Forget an action-packed TV show—The Cleaning Lady Season 2 finale (episodes 11 and 12 titled “Sanctuary” and “At Long Last”) was an action-packed, large-scale film. Clocking in at under two hours, the back-to-back dose of episodes was a flurry of emotions as Thony and Fi teamed up to save Luca’s life by any means necessary.
And unfortunately, lives were destroyed in the process.
Though Thony remained a loving mother who would do anything for her son throughout the course of the two seasons, she was much more dangerous this season, and I think it’s fitting to give her the nickname Tornado Thony. She brought so much chaos through her reckless decision-making, and even though she was able to/will undo almost all of the damage, the sad reality is that Garrett, who helped Thony since day one, was a casualty of the war.
That one hurt the most because Garrett, though flawed, was a truly great man who didn’t deserve what happened to him. All he wanted to do was redeem himself and his career and save Maya, but his fate was sealed the moment he had that heart-to-heart with Russo, right before they hooked up, where he reflected on his life and how he gets too close to his CIs. The poor guy never stood a chance after continuously getting roped in with Thony and toeing the line between what’s right and what’s necessary.
A lot of the plot points this season, though entertaining and dramatic, were far-fetched, so for any of this to be believable, there had to be a believable outcome—not everyone could survive the ordeal. It was already kind of surprising that Kamdar let Thony and Arman live for as long as he did.
The series didn’t have many options for victims, however. Thony needed to make it out alive since she’s the protagonist, and since Arman’s connection to Thony and their will-they-or-won’t-they dance is a crucial draw for viewers, the writers couldn’t kill him off either. To keep the possibility of Armony in-tact, they also couldn’t let Nadia die—though they did give us a scare—because Arman would never forgive Thony for saving Kamdar. Nadia’s death would’ve fractured Arman and Thony’s relationship and pushed it to an irreparable point.
THE CLEANING LADY: L-R: Oliver Hudson and Élodie Yung in the first hour “Sanctuary” episode of THE CLEANING LADY 2-hour season finale event airing Monday, Dec. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: Jeff Neumann/FOX
But, in a way, Garrett was the heart of the series, so his death was a gut punch that drove home the dangers of this world and the work he was trying to accomplish. It’s a huge loss, don’t get me wrong, because I love Oliver Hudson, but it was also necessary as the series needed to distance itself from the FBI and the fact that he was always coming to Thony’s rescue; it was becoming too predictable and a bit of crutch that would have become a disservice to the characters. Not having the FBI connection to lean on forced Thony to think outside of the box.
His death needed to matter, however, which is why I’m so glad that Arman and Nadia went through on their promise to kill Kamdar. After everything he did, including trying to drown Nadia (key word trying because he couldn’t go through with it—she was his weakness), he deserved the outcome. And the fact that Nadia pulled the trigger after he physically and emotionally manipulated her for years was the cherry on top. The series needed to put an end to Kamdar’s wrath as dragging it out wouldn’t have added to the believability. He was a very well-connected man, but the moment he let his guard down, Arman swooped in.
Arman has never let down the women in his life, always making good on his promises. He told Nadia that upon Kamdar’s death, she would inherit his entire empire, and she did. She deserves to be the boss babe after everything she’s been through, not to mention, she damn well made sure to remind Arman that she was no longer answering to a man. They may have pulled off Operation Kill Kamdar together, but she’s an independent woman now—in life and in business. Arman is still around, but what’s hers is not his, and she made that very clear.
I think that’s partially why Arman agreed to help Thony when she came to him in the final moments asking him to reverse the damage from his decision to kill Kamdar. Obviously, this is the writers’ way to keep Arman and Thony in each other’s orbit, but it also makes sense plotwise. Without the FBI’s guarantee, Thony had to take matters into her own hands, and next to Nadia, Arman is the most connected person that she knows in Vegas.
We’ve seen how well they work together, even if they aren’t always seeing eye to eye. There were so many great moments in the finale, but every time Thony and Arman hopped on his bike after one of their escapades, it was electric. I can see why she’s so addicted to this lifestyle—and him!
