The Old Man Season 1 Ending Explained (In Detail)

The Old Man's ending poses some interesting questions, including where FX and Jeff Bridges take the show next. Here's what it all means.

Here’s The Old Man ending explained in detail, including what the big reveals mean and where the show can go in season 2. Starring Jeff Bridges as Dan Chase, a former CIA operative living off the grid who is forced on the run when his location is discovered, The Old Man is a slow-burn spy thriller based on the novel by Thomas Perry. John Lithgow co-stars as FBI agent Harold Harper, who used to work with Chase when they were both stationed in Afghanistan during the Soviet-Afghan War, where they both worked to support locals in a U.S. proxy war, aiding the warlord Faraz Hamzad and his wife, Abbey. Being The Ricardo‘s Alia Shawkat plays Chase’s daughter, Emily, who is also a mole inside the FBI, working under Harper as Angela Adams.

Bridges’ Chase enlists Amy Brenneman’s Zoe, a divorcee renting him a house, to help evade those after him, discovering that she has far more aptitude for the spy craft than she ever thought possible. Throughout the season Chase is pursued by the FBI and CIA, all under the guise that Hamzad wants him captured and brought to him. Morgan Bote, an ex high-level CIA head (played by Joel Grey), appears to be pulling a lot of strings to aid in this endeavor, bringing in Gbenga Akinnagbe’s assassin operative Julian Carson to assist, as well as CIA agent Raymond Waters (E.J. Bonilla), both of whom are pulled into the plot in ways they never imagined (or planned on).

When Dexter star John Lithgow’s Harper and Emily board a plane to the Middle East under the assumption they’ll be meeting with Hamzad, the walls come crumbling down. Emily’s cover is blown to Harper and she is kidnapped upon their arrival at the airport. Harper then uses his resources to track down Chase, where the two are reunited after many decades, suddenly thrust into a situation that has them working toward a common goal – to save Emily. Confronted with the news that Hamzad has gone after Emily on his own, the two become an unlikely duo, forcing Harper to go rogue with Chase in an effort to save her. Meanwhile, Emily is brought to her “real” father, but the question remains how much she already knows and what that meeting will bring to The Old Man.

Who Is The Old Man (Is It Jeff Bridges Or Someone Else)?

The Old Man, by the most simplistic nature of the title, suggests that it refers to The Big Lebowski‘s Jeff Bridges’ character, Dan Chase. However, it is slowly revealed throughout the season that it’s a far more ambiguous title that can be applied to many characters and in many ways. Chase is certainly a literal “old man”, but is also The Old Man of Emily/Angela in the patriarchal sense of the word. By contrast, Harper is also a father figure to Emily/Angela, making him The Old Man as well. In The Old Man season 1, episode 6, Harper calls Hamzad “The Old Man”, likening him to the man that’s orchestrating all the chaos around them. As it’s discovered in the finale, however, Hamzad is also The Old Man in a fatherly sense, too, as he is revealed to be Emily/Angela’s birth father. Lastly, The Old Man could refer to Morgan Bote, the shadowy ex-CIA head who trained both Chase and Harper as his surrogate sons within the organization. Any way it’s utilized, The Old Man has many meanings that go beyond just a clever nickname for the lead character.

Why Dan And Abbey Fled Afghanistan (And Why Dan Didn’t Kill Hamzad)

It’s revealed in the final two episodes of The Old Man that Abbey is every bit the counterpart to Hamzad in his fight against the Soviets. After capturing a Russian officer, Abbey is outed as feeding the Russians information against their Afghan adversaries, which is strengthening their position to take over leadership of the country when the Russians leave. Abbey also knows the location of a valuable ore deposit in Panjshir of “untold strategic value” but she keeps it hidden from Hamzad. She knew Hamzad would be consumed with acquiring it, as its wealth would make him as powerful as a tyrant, which she did not want to see happen. Hamzad finds all of this out and gives an ultimatum – tell him where the ore deposit is or be killed.

Star Jeff Bridges’ Chase has no choice at this point, but to enlist Harper to help him and Abbey get out of Afghanistan or face certain death from Hamzad. but, Harper is nervous about leaving Hamzad alive, as they have been funding him throughout the campaign, which means it would look very bad for the U.S. if Hamzad were to become a powerful tyrant after the war. But, Chase and Abbey have no choice (if they want to live) so they flee, booked on a flight chartered by Harper, but not before taking Hamzad’s daughter, who would grow up as Emily/Angela, with them. In the moment, Dan is about to kill Hamzad in his sleep, but can’t bring himself to do it in front of his daughter as they make their escape, thereby leaving a massive loose end that would haunt his life forever, right up to everything happening in present day of The Old Man.

Why Hamzad Had Emily Kidnapped Himself

Morgan Bote, the CIA head who trained both Chase and Dexter star John Lithgow’s Harper, appears to be the arbiter of everything happening on the U.S. side of things, likely working in conjunction with Hamzad, who is now a very powerful warlord in Afghanistan with some kind of hold over Bote that has yet to be revealed. Bote has Emily/Angela kidnapped by his secret operatives, Mike and Julian, with the help of CIA agent Waters. The deal initially was for Dan Chase to be handed over for the return of Emily/Angela, but Hamzad reneges on the deal, sending his own team to acquire her. This leaves Julian killing most of the agents Hamzad sent as Mike and Waters escape with Emily/Angela, but they are stopped and killed, with Emily/Angela falling into Hamzad’s control. This action puts Hamzad at odds with the U.S., killing a CIA operative and a clandestine operative, while kidnapping an FBI agent, daughter or no. Either way, it’s a chance Hamzad takes and deems worth the effort, although the ramifications of this action will surely have blowback.

Did Emily Always Know That Hamzad Was Her Father?

It’s revealed by the end of Tron: Legacy star Jeff Bridges’ The Old Man season 1 that Emily Chase/Angela Adams’s real name Parwana Hamzad, the birth daughter of Farad Hamza. This is the bombshell reveal of the season, and adds a significant amount of weight to “The Old Man” of the show’s title, making Emily/Angela/Parwana a far more significant character than initially realized. The Old Man is a show about family, truth, and lies, and this revelation will keep things interesting well into The Old Man season 2. However, given the spy nature of the show and the long game that Emily/Angela/Parwana has played since she was a child, it’s curious to ponder if she is still playing the game and already knows that Hamzad is her father and, more importantly, what her plans are now that she’s reunited with him.

The Old Man Season 2 – Where Does The Show Go Now?

The ending of the Hulu original series The Old Man season 1 has Chase and Harper teamed up and on the run together, bringing the duo back together for a common cause once again after decades of being apart. Emily/Angela/Parwana is now a captor of her father, so it will be curious to see how their reunion goes and what their plans are for one another. Julian is presumably still alive and it will be interesting to see how he reacts to Mike’s death and being foiled yet again on a mission he was sent on by Bote (the last of which was to kill Chase, which went awry). Chase and Harper are now in pursuit of getting Emily/Angela/Parwana back safely, but the question remains if she’ll even want to come back or who she will recognize as her true “Old Man”. With The Old Man season 2 already renewed, there’s much to be explored after this massive twist on the story, that ups the stakes even more.