If Season 1 of Mistletoe Murders made me love the combination of Christmas and murder mysteries, Season 2 gave me even more of the part I was waiting for: Emily and Sam.
There are still three cases at the center of the season, each split across two episodes, but Emily’s past is much harder to keep separate from her life in Fletcher’s Grove this time around. Sam wants answers, Emily is terrified of what those answers could cost her, and the flashbacks finally start filling in the story of Grace, Chimera, and the person she has spent years trying to find.
So, just like with my Season 1 guide, I’m treating Season 2 as three complete mysteries rather than six separate episodes.
Cold War Parts 1 & 2 Recap: Who Killed Tim Henley?
Season 2 picks up right where the first left us, with Sam asking Emily who she really is. She still isn’t ready to answer him. He leaves Under the Mistletoe, and the story jumps forward eleven months.
Emily is still in Fletcher’s Grove, but things between her and Sam haven’t recovered. Violet no longer works at the Christmas shop either, although she wants to return. She has also developed a crush on Kyle, one of the students on the high school’s chess team.
The team’s coach, Tim Henley, suddenly resigns and disappears after receiving a threatening note. Emily notices something is wrong almost immediately, particularly when she finds his mail piling up at home. Sam doesn’t want her investigating, and their unresolved issues make that request about much more than another murder case.
A stray dog eventually provides the first major break. June discovers the dog, Clyde, belonged to Henley. At the school, Clyde becomes fixated on a section of basement floor where concrete was poured only days earlier. Emily knows what that could mean. Police dig up the area and find Henley’s body.
Sam’s investigation soon turns toward Kyle after surveillance footage shows him arguing with Henley. The timing couldn’t be worse for Violet, who has just been asked to the school dance by him. She is convinced Kyle is innocent and turns to Emily for help.
Emily decides the easiest way to investigate from inside the school is to accept the vacant chess coaching position.
Kyle explains that his argument with Henley was about his grades. His GPA was falling close to the minimum required to stay on the team, but he insists that wasn’t enough to make him hurt his coach.
There are other problems inside the school. Vice Principal Richard Leland’s son Shane has been selling essays to students. Henley apparently discovered what Shane was doing, while janitor Hollis admits he heard Henley arguing with Leland shortly before he disappeared.
Mila, a rival chess coach rumored to have been involved with Henley, also becomes suspicious when Emily spots Henley’s lucky tie in her car. Police discover late-night calls between them and Henley, but Mila denies having anything to do with his death.
The investigation eventually comes back to the threatening note Henley received.
What Happened to Tim Henley?
Violet receives her own warning telling her to stay away from Kyle. Emily notices that the envelope matches the stationery used for school paychecks, and a search of Leland’s office turns up the same envelopes along with forged versions of Henley’s signature.
There is another clue on the notes: green tape.
Emily sees the same tape on Hollis’ janitorial cart and confronts him. Hollis finally admits that Kyle is his son. He was desperate to protect Kyle’s chance at earning a scholarship, so he took Henley’s dog and tried to frighten the coach into leaving town. He swears he didn’t murder him.
That responsibility belongs elsewhere.
Violet walks into Leland’s office at exactly the wrong moment and hears Shane say he cannot keep Henley’s death secret any longer. When she tries to leave, Leland stops her. Emily reaches the office after hearing Violet scream and confronts father and son.
Shane admits he accidentally killed Henley. Leland then concealed what happened to protect his son. Hollis’ intimidation campaign had created another layer around the murder, but he wasn’t responsible for Henley’s death. Sam arrests all three men for their respective involvement.
Kyle and Violet finally get their dance outside in the snow, while Sam allows Violet to return to work at Under the Mistletoe.
But the murder isn’t the only mystery developing during these episodes.
Flashbacks have shown Emily as a teenager called Grace. She was a gifted programmer at boarding school who joined a decoding club and began experimenting with hacking.At the end of the mystery, teenage Grace chooses her online name: Chimera.
And in the present, Sam has secretly asked Ray to decode the coordinates he photographed at Emily’s house. The information leads him to exactly the same name.
Ides of December Parts 1 & 2 Recap: Who Killed Reed Donovan?
The second case begins with an art competition and the arrival of Reed Donovan, Sam’s former police mentor.
Reed is in Fletcher’s Grove working private security for an art exhibit. Sam has the opportunity to help him but declines because he wants to spend more time with his family during Christmas.
The following morning, Sam finds Reed dead in the back of his truck.
Reed was shot with his own gun, and several paintings he had been guarding are missing. His death hits Sam particularly hard. Reed once took a bullet for him, an injury that eventually pushed Reed into early retirement and left him struggling with painkillers. Sam feels he failed his old partner by not being there the night he died.
The official investigation belongs to Detective Mike Meadows, who becomes increasingly irritated by Sam’s involvement. Sam eventually takes leave from the department so he can investigate Reed’s murder independently; Emily, naturally, joins him.
