‘A Man on the Inside’ Season 2 Ending Explained: Who Blackmailed Jack?

Ted Danson’s beloved character, Charles Nieuwendyk, has solved another case!

The actor stars in the hit Netflix mystery comedy A Man on the Inside as a widowed retiree who starts working as an amateur private investigator. Just when he’s trying to find his footing in season 2, Charles gets approached with the task of uncovering a laptop with $400 million worth of information.

Wheeler College president Jack Berenger (Max Greenfield) meets with Charles after his laptop is mysteriously stolen while he is trying to get a $400 million donation from Brad Vinick (Gary Cole). In order to fully immerse himself in the college dynamics, Charles goes undercover as a professor.

Along the way, he forms friendships — and even a romantic relationship with music teacher Mona Margadoff (his real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen) — but still considers everyone a suspect. Some of the other suspicious teachers include Elizabeth Muki (Linda Park), Dr. Benjamin Cole (David Strathairn) and Holly Bodgemark (Jill Talley).

However, the series takes a major twist when Charles learns the true reason why Jack’s laptop was stolen and who was behind the entire ordeal.

So, how does season 2 of A Man on the Inside end? Here’s everything to know about the final twists and turns before Ted Danson’s character discovers the true culprit.

What happened in season 2 of A Man on the Inside?

In season 2 of A Man on the Inside, Charles is desperately trying to increase his status as a private investigator. Just when he’s all but given up, Jack begs him to help recover his computer. Since he’s the Wheeler College president, his laptop contains crucial information worth millions of dollars.

The mystery person who stole Jack’s laptop is blackmailing him and will only return the computer if he turns down a $400 million donation from multi-billionaire and Wheeler College alum Brad. Since Jack suspects that one of his faculty members is behind the crime, he allows Charles to go undercover as a professor.

During his time undercover, Charles finds out that Jack and Brad struck a deal that Brad would only give the university $400 million if Jack agreed to leave the college, allowing Brad to fire several staff members and transform it into a for-profit school.

As the season plays out, Charles discovers secrets about all the faculty members — including Jack. However, he also finds himself falling for music professor Mona and forming bonds with other staff members.

How does A Man on the Inside season 2 end?

The case of the missing laptop takes quite a few twists and turns before the culprit is finally exposed. In the finale, Charles initially theorizes that Jack stole his own laptop as a way to exaggerate the threats against him and distract from the fact that he’d be allowing major changes to the school if he accepted Brad’s donation.

However, Jack vehemently denies that he blackmailed himself and stole his own computer. Charles also believes him when another faculty member suddenly comes forward and confesses to the crime.

Professor Cole stuns Charles when he barges into his meeting with Jack and admits to stealing the laptop and even brings it as evidence. He claims that he overheard Brad’s plan to restructure the college and threatened Jack to not accept the donation by taking the computer as leverage. The professor resigns, and the case appears to be solved.

Just when Charles starts to feel satisfied with the outcome, he realizes that he wants to talk with Holly one more time, as she seems to have the most knowledge of the happenings at Wheeler College.

Who is blackmailing Jack and what was their motive?

During Charles’ conversation with Holly, he discovers the truth that Dr. Cole was not the person who stole the computer and that he was actually protecting a whole slew of people.

Holly reveals that she — not Dr. Cole — had been the one to overhear Brad and Jack’s meeting in which they discussed the dirty donation. As a dedicated member of the Wheeler College staff who didn’t want to see it get destroyed, she took the computer to find evidence of the plan and began blackmailing Jack to earn her more time.

She even hired Charles in hopes that he would be able to help her get solid proof of Brad and Jack’s plans, so she could spread the information and prevent it. As time went on, Holly slowly started to confide in more head professors, and several of them met to determine how to blackmail Jack and tank the potential contract.

However, Holly purposely left out Mona and Dr. Cole because of Mona’s relationship with Charles and her own close friendship with Dr. Cole. While she tried keeping them out of the loop, Dr. Cole eventually found out what was going on and took the fall to protect his colleagues.

Charles chooses not to turn in Holly out of the best interests of Wheeler College, but the school is still under attack from the potential contract from Brad. The potential donor meets with the board of trustees, but they reject his proposal after his and Jack’s secret contract gets leaked by the college newspaper.

How did Charles catch the blackmailer?

While Dr. Cole was confessing to the crime, he specifically mentioned that he would never have been able to have his decades-long career at Wheeler College if it weren’t for Holly, who recruited him. Charles later finds this odd and asks Holly about it.

Before long, she shares that she was the original person who stole the computer and later created an entire task force of department heads dedicated to taking Brad and Jack down.

What happens to Charles and Mona?

While a majority of the second season of A Man on the Inside revolves around the stolen computer, another major storyline is the romance between Charles and Mona — who are real-life partners.

After Charles solves the crime and secures the school’s future, he gets approached by Mona to move to Croatia with her so she can teach music there for a year. Although he initially agrees to leave with her, he reflects on the community he’s helped and his desire to become a permanent private investigator.

Even though he has strong feelings for her, Charles ends his relationship with Mona. In happier news, his dream to get a private investigator license comes true.

“Charles discovers that he’s still a little fear-based, and he meets somebody who’s just total love, no fear. Just, ‘Let’s live, stay in the moment, and have joy be the word for the day,’ ” Danson told Tudum. “My character loves it and is excited by it, and he thinks that he can run with her. But then he bumps into his limits.”