However, this was his way of escaping from confronting the true reason behind his damnation. He wanted to avoid the painful truths about his past and the choices that led him to his current fate. He knew all along why he was damned, but acknowledging it would mean facing the guilt of his own actions. At the end of the season, he's forced to come clean to his family after the person he killed becomes possessed by a powerful demon hellbent on bringing chaos and destruction to the mortal realm. After Hub shares his dirty deed, Maryanne, Kitty, and Cade distance themselves from him.
So, what's the reason for Hub being sent to Hell? Well, it all happened a month before the show's events. Hub and his ex-wife Maryanne’s new boyfriend, Lucky, have a tense relationship. They both believe the other isn't right for her. One night at Lucky’s bar, their disagreement escalates into a heated argument that turns physical. Later that evening, a drunken Hub returns to the bar and makes a horrible decision. He attempts to kill Lucky. When he sees someone walking toward the back of the bar wearing Lucky's hat, Hub impulsively opens fire, convinced it’s him. But when he checks, he discovers he’s shot Cheryl, the bartender, instead. She dies shortly after, and in a panic, Hub buries her body near his house, keeping his crime a secret.
Midge returns to help Hub
In the penultimate episode, it seemed that Midge had perished after being pulled underground by the fire demon. But in the season finale, it’s revealed that the Devil isn’t finished with her yet. He’s granted her another chance to do his bidding. Midge meets up with a down-in-spirits Hub and explains that they have one last job to do for the Devil, and that's capturing the powerful demon Lilith. She then explains to Hub who Lilith is.
According to Midge, Lilith was God's favorite angel until she was tricked by other jealous angels into joining Satan's rebellion. She was then sent down to Hell with Satan, who had a thing for her. Lilith managed to escape several times, but always ended up recaptured. Now, she's escaped again and possessed Cheryl, and dragging her back to Hell is not going to be an easy task. As per Midge, she must be dealt with carefully as she has a mind control power that causes men to rip off their jaws and women to submit to her will.
Hub saves Cheryl, but dooms the world?
To lure Lilith, whose weakness is music, Hub and Midge set up a large speaker in the woods and blast a song out loud. The sound quickly catches Lilith’s attention, interrupting her rampage at a nearby diner where she’s terrorizing the patrons. She arrives at the woods, and Hub manages to capture her inside a pentagram trap. Lilith tempts him with a bargain to set her free. She tells him that she'll stop possessing Cheryl and let her live, and that he will no longer have to work for the Devil. Midge tries to get Hub to see reason, but Hub accepts Lilith's offer anyway. He breaks the seal that's keeping her trapped, and Lilith leaves Cheryl's body and possesses a crow before flying away.
The markings Satan left on Hub’s body vanish, symbolizing that his contract with him has ended. Meanwhile, Cheryl regains consciousness in her own body, dazed and disoriented.
Lilith possesses Maryanne next and forces Hub to make a difficult choice
Though Hub appears to have escaped Satan’s grasp, he soon learns he has more challenges to face. He heads to Lucky's bar and shares everything that happened with Maryanne, Kitty, and Cade, but is arrested by the police while this is happening. Cheryl, still disoriented, is arrested as well. A distraught Maryanne then storms into her dressing room when the same crow from earlier appears and possesses her. Lilith has now taken over Maryanne's body. Lucky appears in the room, and Lilith forces him to rip his own jaw off through mind control, ultimately killing him.
She steps out from the back of the bar, casually singing a tune as she strolls toward the front. The room falls silent, and all eyes are on her, but Hub immediately recognizes the truth. Maryanne is no longer herself; she’s been possessed by Lilith. The men in the bar clutch their jaws, a clear sign that they’re under Lilith’s control, and it’s likely the women are too. Finishing her song, Lilith turns to Hub and coldly tells him that the Devil will never stop hunting them—him, her, or Maryanne. She then offers him a cruel bargain. If he serves her, Maryanne will live. Hub just stares at her in stunned silence. That's how the first season comes to an end.
The Bondsman season 1 is streaming now only on Prime Video.