Upamanyu Biswas
At the end of ‘Cross‘ season 1, Detective Alex Cross faces conflict on two fronts: Shannon Witmer’s abduction at the hands of a serial killer and a mysterious figure stalking his family and making his life at home a personal hell. Juggling the two different cases leads Cross to his breaking point, forcing him to make decisions that are not always clear and concise. However, his ability to deduce patterns remains his biggest asset as time runs out for Shannon, and his own situation at the police department becomes untenable. The exhilarating conclusion of the season brings to light several new twists and turns that showcase how the dangers have always lurked close to home for Cross. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Cross Season 1 Plot Recap
A year after losing his wife in a shooting incident, Detective Alex Cross returns to life as a lead investigator at the Washington D.C. police department. When a BLM activist named Emir Goodspeed is found dead, Cross is assigned the case as a potential homicide, which he must quickly solve due to mounting pressure from the outside regarding police brutality. With the help of his partner, Detective John Sampson, the protagonist establishes that the death is not a suicide event but a murder. Subsequently, Cross begins a thorough probe into the case and demonstrates that there is a bigger conspiracy at work and a serial killer at the center of it. Unbeknownst to him, he meets the man responsible for the crimes at a fundraiser event for his new girlfriend, Elle Monteiro. The killer’s name is Ed Ramsey, a wealthy financier.
Meanwhile, back home, Cross discovers strange things happening that threaten the sanctity and safety of his family’s existence. He becomes aware that someone is stalking him and his children and turning their lives into a scary nightmare. After a bit of digging, Cross learns that the person responsible has some ties to a woman he put away a long time ago, Diedre Nolan. At the time, he testified against her in a murder case, which led to her incarceration in prison. However, Cross worries that his past is now haunting him as eerie messages and signs are left for him at home. Eventually, the protagonist makes some more headway into the case but hits a roadblock because of his distraction with the Emir Goodspeed murder.
After several trials and tribulations, the detective manages to pinpoint the location of the house where the serial killer murdered Goodspeed and the other victims – 41 Price Street. In the ensuing raid, the police come up empty-handed, much to Cross’s chagrin. However, he returns later on with Sampson and finds a hidden chamber underneath the house where Ransey’s latest victim, Shannon Witmer, was being held. The pair also find a strange book that details the modus operandi of the serial killer. Ramsey likes to collect victims who look like famous serial killers and turn them into perfect lookalikes before killing them. With time running out, Cross has to navigate the boiling situation at home and work and rescue Shannon one way or another.
Cross Season 1 Ending: Is Lieutenant Oracene Massey Arrested? Why?
In the final portions of the season, a multitude of shocking revelations come to the fore, not least of which is bookmarked by the betrayal of Lieutenant Oracene Massey. After Detective Alex Cross runs into a number of brick walls while trying to find a way to pin Ed Ramsey as the serial killer, he finally alights upon a key witness from Ramsey’s college days, Mike Grisham. The former friend of Ramsey tells Cross about how he and the serial killer took part in a ritual sacrifice event that led to the death of a band member. Subsequently, he becomes an integral part of building the case against Ramsey. However, all hopes of bringing the serial killer to justice die when Lieutenant Massey shoots him in point-blank range while keeping him company in protective custody.
The cold-blooded murder comes as a massive turning point for the character of Massey, who had thus far been a supportive member of Cross’ investigation. She is one of the trusted members of the protagonist’s inner circle and someone he completely trusts, which makes her betrayal all the more devastating. However, Cross manages to connect the dots and realizes that Massey was the one responsible for Grisham’s death. Additionally, he also realizes that she was the one who leaked the video of him attacking the civilian while hunting down Maria’s killer. Therefore, she turned out to be a shark in sheep’s clothing. Sampson confronts her near the end and compels her to give herself up, which means that her unborn daughter’s future is in jeopardy unless Sampson steps in and takes on his duties as the godfather.
Does Alex Rescue Shannon?
Shannon Witmer’s abduction is the major plot thread driving the story in season 1. Following her disappearance, it becomes clear that Ed Ramsey is the one who is going around picking up victims and preparing them in specific ways before he murders them. Unfortunately, Shannon falls prey to Ramsey’s charm after going out with him a couple of times, which leads to him capturing her and trying to turn her into the duplicate of serial killer Aileen Wuornos. Soon after, Alex Cross stumbles onto the missing woman’s identity and realizes she is the next and final victim of the serial killer. However, he cannot save her despite brushing close to her whereabouts numerous times. Still, Cross perseveres and comes through in the end when he rescues her in the final moments.
The difficulty behind saving Shannon stems from Ramsey constantly finding a way to slip through the nets of Cross. Even when the protagonist feels that he has nailed down Ramsey, the latter manages to slither out of his clutches and continues to forge ahead with his disturbing plans of killing Shannon in a specific way. Initially, Cross stops Ramsey from pulling the plug on Shannon during the first murder attempt. However, it culminates in Ramsey injecting himself with some kind of poison and seemingly passing away. This later turns out to be a ruse as he is revived back in the morgue and goes to kill Shannon in her hospital room. Fortunately, Cross is prepared for his ingenious ploy and stops him yet again, saving Shannon a second and final time.
