David and Rebecca had many choices to make throughout the six episodes of Butterfly. What did they do, and can they live a quieter, happier life together? We break down the Butterfly season 1 ending.
Caution: This post contains SPOILERS for Butterfly season 1
From the very beginning of Butterfly, we got an idea of the conflict that would come up. David wanted to get his daughter back, after leaving her behind by faking his death. Rebecca had ended up becoming an assassin for Caddis, a company led by Juno, who wanted David dead for real.
Of course, things wouldn’t be as simple as explaining it all to Rebecca and expecting her to choose her family. However, as more details came out, eventually, the two had choices to make.
Why did David fake his death before Butterfly?
What Rebecca wanted to know was why her dad faked his death. This linked to how David and Juno know each other. It turns out that the two formed Caddis together, but when a mission went wrong and all of David’s team was killed, David decided to fake his death to protect Rebecca. Juno took Rebecca in to train her as an assassin.
Well, it turned out that Juno had tried to have David killed on that mission. She was the one to sell out the team to the Filipino terrorist group, and it all came down to the way they both wanted to use Caddis. David wanted to use it for world peace, and Juno wanted to use it as the money-making machine that she eventually turned it into.
Realizing that David was alive, Juno wanted revenge, and that meant killing David. So, she sent Rebecca after him, knowing her as the best assassin Caddis had. Of course, that plan backfired.
So, when Rebecca started to fail, she was kidnapped by a man named Gun, who worked for Juno. It meant that David would need to go and save his daughter, but he needed help to do that.
David turns to his father-in-law for help
We don’t get many details about David’s life in South Korea and how he met his wife. However, we do get some information about his father-in-law, Doo Tae. It turns out that the man is involved in exports and imports, but it’s clear that he’s also a gangster, and he’s not happy that David won’t work for him.
Considering David was getting out of intelligence to protect Rebecca, is it that surprising he didn’t want to get involved in a life of crime? Well, he ends up having to owe Doo Tae a favor to get Rebecca back, something that David’s wife Eunju tells him not to get involved in. Oh dear!
Oliver turns on his own mother in Butterfly
Considering the way Juno treated her son, it’s not surprising to find out that he turns on her. He’s not the best for leading a company, but he’s not a stupid little boy. He ends up snitching on Juno in return for being part of the FBI witness protection program.
Rather than searching for Oliver, Juno decided to turn to Rebecca, wanting her to take over the new company that she would later create. However, Rebecca was smart enough to answer one important question. If Rebecca stopped being a good spy, would Juno stop loving her?
While not a straight answer, Juno effectively makes it clear that she only wants Rebecca because of Rebecca’s skills. That’s enough for Rebecca to choose her dad when he turns up to save her. She even says that Juno should be allowed to live to prove that she’s nothing like the woman Juno wants her to be. It’s a moral victory for Rebecca, but Juno remains a threat.
With all of this, the CIA has enough to shut Caddis down completely. Rebecca and David did kill the armed operatives on the payroll, but the rest were kept alive. While Caddis is gone, Juno and Hollis will be able to build a new company. Well, unless they end up imprisoned. Those two aren’t going to learn that what they did was wrong!
Butterfly season 1 finale sets up a second season
Of course, this was never intended to be a one-and-done show. Maybe Prime Video won’t renew it, but for now, there are plans for a second season. That means the Butterfly season 1 finale had to set things up in that way.
With Rebecca now in South Korea with David, the two are able to have dinner with Eunju and David’s daughter with her, Minhee. It all seems like a peaceful and happy moment, but things turn when Rebecca and Eunju go to the bathroom. David is initially left with Minhee, but he decides to check on the women in the bathroom, and it’s a good job he did.
He finds Eunju on the bathroom floor, bleeding out. Rebecca is nowhere to be seen. Right now, it looks like Rebecca has stabbed her stepmom, but is that the case? Is Juno back?
Of course, the story could link to Dae Too, who clearly has enemies of his own. Could they have gone after Dae Too’s daughter and taken Rebecca? We really need Butterfly season 2 to find out.
Butterfly is available to stream on Prime Video.