In the Cross season 2 premiere, we got the setup for this new season and a new threat. The season begins with our hero, Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge), paired with Kayla Craig (Alona Tal) in trying to find the man threatening billionaire Lance Durand (Matthew Lillard).
Their investigation leads them down some interesting roads in the premiere, but in Cross season 2 episode 2, “Scatter,” the pair set their sights on a prime suspect.
Hunting a suspect
Before they get to the suspect, Cross and his team are trying to figure out where the fingers came from. It turns out that they belonged to another wealthy man, Richard Helvig, who was killed brutally. The fingers are a match, so they dig to find the connection to Durand. It doesn’t take long.
When Durand is confronted by Cross and Craig, he admits he knew who the fingers belonged to. He also knew Helvig, but that makes for bad press. During the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Helvig helped him out of a jam, and that was what connected them. He hid the truth to keep himself clean. He also exhorts the detectives to follow the lead on the man who they spotted at the events. The one with only two fingers on his left hand.
That chase leads them to Dr. Mackenzie Zhukov (Amanda Ip). She let the man, going by John Ramos, into the event. Rather than give away what they know, they decide to use Zhukov. They tell her Ramos is in trouble and follow where she leads. That takes them to Chicago.
Zhukov meets with Ramos, a former patient. They are in love, but she’s put him at risk. He realizes that and runs, but Cross and Craig give chase. They find his lair in the tunnels below the city, but not before he blows it to cover his trail.
His real name is Lincoln Esteban (Rene Morgan). He’s behind the threats to Durand, but is he working with the other team? What’s his connection to them? And what does he want? Those are questions Cross and Craig are still chasing.
Helvig’s box
One of the things that Rebecca (Jeanie Mason) took was a key to Helvig’s safe deposit box. But how to get its contents?
At the end of the first episode, Donnie (Wes Chatam) snuck into a house. We learn it was to pressure a bank employee, Beverly (Allie Dunbar), by threatening her family. He remains in her home, with her husband and kids, while she’s sent to work.
There, she meets Rebecca, posing as a client. At first, Rebecca pretends to be another victim pressed into service. But when Beverly tries to hide what’s in the box, Rebecca reveals who she really is. Having collected all the hidden documents, she takes Beverly to a rendezvous point.
Beverly’s family is safe, but she’s not. She was in it with Helvig and quickly suffers the same fate.
But, what were the documents in the box? Where will it all lead? And, beyond revenge for her mother, what is Rebecca’s goal with all this.
Craig in trouble
Meanwhile, Agent Craig has her own issues related to Bad Religion. Her boss (Ben Watkins) has warned her to clean it up, handing her an envelope. She opens it and follows the instructions for what to do if the operation is burned. That leads to a call with an old friend, Margaret (Tracy Michailidis). But Margaret is put off when she learns the reason for the call.
She gives Craig a lead on how to clean it up but warns her it’s too late. Then, Margaret takes her own life, right on video, leaving a stunned Craig reeling. She turns to her boss for help but finds little. She confides in Cross but won’t bring him into her mess. So, she turns to an old friend for help—Bobby Trey (Johnny Ray Gill).
Thoughts on Cross season 2 episode 2
I like where we’re heading here. The primary case feels a bit split up right now, but the picture is coming into focus. The question is, are Rebecca and Lincoln aligned in their goals? If so, what are those goals? There are plenty of interesting subplots too, and only six episodes left to figure it all out.
Cross streams on Prime Video on Wednesdays. Check back here as we recap the action of all the episodes of season 2 on Show Snob.