Criminal Record Season 2’s Finale Proves June & Hegarty Are Unstoppable – But Accountability Is Optional

Critic’s Rating: 4.1 / 5.0

4.1

Criminal Record’s realism strikes again in a literally explosive season finale.

The sophomore season has placed modern society’s relationship with the truth and what it means, or doesn’t mean, under the scope. And by Criminal Record Season 2 Episode 8, it challenges our view on what accountability really looks like.

It also makes June and Hegarty professional soulmates, completely changing their dynamic.

Firestarters Go Down in Flames

Something Criminal Record has done incredibly well this season is not only show the influence of ilk like Cosmo, but also his own self-interest clashing with his ‘followers’ realization that they’ve gone too far.

It’s an adrenaline-fueled hour as we have to watch June, Hegarty, and the team work in real time to pinpoint all the locations of the bombs set to explode.

There’s a knowing, bitter amusement that comes from the fact that Cosmo conveniently landed himself in police custody, where he could negotiate a deal while his posse was left to enact his plan.

And most of them didn’t live to see the end of the hour. In fact, while most innocents, blessedly, escaped the hour unscathed, Cosmo’s minions met their brutal demise.

You play stupid games, you get stupid prizes, and the green light to essentially execute on sight to prevent a larger catastrophe was brutal. But necessary.

Ultimately, only Kieran escaped from this ordeal alive. With the others, we saw those split moments when you can tell they were nervous or were going too far, but they were too afraid to back down.

There was a precise moment when it seemed Nigel realized he was on a suicide mission and accepted his fate.

But Kieran’s fear was palpable. The police closing in on him terrified him, but then taking that bomb to his school with all those sweet, innocent children seemed to really get through.

These sorts would be the first to denigrate all Muslims under the guise of them being suicide bombers, but then, what exactly are you when you’re standing at an elementary school with a bomb?

So much of that brainwashing collapses into itself when things get real in those moments.

Cosmo Evades Consequence… Are We Surprised?

Meanwhile, Cosmo got to rat out his crew, broker a sweet deal with immunity, and carry on with his shock jock alt-right shtick, taking his act on the road to the States, where he can continue to incite bigotry and violence without being accountable.

Because without his hands directly on a bomb, everything else is a gray area.

It’s uncomfortable. But Criminal Record serves as a mirror reflecting back on us our society and how we’re forced to navigate it.

The Cosmos of the world evade accountability and punishment all of the time.

They don’t get prison sentences; they get grander platforms.

Cosmo escaping the season without any real consequence, at least the type that feels like some semblance of justice, is infuriating.

But it’s also realistic.

There is a bit of solace in the fact that Billy lives in his head rent-free, though.

Cosmo, at his core, is always a pathetic coward who can’t actually handle the things he preaches and hides behind a false bravado that most see through when they’re up close and personal with him.

His interrogation scenes were interesting, as he often oscillated between the arrogance that had him trying to get a rise and the genuine fear that he could go down.

His attempts at getting under Hegarty and June’s skin with the Herman Munster digs and trying desperately to rile June up with racial microaggressions were just so pathetic.

Billy’s Redemption Is Quiet but Satisfying

But he gets particularly soft when it comes to Billy and often exposes his vulnerabilities around him.

Ironically, he doesn’t hold anything against Billy. Betrayal didn’t hinder the obsession — the love, even.

And even with his “freedom,” it’s Billy whom he still thinks about.

Of course, Cosmo being free is a bit more palatable knowing that Billy succeeded in his redemptive path and can be free.

It’s a small consolation for a character who grew on me. I truly appreciated Luther Ford’s performance throughout.

In the end, Criminal Record is not so much about getting justice as it is the position this places June in.

Kim, JP, and the others fall into the background in the finale as everything centers on who we tune in to Criminal Record for: June and Hegarty.

Criminal Record’s Season Finale Solidifies June & Hegarty’s Partnership

The chemistry between Cush Jumbo and Peter Capaldi has been fantastic, as per usual, but this season opens the door, gives us peeks at the cracks in their dynamic, and reveals new layers to their bond.

Hegarty genuinely likes and respects June and sees the value in what she offers, even as he tries to drag her into adapting to the times.

One of their most compelling moments was when he locked in with her and told her that their next decisions about the bombing situation and the deal with Cosmo would be made together.

Just them. It’s gratifying in that many of June’s problems stem from Hegarty keeping her in the dark.

That offer keeps them on an even playing field… true partners. And that’s something the season builds up to regarding that uneasy alliance.

June, even being willing to see the forest for the trees, making a deal with the devil in a way she never would’ve wanted to before, speaks to her evolution.

June’s Loss Is a Necessary Evil

And sadly, losing Leo very much does the same.

In a really twisted way, Leo’s death was probably the only way she’d ever be free of their toxic cycle.

Nevertheless, it was sad that just as they were talking about starting over, after he finally told her things he withheld and resented her for not knowing, he blew up.

I’m not the biggest fan of Leo. Even in this hour, he basically cops to punishing June for not having a child with him when he never actually asked her or talked about it.

But he didn’t deserve to die like that. We can surmise that Kieran messaging Cosmo followers on the dark web and getting them riled up over June led to this.

After all, Leo was in her car.

June and Hegarty’s Dynamic Gets a Compelling Reboot

But it’s devastating that June keeps losing everything. All she really has is the job.

By the end of the hour, with her and Hegarty sharing a drink at the bar and him sincerely letting her know he’ll support her however she needs, it merely solidifies how they’re cut from the same cloth.

That uneasy alliance is just an alliance now, allegiance to the job, justice, and each other.

There’s an unspoken understanding there that didn’t quite exist before.

It puts them in an interesting situation if we get a third season.

Their partnership isn’t a love story. It’s a Shakespearean tragedy. But that’s what makes it — what makes them — so fascinating to watch.

Over to you, Criminal Record Fanatics!

What did you think of the season? How do you feel about Cosmo’s deal? Did Leo’s death shock you? Let’s break down this full finale in the comments below.

And please check out our exclusive post-mortem interview with the executive producer!

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