The Girls On The Bus Season 1 Ending Explained

May 9, 2024, 1:10 p.m.

Movies

The Girls On The Bus Season 1 Ending Explained

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Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for The Girls on the Bus season 1 finale.

Summary The journalists worked together to expose "Hot White Guy" candidate's past lies, potentially putting his Democratic nomination at risk.

Sadie and Loafers finally confess love for each other in a dramatic season finale.

Kimberlyn's viral outburst at Liberty Direct News hints at her potential future independence in The Girls on the Bus season 2.

The Girls on the Bus season 1 had a surprising cliffhanger ending that had been teased since the start of the season, finally revealing why the FBI was after Sadie. After spending the entire season on the campaign trail, The Girls on the Bus characters made it to their final stop to see who would receive the Democratic nomination between "Hot White Guy" candidate, Walker, and "The Freshman" candidate. Throughout the political drama, the race has taken many twists and turns, and The Girls on the Bus episode 9 ending revealed a problem with the potential outcome.

As a political drama, The Girls on the Bus balances personal drama with the real reporting done by the journalists during the election cycle. The Girls on the Bus is based on the true story of co-creator Amy Chozick’s time on Hillary Clinton’s bus during her 2008 and 2016 presidential campaigns. Like Chozick, the four main journalists in The Girls on the Bus were following a female candidate who was looking to become the first female president of the United States. The Girls on the Bus finale saw art mirror real life, providing important commentary on American democracy.

At the end of The Girls on the Bus episode 9, Sadie learned that Dick Braun, one of Walker’s former donors who was caught up in a scandal and abandoned by her in the last election cycle, had paid Declan Morales to dig up dirt on her to ruin her campaign. However, it wasn’t enough for him to ruin Walker’s chances. He had to ensure the candidate he wanted made it to the White House. That candidate was Hayden Wells Garrett, or "Hot White Guy" candidate, who’d revealed his true colors in The Girls on the Bus episode 8.

Working with Declan Morales, Sadie was able to get classified documents that proved "Hot White Guy" candidate was lying about his military past, and he’d actually been dishonorably discharged. The other journalists also found evidence that he’d lied about his donor base and was receiving all his money from Braun himself. Sadie tried to get the truth about "Hot White Guy" candidate published in The Sentinel before the vote for the Democratic nomination took place, but there wasn’t enough time for them to get anything done legally.

This led Sadie to confront Hot White Guy candidate in The Girls on the Bus finale. He didn’t deny the allegations against him and showed no shame. Unfortunately, Sadie going to him revealed that she had access to documents she shouldn’t have, and the FBI came after her. Fortunately, Sadie had prepared for the moment and gave the intel to Kimberlyn, Lola, and Grace so it couldn’t be traced back to her. Together, the journalists could still expose “Hot White Guy” candidate in The Girls on the Bus and potentially force him to step down as the Democratic candidate.

Do Sadie & Loafers End Up Together In The Girls On The Bus?

Loafers Confessed His Love For Sadie In The Finale

Throughout The Girls on the Bus, Sadie and Loafers have been engaged in a will-they, won’t-they relationship. They started the season as somewhat exes, having a casual relationship that ended with the previous election cycle when Sadie ghosted him. Despite Sadie breaking Loafers’ heart, it didn’t take long for them to hook up again in The Girls on the Bus. While they clearly had feelings together, their jobs also kept them from each other, with plenty of conflicts of interest between them.

The past few episodes of The Girls on the Bus saw Sadie finally start to let Loafers in following her abortion and Bruce’s death. With Walker firing Loafers, they also got rid of their conflict of interest and were free to be together. In the chaos of the Girls on the Bus season 1 finale, Loafers made a big When Harry Met Sally-inspired declaration of love for Sadie. After all their ups and downs, Sadie and Loafers finally got together in The Girls on the Bus season 1 finale.

Related When Harry Met Sally: The 8 Most Romantic Quotes Rob Reiner's When Harry Met Sally features some great quotes about love, but these eight are worth swooning over.

Kimberlyn’s Liberty Direct News Meltdown Explained

Kimberly Went Viral In The Girls On The Bus Finale

In the past few episodes of The Girls on the Bus, Kimberlyn has questioned her future at Liberty Direct News and whether she really wants to be there. Though she’d made significant steps towards creating her own media platform and leaving Liberty Direct News, she decided to stay with the conservative network at the end of The Girls on the Bus episode 9 when she was offered a promotion. The promotion meant Kimberlyn would have her own show, allowing her to stay in New York and build her profile to perhaps one day branch out on her own.

