“Big Mistakes” Season 1 Ending Explained: Do Morgan and Max Stay Together?

Francesca GarianoFri, April 10, 2026 at 2:25 PM UTC

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'Big Mistakes' season 1Credit: Netflix

Warning: Spoilers ahead for Big Mistakes season 1!

Big Mistakes explores the lengths individuals will go to protect their friends, family and themselves.

The crime comedy show, which premiered on Netflix on April 9, follows Nicky (Dan Levy), a pastor, and Morgan (Taylor Ortega), a public school teacher, as they become accidentally ingrained in an organized crime ring after she steals a diamond necklace from a local store.

They’re tracked down by member Yusuf (Boran Kuzum), who them a deadline to return the necklace to ensure their safety.

Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned for the siblings, who are swept up in an illegal operation that puts their lives — and those of their families — at risk.

So, how does their saga conclude? Here’s the ending of Big Mistakes season 1, explained.

How does Big Mistakes season 1 end?

'Big Mistakes' season 1Credit: Netflix

Nicky and Morgan’s involvement in their local organized crime ring comes to a head in the penultimate episode, when they’re brought to Miami by their boss, Ivan (Mark Ivanir), and his counterpart, Andrei (Ilia Volok), after Yusuf goes AWOL.

The criminal duo have an important meeting with the Brazilian cartel to cut a deal for a new drug route that will effectively cut out Ivan’s bosses, the Italians. However, things don’t fare well for Ivan, Andrei or the cartel and they’re all shot to death in a hotel room.

The final episode picks up with Nicky and Morgan left in the aftermath of the bloody massacre. As the two lone survivors, they wrestle with what to do next but ultimately flee the hotel when they’re told by a “cleaning crew” to get out.

Days later, back in New Jersey, the siblings support their mom, Linda (Laurie Metcalf), in her bid for mayor. Unbeknownst to others, though, Nicky and Morgan are still worried that they haven’t heard anything about the Miami murders in the news.

In a twist, they receive calls on the burner phone Ivan gave them to communicate. After ignoring the ringing cell, Nicky and Morgan are subsequently kidnapped in the middle of the night and brought to Ivan’s home.

There, they come face-to-face with the Italians for the first time and their loyalty is put to the test, including a tense moment where Yusuf is ordered to shoot Nicky in the head but fails to follow through.

While the mayoral election between Linda and her opponent, Tom Donaldson (Darren Goldstein), initially ends in a tie, he ultimately secedes, making Linda the winner. Annette (Elizabeth Perkins) then hosts a celebration at her home, where the Italians are also invited as guests, putting Nicky on edge.

At the soirée, Annette takes Morgan upstairs to her closet, where she talks about Morgan's relationship with Max (Jack Innanen) and pulls a jewelry box out of a safe.

The conversation takes a turn when Annette tells Morgan that the only reason she and Nicky made it home alive from Miami was because of her relationship with Max, before revealing what was in the jewelry box: the stolen diamond necklace, which Annette declares a fitting engagement present.

How does Linda win her election?

'Big Mistakes' season 1Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

Nicky and Morgan aren’t the only members of the family who are connected to Annette in more ways than one.

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Annette originally backs Tom as her candidate of choice in the election due to professional ties, including donating a hefty sum to his campaign. But she later switches her allegiance to Linda after news breaks about him partying with sex workers on a yacht.

Following the scandal, Annette lends her financial support to Linda and publicly stands by her friend after Linda punches Tom in the face following suggestive comments he made about her family, including Nicky’s sexuality.

Why does Yusuf disappear?

'Big Mistakes' season 1Credit: Spencer Pazer/Netflix

While Nicky, Morgan and Yusuf are sent out of town for a job to acquire cattle, Morgan and Yusuf have a heart-to-heart conversation by the hotel pool.

They discuss his life back home in Turkey, career aspirations and other goals. After Morgan tells him to take his power back and they sleep together, Yusuf leaves in the middle of the night and can’t be found by Ivan or Andrei.

Yusuf’s whereabouts after he disappears are unclear, though at one point, Andrei says that he went back home to Istanbul and had him dealt with.

However, after Nicky and Morgan return to New Jersey after the Miami debacle, they’re kidnapped and brought to Ivan’s home, where Yusuf unmasks and reveals himself.

He explains that he was inspired by his conversation with Morgan and decided to go for a “promotion,” which meant going behind Ivan’s back directly to his bosses, the Italians, and telling them about the deal they were trying to broker with the Brazilian cartel.

But in the midst of conspiring, Yusuf doesn't realize that the Italians killed Ivan and Andrei, as well as the cartel.

Where do Nicky and Morgan stand in their relationships?

'Big Mistakes' season 1Credit: Courtesy of Netflix

When the season starts, Nicky has a dedicated congregation at Glenview Church as a pastor, but he’s hiding one big secret from the community and his family: he has a boyfriend, Tareq.

Nicky grows more comfortable and confident in his relationship with Tareq, eventually confessing to his mom and sister Natalie. Notably, when Tareq is scammed, Nicky brokers a deal with Ivan and Andrei that drags him back into the crime ring, which prompts the fateful trip to Miami.

After Nicky is kidnapped, he tries to pitch his six-month-long cruise with Tareq as an advantage to the Italians so that he’ll be out of their hair. Instead, they say it will be a liability and question whether he’s told Tareq everything.

By the end of Big Mistakes season 1, their relationship is on the rocks after Nicky tells Tareq that he can’t go on the cruise and urges him to go alone.

For Morgan, her relationship with Max was strained from the start, at least from her side. After a failed proposal that happened in the heat of the moment, Morgan lies about cheating on Max to avoid revealing anything about the stolen necklace.

They eventually fall into a groove again and Max proposes for a second time, but their moment of bliss is short-lived. Her more than a decade long relationship with Max has come to a dead end, though Morgan’s transgressions with the crime ring have caused more issues than anticipated.

When it’s revealed that Annette was the woman calling the shots all along, she makes it clear to Morgan that she knows the truth. Ultimately, Morgan is no longer in love with Max, while he's still in love. Morgan is left with no choice but to stay engaged and seemingly in love for her own safety.

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”