Cross – Season 1 Episode 3 Recap & Review

The Good Book

Episode 3 of Cross begins with a brief flash across to a new character called Brenda Leeland. She’s a crackhead and receives a package with a gun inside. The message? “Kill Alex Cross.”

Meanwhile, we cut back home to find Alex paying his respects to Maria at the cemetery. John shows up to join him, but Alex can’t bring himself to go in and head to her grave. Despite it being their anniversary, the pain is just too raw and hurtful, and he eventually concedes and walks away.

Instead, Cross goes and speaks to Judge Matlof. He argues the case around how everything is connected and brings up the links involving Emir and Tavio. Alex needs a warrant to get into Price Street, but thw Judge is not budging. He doesn’t see enough in the presented evidence to warrant a big crime and subsequently, he shoots him down.

Cross finds himself caught in the literal crosshairs when that Brenda woman shows up in the same elevator as him at the station. She has her hood up and she stalks our detective, trying to find the right time to assassinate him.

In the office though, Cross learns that whoever owns that property is going to painful lengths to try and hide it. While this is news, it’s not enough to pique his interest. As for John, he’s got the lab results back for the scarf. He has a name but John refuses to give it unless he books himself in for a session with the doctor. Alex does so begrudgingly.

This hair is traced back to Susan, a wheelchair-bound woman working in the force. She deduces that this killer took out Bailey, her loud dog, a while back to avoid suspicions. Given they’re both in this together, it would appear that it could well be a case they worked on and the killer has a personal vendetta against them. Susan believes it could be a guy called Jerry Cooper.

Shannon wakes up and finds herself in the basement, tied up with a camera in front of her. Unfortunately, she’s forced to undertake whatever sick games Ed wants, and to begin with, it’s facemask time.

Bobby Trey rings and updates on the Judge situation, involving how Cross can’t get a warrant, but Ed refuses to take his advice about shutting up shop and leaving before things get too heated.

Meanwhile, Chief Anderson decides not to pursue the murder angle and doesn’t want to hear any more of this from the incredulous officers at the station. She refuses to change the cause of death and part of that comes from De Lackner writing up a bogus report with omitted details, including Price Street being a drug den.

Alex Cross decides to use this to his advantage and plays them at their own game. Given the potential of scoring a big drug bust (wink, wink!), Alex gets the okay from the Judge to storm the place with a warrant.

Trey rings Ed to led him know the bad news, just as Shannon ends up having an allergic reaction to his treatment. Ed has soundproofed the basement so he screams along with Shannon, just to play games with her. So while the cops head round upstairs, the basement is where the drama is at.

The police don’t find anything, and there’s inevitably drama when this play backfires. Anderson is furious and John is caught in the middle between his job and his friend.

For now, his allegiance is to Alex Cross, and he brings up that night that they’ve got a lead on the car he believed was connected to the Kowaleski break-in. This could well help find who’s been stalking him, and it’s a crucial thread they can use.

While out looking for Jerry Cooper, Alex finds herself in the throngs of Brenda, who guides him out to the back of her hideout where she’s been staying. He’s alone, while John is on the main floor, and unfortunately, finds himself stalked by her. She turns to face Alex Cross and fires.

John races to the scene but it’s too late. There’s s dead body… but it’s not Alex Cross. Turns out he fired first and this does not look good for the case’s prospects given they have another dead body on their hands. Lt. Massey is not happy but when she finds out someone has been stalking Cross, but similarly, with no eyewitness to confirm Cross’ statement that Brenda pulled a gun out first, it’s all resting on hearsay and good faith. And right now, Alex is all out of faith.

Thankfully, Massey finds the note about killing Alex Cross so he’s in the clear. Curiously, the bullets from Brenda’s gun appear to have been tampered with so it was bound to misfire regardless. This seems like she’s been set up to be killed by Cross in self-defence, without realizing this is all guided toward this one outcome.

Brenda’s car is found out at the wharf too, and despite the personal involvement here with Alex Cross, he’s allowed to stay on the case. In the car, they find a schematic for the cemetery that Maria is buried, which is certainly not good news.

Maria’s grave is untampered with, but there is a dress hanging on a tree nearby. It’s not Maria’s, but Alex has seen it before. Furthermore, he susses out that Price Street has a basement they never discovered beforehand, which we obviously already know.

Ed won’t abandon the operation though, and while he blackmails the Senator to get Yellowstone on the agenda, Trey happens to be with Shannon in the basement. He threatens Shannon and wants 2.2 million to keep her alive. Ed begrudgingly agrees to the deal.

That happens just in time because John and Alex manage to find their way down to the basement. Shannon and Trey aren’t there though, as the pair escape through the tunnels. However, Ed leaves the book behind, which doesn’t help him in the slightest. He knows it can’t be recreated and is desperate for it back.

The pair do find more evidence of Ed’s operation though. It seems as if he’s making his victims look like serial killers. He made Emir look like The Sandman, and the latest case involving Shannon, is to turn her into the serial killer, Aileen Wuornos.

The Episode Review

Alas the plot thickens. Alex is slowly starting to realize this case is revolving around him and it wouldn’t surprise me if we end up in a situation where we have two killers running around both intertwined together to make it seem like one case as a sort of red herring.

This is probably the most interesting part of the show, and now that we’ve slowed down a bit and can focus on the case and the drama around it, Cross is actually starting to filter in some enjoyable little beats. It’s certainly far from perfect and absolutely riddled with cliches but it’s enough to stick with for the time being.