‘The Bridge’ finale review: A season 2 prologue, and hardly a conclusion

For those wanting to see what transpires on ‘The Bridge” season 2, just use the episode that aired on FX tonight as a template. This was not an episode that was used at all to wrap up the storylines that we have come to see, and in a way, we are rather thrilled by that. The last thing that we would have wanted after seeing some of the stories this year pick up steam was for the show to tie them all up in a mad dash tonight just to make people happy.

In reality, it seemed obvious that the real story for season 1 was over back when David Tate was arrested, but we’re happy that the show has taken the time to show the aftermath of what happens from there. This is a series that seems more interested in creating a complex plotline about relations between the United States and Mexico, and how we interpret crime, than something about just a vendetta that a former agent had against Marco Ruiz.

Some of the stories that are left open for next season will keep everyone involved in some way thanks to a mutual connection: Fausto. He has ties to the Juarez P.D., and thus has ties to Sonya and the folks in El Paso. Meanwhile, he’s clearly involved in the Eva disappearance in some way, not to mention what happened tonight with Daniela … which keeps Daniel Frey a part of the mess. We celebrate this, given how badly we are campaigning for much more of Matthew Lillard on the show next season.

Meanwhile, Charlotte is clearly involved now with Fausto courtesy of the tunnel, which is hopefully going to be that common link that brings her into what we have seen all summer long with her story. We know that this is building to something big now, and we just hope that the payoff is worth it for the story of a woman who was quite frankly boring for a good part of the year.

Overall, “The Bridge” had a gripping, extremely-strong first season. While we would not say it was on the level of a “Game of Thrones” or a “Homeland,” it was a similar quality to some other great shows, like “The Americans” or “Justified” already on FX. It told a thrilling story, had great performances, and kept us coming back for more.

Did “The Bridge” finale do it for you, or is there a part of you that wished that more loose ends were actually tied up? Scroll down, and let us know what you think with a comment below.

Photo: FX