One early suspect is influencer Harrison Graham, who admits sneaking into the exhibit after receiving information about a late-night art delivery. Another is security guard Benny Cresh, whom Reed hired to work the event.
The more interesting questions surround author Moira Wells and a portrait supposedly painted by her grandmother, renowned artist Angela Wells.
Moira behaves strangely whenever local artist Piper is around. Noah also discovers inconsistencies between Moira’s book and his own research into Fletcher’s Grove history. Then Harrison reveals something much bigger.
At an exclusive gallery event, Moira unveils what she claims is Angela Wells’ original portrait. Harrison recognizes immediately that it isn’t the painting he saw being transported on the truck: someone switched it.
Why Was the Angela Wells Portrait Switched?
The mystery becomes even stranger after Harrison is attacked and left unconscious. His phone is stolen, and Piper’s competition entry is destroyed.
Emily and Noah start questioning Moira’s claim that she is Angela Wells’ biological granddaughter. To test it, Noah obtains a glass Moira used, while Emily breaks into the gallery and takes a hair from one of Angela’s old paintbrushes for comparison.
Their method of getting the evidence is, unsurprisingly, illegal.
Harrison eventually wakes and reveals that he has a blurry photograph of the original portrait. Once the image is enhanced, the reason Moira wanted it hidden becomes obvious. The woman in the portrait looks exactly like Piper.
Piper, rather than Moira, appears to be the true heir to Angela Wells’ legacy.
Sam brings Moira in. She admits learning about Angela through a magazine and eventually confesses to part of what happened. She knew what the original portrait revealed and tried to suppress the truth. She paid Reed to overlook the painting swap, destroyed Piper’s contest entry, and staged the attack on Harrison so she could steal his phone before his photograph exposed her.
But Moira insists she didn’t kill Reed.
Her confession also becomes legally complicated because Emily obtained the DNA evidence without authorization. Moira retracts what she said, forcing police to pursue a proper warrant. And there is still the question of Reed’s killer.
Why Did Meadows Kill Reed?
The answer is Detective Meadows himself. Emily catches him breaking into the bookstore looking for the original portrait. Once exposed, he admits that he arrived early on the night of the exhibit and saw Moira switch the paintings before paying Reed.
Meadows wanted part of the money. When Reed refused to give him a cut, they fought. Meadows used Reed’s own gun during the struggle and shot him. He describes the shooting as accidental.
With Meadows arrested, Piper wins the art competition and is recognized as Angela Wells’ rightful heir. She gives Emily her painting, The Mistletoe, as a thank-you for believing her.
More importantly for Emily, Sam makes a decision about their relationship. He tells her he is finished investigating her past. Whatever she did before coming to Fletcher’s Grove, he wants to judge her by the person she is now.
They agree there will be no more secrets between them.For about five seconds, this feels wonderfully promising. Then Emily looks across the street.
Aaron is standing there.
‘Twas the Fight Before Christmas Parts 1 & 2 Recap: Who Killed Danny?
The final mystery centers on a new restaurant preparing a Victorian Christmas feast.
Danny and his wife Lauren are struggling to get the business ready while dealing with money problems and several unhappy people around them. Contractor Jason hasn’t been paid for his work. Chef Jean Marc is difficult. Sommelier Carrie has her own stake in the restaurant.
Emily is helping with the Victorian Christmas theme when she notices Danny arguing with Ray. Soon afterward, Danny is found dead.
That argument puts Ray in a terrible position. His work exists in some legally questionable corners, so becoming part of a police murder investigation is the last thing he wants. He disappears before Sam can question him and turns up inside Emily’s house asking for somewhere to hide.
Emily lets him stay. Which would already be awkward enough without Sam arriving the following morning looking for him; she lies.
That is important because she and Sam have just promised each other there will be no more secrets.
Emily continues investigating the people surrounding Danny. She discovers Lauren owns the restaurant outright and learns that Lauren and Danny had separated. Lauren is now involved with Jean Marc, and Danny had refused to sign their divorce papers.
Jason also has a financial motive because Danny owes him money. Then Monica arrives.
Sam’s ex-wife and Violet’s mother is back in Fletcher’s Grove, immediately adding another complication to Emily and Sam’s very undefined relationship. Monica insists she wants Sam to be happy, but she also has her own problems with Violet, particularly over her daughter’s future and Monica’s assumption that she will go to law school.
The murder investigation eventually catches up with Ray when police find a glove containing his blood in Danny’s car.
Emily’s reaction tells Sam everything. She finally takes him to her house and reveals that Ray has been hiding there. Ray admits he punched Danny during their argument but says Danny didn’t fight back because he was distracted by a phone call.
Ray’s story checks out, but Danny’s bruised knuckles still need an explanation.
The final call points Emily toward Jean Marc. She realizes something about the chef’s story doesn’t fit and heads to the restaurant at the same time as Sam. Sam insists on going inside first. Emily soon discovers why that was a bad idea.
