How Did Season 1 of ‘Bad Monkey’ End? What to Remember Before Season 2

Apple TV’s sleeper hit Bad Monkey returns for another round of murder, mystery, and mayhem in the Sunshine State as the adaptation of Carl Hiaasen tome goes off-book for its second season. Once again, disgraced cop and current food inspector Andrew Yancy (Vince Vaughn) is thrust into a mystery in which his life and the lives of those he loves (or slightly cares about) are placed in danger in the strangest of ways.

But before fans can dive back into the weird world of Yancy and his life as Florida Man Extreme, here is a small refresher from last season to remember the key plot points and characters that made Season 1 a hit with fans and critics and might be necessary to remember in the future. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Bad Monkey Season 1. 

What is Bad Monkey Season 1 about?

Season 1 follows Andrew Yancy (Vaughn), a suspended detective turned restaurant inspector in the Florida Keys who gets pulled into an investigation after tourists fish up a severed human arm with an upraised middle finger. As he digs deeper, he uncovers a web of greed, local corruption, and murder while also dealing with his own messy personal life, such as his fugitive girlfriend Bonnie (Michelle Monaghan).

What is the central mystery?

Yanncy teams up with medical examiner Rosa Campesino (Natalie Martinez) to discover that the arm belongs to Nick Stripling (Rob Delaney).

Nick’s daughter, Caitlin (Charlotte Lawrence), is convinced her scheming stepmother, Eve (Meredith Hagner), killed her father for his fortune. Caitlin confronts Eve at gunpoint, but Nick walks in at the right moment, missing his left arm. Caitlin realizes her father isn’t a murder victim, but a willing participant in a massive insurance fraud scheme.

Nick ultimately chooses Eve over his daughter. He turns his back on Caitlin to protect the scam, leaving her heartbroken and estranged.

Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

Why is it called Bad Monkey?

A B-plot story features a displaced local named Neville Stafford (Ronald Peet) who enlists an Obeah practitioner known as the Dragon Queen (Jodie Turner-Smith), a.k.a. Gracie, to place a curse on the developer after his beachfront shack is demolished. Neville is also accompanied by a small monkey named Driggs, the titular bad monkey. The monkey, on occasion, can be bad, but is mostly curious.

How did Bad Monkey Season 1 end?

Eve Stripling pushes her paralyzed husband Nick off a pier in his wheelchair to drown, relieving herself of the burden of his care. She frames Yancy for various crimes and escapes to Portugal. Her victory is short-lived as, while she is relaxing on a rooftop, she chokes on a baby carrot, loses her balance, and falls four stories to her death.

Lulu is ordained as the next Dragon Queen after Eve killed Gracie.

Bonnie evades the law as a fugitive. She makes a brief phone call to Yancy from the road, and they say their goodbyes. Sort of.

Apple TV+ / Courtesy Everett Collection

Using an expensive watch he recovered from Nick, Neville secures the funds needed to rebuild his home on Andros, and he is happily reunited with Driggs.

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Yancy breaks his cycle of unhealthy obsession, even if it means letting Eve go and losing her on the yacht. Because of his highly illegal antics in the Bahamas, Yancy is stripped of his badge permanently and left right where he started: working as a restaurant inspector.

Rosa and Yancy part ways amicably. She steps back from the relationship to focus on her own personal growth and career.

Bad Monkey, Season 2, December 2, Apple TV