Cross Season 2 Finale Ending & Plot Twist Explained: What’s Next For Alex

Cross season 2 tells a propulsive story, leading to a shocking ending that answers the season’s biggest questions. Prime Video’s adaptation of the bestselling book series by James Patterson has been exceptionally well-received thanks to its willingness to take risks with the story. Cross season 2 will feel all too familiar to audiences.

The season introduces the season’s main villain, Luz, who is determined to kill everyone who was involved in her mother’s death. This includes a rich man running a child predator ring, a corrupt banker covering things up, and a billionaire named Lance Durand. Durand is the main focus of the season, as Alex Cross and Kayla Craig try to keep him safe.

However, the further Cross dives into the case, the more he realizes that Luz isn’t actually evil. She might be handling things in the wrong way, but she has the right intentions. By the end of Cross season 2, things take an unexpected twist with a secret betrayal and a shocking resignation.

What Happens To Lance Durand At The End Of Cross S2

Cross season 2 packs in impossible choices for our heroes, and the decision about whether to save Lance Durand is one of them. Luz kills everyone on her list except Crestbrook CEO Lance Durand. Her last victim’s driver takes Luz to Durand so that she can finish her goal.

When she finally gets to Durand, she cuts off his fingers like the others’. Then, he begs for mercy, saying, “Every great human advancement is built on a pile of bodies.” Durand’s willingness to accept this as a necessary evil shows that he’s truly monstrous.

Rather than slit his throat like the others, the vigilante decides to kill Durand by burying him alive. This makes it feel like her goal has shifted from justice to vengeance. Luz didn’t just want him to die. She wanted to make him suffer. Luckily, Cross and Sampson arrive before she’s able to complete the act. They have the choice of saving Durand or capturing Luz, so they let her go.

After they save Durant, he’s able to launch his Prosperity Seed, which should help tackle global world hunger. The world holds him up as the hero taking on the global food crisis, unaware of his crimes. The police even refuse to prosecute him. However, everything comes crashing down when his crimes are exposed by an unexpected figure.

Why Cross Resigns From The Police Department

Cross season 2 really tests Alex Cross’s morals and dedication to justice, forcing him to question whether these concepts are as black and white as he thinks. With every episode, he seems to get a little more disillusioned by the system he’s a part of. However, he doesn’t actually hit his breaking point until the Cross season 2 finale.

Alex Cross has collected evidence implicating Lance Durand in human trafficking and child labor. He has more than enough evidence to arrest Lance and to have a grand jury indict him. However, the higher-ups refuse to take action.

The bureau explains to him that Lance Durand’s company is making other countries see the United States in a positive light. As far as the world is concerned, they are the ones solving the global food crisis. They think it would ruin their reputation if they went after Lance Durand. This answer shatters his perception of the system he’s involved in.

He no longer sees the police and the FBI as sources of unbiased justice. Instead, Cross recognizes that he’s participating in a system that’s more concerned with optics and the status quo than with stopping criminals. With this realization, Alex Cross decides to resign from the police department.

Who Really Caused Luz’s Mother’s Death

Throughout Cross season 2, Luz takes action against all the people that she believes had a hand in her mother’s death. However, she didn’t know one key detail that would shake her world. Durand may have killed Luz’s mother, but it happened at the instruction of Clare, Luz’s aunt.

Clare paid Durand to kill her sister so that she could turn Luz into a weapon of vengeance. This manipulation makes Clare as culpable as Durand and all the others. However, Luz doesn’t have to take action against her aunt since Alex killed her.

Ultimately, Luz responds to the whole situation by seemingly dying by suicide by jumping off a bridge. This ends up being a fakeout, though, as she’s seen very much alive during the funeral parade for one of Durand’s victims. Cross’s creator, Ben Watkins, revealed to Decider that they just couldn’t bear the idea of never seeing Luz again.

How Pete Becomes The Unexpected Hero Of Cross S2

Early in Cross season 2, the show introduces Senator Pete Ashford, a charming US senator who doesn’t know that his entire education and success were built on the backs of victims who never got justice because of his mother. Pete’s mother dismissed charges of multiple crimes in exchange for money.

Pete seems horrified when he learns this. He doesn’t know what to do to make it right. Luckily, he finally finds a way to help make up for his mother’s sins. Alex Cross comes to him at the end of Cross season 2, giving him a flash drive with all the proof that he needs to take action against Durand.

Senator Ashford previously supported Congress funding Prosperity Seed. However, he withdraws his support and publicly exposes Durand, introducing the Corporate Responsibility Bill to prevent anything like this from happening again. This leads to an investigation of Lance’s farm, where investigators find dead bodies buried in the ground.

How Cross Season 2 Sets Up Season 3

The most significant way that Cross season 2 sets up the third season is that Alex Cross is no longer working with the police department. The story will have to present him with a compelling reason to come back.

Additionally, the whole season built up the Cross TV shows’ version of Mastermind, Alex’s biggest nemesis. Whether they decide to reveal their identity in Cross season 3, the next season will likely continue to give time and attention to the villain.

On top of that, Kayla and Alex’s budding romance is pretty much dead now. Kayla betrays him by tracking his phone, leading to his arrest. This will shift the dynamics of the show.

Alex has now gone through three romances with devastating endings. Kayla has also been his friend since the start and helped with his cases. If he becomes a police officer again, he will have one less person on his side.

Smaller things from season 2 could also come back into play. Luz also survived jumping into the river. Taking that into account, she may come back in Cross season 3. Pete could continue to be Cross’s ally after the ending.

What Cross’ Creator Has Said About Cross Season 2’s Ending

ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan interviewed series creator Ben Watkins, and he provided us with some insight into Cross season 2’s ending and how it would shape season 3. After Crossan asked what the way forward is after Alex quit the squad, Watkins said this:

I love how we end this season, and I really wanted to put us on the hook for Cross, who has always defined himself as a detective and a protector, but by the end of season two is wondering the best way to live out that sort of passion and decides that being a cop is not the best way to do it. That puts us on the hook for finding a way to draw him back in. And so obviously season three would be built around coming up with an issue that’s compelling enough that would force him back in, but we still get to explore all the reasons that he was conflicted in the first place.

The showrunner also confirmed that they would continue building toward Mastermind becoming the key villain in a future season. This should delight fans of James Patterson’s Alex Cross books, as Mastermind is utterly iconic. Ultimately, it seems like the team behind Cross has a clear plan for where they’re going with the story in the confirmed season 3 and potential seasons beyond that.