Viewers of the new Netflix mini-series A Man in Full were left divided over its “anti-climatic” and “confusing” ending.
The Regina King-directed series, an adaptation of the 1998 Tom Wolfe novel of the same title, follows banker Raymond Peepgrass (Tom Pelphrey) who is determined to take down Atlanta business mogul Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels) and expose his $800m debt and bankruptcy.
There are several subplots in the series. There is Conrad, the husband of Jill Hensley (Chanté Adams), Charlie Croker’s assistant, who is sent to prison for fighting back after a police officer assaulted him, as well as another subplot about sexual assault that features Lucy Liu as an affluent business owner, who is encouraged to speak out about a sexual encounter that happened 20 years prior.
While many viewers remarked on the confusing nature of the many subplots, it was the show’s ending that seemed to disappoint them the most.
*SPOILERS AHEAD – You have been warned
The series, which currently sits in third place on Netflix’s global Top 10 chart, concludes with Raymond seducing Croker’s ex-wife Martha (Diane Lane), who still has a share in the Croker business, and forming a business alliance with her. The final episode sees Croker and Peepgrass come face-to-face, resulting in a fatal – and graphic – confrontation followed by an abrupt ending to the episode.
Netflix subscribers were left unsatisfied with the closing scene, with one viewer writing on X/Twitter: “I think the appropriate response to the final episode of A Man in Full would be, wtf Netflix??”
“A Man in Full had a really, really bad ending,” said one viewer, as another added: “The ending was such an anticlimax.”
The series has received a 43 per cent score on the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes.
It was not only the ending that viewers took issue with. Some said they couldn’t get past Daniels’s deep Southern accent, which they branded as inconsistent, “ever-changing” and “awful”.
“Daniel’s exaggerated drawl is ridiculous,” said one viewer. “I couldn’t get past two episodes [because] of Jeff Daniels over the top southern accent.”
“The accent of Jeff Daniels was driving me up the wall the whole time.”
Others, however, have been more positive about the show.
“Corporate comedy meets a few social justice themes. Great work Regina King!” said one viewer, as another added: “It was such a good watch. Loved every bit of it.”
A Man in Full is now streaming on Netflix. Find out what’s new on the streamer for May, here.
