Tamal Kundu
As the first season of the Disney+ series ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’ nears its end, it makes big revelations about its narrative. In episode 9, titled ‘A Meeting with Salazar,’ Billie (Catherine Zeta-Jones) has captured both Rafael (Jacob Vargas) and Jess (Lisette Olivera) and forces them to guide her toward the Devil’s Swamp in Mississippi, where the Pan-American treasure supposedly is. Meanwhile, Jess’ friends realize something is wrong and reach out to the FBI in desperation. This prompts Agent Ross (Lyndon Smith) to look for the truth with deadly consequences. Here is everything you may want to know about the ending of ‘National Treasure: Edge of History’ episode 9. SPOILERS AHEAD.
National Treasure: Edge of History Episode 9 Recap
The episode begins with Jess and Raphael still in the custody of Billie and her people. Jess manages to get Ethan’s phone onto Billie’s private jet. Billie takes Rafael’s journal as she knows the clues to the treasure are somewhere in there, though she initially has no idea what it is. Billie recognizes that if the father and daughter are put together, they can conjure up trouble, so she separates them on the flight, with Rafael sitting with her and Jess with Kacey.
Meanwhile, in Baton Rouge, realizing that Jess might be in trouble, Oren (Antonio Cipriano) and Liam (Jake Austin Walker) go to the FBI and speak to Agent Ross. The local police are subsequently sent to Peter Sadusky’s house, but they don’t find Myles’ body there. Oren demands to be put through a polygraph test, so it can be established that they are telling the truth. Ross humors him, and much to her surprise, he passes. Tasha (Zuri Reed) and Ethan (Jordan Rodrigues), who were arrested after landing in the US, are also brought in for questioning. As always, Tasha is hostile toward the authorities, so Agent Ross lets Tasha and her friends go and gives Tasha her number.
As they travel from Mexico to Mississippi, Billie figures out exactly what Rafael has been hiding. Inside the pencil in his journal, there is a small pin. Billie realizes that it opens Jess’ locket, which can then be used as an ancient compass. Jess manages to send out a distress signal from Ethan’s phone. Meena, Ethan’s former girlfriend, receives it. After the initial awkwardness, she delivers the message. However, the group still doesn’t know where their friend is. Tasha, the technology expert and hacker among them, offers a solution. They all go to a shady motel, and Tasha uses the antenna of the old TV in the room to figure out that Billie is heading toward Mississippi.
In Baton Rouge, Zeke and Ross visit Peter Sadusky’s home to investigate whether Myles was really murdered there. Although they don’t find evidence, as Billie’s people had thoroughly cleaned the place, Dario and another operative arrive to retrieve Myles’ phone. There is a gunfight, and Dario’s partner is killed. Afterward, Tasha sends Ross a video file showing Billie, Jess, Rafael, and Billie’s armed guards at Vicksburg County Airport. Ross shows the video to her boss, Hendricks (Armando Riesco), who orders immediate mobilization while he and Ross head to Vicksburg.
National Treasure: Edge of History Episode 9 Ending: Is Hendricks Salazar?
As the title of the episode implies, there is indeed a meeting with Salazar — for Jess as well as for the audience. It is revealed that Hendricks is Salazar. He is one of the few characters who appear in both ‘National Treasure’ films and the Disney+ series. He is a minor character in the films and seemed like a supporting character in the show until the penultimate episode.
Ross figures out that Hendricks killed Peter Sadusky and leaves him cuffed in Billie’s plane to go after the latter and her goons. She even manages to surprise them by appearing out of nowhere and holding Billie at gunpoint, prompting the goons to drop their guns. However, as she is too focused on the people in front of her, Hendricks — having gotten out of the handcuffs — stabs her from behind with Billie’s fake sword of Hernán Cortés.
Rafael recognizes Hendricks as Salazar, which, as the bearded man told Jess and Rafael, is not necessarily a man’s name but a title bestowed upon the head of an ancient organization looking for treasures around the world. It appears that Hendricks is the current Salazar and has been so for the last two decades. As we have speculated after episode 8, the organization that Salazar leads and the one Billie is part of are the same.
While they are coming to the Devil’s Swamp, Liam deciphers the secret message his grandfather left for him in the “Cras est nostrum” (Tomorrow is ours) book with Oren’s help and realizes that they intend to destroy the Pan-American treasure which we can assume they have been doing to all the treasures they have found since the times of the ancient Egyptians. The bearded man was trying to warn Jess and Rafael about this before he was killed.
Is Agent Ross Dead?
Yes, Agent Ross is probably dead in ‘National Treasure: Edge of History.’ After Hendricks / Salazar stabs her from behind, we see her eyes losing the spark of life. Ross has been an important character in the show, virtually leading the FBI subplot, just as Sadusky does in the films. Her death in the hands of Hendricks underscores the latter as the primary antagonist of the season, which makes Billie perhaps an antihero.
There is a flashback at the end of the episode in which Rafael recalls Salazar shooting Billie’s brother Sebastian after dubbing him “a liability.’ Interestingly, as Ross dies, the camera shows the events unfold over Billie’s shoulder. So, we see Billie’s facial expressions in those moments, and she seems pensive. There is a significant chance for her to help Jess and her friends in the season finale.
Read More: Is National Treasure Edge of History a Sequel or a Reboot?
