How FX's Breeders Will Deliver A Twist That 'Redefines' Paul Before The End Of Season 2

breeders martin freeman season 2 episode 9 fx
(Image credit: FX)

The second season of FX's Breeders is fast-approaching its finale, and the Martin Freeman-starring show is going to pack an emotional punch in the penultimate episode. The FX show isn't saving all of its game-changing moments for next week's Season 2 finale, as Paul's relationship with a member of his family is soon to be redefined and set the stage for payoff at the end of the season. Showrunner Simon Blackwell previewed what's on the way in what is left of Season 2, and his comments indicate that the last two episodes definitely should not be missed.

The final two episodes of Breeders Season 2 will actually be halves of a two-parter, with the first airing on May 10 and the second on May 17. The first of the two episodes is called "No Power Part I" and will see Jim and Jackie's golden wedding anniversary party go dark due to a power outage, leading the tensions that have been brewing between Paul and Luke to come to an explosive climax.

According to showrunner Simon Blackwell (who also wrote the episode), the end of ninth and penultimate episode of Season 2 is going to be redefining for father and son ahead of the tenth episode and finale next week. He previewed what's on the way, explaining:

The closing minutes of Episode 209 of Breeders contains a pivotal piece of action that the entire second season was built around. We’d planned for a while that we would age the kids up in Season 2, so Luke and Ava would be six years older than they were in Season 1. And the one definite thing I knew I wanted to happen was for 13-year-old Luke to reach a very particular dramatic point with his dad, a shocking moment that redefines their entire relationship in a second.

Breeders gave Luke and Ava big age bumps for Season 2, and Simon Blackwell confirmed that the events of this whole second season were tailored to the "pivotal" moment that's on the way with Paul and Luke. Paul and Luke have run into their fair share of difficulties before on Breeders, but whatever happens in "No Power Part I" will seemingly eclipse what viewers have seen before, and perhaps change what the status quo would look like in a possible third season, although only time and the events of the episode will tell. Blackwell continued:

The whole of the series arc then grew out of that moment – where it would happen within the season, the emotional build up to it, and its unsteady resolution. Writing like that – from the micro out to the macro, building from a detail rather than starting with broad brushstrokes and then drilling down – is a gamble, but it’s very satisfying if it pays off. I hope it does here.

Simon Blackwell's hint of a payoff that could be "very satisfying" despite the gamble of planning the whole season around this coming moment with Luke and Paul suggests that fans should definitely be sure not to miss either the penultimate episode or the coming finale. Not many shows can say that a full season is planned enough ahead of time to build up to one particular climax from the very beginning, but Breeders evidently has that in store for fans in the next episode and the finale.

Plus, there are the questions of what this moment between Luke and Paul could mean for Ally, Ava, and the family as a whole! A lot will of course depend on how exactly whatever is going to happen goes down, and whether whatever is done can be undone. Find out when Episode 9 of Breeders Season 2 airs at 10 p.m. ET on FX on May 10, followed by the Season 2 finale (also written by Simon Blackwell) at 10 p.m. ET on May 17.

Laura Hurley
Senior Content Producer

Laura turned a lifelong love of television into a valid reason to write and think about TV on a daily basis. She's not a doctor, lawyer, or detective, but watches a lot of them in primetime. CinemaBlend's resident expert and interviewer for One Chicago, the galaxy far, far away, and a variety of other primetime television. Will not time travel and can cite multiple TV shows to explain why. She does, however, want to believe that she can sneak references to The X-Files into daily conversation (and author bios).