In The Girls on the Bus season 1 finale, Kimberlyn finally got the opportunity to sit at the Liberty Direct News desk to speak about “Hot White Guy” candidate winning the Democratic nomination. However, when it came time for her to speak, she seemingly went off-script and called out her co-anchor and Liberty Direct News for preying on viewers just trying to get by. Kimberlyn spoke directly to rational conservatives and centrists like herself whom she felt weren’t represented in the current media landscape.

While this outburst looked like it was a spur-of-the-moment decision, Kimberlyn had actually been planning it since the previous The Girls on the Bus episode. One of her reasons for taking the promotion was that she didn’t have enough of a follower base to leave Liberty Direct News yet. So, Kimberlyn planned to build her following by going viral, even if it meant losing her job in The Girls on the Bus finale.

Are Kimberlyn & Eric Getting Divorced?

Kimberlyn & Eric’s Relationship Is Still On The Rocks

In The Girls on the Bus episode 7, Kimberlyn made the difficult decision to go on a break with Eric after his infidelity and her work came between them. Despite multiple characters pointing out that Eric knew he was marrying a career-driven woman, he never seemed to be able to accept Kimberlyn for who she is in The Girls on the Bus. Rather, he seemed to believe that getting married would change everything between them, but Kimberlyn couldn’t put work second.

After avoiding him, Kimberlyn and Eric finally reunited in The Girls on the Bus season 1 finale. Eric was happy to have Kimberlyn home and in New York for good with her new promotion. However, when he found out she’d been planning to get fired, he was hurt that she didn’t tell him ahead of time. Kimberlyn felt like they were heading for divorce, but Eric was still there with her at the end of the finale, suggesting Kimberlyn and Eric will stay together in The Girls on the Bus, even though they have a lot to work on.

How Lola Finally Got Her Press Credentials

Lola Can Now Be Considered A “Real” Journalist

In The Girls on the Bus episode 9, Lola experienced frustration as she tried to obtain press credentials for the Democratic National Convention. As an independent freelance journalist, Lola has been able to use her social media following to her advantage throughout the series. Yet, she also needed sponsorships to allow her to stay on Walker’s bus and keep reporting. When her manager dropped her in The Girls on the Bus episode 6, Lola’s career and finances took a hit.

Still, she had the support of her fellow journalists, and Kimberlyn in particular. When Sadie got everyone together to work on investigating “Hot White Guy” candidate, she had Lola look into his donors. Grace reminded Lola that her being an outsider could benefit her, and she was able to connect with people more willing to share with her than mainstream journalists. In breaking the story about “Hot White Guy” candidate’s donors, she was offered a job and a press pass from the Wall Street Journal, finally making her a “real” journalist.

How Grace Started To Find Work-Life Balance

Grace & Annie Worked Together In The Girls On The Bus Finale

One of Grace’s biggest struggles throughout The Girls on the Bus season 1 has been trying to balance her work life and family. As the most experienced journalist on the bus, Grace has sacrificed a lot to get where she is as a well-respected woman in the field. Now that her only child, Annie, is of college age, Grace has been forced to confront the truth about their relationship and how she put work above her daughter.

In The Girls on the Bus episode 9, Grace finally put her daughter above work when she dropped everything to be with Annie. She then brought Annie and her husband to New York to spend more time together. When Grace was tasked with investigating the car crash “Hot White Guy” candidate got in at the end of The Girls on the Bus episode 4, Annie offered to help. In working together and Annie showing interest in her mother’s work, Grace found a way to keep doing what she loves as a reporter while still being there for her family.

How The Girls On The Bus Ending Sets Up Season 2

The Girls On The Bus Season 1 Finale Ended On A Cliffhanger

Though Sadie managed to escape trouble with the FBI in The Girls on the Bus season 1 finale, the cliffhanger ending showed that the journalists weren’t just going to sit back and let “Hot White Guy” candidate potentially become their next president. With the intel, they still have a chance to reveal the truth about “Hot White Guy” candidate, exposing him as a fraud who had deceived the American public. Like Grace and Sadie did with Walker, The Girls on the Bus season 2 could have all the journalists secretly working together to take down “Hot White Guy” candidate.

The Girls on the Bus season 1 finale might have marked the end of the Democratic race, but it was just the beginning of much more. Both Lola and Kimberlyn are taking new steps in their careers, Grace is finally finding peace in her work, and Sadie could lose her job for going to "The Hot White Guy" candidate behind The Sentinel's back. Additionally, there is still the rest of the election cycle to report on, where their intel could potentially have an impact. The Girls on the Bus season 2 hasn't been confirmed, but many stories still need exploring.

Where To Watch The Girls On The Bus