The Bridge: “Jubilex”

Well, I believe the time has come to address the elephant in your TV set.

“Jubliex” was the season finale of The Bridge, but it also could serve as the series finale since the show has yet to be picked up for a third season.

While the episode offered quite a bit of closure, it was also nebulous, and had enough open-ended questions, that I certainly hope we have not seen the last of the series. Overall I’ve enjoyed this second season, despite the show’s penchant for meandering into unnecessary story lines (still trying to understand what the whole Jack Dobbs thing was about), and Sonya’s vacillating capabilities when it comes to her Asperger’s.

The Bridge, for better and for worse, is unlike any other show on TV. I’d like to think that in the television renaissance we’re currently experiencing, there will always be room for shows as nuanced and well-performed as The Bridge.

Hank (still demonstrating absolutely remarkable recovery from his gunshot wound) and Sonya continue to tail the vehicles transporting drugs across the border. Neither of them wait for back-up, which seems rather silly. Hank (or Super Hank as I’ve taken to calling him) single-handedly takes out the driver (It’s a bird. It’s a plane. It’s Super Hank!) and finds Linder in the back of the truck. Things don’t fare as well for Sonya, who goes into a garage by herself and is knocked unconscious by Buckley.

Buckley is a busy man. He also goes to visit Daniel Frye and burns all of Agent McKenzie’s files before telling Daniel, “Here’s the truth. You’re a drunk. You got fired from a third rate paper.” Buckley also tells Daniel he can make his death look like an overdose, and Adriana’s death look like a suicide (something she apparently attempted two years ago, unbeknownst to Daniel). What I love about Daniel is that, while he’s clearly scared, he doesn’t back down. “I’m pretty sure you call yourself a patriot. And you tell yourself you’re managing a drug war,” Daniel tells him in disgust.

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But now the crime reporting duo has a friend in Hank, and when Buckley is killed (by whose orders? Cerisola’s?), Hank gives them first dibs on the story. “You’re happy, right?” Daniel asks Adriana. “As happy as I ever get” she replies, before telling him not to get all mushy on her. I’m so glad Adriana and Daniel survived the season, but I definitely need more closure on their story arc. With the Buckley threat eliminated, did they publish their expose on the CIA/cartel connection?

If The Bridge doesn’t get a third season, can we just have Daniel and Adriana show up on another show? Maybe after their story comes out, they’ll need Alicia Florrick to defend them? Or Olivia Pope can take their case? I’m open to ideas.

Marco and Romina are being lead through the desert by Fausto and his enforcer. In a scene that totally faked me out, Romina acts desperate for drugs before using the heroin-filled needle to attack Fausto. That gives Marco the opportunity to gain control of the situation. Marco calls Sonya (finally putting those two back together again), who takes Romina to the hospital while Marco brings Fausto into the Juarez police station. Captain Robles tells Marco he can take over, but Marco’s not having it. “I captured him. I book him. I’m not letting him out of my sight until they come for him,” he tells Robles. I didn’t really believe that Fausto would so easily acquiesce to his fate. It was a little too convenient that Marco was so effortlessly able to take over. But Marco brought Fausto in alive—something almost no one else wanted. He’s also offered the position of captain. He turns it down, but Captain Ruiz could make for a very interesting Season Three.

Cerisola wants to know where Romina is, so he tells Sonya how to find Eleanor. Eleanor’s whole bizarre back story comes to a close. She brings her father out to the acorn tree where he sexually abused her. Her father is able to break free from his restraints and attack Eleanor. Sonya arrives in time to save her and kill her father. Eleanor also easily acquiesced—perhaps the final confrontation with her father drained the fight out of her.

Sonya calls Marco for help. “You could have just let them kill each other, you know,” Marco tells her. “I didn’t think about that,” she replies. But Sonya doesn’t know what she’s going to do with Eleanor. If the El Paso Police Department finds out what she’s done, she’ll be fired. “I have some ideas,” Marco replies.

The episode emphasized one of the season’s main themes—how futile the war against drugs is. Why was the CIA involved with Fausto? They were flushing money into the system to see where it ended up. “They thought they could control it. They couldn’t. It happens,” Adam Arkin’s federal investigator calmly explains.

The episode ends with an aerial shot, as Marco and Sonya become smaller and smaller eventually becoming just a small spec on your TV screen… and an even smaller spec in the war on drugs.

Other thoughts on “Jubliex”:

•I’m totally bummed we didn’t see Ray again. At least we’ll get to see Brian Van Holt in the new Syfy drama Ascension, beginning November 24.
•Linder is alive, and he and Eva appear to be ready to ride off into the sunset together. I’m ready to throw them both a goodbye party. If the show comes back and I sincerely hope it does, it’s time to let Linder go.
•Did the blood come out of Monte’s boots? How can the show leave us hanging like this?
•“You’re drunk and stupid.” “I’m not stupid.” I think I’ll miss you most of all Daniel Frye.

What did you think of the season finale of The Bridge? Talk about it below.

Amy Amatangelo is a Boston-based freelance writer, a member of the Television Critics Association and a regular contributor to Paste. You can follow her on Twitter or her blog.

The Bridge: “Jubilex”

(Episode 2.13)