Pratik Handore
Peacock’s ‘The Continental: From the World of John Wick’ (or simply ‘The Continental’) continues the story of Winston Scott as he faces Cormac and his powerful forces. In the show’s second episode, Winston plots revenge against Cormac for his brother Frankie’s death. However, Winston must first gain powerful allies before taking on Cormac. In the process, Winston contacts Charon, Cormac’s trust ally. Whether Winston succeeds in forming a powerful crew and adds Charon to his ranks encompasses the ending of ‘The Continental’ episode 2! SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Continental Episode 2 Recap
The second episode, titled ‘Night 2: Loyalty to the Master,’ opens with Winston Scott, Miles, and Lou creating Frankie’s body while Yen recovers from her injuries. Meanwhile, the Orphan Master, who runs the criminal businesses in Chinatown, forcefully places a cigarette machine in Lou’s dojo. Mayhew meets KD and tries to convince her to walk away from her investigation into The Continental, but she refuses to back down. Later, Winston plots to fight Cormac by attacking The Continental. However, Miles and Lou try to convince him against him.
Winston reminds the group that the con press is still missing, and Cormac will kill everyone close to Frankie until he finds it. As a result, Miles, Lou, and Lemmy reluctantly agree to help Winston take down Cormac. Winston starts building a team and sends Miles to recruit Jenkins, an old friend of Miles’ father with a grudge against Cormac. Meanwhile, Winston visits the Bowery to meet Mazie, a woman who runs a powerful crew and could aid his cause.
After recruiting Jenkins, a skilled sniper, to their cause, Miles goes on a mission to secure resources for their fight against Cormac and The Continental assassins. Miles and Yen steal a van containing weapons from a military compound. Elsewhere, The Adjudicator visits Cormac and blasts him for his failure to locate the stolen coin press. She gives Cormac three days to rectify the situation, or he will face the High Table’s wrath and be disposed of.
KD visits the cremation center and gets a lead on Frankie’s associates. She convinces Mayhew to help her search for a van connected to the criminals by going against the rules. Winston meets Mazie, but she refuses to offer him her help unless he shares his full story with her. However, Winston is forced to flee the Bowery when Cormac’s men arrive on the scene searching for him. Lou fights against the Orphan Master’s men and forces him to pull out his illegal activities from her dojo.
Winston and Jenkins closely watch The Continental and try to find a tactical advantage. Jenkins explains that killing Cormac on the hotel grounds would trigger an alarm that would send all the assassins in the hotel after them. Winston identifies Charon as a possible ally in his fight against Cormac. On the other hand, Charon and his friend, Thomas, the hotel musician, speak about their desires on the rooftop. Thomas reveals he has been accepted into a music school in Ireland and asks Charon to come with him. However, Charon refuses as he feels indebted to Cormac for helping him. He wants to prove his loyalty to Cormac so that the latter can bring his father to the USA.
The Continental Episode 2 Ending: Does Charon Betray Cormac?
In the episode’s final act, Winston makes his move to turn Charon against Cormac. He hijacks Charon’s bus to work and converses with the hotel concierge. Winston learns about Charon’s desire to bring his father to the USA, which is the primary reason for his loyalty to Cormac. Winston tells Charon about his past experiences with Cormac and warns the concierge that Cormac cares about nothing but himself. Winston hopes to have Charon on his side in his battle against Cormac. After learning about Cormac from Winston and his particularly dark experiences as a child working for Cormac, Charon is visibly fearful for his and his family’s fate.
However, when Charon arrives at the hotel, he pledges his loyalty to Cormac, refusing to let Winston change his perspective, or so it seems. In the episode’s final moments, Charon learns that Cormac killed Thomas. Cormac claims the latter was trying to steal something valuable from him, which he later reveals to be Charon. At the same time, Charon reveals Winston tried to recruit him for his crew. Charon’s loyalty to Cormac is strengthened after the latter fulfills his promise to bring Charon’s father to the USA. However, given Charon’s unwavering loyalty to Winston in the mainline ‘John Wick‘ films, it will be interesting to see how that relationship is forged from this point onward.
Why Did Cormac Break the Hotel Rule?
The final moments also show another twist in the tale when Cormac breaks the no-killing rule. In the franchise, The Continental Hotel follows a strict rule of “no business” on the property, meaning no killing is allowed. The episode reinforces the idea that the rule also applies to the establishment’s proprietors, including Cormac. After Cormac kills Thomas, the news reaches The Adjudicator. However, The Adjudicator refrains from acting against Cormac for breaking the rule.
The Adjudicator wants Cormac and Winston’s conflict to escalate so that the missing coin press resurfaces. As a result, the High Table appears to be willing to ignore Cormac breaking its rules. However, The Adjudicator clarifies that the High Table will punish him if the coin press is retrieved. Ultimately, Cormac breaking the no-killing rule marks the start of an all-out war between Cormac and Winston’s forces. As a result, it will be interesting to see how Winston will get his revenge against Cormac while also dealing with the High Table.
Read More: The Continental Episode 1 Recap and Ending, Explained
