On April 19, 2021, Netflix confirmed that Ginny & Georgia was renewed for a second season and will premiere on January 5, 2023, which luckily for us, is right around the corner! This coming-of-age drama/mystery series became an instant hit on the streaming platform the moment it took over our screens with a snide remark aimed at Gilmore Girls – the supernova that it’s often paralleled with. Whether Ginny & Georgia is as good as the classic mother-daughter favorite that it’s been challenging from its very infancy is for fans to decide, but there’s no questioning the fact that Ginny & Georgia has indeed set a high benchmark, and is very confident about its place in the genre.
Now with the new season of Ginny & Georgia just around the corner, it’s time to revisit the Millers, understand what really went down in the final episode of Season 1, and draw some predictions as to how the new season will tackle the dysfunctional family dynamic causing a rift between the immature mother Georgia (Brianne Howey) and her emotionally repressed daughter Ginny (Antonia Gentry).
What Is ‘Ginny & Georgia’ About?
Ginny & Georgia establishes, pretty early on, that Georgia is a cool, albeit admittedly immature, mom. And what do cool moms do when their life is suddenly flipped upside down, thanks to their partner turning out to be a creep? They take care of the business (by take care, we mean kill them, of course) and decide to fill that familiar, gaping void with a new, idyllic replacement of the good old life, and that’s exactly what Georgia does. Loading her teenage daughter, Ginny, and her Potterhead son, Austin (Diesel La Torraca), in her black BMW convertible, Georgia hits the road to begin a new chapter in her emotion-charged, ever-happening life in the “picture-perfect” town of Wellsbury, Massachusetts.
The problem, however, is that the constant shifting, both of husbands and towns, may keep Georgia from giving in to the emotions she is always trying so hard to repress, but it certainly doesn’t help her relationship with her kids. Ginny, who’s never had any real friends, doesn’t find Wellsbury as “Gilmore-Girls-Glamorous” as her mother, who finds refuge in anything that might distract her from her pain. The fact that the New England town is clearly racist doesn’t help Ginny’s deteriorating mental health either, especially since she already feels overshadowed by all the attention her mother seems to draw towards herself.
Ginny’s Emotional Journey in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 1
Ginny’s journey throughout Season 1 of Ginny & Georgia is a turbulent one as she grapples with her mom’s complicated, secretive past, her own messy love life, and her struggles with self-harm. Over the course of the season, we see Ginny coming of age and experiencing life as a “normal” teenager for the first time after a lifetime of moving.
Ginny, perhaps for the first time ever, makes some really good friends. Her friend group is referred to as MANG, after its members Maxine (Sara Waisglass), Abby (Katie Douglas), Norah (Chelsea Clark) and, of course, Ginny. But they, too, seem to be battling teenage challenges, which Ginny, being quite incapable of drawing healthy boundaries, takes on as her own. Ginny also has to struggle with the racist Wellsbury curriculum at her high school. In class, Ginny is constantly looked down upon by her racist AP English teacher and calls him out on teaching a curriculum full of privileged white men.
On top of living in yet another new town, dealing with Georgia’s overbearing tendencies, and navigating a white-washed curriculum, Ginny finds herself caught in a love triangle with Marcus (Felix Mallard), Max’s Shawn Hunter-esque brother, and her new boyfriend Hunter (Mason Temple), who — along with Max and the rest of MANG — has no idea that Ginny is secretly falling for Marcus. At the end of the season, the secret comes to light and Hunter and MANG cut Ginny off completely. Hunter is heartbroken, and Max feels betrayed that Ginny would lie to her about having a thing with her brother.
Most complicated and traumatizing for Ginny, however, is navigating her strained relationship with Georgia, which causes Ginny to self-harm by burning the inside of her thighs with a lighter, unbeknownst to anyone except Marcus. Ginny knows that her mother has secrets and that she is not who she says she is.
Georgia’s Dark Past Is Explored in ‘Ginny & Georgia’ Season 1
The pilot episode of Ginny & Georgia reveals how Georgia isn’t just the sweet, smiling flirt everyone takes her for. A flashback takes viewers to the recent past where Georgia’s former husband Kenny (Darryl Scheelar), under the pretense of correcting her posture, sexually assaults Ginny. When Georgia finds out, she does not make a scene or even confront her husband. We see her snipping a poisonous flower from a familiar plant and mixing it in Kenny’s smoothie, who dies of a heart attack right after he drinks it. (I think we all know what that means.) Another instance where we see hints of Georgia’s dark side is in the present when Georgia pushes her son to punch the boy who broke his Harry Potter glasses, then threatens the boy to lie to his mother Cynthia Fuller (Sabrina Grdevich).
