AppleTV+’s surrealist comedy-drama series, Government Cheese, is undoubtedly an unusual show, considering its narrative style and plot, even if we consider the streaming platform’s other shows, like Sugar. Therefore, keeping in line with this unusualness, or perhaps its desire to stick out in every way, the season finale of the show is quite underwhelming, leaving a lot unclear when it comes to the fate of the protagonist, Hampton Chambers, and his family. Perhaps this is a push from the showrunners to greenlight a second season, in which we can expect to find out more, or maybe Government Cheese wants us to make whatever we want of its ending.
Spoilers Ahead
How does Hampton react to the news about Bootsy?
At the end of the previous episode, Astoria had broken the news to her husband about the police detectives coming to their house and indirectly threatening her to convince Hampton to give himself up. While Hampton now came clean to her about everything and then claimed how he had done all of it only to protect her and their sons, she revealed the news about Bootsy being hospitalized in a comatose state, which cut short Hampton’s idealist speech about the necessity of his illegal acts. Therefore, at the beginning of Government Cheese, episode 10, Hampton is expected to be concerned for his best friend, but nothing of that sort happens. Instead, Hampton is perhaps even more convinced that he needs to pay off the Prevosts as soon as possible now, since the police have already found out about his involvement in the Temple Hillel robbery.
Thus, he once again tries to prove to Astoria how everything he’d done had been to protect his family, which she simply does not buy, because the claims seem ingenuine to her. According to her, Hampton could have done a ton of other things to earn money without getting on the wrong side of the law once again, and yet he went ahead and committed a robbery. Hampton is unable to explain his perspective to his wife either, for he had tried working numerous small-time jobs to earn enough to pay back the debt but had quickly realized there was no way for him to do so. He is also persistent about how he had returned the money to the synagogue after realizing his mistake, but this too does not have any significance to Astoria. She is much more concerned about how Hampton is about to abandon his family once again through his actions, for he will surely be picked up by the police.
Astoria also tells him off about involving their sons in his sly schemes, for he had technically misused Einstein’s interview at Rocketcorp for his own sales pitch and had literally taken Harrison out on an adventure that involved a robbery. Once Astoria refuses to listen to his lies anymore, and she informs him of her decision to go to San Francisco for the job interview, Hampton decides to make one last attempt to solve the problems in his life with the help of his Bit Magician machine. Before that, he has to deal with Harrison’s attempt to get hold of the camera, either because the boy wants to destroy the film reel, which contains photos of the father and son finally bonding, or because he wants to hand it over to the police. Harrison now obviously knows that his father had gone out to rob a synagogue while they were supposedly just camping and fishing, and he might have felt that the reel would also contain important clues for the police.
Hampton is able to get hold of the camera first, but his attempts to make his son understand the complex situation go completely in vain. The protagonist does not bother too much about it either, and he drives to the office of Dremel Tools in order to collect the money that had been promised to him the previous day by Dean Dremel in exchange for a small order of ten Bit Magician drills. However, he faces another challenge in the form of the finance officer at Dremel Tools, who reveals that his very responsibility is to ensure that nobody takes advantage of the keen nature of Dean Dremel. Therefore, the man informs Hampton that in order to receive any payment from the manufacturing company, he will have to follow the legal steps of filling up the form for new vendors. Doing this would not only mean it would be at least 6 weeks before Hampton can receive the payment, but it will also, more importantly, inform Dremel and his company about his personal history with the law. Thus, Hampton has no option but to leave the office without the money.
Can Hampton pay back the Prevost Brothers in time?
Hampton’s original plan was to collect the money from the Dremel Tools office and directly take it to Prevost Farm in order to pay back the dangerous crime family and clear all his debts with them. But since he does not receive any money, the man is confused about what to do next, and this is when he receives his final divine message, at least for this season. He runs into the same mysterious fisherman from the lake, who was seen in episode 6; only this time, the latter is dressed in a suit and visiting the factory on some official business. The man is also soon seen being congratulated by some of the employees at the office, as if he has either executed a major deal with Dremel Tools or is an important client of the company, but Hampton has a very strange encounter with him once again.
As the fisherman, who is clearly an embodiment of the divine power, appears right when Hampton is extremely perplexed about what to do with the Prevosts, it is no wonder that he receives spiritual help about his situation. The man tells Hampton to simply walk into the belly of the beast without any fear, with just faith that he will be protected against all dangers, and the protagonist finally decides to do so. Since Jean-Guy had already offered a deal to him in private, in which the man offered to pay off the money owed by Hampton in exchange for his miraculous invention, taking advantage of this offer now seems to be the best way forward. Thus, Hampton reaches the farm and opens up about his troubles in front of the seven brothers, telling them how he had tried everything to collect the money but had failed.
Despite having refused to sell his invention till now, Hampton now asks Jean-Guy to take the Bit Magician from him and pay off his debt in return, but this only creates more trouble. Jean-Guy had never told his brothers about this deal, as he wanted to show them his resourcefulness, most probably by making a fortune with the self-sharpening drill machine. Therefore, when the brothers now suddenly learn about Jean-Guy making deals behind their backs, they are infuriated, and a fight breaks out. Angered at Hampton for revealing his secret, Jean-Guy takes him hostage, draws his gun on his brothers, and attempts to take the protagonist away from the farm in his car by shoving him into the trunk.
