Cross season 2 review: Aldis Hodge and universal themes fight franchise pitfalls

Cross season 2 review:

Prime Video has promised greater stakes in Cross season 2, to go with more action. While this may appear to be the case on paper, with the plot encompassing universal themes, the latest adaptation of James Patterson’s Alex Cross novels does not offer the same genre thrills as the first season. Here, the human drama is more fascinating than the multiple investigations, led by Aldis Hodge’s titular character and his partner John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa), respectively. The track involving detective Sampson is only there as a filler for possible exploration in season 3 or in a spinoff series. It only distracts us from the main investigation, where Cross leads the way. The show tries to bring a common angle of parents and children between Cross’s investigation and Sampson’s personal track, but the latter still feels like a force-fit in the narrative. However, every time you get the impression that the series is going off on a tangent, it pulls us right back into the central investigation, offering some exciting action while making provocative points about systemic corruption within law enforcement, corporate social responsibility, and child trafficking for exploitative labour.

Creator: Ben Watkins

Cast: Aldis Hodge, Jeanine Mason, Matthew Lillard, Isaiah Mustafa, Alona Tal

Streamer: Prime Video

The central story is quite simple, although it is complex enough to keep Cross and his Metro partners on their toes all the time. In Cross season 2, a serial killer (Jeanine Mason) is on the loose, finishing off every single person who has harmed her and her family. As with the first part, the makers make the smart move of revealing the identity of the killer right away, eschewing any unnecessary form of misdirection. Unlike the first season, meanwhile, it takes time for Cross and his partner Kayla Craig (Alona Tal) to figure out what the killer, Mason’s Rebecca Luz, is up to here. She has multiple accomplices, although nobody is as hellbent on taking down the corporate evils plaguing society as she is.

Cross season 2 tends to side with its ruthless antagonist, justifying her reasoning for the murder spree, in more ways than one. For example, Cross himself tries to reason with her. Initially, this seems like an odd storytelling choice, because you do not want the lead detective in a series to empathise with ‘Lady Vengeance’ in any way. However, the makers stay true to Patterson’s writing, making Cross a symbol of empathy and compassion, even as the tides go against him.

There is a more ethically and morally correct way to deal with social evil and injustice, and what Luz does is against this. However, Cross season 2 cynically makes her actions seem appropriate by underscoring that it all happens in a world as corrupt as the law enforcement system in Washington DC. When the system is this corrupt, how can ‘the wronged’ trust it enough? At least, this is what the makers suggest in the latest season. Then again, some of the writing and Mason’s performance in the role ensure that the killer is humanised and not glorified. In such a world, Cross operates with a great sense of right and wrong, a quality that always drives his actions, even if this might get him into some trouble. Aldis Hodge embodies these qualities in another masterful performance that holds the series together, even as its tangential storytelling threatens to derail everything.

Complementing Mason and Hodge well is Matthew Lillard as Lance Durand, embracing the evilness of his corporate mogul who peddles a global project as a means to end world hunger. Durand hides his crimes under the carpet with the initiative, called ‘Prosperity Seed’. When Lillard says, “Every great human advancement is built on a pile of dead bodies,” we know he means it. Cross sees through him for what he is, setting up the stage for a three-way conflict that adds to the excitement of the show, especially in its slugging portions. With very little dialogue, Hodge’s performance itself tells us that Cross has multiple adversaries and more at stake than solving the whodunnit puzzle. It is a classic case of show more, tell less. This is why when the series makes certain points about the system later, it does not seem a sudden storytelling decision.

Unfortunately, the makers do not show such judiciousness everywhere; for example, they unnecessarily present Mason with explicit dialogue, explaining Luz’s actions. The actor’s performance itself leaves the nuances of her character up to our interpretation clearly enough, but unfortunately, the makers seem to believe in spoonfeeding more. The storytelling choice is what ultimately makes Cross season 2 an underwhelming police procedural. Contrast this to Ed Ramsey (Ryan Eggold) from the first season. Eggold’s expressive eyes alone convey everything we want to know about his antagonist, Ramsey. It feels appropriate when someone compares him to Durand here, which works as a compliment to the powerful performer that is Lillard.

While Alona Tal is compelling as Cross’s not-so-reliable partner, a track involving her attempts to clear her involvement in a mysterious project, concerning an experiment on soldiers, called ‘Uncle Sam Special,’ only drags the narrative. What relevance does this have with Cross and Kayla Craig’s hunt for Luz and Durand? Almost none. All it does is give us an idea about what Craig is like as a person; while this gives some context to her actions towards the end of the show, the makers could have trusted Tal’s acting chops to convey the same in a more subtle way.

Despite its flaws, the show deals with themes that make it hard to look away from it. Besides, the top-notch acting, especially in its human drama portions amidst the detective stuff, keeps us invested in the proceedings. And while the pay-off for the central investigation turns out to be a dud, the conclusion of Cross and his arc feels fitting amidst the broader sense of unrest in DC. Much like Cross season 1, this one too speaks to the times we live in while staying loyal to Patterson’s literature.