What Happens To Adam In Your Honor - His Fate Explained (2024)

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Your Honor seasons 1 and 2.

Showtime drama Your Honor tells the story of a judge whose son, Adam Desiato, kills the son of a well-known mob boss in a hit-and-run — and naturally, Adam's fate is one of the biggest questions of the first season. After Adam flees the scene of the crime, Judge Michael Desiato (played by Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston) insists he come clean. However, upon realizing that the boy Adam killed is a member of the Baxter family, Michael decides to cover up his son's crimes. He fears the Baxters will seek retribution, and he's right about that.

Unfortunately, Michael's efforts to eliminate any evidence quickly go awry. The man he tasks with getting rid of his car is arrested, then killed by Carlo Baxter, the crime family's eldest son. This draws more attention to the situation, and it backs Michael into a corner. Jimmy Baxter comes to believe that Michael is the one who killed his youngest son, and he gives the judge an ultimatum: oversee Carlo's murder trial and ensure he walks free or die for what he's done. Of course, the reality is that Adam is the killer Jimmy is searching for.

Adam Gets Away With Killing Rocco In The Hit & Run In Your Honor Season 1

He's Never Arrested Or Put On Trial For His Crimes

Adam gets away with killing Rocco Baxter in Your Honor season 1, though his involvement in the crime becomes apparent as the outing continues. Once the Baxters realize that the car that hit Rocco belongs to the Desiato family, it's only a matter of time before they make the connection. However, they're originally content to blame Michael for the hit-and-run. It's only when Adam attends Carlo's trial and uses his inhaler in front of them that they realize he's behind the accident. An inhaler is left at the scene, and labored breathing can be heard on the 911 call.

The season 1 finale of Your Honor makes it clear that the Baxters are aware of who hit Rocco, but they never get the opportunity to punish Adam. Michael and Adam's involvement in Rocco's death also becomes apparent to their loved ones, from Michael's lawyer girlfriend, Lee, to family friends like Detective Costello and Charlie. The public still believes Kofi, the man arrested for driving Michael's car, is responsible for Rocco's death throughout season 1. However, the truth comes out during Your Honor season 2.

Adam Is Accidentally Shot & Killed By Eugene In Your Honor's Season 1 Finale

The Bullet Is Intended For Carlo Baxter But Misses

Adam may get away with killing Rocco in Your Honor season 1, but he still meets a grim fate — and it leads to the truth coming out in season 2. At the end of Your Honor season 1, Adam attends a party to celebrate Carlo's "not guilty" verdict, as he inexplicably strikes up a relationship with his sister, Fia Baxter. While Adam is at the party, Michael receives a call from Jimmy Baxter, confirming he knows the truth about Adam's hit-and-run. Jimmy doesn't get to act on this knowledge though, as Adam is shot and killed in the middle of the celebration.

Eugene, another one of the supporting characters from Your Honor, sneaks into the venue and tries to shoot Carlo. Eugene is Kofi's half-brother, and he wants justice for Kofi's death — and for the Baxters blowing up his home and killing his mother. Eugene aims for Carlo, hoping to rectify the court's verdict, but his bullet misses and hits Adam instead. It's somewhat fitting, as Adam and Michael are responsible for what happens to Eugene's family in Your Honor. Still, it's a tragic end for Adam's character, and it leaves Michael devastated.

Your Honor Season 2 Reveals Adam & Fia Had A Baby After His Death

She Names The Baby After Adam & Rocco

Adam's death in Your Honor season 1 seems like the end of his story, but it continues without him in season 2. The Showtime series' sophom*ore season reveals that Adam and Fia's relationship was more serious than it seemed. Your Honor reveals that Fia has his baby, a somewhat twisted turn of events given what unfolds between the Desiatos and the Baxters. To make matters worse, Fia names her son Rocco Adam Baxter, honoring her deceased brother and the man who killed him. Fia doesn't learn that Adam killed Rocco until Your Honor's season 2 finale.

The truth about Adam does come out during Your Honor's ending, when Eugene is on trial for killing him. Michael appears before the court and reveals the truth about his son's accident and his attempt to cover it up. In this way, Rocco Baxter does get justice. However, many people suffer and die on the way to achieving it. Adam was better off coming clean, as he still met a grim end — and his and Michael's actions took several innocent people down with them. Fia's baby is the only positive thing to come of the situation, and even that's a bittersweet development.

How Adam's Death Changes Michael In Your Honor Season 2

Michael Loses His Purpose & Becomes A Shell Of Himself

Michael is devastated by the loss of Adam in Your Honor season 1, and the fact that he betrays his moral code for this outcome likely makes matters worse. This is why Michael changes so much in Your Honor season 2, becoming a shell of himself after he goes to prison for the first time. But while Michael has no reason to live, he eventually finds purpose through the pursuit of justice. Attorney Olivia Delmont convinces him to spy on the mob, allowing him to get out of prison early to do so.

With nothing left to protect — and no investment in his own survival — Michael is able to go all in on bringing the Baxters and the mob down. The loss of Adam makes him more indifferent and reckless, but that's a good thing under the circ*mstances. It's hard to tell if he's motivated by justice or just simply going through the motions, but Cranston's portrayal of his character offers a haunting picture of grief. Michael also seeks the truth about his wife's death, one of the biggest open-ended questions from Your Honor season 1.

Ultimately, Michael does the right thing at the very end of Your Honor: he tells the truth about Adam killing Rocco. He also serves the remainder of his sentence, facing time for what he's done. So, while Adam's death destroys the person viewers meet in Your Honor season 1, it doesn't totally eliminate his humanity. He's forced to do the right thing by acknowledging his role in Eugene's crime, and he gets the outcome he deserves.

Your Honor

TV-MA

Crime

Drama

Thriller

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Your Honor is a legal drama series starring Bryan Cranston as a respected judge whose son becomes involved in a hit-and-run accident. The incident sets off a dangerous chain of events that forces the judge to confront his own principles and navigate the moral complexities of the law. The series explores themes of justice, loyalty, and ethics, offering a compelling narrative of a father’s desperate attempts to protect his son.

Cast

Bryan Cranston , Hope Davis , Michael Stuhlbarg , Lilli Kay , Isiah Whitlock Jr. , Benjamin Flores Jr. , Keith Machekanyanga , Jimi Stanton

Release Date

December 6, 2020

Seasons

2

Main Genre

Drama

Creator(s)

Peter Moffat