The 2025 Hulu Original drama series, Washington Black, ends with a heartwarming episode, tying up the stories of each of the central characters, albeit with quite a focus on the titular protagonist. After having traveled to London to be a part of the Royal Science League’s world science expo, Wash makes a series of discoveries about the people from his past and sets out to reunite with them. Washington Black’s ending massively differs from its source, Esi Edugyan’s novel by the same name, and in this article, we take a look at the last episode and the possibility of a returning season.
Spoiler Alert
Why does Tanna sever all ties from her father?
Back in Halifax, Tanna had convinced her father to let Wash help him out with the invention of the aquarium and its application in the field of marine biology, and in return she had asked him to acknowledge Wash’s contributions on the big stage. Despite being an extraordinarily talented scientist and inventor, Wash would not have been selected into the Royal Science League, purely because of the color of his skin, and so he could not have fulfilled his teenage dream in a direct manner. But to be acknowledged on the stage at the world science expo would be no less, and people would finally get to know of his intelligence. This is exactly why Tanna had asked her father to help Wash, and Mr. Goff agreed to the proposition as well, although it is later revealed that he must have already made up his mind against doing so at that time.
Goff was really desperate to get accepted into the RSL once again, after being ousted from the organization previously, and so he was ready to comply with any situation that would help him do so. He is much more accepting and friendly towards Wash as compared to the other white men of the time, and Goff also finds the young man’s interest in science quite innocently fascinating. However, Goff is still a man of his times, meaning that he does not genuinely believe in the equality of races despite whatever he may claim, and this becomes evident in London later on. He always hides behind the claim that other people will not accept a Black scientist or inventor, while in reality he too does not want to accept someone of color in such a high position, deep down in his prejudiced mind. It is fair to assume that Goff also secretly holds himself responsible for the ‘mistake’ of having gotten romantically involved with a Black woman, and therefore he technically must have seen nothing wrong in the RSL’s racist decision to blacklist him at the beginning of the series.
Thus, when Goff wins the gold medal at the world science expo in London, he takes complete credit for the invention of the aquarium and does not make any mention of Wash’s contributions at all. When confronted by Tanna and Wash, he states that this is surely not the right place to make mention of the matter, for the racist and classist members of the RSL will surely not accept it without objection. In reality, Goff is scared of facing the consequences of going against conventions, and in the process, he not only takes full credit for someone else’s scientific invention but also indirectly perpetuates racism. While Tanna had already had suspicions about her father’s intentions, she had not expected him to stoop so low. Having made her love for Wash public, Tanna thus chooses to sever all ties from her father because of his racist and cowardly nature. It is immediately evident that she has not made a wrong choice, as Goff literally walks away to celebrate his win with the other RSL members, abandoning his daughter and showing where his priorities lie.
Is Titch Still Alive?
Before the science exhibition, Wash meets Peter, the secret lover of James Wilde, in London, as the man is now one of the members of the jury at the competition. It is Peter who informs Wash that the Faith plantation, where he used to work in his childhood, has now been closed and sold off, meaning that all the people who enslaved there have now moved on, and many of them are in London as well. Wash goes to inquire at Wilde’s mansion in London, and he finds Gaius there, the old caretaker from the plantation. It is Gaius who eventually reveals to Wash that Christopher ‘Titch’ Wilde, the man with whom he had had so many adventures in his childhood and teenage years, is still alive.
While Wash had genuinely loved and revered Titch for most of his life, his experience had completely changed when they had parted ways, rather forcefully, as Titch had abandoned the young boy in the Arctic. So when Wash now goes to Morocco in search of his old mentor, he carries a sense of deep intrigue and resentment in his mind, and the reunion is not a happy one, but one of confrontation. Titch is indeed found to be still alive and living in the deserts of Morocco, still carrying out scientific research and attempting to build a flying machine that can shoot up into space and reach the Moon. While the elderly man tries to welcome Wash back into his life by expressing joy at seeing him again, the protagonist is in no such mood.
