The first season of WGN America’s Underground wrapped up last night wth bang!

In the final hour of Underground’s freshman season we learned the fates of several of our favorite cast members but we also got a glimpse into what’s to come for season 2.

I can honestly say I never expect a ‘slave drama’ to capture my attention but the writers did an excellent job of drawing viewers into the lives of the characters involved.

In case you missed it, recap the 5 things that were revealed during the Underground season finale below…

SPOILER ALERT!!! I’m going to just jump right in to this finale recap hoping you’ve at least watch the previous 9 episodes.  If you haven’t seen the previous episodes, this is your final warning to stop reading now. That being said… here goes!

1. Ben Lives…

While it’s expected that one would feel empathy for the ‘Macon 7’ slaves seeking freedom, we were also caught up in the story of August, a hired slave catcher with a conscious and his young son Ben.

Last week, Rosalee stabbed Ben as he was trying to help her and while it was clearly a mistake (she was hallucinating), August has launched into revenge mode.

While it initially wasn’t clear if Ben would live or die, we find out that he survived Rosalee’s unfortunate attack when August shows up at the Hawkes’ home to ask John if he could give him an advance on his payday so that he can get Ben medical help.

Now, I’m not sure if August’s visit is merely coincidental or if he tracked Noah and Rosalee there after she escaped from the slave catcher’s compound, but his timing is perfect.

Kyle, who’s bound & gagged in the crawl space attempts to make a ruckus when he hears August upstairs, but Rosalee quickly clocks him.

John cuts August a check and he leaves for the bank, but resurfaces moments later to catch Rosalee and John in the hideaway with Kyle.

John kicked loose a support, collapsing the floor atop August and affording them an escape.

1. Noah gets captured…

Noah and Elizabeth partner on a plot to free dozens of slaves from the local marshal’s office, as a means to “throw money on the streets” and create chaos.

While their visit to the marshal’s office was successful, Noah get’s busted on his way back by none other than Patty Cannon, leader of the slave-catching consortium.

Oddly enough, he winds up behind bars alongside August the slave catcher, whom Patty arrested killing some of he men.

2. Marshal Kyle gets ‘got’!

In addition to releasing the slaves, it seems Noah and Elizabeth’s visit to the Marshal’s office is part of a more elaborate plan.

While they are away, John confronts Kyle, who’s gagged & bound in the basement, and advises the marshal that he and Elizabeth have elaborately framed him to look like he’s in on the Underground Railroad.

We’re treated to a flashback of Noah & Elizabeth’s visit to the Marshal’s office were we see they’ve placed ledgers in Kyle’s desk to connect him to the organziation while Rosalee and John went to his home to dug an underground hideaway!

There’s no way out for Kyle now, and John, who’s clearly affected by the fact that Kyle took ‘liberties’ with his wife, declares it his legal “duty” to kill Kyle since he’s now a known ‘slave stealer,’ and suffocates his nemesis.

4. Ernestine kills her baby daddy…

Massa Tom killed his own son last week when he lynched Sam and Ernestine, who thought she had the situation under control, spent the next few days in confinement.

After she’s released, Tom attempts to apologize for killing their son and tries to sell ‘Stine a dream that he’s going to make it all up to her when he gets elected and moves to D.C.

Tom promises Ernestine a life of ‘freedom’ as he plans to take her with him when he takes office, but ‘Stine has her own plans…

Just as Sam died hanging from that podium, Massa Tom is lynched him in his own wine cellar. It’s poetic justice at it’s best.

But on the flip side, now that Tom’s gone, ‘Stine doesn’t have anyone to protect her.

Suzanna Macon has big plans for ‘Stine now that her husband’s gone.

As they are seen all gussied up riding in a coach together, we are hesitantly hopeful that the two ‘sister wives’ can finally be friends… but we all know THAT’S not going to happen.

While Tom’s widow explains that she bears no malice for the house slave laying down with her husband (or for bearing his children), she feels ‘somekindaway’ about how her own kids see ‘Stine as their mother.

Now in a tragic ending to the first season, Suzanna’s ‘gift’ to Ernestine is selling her off at a slave auction.

5. Rosalee is FREE!!

It seems that Rosalee is the only member of the “Macon 7″ who actually makes it to ‘freedom’ and in the final segment of the finale episode, she is heard recounting the tale of the Macon 7.

Rosalee (and Boo) had been saved from August by Elizabeth Hawk (and she then put a bullet in his belly just prior to him being caught by Patty Cannon).

In her story, Rosalee accounts for all of the ‘Macon 7’… from Noah to Pearly Mae, Moses and Boo to Zeke, Henry and even Cato (who’s alive!).

Now it’s up to Rosalee to continue to work by training to be a slave stealer and she’s met by her new mentor ‘Harriet’ aka Harriet Tubman.

While many of the main characters’ stories seem to be wrapped up, producers reveal that “a lot” of the Season 1 cast will return for Season 2, “in an entirely different context” than we saw them before.

VIDEO:  Harriett Tubman Appears on Underground Season Finale!

What did you think of the Underground Season 1 Finale?