In the second episode of Ginny & Georgia, we find out a number of eyebrow-raising secrets that reveal that Georgia has more secrets up her sleeve. First, Georgia has not been sending the letters Austin has been writing to his dad, who is supposedly in prison for fraud and embezzlement. (Georgia jokingly tells her next-door neighbor over a glass of wine that she was the one who framed him, and we suspect that, knowing Georgia, it’s probably not a joke!). Instead, Georgia is the one who’s been writing letters to Austin from prison all along — not Austin’s father. Not only that, but her reckless manner has led her to apply for a credit card in Austin’s name. A flashback also shows a young, assaulted Georgia, shooting her abuser stepdad, proving that she’s always liked having control. We also find out that Georgia’s real name is Mary and that she was born in Alabama.
Halfway through Season 1 of Ginny & Georgia, we learn, thanks to Investigator Cordova (Alex Mallari Jr.), that Georgia has done some horrible things, and managed to evade the law somehow. Georgia, however, justifies her actions as being solely for her children. It’s clear, however, that despite trying very hard, Georgia hasn’t always been the best parent.
Georgia’s (Many) Love Interests in ‘Ginny & Georgia’
Georgia may have her dark secrets, but she knows how to turn on the charm and paste a smile on her face — especially when it comes to men. The first season of Ginny & Georgia establishes a variety of potential love interests for the Southern belle. There’s Joe (Raymond Ablack), the owner of Blue Farm Café, who we later learn through a flashback actually met Georgia briefly when she was pregnant with Ginny. Joe, as sweet as a child as he is now, shared his sandwich with her and a pair of sunglasses that Georgia keeps to this day. It’s unclear, however, if Georgia remembers their encounter. What is clear is that Joe is clearly head over heels for Georgia — but he’s too late. Enter Wellsbury’s mayor Paul Randolph (Scott Porter), whom Georgia starts working for in the mayor’s office. They ultimately begin dating, with Georgia being a major help in his campaign for re-election.
A third potential love interest for Georgia remains her ex-boyfriend Zion (Nathan Mitchell), who also happens to be Ginny’s biological father. As one can probably imagine, that is a sure to be a recipe for disaster. His return later in Ginny & Georgia Season 1 opens up various unresolved conflicts and at one point Georgia even ends up sleeping with him, hence potentially jeopardizing her relationship with Paul. By the end of the season, however, it is Paul whom Georgia has chosen and the pair get engaged, while Zion ends up leaving town.
What Happened In That Cliffhanger Ending?
Ginny & Georgia’s first season ends on a cliffhanger, while teasing a number of possibilities for the second season. And quite an ending it is, as well! In a shocking turn of events, it is revealed to Ginny that her “fun-loving” mother has actually actively killed her ex-husband Kenny. As Ginny thinks back, she recollects how Kenny, under the pretense of correcting her posture, sexually assaults her, which seems to stand as the reason for Georgia’s getting rid of him. While it may be deemed understandable, this secret is just one atop a million others and Ginny has had enough of her mother’s lies and tales.
Additionally, both Austin and Ginny are left distraught to learn that their mother never really mailed Austin’s letters to his father. Ginny and Austin, angry with Georgia, mail all the letters she never sent. In what could be a perfect setup for Season 2 of Ginny & Georgia, when Georgia finds out, she is shocked and rather afraid, demanding to know whether they put their home address on the letters, implying the possibility of danger to the family.
Ginny and Austin, having had it with Georgia, steal Marcus’s motorcycle and decide to leave town. While Ginny and Austin run, an unsuspecting Georgia is at a celebration for Paul’s re-election, making her the First Lady of Wellsbury. During the celebration, a smug Georgia confronts Investigator Cordova, telling him that he’s lost. Cordova thought if he could get an autopsy of Kenny’s body, he’d be able to prove Georgia poisoned him. Georgia, however, secretly had the body dug up and cremated. She then leaves him a heavy-handed hint that the fireworks going off at the ceremony contain Kenny’s cremated ashes.
Georgia may not want to start celebrating, though, because Cordova has a new lead. Georgia actually had a husband before Kenny: a corrupt hotel owner whom she ran an illegal gambling ring for. She married him when Ginny was just a toddler and used him to help regain custody of Ginny (which she lost after she committed an armed robbery. Never a dull moment with Georgia.) We see in a flashback that Georgia crushed some pills into his drink, and then he passed out in front of her. Cordova finds out that he has been named as a “missing person.”
At the end of this roller coaster of a season of Ginny & Georgia, we’ve got a ton of questions about what will become of our dysfunctional mother-daughter duo. Will Cordova finally find evidence to arrest Georgia? Where are Ginny and Austin going? Thankfully, Season 2 is right around the corner, so we won’t have to wait much longer to find out!
Ginny & Georgia Season 2 drops on Netflix on January 5.
