What do you do when you believe in justice but not the system? We’ve seen Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge) bump up against the limits of the system in his pursuit of justice these past two seasons on Cross. But in the season 2 finale, “Quemar,” that struggle becomes real and personal. Let’s dive in. SPOILERS BELOW.
Lance Durand (Matthew Lillard) is in Iowa, on his family farm, ready to launch the project he’s been waiting for all season. But he still has the threat of Rebecca (Jeanine Mason), or Luz, hanging over his head. So, he still has his contingent of FBI protectors as well as Cross and John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa) to try and bring her in before it’s too late. As we begin, Lance and Nat (Lou Jurgens), the only other target left alive, are determined not to alter the schedule.
That leaves the primary task as determined by FBI lead Roy (Ben Watkins) to serve as protection. The hunt for Luz, while key, is on the backburner. But Cross, Sampson and Agent Craig (Alona Tal) remain focused on the task at hand. At a dinner, Nat has an allergic reaction and heads to urgent care with FBI guard. When the task force gets wind of a Luz sighting in the area, they turn Durand’s car around to head back to safety.
Meanwhile, Luz is already waiting for Nat, who she kills and captures. With Luz missing, they discover Durand’s car never made it back to safety. It turns out Durand’s driver was working with Luz and delivers him straight to her. She, in turn, takes some fingers and takes Durand back to his farm.
There, we see an open grave with Nat already inside. But before Luz can dispatch of Durand, Cross and Sampson arrive. She tries to push him in and bury him alive, but Cross and Sampson save Durand while Luz escapes.
Laying a trap for Luz
Craig, meanwhile, got the voice recording that Griff (Stuart Hughes) had used as leverage. It turns out that it was Clare (Michelle C. Bonilla) who sold out Luz’s mother. That’s why she killed Donnie (Wes Chatham) and didn’t want her niece to hear the recording. Unable to find Luz, Cross plays a hunch. He plays the recording for Luz, setting her on her aunt, then lets Clare walk.
At the Canadian border, Luz catches up with Clare before she can cross. Clare admits to what she did and offers a bit of an explanation. Luz admits to being broken and ruined by a lie, making the collateral damage of it all weigh even heavier. As Cross arrives, Clare pulls a gun to buy time. She ends up shot, but it doesn’t matter. Luz jumps from the damn.
But before she made her choice, Luz had reconsidered Cross’s original proposal. He told Luz he could get her justice. She asks if he’ll hold up that promise. He says he will. She had mailed him a flash drive with evidence to do just that.
Cross season 2 ending explained
Armed with the flash drive a week later, Cross is focused on justice. But when he meets with the FBI—and newly appointed Assistant Director in Charge Craig—he gets a stoic response. They know Durand is guilty, but his prosperity seed is worth the cost for them. They want the evidence and promise to clean up corporate policy, but they won’t pursue charges.
That leaves Cross angry. He punches out Roy and flees the FBI office with the drive, becoming a fugitive. With the help of friends and family, he is able to evade capture just long enough to get to Senator Ashford (Josh Peck). Cross knows the Senator is unhappy with what his mother did and is looking for a way to atone. He slips the Senator the drive, just before he’s captured, hoping he’ll do the right thing.
At a press conference where he’s supposed to be introducing a bill to support the Prosperity Seed, Senator Ashford instead turns the tables. He uses the evidence to out Durand, killing his project and landing him in legal jeopardy. He also introduces legislation to correct the system, and praises Cross for his work, getting him out of trouble with the FBI.
It would seem a happy ending. But for Cross, the whole affair has shown him that the system is broken, and it takes too much to try and fix it. He’s lost friends, including Craig, along the way. While his Chief (Jennifer Wigmore) wants to give him a commendation, Cross instead hands in his badge. He can’t the hero he wants to be while being a cog in a broken system.
This was a strong and powerful season. While we didn’t have the satisfaction that came from the first season—bringing down a serial killer and finding out who killed Cross’s wife—there was some intrigue in this case. It mostly came from being torn between Luz’s methods and the righteousness of her mission. Like Cross, it’s fair to be conflicted about the system and what it’s willing to overlook by the end of the season. It also sets up a big question of where Alex Cross goes from here.
Cross season 2 is now streaming all episodes on Prime Video.