THE CLEANING LADY: L-R: Adan Canto and Élodie Yung in the first hour “Sanctuary” episode of THE CLEANING LADY 2-hour season finale event airing Monday, Dec. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: Jeff Neumann/FOX
While it seemed as though Arman and Nadia were back together and on the same page after Kamdar’s death, the truth is, I think she’s done being the woman that’s dependent on a man. And she’s definitely done fighting for Arman’s love and being second best in this love triangle. She helped Arman because she cares about him (and because she’s partially responsible for getting him into this mess with Robert), but too much has been broken between them for far too long. And the reality is that Thony will always be an obstacle in their relationship because Arman simply cannot say no to her; she has a pull over him in the same way she did with Garrett. Let’s just hope it doesn’t cost Arman in the same way it did the FBI agent.
I love that before Arman agreed to help Thony, he needed to clear the air about her lack of trust. The truth is, a lot of this could’ve been avoided if she just believed that he would be able to help her get the meds and kill Kamdar. Arman has always been good for it, and the moment she found out he rerouted the shipment for her and put himself in the line of danger with Kamdar, she realized the error of her ways. She was foolish to think Kamdar was her way out of this when we’ve seen Arman literally throw himself in the line of fire for her time and time again. He has such a big heart, especially when it comes to matters concerning Thony.
Thony assured him that the trust has always been there (girl, it better be), and they didn’t waste any time before jumping onto their next Bonne & Clyde adventure—Thony taking Kamdar’s place in the drug smuggling world, in full boss babe attire, might I add. Honestly, this was an even bigger boss move than Nadia pulling the trigger on Kamdar and walking into La Habana as a survivor.
THE CLEANING LADY: L-R: Eva De Dominici and Naveen Andrews in the first hour “Sanctuary” episode of THE CLEANING LADY 2-hour season finale event airing Monday, Dec. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: Jeff Neumann/FOX
Thony is now on top and calling the shots, and her first request to the immigration/customs officer was to look the other way when she brings someone back home to U.S.
At its core, The Cleaning Lady has always been about how far you’re willing to go for family, and while the focus was mostly on Luca, it’s now shifting to the other members close to Thony’s heart.
Fiona went through the wringer this season, but the one thing she’s always remained is loyal to Thony because it was the right thing to do. She helped her sister-in-law save Luca not because she had to, but because she wanted to. And she stood by that choice even while wearing an orange jumpsuit. It’s why Fiona has always been one of the best characters in the series.
And thankfully, her loyalty will all be worth it because if there’s one thing that Thony is good at, it’s finding a way and never giving up. When one door closed with the FBI, she carved her own path. She’s always done what needs to be done, even when people doubted her. And there’s nothing that these two women wouldn’t do for each other, no matter the danger or the consequences.
Realistically, Thony should’ve told Fi to go home after she got to the hospital. She has always crossed the line because being an informant in an ongoing investigation offered her a level of protection, but that protection, as we saw the first time Fiona was nearly deported, did not extend to her sister-in-law. Thony could afford to take risks, but others weren’t as lucky, which is why it wasn’t fair of her to ask Fiona to help her break the law, steal a ventilator, and give Luca unauthorized meds. Unfortunately, it’s hard to hold it against her as she wasn’t thinking straight. Everything she did was to save Luca. There was nothing else that mattered—and when the hospital was blatantly ignoring them and writing off Luca as someone the wasn’t worth saving, she did what she had to do no matter the consequences. If it weren’t for Thony and her efforts—misguided as they may have been in the eyes of the law—her little boy would’ve died.
As I’ve mentioned, there’s a lot about this series that’s far-fetched, including how Thony seems to avoid any real consequences, so I was actually glad that the doctor reported Thony and Fi. If he looked the other way, it wouldn’t have made sense. It was a necessary obstacle to ground the storyline and keep it as realistic as possible. No doctor would let Thony get away with it, despite her pleas, as they would’ve deemed it unethical. Thony assumed she could just convince him because she operates in a world where bending the rules is the norm, not the exception, but that’s not the reality. If he kept quiet, he would’ve been complicit, and the blame would’ve been placed on him and not Thony if the drugs didn’t work.
THE CLEANING LADY: L-R: Valentino/Sebastien LaSalle and Martha Millan in the first hour “Sanctuary” episode of THE CLEANING LADY 2-hour season finale event airing Monday, Dec. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: Jeff Neumann/FOX
We may not have gotten the romantic moment between Thony and Arman this season, but if you think about it, everything they’ve done has come from a place of love and affection for each other—it’s just manifesting in different ways.
