Major Crimes series finale: Is Phillip Stroh finally gone?

At the center of the Major Crimes series finale on TNT was one question and one question only: Did the Major Crimes Division get what they want?

Let’s phrase that in a simpler way: Is Phillip Stroh dead? Was there a victory? In a word, yes.

Through most of the episode tonight, we saw Major Crimes go on an all-hands-on-deck search to try and stop Stroh once and for all. This was no easy task for any of them to pull off, but it was certainly a necessary one. Stroh had tormented them far too long, and to go along with that you started to see the desperation in their eyes. Provenza was taking his tactics to another level — you knew that the moment that he got to the marina and put on the bucket hat, he meant business!

Ultimately, it was actually Rusty who ended up shooting Phillip Stroh in the final showdown at the marina, though it was Provenza who ended up taking the fall for the crime. Ultimately, though, he found himself cleared — and everyone else could start to finally move forward.

Related – Why a Major Crimes season 7 is not happening on TNT, or on any other network for that matter

The future for some of these characters

Sanchez has a new promotion to Lieutenant! To go along with that, we also saw Buzz get an offer to join the Police Academy and Rusty seems ready to prepare for the Bar and eventually have a future as an attorney.

In the end, everyone within the division started to get a ripe opportunity to move forward. They could celebrate their achievements and look forward to doing more of what they do best: Keep Los Angeles safe. There was an emptiness felt without Sharon Raydor, but we’ll admit that it was still fairly easy to get choked up listening to the final speech from G.W. Bailey at the end of the episode.

The closing line? “I could keep doing this job forever.” Unfortunately, we’re not going to get a chance to see it.

In our mind, though, we will continue to imagine Major Crimes doing some of what they do best, albeit in new positions and with different sorts of cases coming their way. Hopefully, no one ever forgets Sharon and Rusty in particular finds a way to carry out her legacy. It was a moving finale, even though we still have an alternate universe in our mind where Sharon Raydor lives and was there to deliver a rousing speech herself.

Thanks, Major Crimes, and thanks, The Closer. It’s been a heck of a ride.

What did you think about the Major Crimes series finale, and do you think that this served as a worthy conclusion to the entire Philip Stroh story? Be sure to share in the attached comments right now!

Also, be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook in the event you want to get more insight regarding Major Crimes right now. (Photo: TNT.)