SPOILER ALERT: The following contains spoilers for Cross Season 2, Episode 7.

Cross Season 2, Episode 7 is the penultimate episode, which means it has one job to do: line up all the plot points to serve the season finale. “Winnow” does that almost too much. Yet the Prime Video series also gets in several different scenes that will startle the audience, almost as a reminder that it’s not going to get any easier.

There’s a fair amount of explaining in the episode, mostly through the usual form of having people literally explain the current situation to one another. The four remaining villains are briefly sequestered in the same room, so they can talk about the child labor scheme that got them into trouble. Alex Cross and his task force discuss where they are in their pursuit of Jeanine Mason‘s character Luz. By the end of “Winnow,” the audience is very clear about the child labor conspiracy and who all of the major players are.

That obvious exposition makes this episode less compelling than some of the earlier hours in the season. But that’s to be expected to an extent because most TV shows use the last installment before the end to wrap up plot points and lay the groundwork for whatever conflict will be featured in the finale. In the case of Cross Season 2, that’s clearly Luz going head-to-head with Cross. Which means a few other people and plots need to get out of the way—and that happens in surprisingly sad fashion.

Most notably, “Winnow” is the last episode for Sheriff Country alum Wes Chatham as Donnie Hayes. Luz’s partner-in-crime is murdered by Clare shortly after obtaining an audiotape of damning evidence, as Clare doesn’t want Luz to hear said tape. To cover her tracks, it’s no surprise that she blames Cross; that provides the fuel for the Cross versus Luz showdown that will happen in Episode 8. But Donnie goes out in a pretty big way that honors how much Chatham brought to the season; he gets into a gunfight and chase with Cross, and then dies in the woods. Donnie could easily have just been a sidekick to Luz, yet Chatham and Mason had such an interesting dynamic, so it’s tough to see him go even though he’s on the wrong team.

Elsewhere, John Sampson’s storyline is somewhat wrapped up in two painful scenes with his two moms. His biological mother LaDonna is willing to confess to the murder she’s accused of in order to protect her boyfriend, which is eye-rollingly typical. Viewers are only saddened by that scene because of how it affects Sampson. The biggest gut punch in the whole episode comes in Sampson’s dialogue with Nana Mama, as he confronts her for lying about LaDonna being dead. Juanita Jennings and Isaiah Mustafa are so good in that scene—particularly the latter. It’s so easy to feel his pain as Sampson vents about feeling like he had to prove himself to his adoptive family every day. It’s something that the audience probably hadn’t even considered before that moment, but it makes perfect, bittersweet sense.

Cross Season 2, Episode 8 also gets rid of all the supporting villains, so that the show can focus strictly on Lance Durand and his right-hand woman Natalie. One of them is murdered by Luz using a remote control for her pacemaker and the other is beaten to death by Durand after he reveals that he’s got Durand on tape. TV crime show fans will groan at the latter because they know that telling the villain you have evidence against them is an automatic way for a character to be killed. Yet to see Matthew Lillard completely lose control is still frightening, even when the audience knows it’s coming.

And the existence of a damning piece of evidence also makes it easier for Cross to wrap up Durand at the end, thus devoting more time to Cross and Luz. The finale can focus on them and then simply have someone get hold of the tape to ensure Durand gets arrested. It may not play out exactly that way, but fans can see how the writing staff are checking things off their to-do list, from that to Kayla Craig getting her long-awaited recognition if she moves on from Mastermind. Kayla’s ambition is reinforced in another argument with Cross in “Winnow,” laying the groundwork for her to go in her own direction. There are a lot of moving parts in Episode 8, but the moments that feel overly plotted still leave room for a couple of emotional beats that are far more memorable and important.

Cross streams Wednesdays on Prime Video. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Prime Video.

Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.