‘No Good Deed’ Ending Explained: Who Killed Jacob?

By the end of No Good Deed, Lydia (Lisa Kudrow) and Paul Morgan (Ray Romano) have come a long way from sneakily watching potential buyers on secret cameras walk through their house, judging each one while hidden in the bedroom of their late son. This first scene quickly sets up the two questions defining the rest of the dark comedy series: who will they pick as their house’s next homeowners, and what happened to their son? Secrets unfold in comedic turns throughout creator Liz Feldman‘s show, with these two burning questions being answered in the twisty finale. But even as the truth is revealed, unbidden secrets manifest elsewhere in the story during the closing scenes, hinting at the second season that Feldman has in mind, though the show’s renewal hasn’t been confirmed yet by Netflix.

Who Killed Jacob in ‘No Good Deed’?

The central mystery of No Good Deed is the story revolving around Jacob Morgan (Wyatt Aubrey) and his elusive death, seemingly due to a break-in gone awry. We quickly realize that there is more to the truth as the Morgans tip-toe around the subject while being pushed into wild endeavors by Paul’s blackmailing brother Mikey (Denis Leary). Throughout the series, we are exposed to brief, jumbled, and disorienting flashbacks from that fateful night that gradually revealed a sordid tale of fratricide.

During that time, the neighborhood was experiencing a high number of break-ins and robberies, and on that night, Jacob’s sister, Emily (Chloe East), accidentally mistook her brother for a thief and shot him. When their parents returned home, they called Mikey to help them cover up the crime and never spoke of it again. However, deceptions are aplenty in this series. After looking into the autopsy that was previously sealed using potential buyer and lawyer Leslie’s (Abbi Jacobson) help, they realize the bullet in his body does not match their gun — someone else shot him.

Turns out, Jacob had been having an (alleged, but certainly age-inappropriate) illicit affair with their neighbor Margo (Linda Cardellini) under the guise of tutoring lessons. When she decides to call it off, he takes revenge by stealing her jewelry and watches (yes, he was the neighborhood burglar) but is caught. In a panic, he runs home and fumbles at the door, but still wearing his black outfit and ski mask, his sister believes she is in danger. When she goes to shoot, Margo is right outside the house and shoots at the same time, masking the sound of her gun. While Emily’s bullet missed, Margo’s didn’t, and, naturally, she didn’t stick around to clear up the misconception.

Though Margo is pretty tight-lipped about her intentions with Jacob, we can discern that she feasted on the attention of the younger man, whether they had an affair or not. This is especially considering how unsympathetic she is to her husband J.D. (Luke Wilson), only marrying him and waiting out the timely clause in their prenup so she can get her hands on his money. So, when Jacob threatens to tell J.D. about them, she acts out of protectiveness over her plan.

‘No Good Deed’ Weaves Together Family Secrets and Grief

Despite Margo’s denial, the Morgans are able to incriminate her with the box of evidence Mikey kept as collateral, as well as the unsealed autopsy reports that implicated her weapon. Karma also decides to take part in Margo’s punishment as a fire starts while she is taking a bath, burning half her face. Though it seems as if she’s gotten away, Mikey’s police officer son tracks her down and arrests her, putting an end to her escape. Meanwhile, J.D., whose career was previously in shambles and was near-broke (jokes on Margo’s plan), is able to kick-start it again. Their arc symbolically portrays No Good Deed‘s primary themes of secrets holding relationships back, as once Margo’s is revealed, J.D. immediately cruises out of his acting rut.

This idea is more thoroughly explored in the Morgans’ narrative arc, as the three estranged family members can finally move on. Upon finding out that Emily didn’t kill her brother and the real culprit, a huge burden is lifted from the family. Emily doesn’t need to feel guilty anymore; Paul can stop running away from his grief, and Lydia can stop clutching so tightly at the past. Their family secret had been trapping the three of them in a cycle of unhealthy behavior and mindset, haunting the walls of the house they are finally ready to relinquish. Their final scenes are in a completely new place, marking their ability to move forward with their relationships and look to the future.

Mikey’s storyline is also impacted by this concept as his relationship with his son changes. From the moment he was released from prison, he fell back on blackmailing and threatening Paul and Lydia, which made him too ashamed to face his son again. As such, once he lets go of his grudge against Paul for not visiting him in prison despite all the help he gave him and opens up to Lydia about his fears, Mikey is able to create an opportunity to reconnect with his son.

Who Buys the House in ‘No Good Deed’s Finale?

As the series title suggests, No Good Deed spread among the other storylines too, with one couple successfully securing their dream house. While Dennis (O-T Fagbenle) and Carla (Teyonah Parris) initially get the house after Dennis’ heartfelt letter resonates with Paul, they rescind their offer when they find out the rumors circulating about a boy being murdered there. Coincidentally, it is their doctor who delivers their baby that accidentally informs them of these speculations. The doctor also happens to be Sarah (Poppy Liu), who is also vying for the house with her partner Leslie. Considering the history of the home, it is fitting that they ultimately manage to win the house using manipulative and somewhat nefarious means. That being said, their final scenes are filled with joy and hope, as a pregnant Sarah stares out the window happily thinking about watering the mandarin tree and their new family with Leslie.

As such, Dennis and Carla decide to buy another home on Derby Drive — Margo and J.D.’s burnt-down mansion. They are planning to build their dream home on top of it, but considering their financial struggles, what money are they going to use? Carla believes the money from Dennis’ third novel bought the property, but Dennis actually manipulated her billionaire father into giving them $5 million dollars in return for seeing his grandchild. However, knowing Carla’s distaste for the “womanizing man-whore,” Dennis disappears on him and doesn’t tell Carla about it. The idea of secrets holding relationships and families back pervades the stories as everyone is deceiving someone in some capacity or another, a thread that continues with the very last revelation.

No Good Deed is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.

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