Wash directly asks what he came to find out—why exactly had Titch abandoned him in the snowy fields of the Arctic, knowing very well that the boy had always wanted to stick around with him and accompany him on newer scientific expeditions? He also goes on to ask why the man had selected him to be his apprentice in the first place, separating him from his mother and causing a series of unnecessary tragedies along the way. But Titch does not have an honest answer for him. The truth of the matter is that Titch had always been concerned only about his scientific inventions and his theories, and he never cared much for Wash. He had made the boy his apprentice because he was much more interested in the sciences than anyone else at the plantation and had then kept him on as a companion because of his skill with illustrations.
Titch had himself once admitted that Wash was skilled in recording things beautifully, through his illustrations, something that he himself severely lacked. Although it had seemed to Wash that the man genuinely liked him and wanted to save him from slavery, this was not really the case. Just as everyone had warned the boy, Titch was ultimately just another rich white man who pretended to care for Black folks but cared only for his own benefits and motives, and his abolitionist views were all just a sort of hobby that he was never really serious about. Thus, at a moment when he was terribly hurt by his father and when his life seemed to be crashing around him, Titch had not even hesitated to abandon Wash, for no good reason, but simply because he felt like doing so. In Washington Black’s ending, Titch is seen alive and continues to research his spacecraft.
What were James Wilde’s last words?
During this interaction in Morocco, Titch also now seizes the opportunity to ask Wash something that he had wanted to ask him for a long time, after finding out that Wash had been in his father’s camp when James had taken his last breath. Titch wants to know what his father’s last words were, and as it so happens, James had really told Wish his last words for his son, perhaps hoping that the boy would be a sort of vessel for these words to reach Titch some day in the future. The underlying theme of parental acceptance resonates throughout Washington Black, but it becomes most apparent in this case.
Titch had always wanted his father’s approval and attention, to the point that he had built his entire personality, profession, and interests in order to impress the man. It was only to get James’ approval that Titch had become a scientist and worked tremendously hard on improving his father’s idea of the “Cloud Cutter,” which he had even successfully developed into a flying machine. Therefore, he was naturally heartbroken when James behaved very harshly with him in the Arctic, after he had made the long journey to get to the northernmost fringe of the world to meet his father again. This personal disappointment had gotten to him so much that he left the place that very night, leaving Wash behind.
There were two major reasons behind James’ hostile behavior at the time, the first being that he was disappointed at being found by a family member after having spread the false news about his death. James had clearly wanted to go away from his family and live in the Arctic, conducting his research and, more importantly, spending the rest of his life with his lover, Peter, knowing well that their homosexual relationship would be frowned upon and persecuted everywhere else. Therefore, one reason for him discouraging Titch from staying at the place for long might have been his own emotional desire to be safe with his partner. But there was definitely another, more significant, reason behind his behavior as well, which was evident from his final words, which Wash reveals to Titch at present.
James always knew that his son had dedicated his entire life to trying to impress him and that he had chosen the same profession as him without really having the interest or the skills to be a scientist. James did not want Titch to waste his life pursuing such a trivial goal, for he did genuinely love his son, and wanted to see him succeed in every aspect of life, although he never expressed any of this. Titch could never feel his father’s love, and therefore he kept doing things in search of his validation, while James tried to dissuade him using the harshest of words. However, in his final words for Titch, James had revealed his love for his son and had advised him to do something of his own, without being distracted by what the world expects of him. While these words are very significant for Titch, he finds out about them too late, and by now he has genuinely developed an interest in science.
Did Wash Reunite With His Mother?