A series of miracles follow, as Hampton gets hold of a knife in the trunk, just as Jean-Guy smashes the car into a water pump while reversing. Although the impact of the crash is horrific, it does not kill Hampton in the trunk, as he is somehow pushed into the backseat of the car. As a result, the knife in Hampton’s hand pierces the skull of Jean-Guy, killing the man, and this changes the protagonist’s fortunes. Hampton somehow climbs out of the crashed car and expects the Prevost Brothers to kill him, but quite the opposite happens. The eldest of the lot, Patrice, tells him that his debt has now been paid off, for Hampton has avenged their brother’s betrayal on their behalf and has therefore done something for the family. Thus, Hampton ends up clearing his debts with the Prevost Brothers and is finally free of the burden. It is easy to believe that he gets significant help from the divine powers, as he follows the advice of the fisherman and actually triumphs. While one might think of his survival as mere luck, the manner in which he gets away from the crash and kills Jean-Guy is almost unbelievable.
Does Astoria leave her husband?
In the previous episode, Astoria had been told by her boss that the higher-ups in their design firm had genuinely liked her work, because of which they wanted her to apply for an open position in San Francisco. Although she had had some initial thoughts against traveling to San Francisco for the interview, as taking a job there would mean she would have to stay away from her family, she changes her mind at the beginning of Government Cheese episode 10. She packs her bags in front of Hampton and then tells him about her decision to leave for San Francisco, which he does not take very well. Nonetheless, Astoria does not change her mind or even try to explain her decision to her husband, until she is seen talking to her sons that evening.
When with her sons, Astoria tells them that she does not actually plan on moving to San Francisco, or even traveling there for the interview, because she does not want to leave them at the mercy of their father, who has now proven himself to be very self-centered. However, both Harrison and Einstein advise their mother to not let go of this opportunity, since she has always wanted to work as a designer, and the job will be very rewarding for her. It is only because of their sons’ support that Astoria ultimately decides to leave for San Francisco, which means that she will take the job if she is selected. This suggests that Astoria does leave Hampton, at least temporarily, and her previous efforts to accept him back into her life are now undone.
Does Harrison join the Chumash people?
After learning of Hampton’s actions during their outdoor adventure, Harrison is left angered and heartbroken, as he feels utterly betrayed by his father. In order to cope with his emotions, the boy decides to visit the hills outside the city to witness the summer solstice and try to be a part of the Chumash tradition that takes place on the day. Harrison had learned about this tradition from Rudy, the prison mate of Hampton whom he had grown close to. Therefore, he rides to the spot and meets with a man named Lee, who reveals himself to be Rudy’s nephew, and he also learns of the death of Rudy, which is an absolute shock to him.
Harrison knew that Rudy was still locked up in prison and would be released after some time, as Hampton had literally told him so. However, when he hears that the man had passed away during a prison riot, he figures out that Hampton had lied to him. There is also a positive lesson in this regard, as he hears about the struggles in Rudy’s life, which makes him realize that his father too had gone through similar hardships, because of which he’s taken certain decisions in life. It is unclear whether Harrison actually joins the Chumash people and decides to stay with them or whether he is open to giving his father one more chance to prove himself. The second scenario seems unlikely, considering that Harrison is the one who tells Astoria that Hampton might actually learn the worth of a free life if they temporarily move out of his life.
During Government Cheese’s ending, Harrison is seen looking out to the valley, which is the last time he appears on screen, and it might suggest that he chooses to stick with the Chumash and live with them for some time. Such an experience might actually teach him about his real identity, and it might shape his integral ideas about himself. It is also possible that he moves away with the rest of the family, possibly to San Francisco, and the only confirmation perhaps is that he is no longer in Hampton’s life.
What happens to Hampton in the end?
Following the bizarre incidents at Prevost Farm, Hampton feels it necessary to give himself up to the police, probably because he has realized the need to do what is right. However, in a pleasant surprise for him, he meets Astoria at the police station, who reveals that she has just given him a false alibi stating that she too had gone on the fishing trip and that Hampton had never left the camp. Astoria lies to protect her husband as a final favor to him, which means that the protagonist is off the police’s radar, at least for the time being. If Bootsy wakes up and spills the truth to them, then Hampton will definitely be in serious trouble, but no mention of Bootsy’s condition is made in the finale.
Despite this temporary relief, Hampton receives a tough lesson when he finds his house empty and realizes that his family members have left him. Harrison and Einstein might have left with Astoria, accompanying her to the interview in San Francisco, or they might have gone off on individual adventures with the Chumash and Minnie, respectively. Thus, in Government Cheese’s ending, Hampton Chambers is left all alone, currently no longer in trouble with the law, but also without his beloved family members, for whom he had apparently taken all the decisions in his life. As of now, this is the only punishment that he receives, but it is one that will hurt him just as much as prison time, which would have made him part from his family anyway. In the last scene, he is seen walking up to the roof of the house and lying down to reflect on his life, accepting the failures that have come his way.