What Happens to Ed Ramsey AKA the Fanboy Killer?
Season 1 ends with Ed Ramsey finally apprehended for his heinous crimes. The charming murderer is finally caught in the trap laid by Alex Cross and gets taken down before he can fulfill his lifelong mission to pay homage to infamous serial killers. Yet, his rap sheet is incredibly stacked, and with the amount of evidence and witnesses testifying against him, his incarceration is guaranteed. However, to some extent, Ramsey does not care about any of that. For him, gaining recognition and adulation from people around the globe is far more critical as he has been starved of any affection during his childhood. His inner insecurities and psychopathy led him to turn into the Fanboy Killer. He takes great pleasure in the fact that he will be revered like all the other killers, but Cross has another ace up his sleeve to circumvent that.
In the end, Cross decides to pin the identity of the Fanboy Killer on Bobby Trey, which enrages Ramsey. He rubs even more salt into his wounds by burning the scrapbook maintained by Ramsey, which depicts his modus operandi as a serial killer. This comes as a significant blow for Ramsey, who was convinced that his murders would be appreciated like great works of art. Therefore, taking away all the credit and putting it on someone else is a major affront to his work and an apt punishment for his crimes. It makes all his disturbing serial killings worthless and takes away all the attention from him, which is everything he craves and wants. Thus, Ramsey’s eventual plight is a deserving one as Cross comes out as the winner in that battle.
Who is Miss Nancy? Does Alex Stop Her and Peter Lenox?
Despite dealing with the situation with Ramsey and Emir Goodspeed’s murder, Alex Cross’ work remains unfinished as the identity of his family’s stalker finally comes to light. After digging into the roots of Diedre Nolan and everything surrounding her case, it is revealed that Nolan had an accomplice named Peter Lenox, who was very close to her. As it turns out, Peter’s mother is the same woman working as the piano tutor for Cross’ son, Damon. She is the one orchestrating the constant vigilance over the Cross family and turning the family’s life into a personal nightmare. Her reasons are directly tied to the Nolan case and how Cross treated the woman in front of the packed jury, which, in her opinion, caused more damage than necessary for the woman’s reputation.
Things finally come to a head in the ending when Cross’ family has to leave the home and go into hiding with Nancy taking them away. However, they end up right in her grasp, and Cross has to ask Sampson for help to save them. The pair drives to the location in the hopes that Cross can distract Nancy long enough for Sampson to deal with Lenox on his own. The plan goes awry after Sampson is taken down by Lenox in the forest outside while Cross is zip-tied and made to choose which of his children lives by Nancy. The nature of the choice sparks Cross into action as he deduces the final piece of the puzzle and realizes that Miss Nancy has duped her son, Peter Lenox, into believing that he is the one responsible for Nolan’s imprisonment. In fact, he explains to Lenox that it was his mother who forced Nolan to take the fall for him.
The new revelation causes a fight between Nancy and Lenox as the pair debate over their decisions, with the latter feeling uneasy about killing Cross’ children. During the chaos, Sampson breaks into the room and engages Lenox in a scuffle, which ultimately leads to his defeat. Meanwhile, Cross manages to corner Miss Nancy and forces her to give up. However, she is unwilling to surrender peacefully and lights herself on fire, going down in a blaze of glory rather than facing the weight of the law in a courtroom. Ultimately, it all proves to be trivial as Cross feels relieved that his children are safe and his family is no longer in danger.
Does Alex Start Going to Therapy? Does He Make Amends For His Past Mistakes?
Season 1 ends with some significant character development for Alex Cross. The detective enters therapy to finally confront everything that has plagued him following his wife’s death. Throughout the narrative, Cross has several discussions with people close to him, and he states that he has been unable to process and deal with the subject properly. As the protagonist is a stickler for solving everything in his professional life, it is a major challenge for him to handle a situation that has wrecked his life emotionally and one for which he personally holds himself responsible. In many ways, it also starts affecting his attitude, behavior, and professionalism in the working space as anger and frustration grip him occasionally. Therefore, his decision to undergo therapy showcases a significant step in the right direction.
Additionally, the character also decides to confront his troubled past and how he went about tracking down his wife’s killer in the aftermath of the horrifying incident. During one altercation, he brutally beat up an ordinary civilian, which was filmed and later became a massive scandal during the Emir Goodspeed and Ed Ramsey case. Still, Cross decides to look past his flaws and face them head-on. To that end, he takes part in a face-to-face interview with the man he brutalized and makes amends with him for his behavior. It is an essential moment as it also alights upon one of the key themes of the narrative – the responsibility of law enforcement and the misuse of power by people in charge. His actions showcase a newfound humility and a changed man who is willing to embrace his inadequacies without faltering.
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