During Washington Black’s ending, Wash finds out from Gaius, or specifically from the ledger book from the plantation, that Big Kit was actually his biological mother, although she had kept this a secret from him. Originally named Nawi, Kit was actually a warrior of the Kingdom of Dahomey before she had been sold as a slave to the plantation in Barbados. Nawi used to serve as one of the royal guards in her homeland, and as per the traditions, these women soldiers could not bear children or even have lovers. But Nawi had decided to secretly challenge these patriarchal rules, or at least she did not stop herself when she fell in love with a local man in the kingdom. She continued a secret affair with the man, but all hell broke loose when she got pregnant with his child. The king found out about her pregnancy, and when she openly refused to abort the baby, Nawi was sold off to the slave traders by her own king, the man whom she had served throughout her life.
Thus, when Nawi arrived in Barbados and assumed the new identity of Katherine, or Big Kit, she was pregnant with Wash. But after giving birth to him, she had decided to keep it a secret from the child in order to protect him from any danger. Kit felt that, had Wash known that she was his real mother, he would have developed a strong and fierce bond with her, which could have gotten the young boy in trouble with the masters. On a plantation where almost none of the slave children survived beyond their teenage years, this was not a risk Kit wanted to take, and therefore she kept Wash in the dark about his real parentage. She also feared that people from her homeland might come in search of her child and take him away, and so she treated Wash as just a boy she took care of.
Wash finds out about all this after growing up and long after Kit has passed away, but he still decides to visit Dahomey to pay respect to his mother’s spirit and her sacrifices. He is able to meet Kit’s former best friend, Esi, who welcomes him and Tanna to the place and then takes over the responsibility of overseeing the latter’s childbirth. In the end, Wash is able to have a sort of reunion with his mother, although it takes place in his imagination, as the spirit of Kit visits him and acknowledges the decisions she’d made in her past. Although a literal reunion does not take place, there are no feelings of remorse or discontent in Wash’s mind towards his mother, as he understands that she had kept her identity a secret only for his sake. The identity of Wash’s biological father is never revealed, and no hints about the matter are provided either.
Who Does Tanna See While Giving Birth?
As Tanna gives birth following the traditions of the Fon people in Dahomey, she is held by a group of women inside a natural pool, since water is considered to be the most sacred element of nature by them. She struggles with the pain and the effort of giving birth, but suddenly sees another woman floating on the surface of the water beside her, and this gives Tanna immense strength and confidence to go through with the painstaking process of childbirth. This woman, who is an imaginary figure, is actually Tanna’s mother, Janessa, with whom she had always wanted to reconnect spiritually, since she had passed away many years ago.
The most prominent memory that Tanna has with her mother is from her childhood, when the two would often float around in a body of water in order to relax and also feel in harmony with nature. Therefore, just as Wash has a vision of Kit visiting him, Tanna also sees Janessa’s spirit lying beside her on the water, confirming that she has successfully reconnected with her Black origins and the culture of her people. The theme of yearning to be with one with their respective parents, and their roots in the process, also comes full circle at this moment for Wash and Tanna.
Will There Be A Season 2?
Washington Black ends with Wash and Tanna leaving Dahomey with their newborn daughter, whom they have named Nawi, to honor his mother’s memory. The couple leave in the airship that Wash had earlier built, which is definitely a touch of extravagant fiction, but they do talk about further adventures. With no dearth of cruel and selfish people who want to capture and extort others, the family might face danger once again, this time with young Nawi having to be rescued. In the ending scene, we see Nawi as a young girl in the arms of her parents, which can be considered a hint that the next season of the show will take place at a time when the girl is about four or five. Tanna’s father, Mr. Goff, might return in their lives, although it would be unlikely if he creates any trouble for them, and he would probably instead just apologize and want to be a part of their lives. Titch wanting to create trouble for Wash and his family also does not seem very convincing, and so there will possibly be a new antagonist next time around, unless some of the Wildes still survive and return seeking revenge. Perhaps Wash’s biological father might also make an appearance, for better or for worse, and his identity will be finally revealed. With Washington Black taking a fictional and fantastical route in the end, it marks itself as distant from the original novel, and it would be interesting to see if there will be more fantastical and sci-fi inventions made by Wash or Titch, or other scientists of the world.
