There was a lot of anticipation leading into the Wild Cards season 3 finale, but while there were some moments that stood out, across the board, it was largely a letdown, especially in light of the other two seasons.
Much of season 3 was flubbed by the writers, tanking everything that was built up between Max and Ellis over the first two seasons, particularly with their many moments of miscommunication and the surface-level introduction of Jessica.
The series had a chance to course correct many times throughout the season, including the finale, which thrust Max and Ellis into another high-stakes situation.
Max was kidnapped, as Ellis was tapped in to not only help the heist go off without a hitch but also to save her life. It’s what she would’ve and already did for him, which is how she got into this mess in the first place.
The set-up was perfect for a vulnerable and emotional moment after their close call with death, but we didn’t even get a near-kiss or hug.
When Ellis finally got to Max, he got Chuck Norris’d, as she put it, and they were left for dead, making it the perfect moment for the two of them to see that, in the face of such a dire situation, all they’ve ever wanted was each other.
But the moment never came—not even Ellis’ realization that he went rogue and risked his entire career and life because of his feelings for her.
Understandably, Max buried them, as she wears an armor to shield her from the pain of being abandoned and hurt, particularly by her mother, but the adrenaline should’ve been the catalyst for Ellis to finally make the move.
Instead, we got nothing. For an episode titled “Now You Steal Me,” we should’ve seen Max stealing Ellis right back from Jessica!
You would think the show couldn’t mess it up more, but that’s where you’ll be proven wrong.
There was still an opportunity for Ellis to realize that his love for Jessica wasn’t the real deal, but instead, he doubled down on the relationship, almost in spite of his feelings for Max.
Jessica allegedly proposed—I say allegedly because we didn’t get to see the moment—and he accepted? Again, allegedly.
We don’t know if anything else happened during this scene to lead to this moment, though many fans seem to think she informed Ellis of a pregnancy. Otherwise, why else would Ellis make such a rash decision?
And then there’s the fact that Jessica remains a huge question mark. We haven’t explored anything about Jessica or her backstory or really even gotten the full details on how they crossed paths, but there’s something they aren’t telling us.
While we haven’t gotten any signs or clues that Jessica is shady and not to be trusted, the first scene of the episode, where she tells him “not to be suspicious,” was a red flag to me. I can’t help but think she’s playing some kind of con on Ellis because it’s giving opportunistic. I don’t know what reason she would have, but they’ve only been dating for a few months, and it’s not like it’s this big romance, so why the rush on putting a ring on it? Especially since it was her idea.
The engagement came out of the blue, so it seems specifically contrived to push a wedge further between Ellis and Max. There are so many other ways to do that rather than leaning into a common trope.
If handled properly, the payout could be worth it, but the series has already proven that it’s not good at exploring setups in a way that makes them meaningful to the plot.
We saw that with the introduction of Vivienne, which simply added nothing to the season despite being the most compelling development from last season’s finale.
Fans assumed Viv and Jessica were both working for Varga, which would’ve made a lot more sense than both of them just existing without any real sense of purpose.
Ellis’ decision seemed largely fueled by the Chief’s little hypocritical chat with him, where he expressed that Max was rubbing off on him and he once again broke the rules, so it seems that he assumed tying down with Jessic was somehow going to keep him on the straight and narrow.
And while I don’t condone breaking rules and running cons, Ellis should be thanking Max for inserting life into his dull existence.
He got a necessary shake-up to his by-the-book outlook, which makes him a more well-rounded person and detective.
He’s proven that he’s actually quite good at pulling off these cons–a natural fit, and dare I say he even looked like he was enjoying it? Of course, he’d never lead a life of crime, but Max has shown him that things aren’t always black and white, and sometimes, it’s necessary to bend the rules.
Ellis’s decision to do whatever was necessary to save Max and help her family out of a bind showed true growth, only for his decision to commit to Jessica, despite knowing that it wasn’t right—his shameful expression when he had to tell Max, said it all—knocking him back down several steps.
