Diksha Sundriyal
Netflix’s ‘Running Point’ brings back Isla Gordon for another season, where she tries to keep the LA Waves afloat, while also getting them to win the championship. She got the reins of the team after her brother, Cam, was sent to rehab. She thought he believed in her, but later, it turned out that he thought she would fail, making it easier for him to come back. Instead, she proves herself to be much more capable than he, which makes Cam even more desperate to get back control. The second season focuses on their power struggle, with the season ending with an explosive revelation that changes everything. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Running Point Season 2 Plot Synopsis
Cam is back and while Isla is concerned he is gunning for his old job, he claims that this is not his intention. He says he is focused on reforming himself and earning his place on the team again. However, it soon becomes clear that he is lying. Not only is he not sober, but he has also used the company’s money to get himself out of rehab beforehand. While he presents each move as a desire to help the team, it is actually fabricated in a way that brings him back on the top. It starts with hiring a new coach, since Jay Brown has left for Boston. Cam presents his choice, which is great and seems rather obvious. But Isla is wary of it. Moreover, she wants someone who knows the team better, and she finds her man in Coach Norm.
While the problem of the coach is solved, other issues continue to surface. A love triangle involving Dyson, Travis, and an actress leads the two players to become antagonistic on the court, costing the team several wins. When that is solved, the perpetaul financial issues of the company keep Isla busy, as she tries to put out one fire after another. The pressure also starts to put a strain on her friendship with Ali, who doesn’t feel appreciated for all that she does for Isla and the company. Meanwhile, her relationship with Lev, whom she is supposed to marry in a few weeks, also meets an unfateful end. In the midst of all the ongoing crises, the only thing on Isla’s mind is to win the championship.
Do the LA Waves Win the Championship?
Ever since Isla became the President of the LA Waves, she has been under pressure to bring the team back to its glory. Failing to do that would have meant she was not a good leader and was undeserving of the presidency. This, of course, would not have counted if she were one of her brothers, which is why the stakes are much higher for her, especially now that Cal is back and actively trying to take back his position. The previous year, Isla couldn’t get the team to win, but she did rebuild it into one of the strongest competitors in the championship. This time, she knows the team has to win, or it could very well be her last time leading them. There are all sorts of challenges, starting from the rivalry between two teammates and the heartbreak they suffer, to the financial challenges that never stop coming.
Still, in the end, the team manages to perform well enough to get to the finals. One of the major hurdles is Marcus’ injury. It turns out that he had been hiding it from them for far too long, but it eventually takes its toll during one of the games. Considering his situation, the doctor advises him not to play anymore. Even though he wants to play, Isla knows that he will not be able to give his best, and it will further hurt the team’s chances. He will also end up hurting himself even worse, and that’s something that no one wants. Despite Marcus being on the bench, the Waves manage to make it to the finals, where they are pitted against Boston, led by Jay Brown.
At first, it seems that there is no way for them to win without Marcus. Boston also has an impeccable track record this season, and they seem unbeatable. But then, Isla notes that the only team that gave them a run for their money was Chicago. While Boston may have won, they had to fight tooth and nail for that victory. So, Isla and the team decide to switch strategies and play it the Chicago way. Their chances increase considerably when Marcus returns, revealing that he had been to China to get an experimental treatment, which is allowing him to play. With the new strategy and the return of their star player, the team snatches victory out of Boston’s nose and wins the championship, making Isla’s lifelong dream come true.
What Happens to Marcus? Is He Retiring?
As the Waves add more new players and focus entirely on winning, Marcus realizes that his time is slowly coming to an end. While he may be the star player now, he is slowly becoming too old for the game. He starts to feel it when he realizes that Coach Norm has started to make him pass the ball to other players, especially Dyson. At one point, he tries to prove that he is still at the top of the game mid-match, but ends up losing the shot, which kinda proves the whole point. He starts to feel that his time is coming to an end and fears he may be sidelined even more. This is why he hides his knee injury and continues to play despite the pain, because he wants to prove that he is still valuable to the team.
When the truth about his injury comes to light, he shares his honest feelings with Isla, who reminds him that if the injury gets worse, he won’t be able to play anyway. When he says that this could be his last chance to win the championship, she tells him that for most other players on the team, this could be their only chance to win. This is when he realizes that he has been selfish, thinking just about himself and not the team. Isla tells him to take a break and focus on healing. However, he also knows that the team’s chances of winning without him are considerably low. Now, he is not motivated just for his own sake, but because he wants the team to win. So, while they continue to play the matches, he goes to China to get experimental treatment.
It is not clear what wonders the treatment works, but it does make him well enough to play the final match. In the end, he makes the winning shot, but he also falls down. The happiness of winning overshadows the part about his injury, and it isn’t until the end that he tells Isla that this time, he has an injury on his Achilles. This is deeply concerning because it means that he has to go through months of rehabilitation. It is worse than his knee injury and could be a career ending thing. While both Marcus and Isla know the gravity of the situation, they decide to focus on their current win and leave worrying for tomorrow. It remains to be seen whether Marcus will bounce back from this. Even if he does, things will not be the same anymore.
Does Cam Make a New Team?
Cam returned from rehab with the intention of taking over the team from Isla, and he almost succeeds at it by the end of the season. But then, the truth about his addiction, which he has been hiding with Jackie’s help, and the part about embezzling company funds come to light. Had Cam stayed sober and done things the right way, Isla would have given up the control to him. But his behavior convinces all of his siblings that he is not the right man for the job. When they all gang up on him and show him that he is not getting the company back, he realizes that perhaps his time at the LA Waves has come to an end. This, however, does not mean that he has to give up on the dream of running his team altogether.
In a massive twist, the day after the Waves win, shocking news breaks. Cam declares that he will be bringing back the LA Industry, a team that existed before but was shut down for some reason. Embarking on such a task requires a huge amount of money, and Cam gets that from Al Fleischman. Al had been circling around the Waves’ office with the intention of getting a better seat on the court. He made it clear that money was no object, and because Cam needed to repay the $2 million he stole from the company, he made a deal with the billionaire. They also collaborated on Cam’s coup, where he got Al to buy Stephen Ramirez’s share, which, along with Cam’s, would have put them in the majority, giving them complete control of the company.
Isla briefly considered selling her shares to Al, giving him complete control of the company, if he kept her as the president. But then, she realized that it would give the outsider the power to fire her brothers, and she couldn’t do that to them. When she went back on the deal, Al got pretty angry. She wrenched his dream of owing a basketball team out of his hands, which is why, when Cam comes to him with the offer of building their own team, he gladly accepts. To make matters worse, the duo brings in Jay Brown as their coach, which is an even sharper stab in the back, because he and Isla had been secretly dating until recently.
Moreover, Jay is also aware of the complicated dynamics of the Gordons, and the fact that he decided to side with Cam rather than coming back to the Waves, if he was going to leave Boston anyway, is very hurtful. Clearly, just winning the championship will not be the main struggle next season. With Cam becoming a direct competitor with a much better financial situation, he will try to poach her players and sabotage her in all sorts of ways. To make matters worse, he also knows all the skeletons in the Waves’ closet, which means he already has an upperhand on them. It will be interesting to watch how Isla deals with that, marking the next season her most challenging one yet.
Read More: Is Running Point a True Story? Is Isla Gordon Based on a Real Sports Executive?
You must be logged in to post a comment.