Arman risked his life for Thony every single time she needed it. Even when he was mad at her, if she called and needed help, he dropped everything. And though she may have put him in some danger, Thony stuck around because of Arman and her desire to help free him, even when it would’ve made sense to go back to the Phillippines and give Luca a good life. They did all of this for each other, and that’s more romantic than anything else. And while I would’ve loved a steamy kiss, I’m kind of enjoying the slow burn because when they do finally admit it to each other, it’ll be that much more rewarding.
As the first half of the hour found Thony scrambling to save Luca, the second half of the hour focused on the fallout of crossing Kamdar and Thony’s need to make everything right. She didn’t listen to the FBI when they told her to lay low because she was burned, and though she managed to do exactly what Garrett wanted—deliver Kamdar on a golden platter—it came with some real consequences.
However, there was definitely some kind of happy ending, including Thony and Arman riding off into the sunset together after finally arriving on the other side of everything, and if Fox chooses not to renew the series (which would be a very big mistake), this would suffice as a series finale. I’m almost certain that’s why they chose the two-episode finale so that they could wrap up all the lingering storylines while leaving the door slightly ajar in the event that Fox decides to give them the green light.
And listen, while Kamdar’s reign came to an end, there’s plenty more to explore in the criminal underbelly of Las Vegas, not to mention within the new hierarchy and in the personal dynamics.
THE CLEANING LADY: L-R: Valentino/Sebastien LaSalle and Élodie Yung in the first hour “Sanctuary” episode of THE CLEANING LADY 2-hour season finale event airing Monday, Dec. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: Jeff Neumann/FOX
I want to see Thony’s boss era. She’s been calling the shots and doing it all this whole time, but now, there’s nothing hanging over her head—no one she’s running from or cleaning up for. And
On The Cleaning Lady Season 1 finale, Arman and Thony thought that they finally achieved success, but things took a nasty turn rather quickly, but this time around, there’s not much stopping them. They’re at the very top, with Nadia as an ally, not a foe.
We could see a new side of Thony, we could see Thony and Arman continue to explore their personal and professional relationship and run a business together, we could see Thony finally open up her clinic to help people, we could see Fi’s return, and how she and Thony move on from what happened, and we can hopefully finally see Fi getting her slice of happiness and prioritizing her own family.
The focus has so far been mostly Thony as a loving mother who will do anything for her child, but I’m glad that we got to see Fiona finally realize that she has kids to think about as well. They might not be in the same predicament as Luca, but they need their mom, and she needs to start putting them first. And JD helped remind her of that. She saw just how easily she lost everything that mattered, and I think that will have a profound impact on her relationship with Thony, even if she did do everything to bring her back.
Fiona’s chat with Chris was so heartbreaking but also so authentic and reflective of the plight of immigrants and the undocumented, highlighting all the sacrifices that they make day in and day out so that their kids can have a better life. They are truly the unsung heroes in this story.
Thony may have lost herself a bit in a scramble to save her son and free herself from Kamdar’s grasp, and though she burned bridges left and right, at the end of the day, she tried to make it all better, which is why we were rooting for her in the first place.
Again, I’m really hoping Fox gives us a third season so we can see just how far things can go.
The writers and creators of the series have proven that they know how to tell a story, and they know how to tell it well. There’s an endless amount of possibilities, and I’m sure there are even more bad guys to create conflict.
THE CLEANING LADY: L-R: Élodie Yung and Adan Canto in the first hour “Sanctuary” episode of THE CLEANING LADY 2-hour season finale event airing Monday, Dec. 12 (8:00-9:00 PM ET/PT) on FOX. ©2022 Fox Media LLC. CR: Jeff Neumann/FOX
Other Stray Musings
- Thony stayed in this lifestyle to save Fi, but after her sis-in-law is back in the states, how will she justify her decision to continue working alongside Arman? JD will definitely have an opinion about it, and if Fi wants him in her life, she’ll still be required to make an impossible choice.
- One thing I couldn’t shake was how easy it was for Thony to do anything when Kamdar’s men were supposed to be watching her. How did she keep evading them?
- Nadia may have hated Thony this whole time, but she gave her the hint about the Caymans, so on some level, she had to trust and respect her.
- I love how much time they dedicated to Garrett’s funeral. He didn’t deserve to die, but he definitely deserved a proper sendoff.
What did you think of the season 2 finale? Are you happy everything was buttoned up? Do you think we’ll get a season three renewal?
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