Jessica is the safe choice, but Max is the wild card. Pun intended.
The internal conflict Ellis is feeling has been pushed down for much of the season, as both Ellis and Max pretended that their feelings didn’t exist, but it needs to be explored heavily in season 4 to redeem itself in the eyes of fans, especially after that cookie-cutter ending.
How did we get from Max and Ellis almost sailing off into the sunset to this predictable engagement trope?
But now that the series has committed to it, Max doesn’t deserve to just sit around moping and waiting for Ellis to get it together.
We need to see a romance develop for her, even temporarily, and enough to ruffle Ellis’ feathers. This would be the perfect opportunity for someone from the department to pursue Max, maybe even someone who doesn’t sit well with Ellis, forcing him to confront the truth.
Max has been watching him with someone else for months, and he needs to see how it feels.
Aside from Max and Ellis, the Varga reveal was also quite a letdown. It turned out that we were all right on the money that George’s parole officer, Howard, was involved in the Varga situation, but when he ended up being Varga, it was kind of laughable, mostly because he wasn’t scary at all.
This was the man that Vivienne spent years running from? He didn’t even have a team working for him, nor did he have any real motive for hating Viv and her family and wanting to ruin their lives.
Tomo was honestly more menacing.
The heist itself was honestly the only solid part of the episode, as it tapped into what made the show so fun and thrilling in the first two seasons.
It was just wacky enough to suspend disbelief, especially with the David Copperfield trick on the plane, and it proves that the family has always been extremely good at these cons, especially when they turned the con into a larger setup to put an end to Varga. George in that mask masking as a prisoner was also a nice touch.
Wild Cards — Image Number: WC310_0076_f — Pictured: Giacomo Gianniotti, Jason Priestley, Tamara Taylor — Photo Credit: Bettina Strauss/The CW — © 2026 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Seeing how the plan came together, who played what role, and how they managed to pull it off was also fun, as was the twist that the diamond wasn’t actually a diamond but Varga’s brother Artie, whom George got close to while mentoring prisoners. Everything they’ve done this season has been leading up to this moment, so the payoff felt earned, even if the stakes never really felt that high.
Max sliding the detonator using a piece of gum wrapper—the wrapper that helped them figure and piece everything out in the first place—and placing it in Tomo’s pocket so he can blow himself to smithereens was also crafty. Even in a time of crisis, Max is steady—never shaken—and one step ahead.
So now we know series excels in cons, but it fumbles when it comes to the character-driven moments, where audiences simply need more.
The emotional dynamics suffer when they should be steering the ship.
Vivienne’s return never lived up to its potential, resulting in sloppy storytelling that continued into the finale. They never fully explored the impact of her return from the dead, and George did a complete 180 following the con, simply forgiving her for everything. It was even more jarring that Ricky, who couldn’t get behind her return, was declaring “finally” when they kissed.
She was then extremely pushy for Max to go tell Ellis how she feels, which could’ve just been coming from a place of “don’t waste time denying your feelings,” but she didn’t even stop to consider that it could open Max up to even more heartbreak. Is that what she wanted? She’s clearly bad energy, even if her intentions are in the right place.
Hopefully, the series finds ways to utilize all these promising talents and characters next season, including George and Ricky. We need more Ricky in our lives, come on!
And Max not only deserves to find love this season, but it would also be nice to take her future seriously. She seems determined to stick around, and she’s good at what she does. Maybe she can go to school and actually become more than a consultant? Everyone has accepted this is her path forward, so why not commit to it?
Wild Cards Season 4 needs to take more risks, rather than leaning on soapy plots that have been played out, and invest more in its character roster, so that it can get the fandom’s respect back!
Do you trust Viv, or do you think she’s still up to something? Do you think Jessica is good for Ellis, or is she playing a larger game? What did you think of the finale? Share your thoughts in the comments.
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