RIOTUS

And now, because crime never sleeps, we return to the murder-drenched streets and questionable loyalties of CROSS on Amazon Prime. Season 1 left us breathless with no one to trust, but Season 2 is brutal. If you think you’re ready, be worried because the drama-trauma coming your way is real. Season 2 of CROSS is serving up a lethal cocktail of revenge, corruption, and morally gray chaos. Aldis Hodge returns as our brilliant but volatile detective, Isaiah Mustafa is back as John Sampson, and the intensity is hitting from new angles. 

Just like Alex, the big baddie of the S2 is boosted by her best friend. Jeanine Mason comes in as the nearly mythical assassin, Luz, and our beloved Wes Chatham is at her side as Donnie. They’re on a mission for revenge—stalking wealthy marks, who have more than being terrible in common. That’s the thing about this season; most of the characters are either caught in Luz’s crosshairs or mixed up in conspiracies of their own. If there’s a word for this season other than brutal, it’s treacherous.

After Miss Nancy (Karen Robinson)—the too-helpful piano teacher—stepped out of the shadows with a fiery reveal that she killed Maria as payback in S1. And that post-credit bombshell, when Special Agent Kayla Craig (Alona Tal) cut a deal with Bobby Trey (Johnny Ray Gill), we can’t help but suspect these characters won’t find any peace. Once we meet Luz and Donnie, and they terrify us the way all proper villains should. Season 2 throws Alex into another deadly high-profile case. One that reunites him and Kayla as partners. 

Enter Matthew Lillard as the squirmy agricultural billionaire, Lance Durand. A man who’s marked for death courtesy of Luz. But why? That’s the tangled web of CROSS Season 2. The hunt for clues leaves DC ot travel cross-country and beyond, entangling a human trafficking ring and far too many deals made in the dark. 

Personal and professional lives collide and detonate. John has questions, Elle (Samantha Walkes) has resentments, and Nana Mama (Juanita Jennings) has secrets. Alongside Alex and Kayla, the cast brings the central theme into focus: Can you do bad things for good reasons?

So what’s my verdict? S2 is bigger and darker, with no room to blink. Maybe it’s too big; the contrasts of homelife and friendship to counterbalance the crime and betrayals are missed. There are still quiet moments, but they don’t contribute much to the story or character arcs. Elle and Cross are missing the rhythms in their relationship. It doesn’t feel as vital as it did in the first season. However, creator/showrunner Ben Watkins has fun, joining the cast as a higher-up at the FBI. Some of you will see John’s new love coming, but after a few scenes, it doesn’t get much development. And as the multilayered plot develops, some of the beats will make you question why the math isn’t mathing. Decisions get made, but they don’t make sense.

What works is the lore around Luz and her backstory. Jeanine Mason is magnetic, a perfect foil for the equally gravitational Aldis Hodge. The two needed more scenes together. More on the page from the Alex Cross character would be good, too. He’s strong, charming, and complex, but his brilliant mind doesn’t show up enough. This is a master detective and forensic psychologist—the intellectual side of his procedural methods should be played up to balance the action-hero side. Wes Chatham, Johnny Ray Gill, and Isaiah Mustafa pop off the screen. While Alona Tal and Samantha Walkes bubble until their characters boil over. This cast is strong.

CROSS Season 2 is still one to watch, but I want a Season 3 that makes us squeal while messaging the group chat for emotional support. There’s no doubt this show has what it takes to get it done.