‘The Madness’ and the Real Killer in the Netflix Series, Explained

The Madness is an eight-part criminal conspiracy thriller that instantly topped the most-watched Netflix charts upon its late November 2024 debut. Colman Domingo takes the lead as Muncie Daniels, a famous media personality who suddenly finds himself tangled in a web of murderous deceit when he witnesses a murder in the woods. After Muncie is blamed for the crime, he goes on the run from a host of white supremacists to clear his name.

Although The Madness has drawn average reviews, the twists and turns bending into the dramatic conclusion deserve closer inspection. It’s also worth covering whether the ending is left open-ended enough to warrant a second-season renewal by Netflix. To find out if Muncie Daniels has a path forward, here are the crucial details about The Madness‘ Season 1 finale, including who the real killer is.

What Is Netflix’s ‘The Madness’ About?

The Madness is an American conspiracy crime thriller created by Stephen Belber. The eight-part Netflix original miniseries follows Muncie Daniels (Domingo), a high-profile CNN news anchor who retreats to the Pocono Mountains to clear his head and work on his new book. Muncie becomes embroiled in a mysterious murder case when he is falsely accused of killing Mark Simon, a key organizer of The Forge who goes by the online handle Brother14, a white supremacist hate group gaining popularity in the region.

After being framed for Mark Simon’s murder, Muncie turns to a powerful fixer named Julia Jayne (Alison Wright). However, Muncie soon realizes Julia is up to no good and tries to evade her. After ditching Julia, Muncie meets Rodney Kraintz (Neal Huff), a silent investor in a tech company called Revitalize. The Forge foments a negative media campaign smearing Muncie’s reputation, and he is soon on the run from the police. Revitalize is funded by Stu Magnusson (Bradley Whitford) to sway political votes.

Related

Star of New Netflix Thriller Says It’s “Especially” Timely Post-Election

Academy Award nominee Colman Domingo says his new Netflix conspiracy theory thriller ‘The Madness’ is a timely show after the U.S. election.

As Muncie works to clear his name and identify the real culprit, he peels back one conspiratorial revelation after another. Julia targets Muncie’s ex-wife, Elena (Marsha Stephanie Blake), and son, Demetrius (Thaddeus J. Mixson). Simply placing the real killer is not good enough; Muncie must understand why he’s being framed. Several twists and turns careen toward the final resolution, where Muncie finally uncovers the bad actors behind his set-up.

What Happens at the End of ‘The Madness?’

When Muncie witnesses Mark Simon’s murder, the two assailants are seen wearing balaclavas that shroud their identities. The masked men attack Muncie, who escapes after stabbing one in the throat with a pen. Still, Muncie is framed for Mark Simon’s murder and is left with few allies to trust. Muncie finds relief when the masked killers are identified as Ant and Magnusson’s bodyguard, Don Sloss Jr. However, the killers’ identities open up more questions for Muncie, who starts to connect the characters orbiting The Poconos.

In Episode 7, “DNA,” Muncie finally suspects the true culprit behind his framing. While many viewers assume Julia Jayne is the one responsible for the conspiracy plot, Muncie proves her partial guilt before arranging her death. Muncie exposed Julia’s involvement via evidence found in her car and computer. Muncie exonerates his false guilt and proves his innocence. With his reputation restored publicly, Muncie has one final stop to ensure his innocence and survival.

Who Is The Killer in ‘The Madness,’ Explained

In “DNA,” Muncie ventures from the Pocono Mountains to New York City to visit a Revitalize employee. Muncie storms into a corporate office with a gun in tow. Muncie enters a room and finds Rodney Kraintz alone in a giant room full of massive computer servers. Rodney uses the servers to sow misinformation and disinformation online to foment his white supremacist following. Muncie raises his gun at Rodney, who remains calm and unarmed before launching into a ludicrous tirade about his Neo-Nazi agenda.

Deeply unamused, Muncie cuts off Rodney’s hate speech and decries: “Why the f*** did you frame me?” Rodney retorts callously by saying, “You were there.” This angers Muncie, who avoids pulling the trigger on Rodney despite Demetrius’ insistence to act violently. After taking the moral high road, Muncie informs Mark Simon’s wife, Lucie, about Rodney’s involvement. When word gets to the Forge, a rogue member kills Rodney even after the DA drops the charges.

Related

Colman Domingo Will Dominate the Biopic Market in 2024

Fear the Walking Dead star Colman Domingo will make 2024 his year with a stacked release schedule of biopics.

For Muncie, what began as a vast criminal conspiracy becomes a classic case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, something that creator Stephen Belber told Time:

“Rodney is being a little disingenuous by simply saying the framing was circumstance. The circumstances were a perfect storm: The fact that Muncie was a well-known figure, the fact that he was black, the fact that he was there, and creating a sort of racial storm out of this was a perfect deflection for what Rodney Kraintz was actually up to.”

Showrunner VJ Boyd also addressed the show’s conspiratorial ruse, adding:

“I think it’s interesting how coincidences, and someone being in the wrong place at the wrong time, that those little things can end up creating conspiracy, creating something that looks like a conspiracy that was set up ahead of time…The conspiracy was what it always is, which is about power.”

Although The Madness was designed as a limited series and Netflix has yet to renew Season 2, Colman Domingo insists there is more story to tell (via Deadline):

“Listen, I don’t really say this a lot about any show because I like going from moment to moment and having great moments in a show and moving on with my life and doing something else. This show, I think there’s more from Muncie. I would really love to engage with a Season 2, so we’ll see if people think he’s got more story in him as well, so I hope people watch.”

The Madness is available to stream on Netflix.