One of the most fascinating aspects of the first season of The Bridge is that the series hasn’t followed the typical or predictable path. It revealed its serial killer at about the midway point and caught him two episodes ago (thank goodness). That’s not how TV shows typically operate.
So it’s totally fitting that the first season finale, “The Crazy Place,” often felt more like a beginning than an ending. Assigned to a boring story about a woman turning 100, Daniel and Adriana stumble upon a woman who was hoarding over $60 million, most likely for a drug cartel. Adriana receives a Euro with “Forget the money. Who is Millie Quintana?” written across it. And just like that, Daniel and Adriana are off on what will surely be their season two storyline. They are two of my favorite new TV characters, so I’m so delighted they both survived the show’s first season. (At first, I totally thought it was way too convenient that this kind of story would land in their laps, but then I decided that maybe the same person who sent the Euro got them assigned to the story.)
In a storyline we all could have predicted the minute we met Adriana’s family, Adriana’s sister Daniela doesn’t return home from work, and both her mother and her sister fear that she is now one of the many missing girls. This will make the search for the missing Juarez girls more personal not only for Adriana but for the viewer as well.
Just as she’s becoming rich with power, Charlotte has an unfortunate encounter at the grocery store where she learns a man named Arliss Fromme knows a lot about her and her illegal business. “Right now. I’m your only friend…We know everything. I’ll be in touch,” he tells her. Charlotte fears it’s the FBI. But could it be the ATF? Or maybe it’s another organization entirely? I’m wondering how it did not occur to Charlotte that she would be followed and her illicit business discovered. She knows about the bugs that were planted. It remains challenging to care about her storyline.
The hour truly belonged to Marco and Sonya, as Sonya struggles to reach beyond the confines of her Asperger’s and connect with Marco. The most moving moment came when she allowed Marco transport the rescued Eva across the border via an ambulance. Diane Kruger was excellent in this scene as her tension and angst over breaking the rules was palpable. Sonya also knows that Marco’s grief is overwhelming him. “Don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid,” he tells her.
But the final scene is Marco asking Fausto Galvan for help in killing David Tate. He doesn’t want Fausto to have Tate killed. Marco wants to do it himself. Marco is seeking retribution for his son’s death just as Tate did. As powerful as Demian Bichir is in these scenes (the shots of him lovingly holding his son’s funeral mass card were tragically beautiful), I don’t want season two to be dominated by Marco’s vengeance. Tate’s storyline has been satisfyingly wrapped up. No need to return to it.
The Bridge began with Eva and ends with her rescue. But she is just one of the many missing girls of Juarez. Now Sonya and Hank know the Juarez police are a part of it. Now Marco can no longer ignore what is happening in his police station. And so the story goes on, and The Bridge is well poised for a strong second season.