‘UnPrisoned’ Season 1 Recap: What To Remember For Season 2

UnPrisoned is back for a second season of shenanigans, humor, heartfelt moments and more. The Hulu and Onyx Collective series debuted in March 2023 with eight episodes and high ratings for an Onyx Collective premiere.

‘UnPrisoned’ Ups Jee Young Han To Series Regular For Season 2

Based on the life of creator Tracy McMillan, the series follows Paige Alexander (Kerry Washington) as she welcomes her dad Edwin (Delroy Lindo) back into her life after his release from 17 years in prison for dealing drugs. The last season began on Edwin’s release day, and the story continued because Paige decided to let him live with her and her teenage son Finneas (Faly Rakotohavana).

Paige’s inner child (Jordyn McIntosh) also helps her through tough spots in her present life.

For those who need a recap of UnPrisoned Season 1, here’s what to remember:

Paige Bought a House Right As Edwin Moved In

With the help of her real estate agent foster sister Esti (Jee Young Han), Paige, a therapist who doubles as a social media influencer, snagged a house at the end of the first episode of UnPrisoned , and just in time too, because previously, she and her son shared a small apartment with a divider as his bedroom wall.

Edwin almost didn’t live with Paige when he got out because she wouldn’t allow it, but the alternative was going back to his friends who still dealt drugs, which he felt would influence him to pick the habit back up. His parole officer Malcolm Kennedy (Marque Richardson) also encouraged Paige to let Edwin live with her so that he could have the best chance of adjusting to life on the outside as possible.

Edwin Rekindled His Romance With Nadine Gregory

Nadine Gregory (Brenda Strong) was Edwin’s girlfriend on and off, and she even took Paige in while he was behind bars, but Paige doesn’t remember that time very fondly. At the beginning of Season 1, Edwin goes to pick up his things from Nadine’s house, but they do more than just talk, and Paige walks into Nadine’s house to hear what’s going on.

Paige ultimately forgives Nadine, who stays in Edwin’s life, and acknowledges that she helped raise Paige. Episode 3 of Season 1 contains a great dance-off scene between Paige’s two moms where they hash out their specific roles in Paige’s childhood.

Paige Was Dating Bill

Before her dad got out, Paige was dating Bill (Tim Daly), who she knew deep down was emotionally unavailable. He had claimed to be getting divorced, but Edwin pointed out quickly that it seemed like Paige was the sidepiece, since she wasn’t even invited to Bill’s daughter’s wedding. Edwin encouraged Paige to be a “Main B*tch” which led her to other romantic pursuits after she realized he was right. She confronted Bill, and he was avoidant.

RELATED: ‘UnPrisoned’ Adds Brandee Evans, Oliver Hudson & Jamie Chung To Season 2

Edwin Tried a Few Jobs

Edwin almost got a gig at the Italian restaurant Parmesan Garden, but while he aced the interview and cooking test, the owner of the restaurant informed him that he couldn’t hire ex-felons at his restaurant, which Finn witnesses.

Later on, while Paige reconnects with her foster mom Carole Nelson (Carol Mansell), Finn asks Pastor Nelson (Tom Virtue) for a card for the church’s thrift store so that Edwin could potentially work there. He makes waves in the store, which has a toxic work culture, but he doesn’t end up staying there either.

‘UnPrisoned’ Adds Brandee Evans, Oliver Hudson & Jamie Chung To Season 2

He also attempts to sell ice cream, and one outing doing this brings him to save a dog by throwing a freezer block through a car window after the women locked her pet in there. Eventually, he decided to pursue creating a food truck and running his own business.

Paige and Edwin Visited Edwin’s Childhood Home in Alabama

Edwin needs his birth certificate to get a social security card, driver’s license and real job, so he, Paige and Finn go to his childhood home in Alabama, and Paige gets a sense of the type of trauma Edwin has from growing up in the deep South. He recalls some of the racist acts toward his mother, and she and Finn even experience a bit of the aftermath of the hold it had where Edwin grew up.

On the way back, Edwin let Paige and Finn take a flight while he met up with Cousin “TK,” who was really someone to pass him a car so that he could drive it back to Minneapolis, MN on a job for his old friend Fox (Edwin Lee Gibson).

RELATED: ‘Unprisoned’ Season 2 Gets Premiere Date On Hulu, First-Look Photos

Edwin Gave Finn Driving Lessons

Edwin helped Finn gain the confidence to drive early on in the show, but one night, when he drives Finn home, the cops pull them over, and Edwin, who already didn’t have a license, was arrested. Finn called his mom to tell her right before her big Ted Talk.

Paige and Mal Started Dating

The spark between Mal and Paige was felt from the first episode, at least from Mal’s perspective. They hit it off, and he was an attentive and insightful partner to Paige. Before they could take all the steps in their relationship though, Paige realized that she had some past trauma resurfacing that was getting in the way of her primary attachment style to Mal. She ultimately decided to tell her dad and son about this new relationship.

They went Instagram official, but after receiving some bad news that her dad got arrested, Paige went back to Bill and they had sex in her office. She eventually had to tell Mal, and they had to break up because she wasn’t ready to fully trust him and dive into their relationship.

Paige Gave a Ted Talk, Edwin Left

Paige’s Ted Talk didn’t go to plan once she got the call from her son about her father, and she decided to be real and tell her audience about her dad’s arrest. This led to her talk changing from the subject of “How to Fix Your Picker” to “It’s About Who You Want To Be.”

After Mal bailed him out of jail, Edwin decided to move out of Paige’s house because he felt like a burden. Finn was more visibly upset about him leaving than Paige, who thought it might be for the best. This is where UnPrisoned Season 2 left off.

RELATED: Onyx’s ‘UnPrisoned’ Renewed For Season 2 On Hulu; Kerry Washington Re-Ups Overall Deal With ABC Signature

Meredith Dawson To Adapt Stacey Abrams Novel 'Rules Of Engagement' For Universal With Kerry Washington Producing