The truly shocking ending of Netflix's 'A Man in Full,' explained

Warning: This post contains major spoilers for "A Man in Full."

After six episodes of scheming and plotting, Netflix's "A Man in Full” reaches an epic climax that might have you hitting the rewind button to figure out what, in tarnation, happened in the final moments of the series.

Directed by Regina King and based on Tom Wolfe’s 1998 novel by the same name, the new Netflix show centers on Charlie Croker (Jeff Daniels), a swaggering Atlanta real estate mogul who’s faced with bankruptcy after his lenders decide to call in his nearly billion-dollar debt.

Viewers are first introduced southern businessman at his 60th birthday party, a glitzy, country-club affair with a sequined-clad Shania Twain as the night’s entertainment, leaving no doubt that at Croker’s level, you don’t bother with DJ’s, you just hire the hitmaker instead.

Croker’s point one-percenter life is suddenly threatened when, during a bank meeting, when he’s informed his loans are due, stat, by Raymond Peepgrass (Tom Pelphrey) and Harry Zale (Bill Camp), two overzealous bankers who are only too happy to take him down.

“A loan is not a gift, and when we make loans, we actually expect to be paid back,” Zale smugly tells Croker.

It isn’t long before Croker begins sweating, displaying “saddlebags,” or giant rings of perspiration that soak his shirt, the telltale sign he’s nervous according to Peepgrass, whose consuming desire to see the tycoon get his comeuppance develops into full-blown obsession.

The implications of Croker losing everything affects the lives of everyone around him, including his wife Serena (Sarah Jones) and ex-wife Martha (Diane Lane), his angsty teenage son Wally (Evan Roe) and well as Croker's assistant Jill Hensley (Chanté Adams). She's got problems of her own after her husband, Conrad (Jon Michael Hill), gets tossed in the slammer for assaulting a cop over a parking violation.

To argue the case, Croker enlists the help of his corporate lawyer, Roger White (Aml Ameen), who must spring Hensley before he’s murdered in prison. Like the others, White, too, becomes entangled in the whole mess.

Similar to Wolfe’s other bestseller, “The Bonfire of the Vanities,” it’s a story of greed, corruption, wealth, morality and justice, with each of the characters more or less getting what they deserve in the end.

Speaking of which, let’s break down what exactly went down in the final episode of “Man in Full,” because there’s a lot to unpack, starting with what happened to Charlie Croker and Raymond Peepgrass.

Who dies in the end of 'A Man in Full'?

In the final moments of "A Man in Full," Croker and Peepgrass face off in Martha's bedroom after Charlie discovers his ex and Peepgrass in the throes of passion.

With Peepgrass fully nude (and displaying his impossible-to-miss “big red dog”) the argument turns violent ending with Croker angrily gripping Peepgrass' throat in a stranglehold.

Just when it seems Croker is about to let go, a look of surprise crosses his face and his hand suddenly locks in place and try as he may, he can't let go. Before long, his other hand clutches his heart in what appears to be a heart attack brought on by the stress of it all.

The pair slide to the ground together where they're discovered by Martha, whose perspective viewers don't get to see.

But what actually happened? Did one or both of them die?

It's obvious that Croker's a goner given he's discovered lifeless on the floor, eyes staring blankly into oblivion (but his robotic knee still totally functioning). His eyes are gently closed by his lawyer, Roger White, who shows up and comforts Martha after all is said and done.

The bigger question is Peepgrass.

His fate is seemingly answered in the previous scene in which a black body bag is wheeled out of Martha’s house on a gurney. Upon close inspection, the bag has what appears to be quite a large protrusion sticking out midway between the head and the feet, presumably, Peepgrass’ “big, red dog,” standing at full attention, even post-mortem.

So, both men die, with greed and obsession leading to their ultimate demise.

Does Conrad Hensley get out of prison?

The subplot of “A Man in Full” follows expecting parents, Jill and Conrad Hensley, as they deal with the fallout of Conrad’s arrest and subsequent charge of assaulting a cop after Conrad gets into a dispute over a parking ticket.

Tasked with representing Hensley in court, White, Croker’s lawyer, a corporate attorney who doesn’t have the chops to navigate the criminal process, develops a conscience and, in the process, inadvertently provokes a cantankerous judge into sending Hensley to Fulton County prison, a lockup reserved for the most violent of criminals.

Once inside, Hensley acts as a good samaritan after a fellow inmate is stabbed, drawing the ire and death threats of the perpetrators. From there, it’s a race against time to free Hensley before a gang of thugs can get to him.

Entitled “Judgement Day,” the final episode of “A Man in Full” shows White, who’s finally done the hard work necessary to be the kind of lawyer he needs to be in order to spring Hensley, squaring off against the judge (Anthony Heald) and proving his case beyond a reasonable doubt.

With little choice, the judge rules in his favor, dropping the charges and declaring Hensley free to go.

Does Charlie Croker end up being a good guy?

Despite Croker's boorishness, which includes bringing potential investor Herb Richman and his wife to his expansive ranch and insisting they watch two horses violently mate, not to mention wrangling a rattlesnake, it's hard not to want him to succeed in his desperate bid to hang on to his money, private jet and fancy houses.

In a chess game of strategic moves, Croker conspires with Atlanta mayor, Wes Jordan (William Jackson Harper), to smear his campaign opponent with an old allegation of sexual assault committed against socialite Joyce Newman (Lucy Liu), a close friend of his ex-wife Martha.

Croker tries to convince Newman to come forward with her story, but she refuses. So, instead, Croker promises to unearth the claims during a live press conference with the scheming mayor, in which Croker's honored for his former glory days as a football player at Georgia Tech.

In return, Mayor Jordan agrees to tell Croker's bankers to table his $800 million loan repayment indefinitely.

However, when the moment comes to reveal the dirt, Croker locks eyes with son, Wally, who's sitting in the audience alongside Serena, and has a change of heart, choosing not to reveal the secret and taking the high road instead.

While he might not be an angel, Croker ultimately dies with redemption in the eyes of the people who matter the most to him.

How does the end of 'A Man in Full" differ from the book?

The series "A Man in Full" wraps up with Croker and Peepgrass having killed each other off, Conrad Hensley freed from prison and presumably happily preparing for fatherhood with pregnant wife Jill.

Croker's lawyer, Roger White, has transformed from cushy corporate lawyer into an earnest attorney and it seems that Croker's ex and their son, as well as his current wife, Serena, will all get to keep their mansions and high-society lifestyle.

Having gotten Croker's genuine endorsement, even Mayor Jordan is better off and poised to win re-election.

But what about the book "A Man in Full," does it end the same way?

It doesn't. In fact, the Netflix series and Wolfe's 1998 novel couldn't be more different.

Far from dying at the end of the book, Charlie Croker finds a new guiding philosophy and walks away from his corporation and fortune to become an evangelist in the Florida Panhandle.

Converting to Stoicism, Croker preaches about "Zeus and the Manager," ultimately inking a major TV deal — on Fox — to broadcast his new show "The Stoic's Hour."

As for Conrad Hensley, instead of going free, he remains locked up in California jail until escaping after an earthquake. While on the lam, he becomes a homecare attendant at a home care facility, where, ironically, he takes care of none other than Charlie Croker, who's recovering from knee surgery.

Eventually, he turns himself in and after professing to be "completely tranquil" with his fate, the sentencing judge gives him two years probation and finally sets him free.

Much like Croker, Peepgrass doesn't die in Wolfe's "A Man in Full." Instead he ends up married to Croker's ex, Martha, and the couple live off the money Croker had to fork over in his divorce settlement.

And Mayor Jordan? He wins re-election.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com