Why Were Emily and Sam Locked in the Freezer?
Someone attacks Sam with a wine bottle and locks him inside the restaurant’s walk-in freezer.
Emily goes looking for him, finds him unconscious, and gets trapped inside too.
The dents on the freezer door finally explain Danny’s injured hands. He was trapped there before his death and tried desperately to escape. Someone later moved his body.
With no immediate way out, Emily and Sam huddle together for warmth. The possibility that they may not be rescued forces a conversation they have spent far too long avoiding.
Sam admits he regrets never asking Emily out. Emily finally gives him one real piece of her past: her name was Grace.
Sam tells her the name suits her, and they kiss.
Jason eventually opens the freezer and saves them. He came to the restaurant after receiving an anonymous message and discovers something else when he arrives: someone has ripped the safe door off and emptied it.
The investigation briefly turns toward Jean Marc when Emily exposes another lie. His real name is John Markedy, and his French persona and résumé are fake. Lauren knew about the deception, but Danny didn’t. John insists he didn’t kill Danny.
Lauren later admits she emptied the safe herself, taking $30,000 to finally pay Jason.
One person’s financial connection to Danny still hasn’t been resolved: Carrie.
Why Did Carrie Kill Danny?
During the restaurant’s Christmas feast, John accidentally mentions Danny’s chipped tooth. That is a detail he shouldn’t know if he never saw the body.
He runs, but when Sam catches him, John finally explains what happened.
Danny confronted him about lying about his identity. John refused to discuss it until Lauren was present. When the two returned, they found Danny already dead inside the freezer. John moved his body because he was afraid the murder would destroy the restaurant and everything Lauren had worked for.
He covered up the crime, but he didn’t commit it. Emily finds the actual killer in the restaurant office.
Carrie is holding Sam’s missing gun over Lauren and demanding that she sign over the restaurant. Danny had promised Carrie partial ownership in exchange for a $100,000 investment. Instead, he took her savings without giving her what she had been promised.
Carrie retaliated by locking him inside the freezer.
Emily recognizes from Carrie’s behavior that she has military experience and manages to disarm her. After a fight, Emily knocks her unconscious.
The murder is solved, Ray is cleared, and Monica and Violet resolve their own disagreement. Violet finally tells her mother that she doesn’t want to go straight to college when she doesn’t yet know what she wants from her life. Monica accepts her decision and tells her she’s proud of her.
And finally, Sam does something that has been two seasons in the making. He asks Emily on a date.
Mistletoe Murders Season 2 Ending Explained: Who Is Emily Really?
Season 2 gives us far more of Emily’s history through flashbacks, and by the finale, she finally chooses to tell Sam part of the truth herself.
Emily’s real name is Grace. As a teenager, Grace was an exceptionally talented hacker. She became involved with Aaron, her first love, and the two eventually participated in increasingly serious hacks under the name Chimera.
Grace believed there was a moral purpose behind some of what they were doing. One flashback shows them stealing from an oil billionaire to fund ocean cleanup efforts. Her trust in Aaron eventually collapsed.
Grace discovered communications on his computer connecting him to terrorist funding networks. She disabled his computer, but when police arrived, Aaron escaped, and Grace was arrested. She later cooperated with federal authorities, who believed Aaron was rebuilding Chimera and offered her a deal in exchange for helping them find him.
That history explains why Emily has spent so much time searching for Chimera and why she has been terrified of letting anyone get close enough to discover who she used to be.
After the final murder is solved, she decides Sam deserves the truth.
Emily tells him she once worked in intelligence and was hunting someone she trusted until he betrayed her. She describes that moment as the point when Grace died, and Emily was born. Sam doesn’t reject her.
Instead, he thanks her for trusting him. They kiss, and when Emily starts to tell him there is still more, Sam stops her. For him, knowing the person standing in front of him matters more than having every detail of her old life immediately.
It’s probably my favorite Emily and Sam moment of the season because Emily has spent so much time assuming the truth will cost her the life she has built. Instead, telling Sam finally allows their relationship to move forward.
Unfortunately, there is one rather enormous part of that past she hasn’t had the chance to explain yet.
Who Is Aaron and Why Is He at Emily’s Door?
The following morning, Sam texts Emily that he is bringing coffee and a danish. Someone knocks at Emily’s door.
Emily opens the door expecting Sam. Aaron is standing there instead.
Aaron is Emily’s former boyfriend and the person at the center of the Chimera story we have been watching through the season’s flashbacks. Emily discovered evidence connecting him to terrorist funding; he escaped when she was arrested, and federal authorities later believed he was rebuilding Chimera.
Most importantly, Emily has spent years looking for him.
Season 2 ends without telling us why Aaron has finally come to Fletcher’s Grove, what he wants from Emily, or what his return means for the life she has built there.
And yes, I absolutely need Season 3 after that.
