'Cross' Season Two Review and Finale Explained

The problems with this season of Cross were evident from the first episode when they made the antagonist a Mexican-American woman avenging the death of her mother and the exploitation of child slaves by white, corporate billionaires. Read the room, Prime Video. That is a hero in 2026. How were we ever going to root against her?

I thought they might turn it around by making Luz (Jeanine Mason) unlikable, or by discrediting her mission. But every episode reinforced the idea that the executives on her list were entirely unrepentant and would never face any other justice. The lack of corporate and personal accountability was brought home in the final episode when FBI Director Hammet (Alex Carter) explained to Alex that the U.S. Government wasn’t ready to use all of the evidence Luz had collected against Durand (Matthew Lillard) and his company, Crestbrook Industries. There was a big government contract at stake. So the FBI would just take all of that information, keep it safe …for some other time. Yeah, that’s it. That’s the ticket.

Alex obviously didn’t fall for that. A big part of the finale was a car chase as he went on the run from the FBI, trying to find a way to get the information out in the open. And who did the FBI enlist to go after him? Kayla Craig (Alona Tal).

Last season, Kayla and Two John (Isaiah Mustafa) hooked up. It was in the middle of the Ramsey investigation, and it was easy to write off as a “in the heat of the moment” thing that co-workers usually regret but never speak about afterwards. This season, the show spent a not-insignificant amount of time establishing a physical relationship between Alex and Kayla. A lot of fans were upset and saw it as a betrayal of his character. The showrunners broke up Alex and Elle (Samantha Walkes) and dared to replace Elle with a white woman who had already slept with Alex’s best friend. Kayla was also embroiled in a scandal all season. Someone in the government was trying to make her the fall guy for a previous assignment that involved unethical testing on human subjects. Covering up her participation in that caused her to do some really shady things, like hiding the truth from Alex. She also sprung Bobby Trey (Johnny Ray Gill) from prison, setting him loose to help her clear her name by any means necessary. And then, the ultimate betrayal, turning against Alex at the conclusion of the Durand investigation.

While Two John mixed it up with FBI agents at Ben’s Chili Bowl to help Alex evade capture, Kayle went to Elle’s house looking for Alex. Elle was not impressed by Kayla at all. She called Kayla out on her “crocodile tears” and recognized her as a “sneaky-ass operator” from the beginning. It was a very powerful moment for Elle. And it was a terrible moment for Kayla. I thought they were setting Kayla up to die at the end of this season. Instead, they’ve set her up to be a villain in Season Three. One theory floating around is that she may be related to The Mastermind character from Patterson’s books, or she may actually BE The Mastermind. Either way, her time as part of Alex’s circle of trust is over.

Luz’s mission was very timely. Asking us to root against her was the problem. Even Alex came around to the idea that Luz was not a villain and empathized with her desire for revenge, understanding that there was no system in place to help her. Luz’s mother was a victim of Durand’s human trafficking ring. Luz used the fable of La Niña de las Flores (The Flower Girl) as a blueprint for her revenge. Her methods got more creative and elaborate as she worked her way through the list of executives responsible for her mother’s death. She disguised herself as a dancer to infiltrate a high-end wedding and assassinate the groom. She managed to cause an anaphylactic reaction in Durand’s bodyguard just to lure her to a nearby hospital, where Luz disguised herself as a healthcare worker to murder her in an exam room. She had meticulous plans to exact her revenge on everyone responsible.

The one thing Luz was not prepared for was having to lose her few trusted allies along the way. Early on, she was forced to kill her devotee, Lincoln, because he accidentally led Alex to her. In episode seven, Luz’s Aunt Clare murdered Donnie (Wes Chatham) to prevent him from telling Luz her darkest secret. Clare sold out Luz’s mom, her own sister, to Durand for a payout. Donnie had a recording that proved it. Clare thought his death would prevent that truth from being revealed, but Alex also had that information. And, in a confrontation at Niagara Falls, he exposed Clare, who then committed suicide by cop.

Ultimately, Alex and his team prevented Luz from exacting her revenge on Durand. But with all of her allies and everyone on her hit list besides Durand dead, Luz had no reason to go on and gracefully let herself fall from the viewing stand into the falls and oblivion.

Although Luz did not live to see it (or did she? Nah, just kidding. Probably), Durand did get his comeuppance at the end. When he fled the FBI offices with Luz’s thumb drive, Alex took it to Senator Pete Ashford, whose mother played a part in Durand’s trafficking ring. Ashford publicly withdrew his support for the bill that would have awarded a high-value contract to Crestbrook Industries and announced his intention to uncover the truth behind Durand’s illegal activities, leading to the discovery of many bodies buried on Durand’s land.

At the end of the finale, the children who were murdered as part of the Crestwood Industry trafficking ring made their way home. Luz’s spirit was present at the procession to bring all of the tiny coffins to the cemetery in their small town. And Alex Cross, who spent the season tracking down one woman he once saw as a cold-blooded murderer, with another woman he once saw as a friend and confidante at his side, has had his world turned upside down. Feeling like he can no longer be part of a system that would suppress the truth about Lance Durand and his ilk, Alex turned in his badge and gun and drove off in his Mustang into the D.C. sunset.

When we next see Alex Cross in Season Three, he will be a loose cannon unencumbered by rules and operating on his own.

All episodes of Cross Season Two are now available on Amazon Prime.