Shades of Blue season 3 episode 9 review: Is Stahl gone for good?

Shades of Blue season 3 episode 9 was the episode that we’re sure so many saw coming. Yet, it was the episode that was needed.

For the first time really all season, Harlee Santos does not have a sense of relative closure. Stahl is now dead, and it came in the midst of a confrontation within the walls of her home. His obsession with her had gone on for far too long, but one thing felt clear for the most part throughout the episode: From the moment that he walked into her home, there was a reasonably good chance that he was not getting out alive. We’re not even sure, in all honesty, that he even wanted to get out of there alive. More than likely, what he was looking for was an end. For her or for him. Harlee, with a little bit of help from Cristina, chose him. The torment is now gone once and for all, but nobody is out of the woods just yet. She has to justify her actions and beyond that, she also still has everything going on with Intelligence.

Yet, would we argue that Harlee is in a better place right now than she was in the episode prior? Probably, but we’re not so sure about everyone else given that Woz has been in hiding and Ramsey continues to prove just how difficult of a person he is to take down. He’s not going to be someone who can be defeated by anything even remotely considered to be ordinary means. He will be combative, he will fight, and he will also do whatever he can to flex his muscles.

Basically, we consider tonight’s events to be a battle in the midst of a war, with Harlee’s peace being on the other side. If she can make it there, we do think that there is a chance that she can find herself some healing. Yet, her making it there is no guarantee.

CarterMatt Verdict

The end of Stahl was easily the biggest moment of the episode, and in all honesty we’re glad that this transpired tonight rather than during the series finale. Shades of Blue ultimately didn’t take on too much and with that, we think the show is better as a whole. Now, it can focus almost entirely on corruption and what the future of the NYPD looks like during the finale.

Related – Want to get some more news regarding episode 10 a.k.a. the series finale?

What did you think about Shades of Blue season 3 episode 9, and what do you think about the conclusion to the arc of Stahl? Share right now below.

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