Pratik Handore
Peacock’s ‘The Continental: From the World of John Wick,’ or simply ‘The Continental,’ follows a young Winston Scott on his journey to become the proprietor of the titular hotel chain’s New York branch. The third and final episode of the event series sees Winston gathering his allies, launching a deadly attack on Cormac (Mel Gibson), and trying to take down his empire.
In the process, the coin press’ whereabouts are revealed, alliances are tested, and tough decisions are made, leading to an enthralling action extravaganza worthy of serving as the final chapter of the hit ‘John Wick‘ franchise’s prequel series. If you are looking for answers about Winston’s fate and how exactly he rose to become the proprietor of the titular hotel, here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘The Continental’ episode 3! SPOILERS AHEAD!
The Continental Finale Recap
The third episode opens with Winston and his crew, comprising Miles, Lou, Yen, Lemmy, Jenkins, and Ronnie, preparing a plan to storm The Continental and take down Cormac once and for all. However, Winston grows frustrated with the lack of coordination within the team. He scolds the group for wanting security and reminds them the only way to emerge victorious in their fight is to risk their lives. Winston also reveals that he has a plan to convince Mazie, Cormac’s competitor, to help their efforts.
At the hotel, Cormac prepares to face Winston with Charon’s help, with the latter still loyal to his employer despite Winston’s warning. KD continues her search for Winston, and Mayhew keeps tabs on Winston and his allies, presumably under Cormac’s instruction. KD visits Winston’s hotel but does not find him there. As a result, she goes to the dojo, where she meets Lou. Elsewhere, Jenkins sets up his sniping spot in an old lady’s house by pretending to be an exterminator.
After Mayhew finds KD getting close to the conflict between Cormac and Winston, he tries to warn her. However, KD refuses to listen to Mayhew and continues her pursuit. Winston convinces Mazie to help him by telling the tragic story of his family’s fall into financial peril. He buys an abandoned bank for Mazie for her operation and borrows some of her men in exchange. Later, Hansel and Gretel track down Winston at his hotel and drag him to meet Cormac. KD nearly catches Winston while leaving the hotel but is forced to fight some of Cormac’s assassins. She uses the coin from one of the assassins to enter The Continental as a patron.
Cormac asks Winston for the coin press’ location, but when the latter refuses to reveal it, his men prepare to throw Winston off the building. However, Jenkins shoots Cormac’s men, creating a distraction. Charon betrays Cormac and holds him at gunpoint but hesitates to shoot. Cormac escapes into the hidden corridors of the hotel while Winston and Charon are declared enemies of the High Table. Lou learns about her father’s secret past from the Chinese Mafia leader, Orphan Master. As a result, she destroys her father’s dojo to defeat the Orphan Master.
Miles, Yen, and Lemmey enter the hotel and start killing Cormac’s men while the red light goes off, revoking the “no killing” rule of the establishment. Eventually, Winston and Charon make it to the armory according to their plan and find Cormac there. However, Cormac’s men hold them at gunpoint, only for the men to reveal themselves as Mazie’s homeless gang. Winston forces Cormac to open the armory, but he jams the lock and breaks the key. As a result, Winston and his allies must kill every assassin in the hotel after the bounty on their head to make it out alive.
The Continental Finale Ending: Does Winston Kill Cormac?
Winston and his allies fight through the numerous assains that attack them on Cormac’s orders. On the other hand, Cormac hides in the operations room, where he keeps surveillance of his enemies. Winston and Charon search for Cormac, and the former reveals his friendship with Frankie was one of the reasons he decided to help Winston. Charon also deduces that Cormac must be hiding in the operations room. However, the elevator cart is missing, and the operation room’s floor is only known to the manager. At the same time, The Adjudicator informs Cormac that he has been relieved of his duties as the manager of New York’s The Continental Hotel, which enrages him.
With nothing left to lose, Cormac initiates a self-destruction sequence and escapes the hotel just as Charon and Winston find the operations. The CCTV footage shows Cormac at the railway tracks under the hotel, and he quickly catches up with his archnemesis by jumping down the garbage chute. At the railway track, Winston confronts Cormac, but the latter overpowers him until KD arrives and shoots Cormac. In the episode, it is revealed that the house Frankie and Winston burned down as kids on Cormac’s orders belonged to KD and her parents. However, in the final moments, KD realizes that Cormac is the reason for her family’s demise and kills him. As a result, while Winston does not kill Cormac, he defeats the former crime boss who destroyed his and Frankie’s lives.
Do Winston’s Friends Die? Does Winston Stop the Self-Destruction?
While Winston deals with Cormac, his allies engage with the dangerous assassins from the hotel. Miles is nearly killed in a fight with Hansel, but Lemmy’s clever use of the message-delivering system in the hotel saves him. However, Hansel uses the system to send a grenade at Lemmy, killing him and detonating all the explosives he was carrying. Miles almost loses to Hansel, but Lou joins the fight just in time to save him. Yen battles Gretel and, after a grueling hand-to-hand fight, emerges victorious.
Despite Winston’s friends surviving by holding their own against the assassins, the self-destruction sequence initiated by Cormac spells doom for all of them. On the other hand, an evacuation vehicle arrives to take Winston to safety. However, Winston refuses to leave his friends behind to die and finds a way to stop the self-destruction sequence. He uses Cormac’s severed hand to stop the hotel from imploding with mere seconds left on the clock. Ultimately, Winston saves almost all his friends from dying in the fight against Cormac. The group commemorates their victory and Lemmy and Frankie’s deaths by sharing a drink in the hotel’s bar.
Where Is the Coin Press? How Does Winston Take The Continental?
In the aftermath of The Continental’s brutal and violent conflict, The Adjudicator visits Winston. She asks him about the coin press’ location, as the device catalyzes the entire conflict. However, Wintson refuses to reveal its location, and flashbacks show how he found the coin press. As children, Winston and Frankie were forced to sleep in a car’s trunk as they had lost their home. Winston found the coin press in the same place and used it to create the hotel’s coins, leading Mazie’s men to join the fight on his behalf. Winston locked the coin press in the bank he bought for Mazie.
The Adjudicator warns Winston that he won’t be able to keep the hotel, as it is under the High Table’s control. However, Winston shoots The Adjudicator as a power move that will force the High Table to recognize him and appoint him as the hotel’s manager, a role he would hold for nearly four decades. As a result, Winston effectively takes over the hotel, making it his new home. He celebrates atop the building, having become the proprietor of the most powerful establishment in New York City. However, Winston’s decision to kill The Adjudicator implies he does not quite fully understand the powers he is dealing with, leaving the door open for a second season.
Read More: Where is The Continental: From the World of John Wick Filmed?
