This article includes mentions of death by suicide and police brutality.
MAJOR Cross season 1 SPOILERS lie ahead!
Prime Video season 1 Cross includes a large body count, with each death having a significant purpose in the overall story and character arcs. The Amazon Prime Video show follows a forensic psychologist and detective named Alex Cross, who tries to solve murder cases while grieving the loss of his wife, Maria Cross.
In the first season, the titular detective tracks a serial killer named The Fanboy, who is obsessed with and idolizes dead serial killers. With The Fanboy and his sidekicks as the story’s antagonists, it’s no surprise that a large number of deaths occur. Ultimately, every death in Cross The first season of the series is narratively necessary and influences the thoughts and actions of the main characters.
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Maria Cruz in Cruz Episode 1
Killer: Miss Nancy (Conspirator) and Peter Lenox
Cross’ first scene is the murder of Maria, Alex Cross’s wife, and sets the tone for his character’s entire arc in the series. He is unwilling to deal with his grief over the loss of his wife, refusing to go to therapy until the end of the year. Cross season 1. Alex becomes emotionally distant from her children and gets angry whenever they mention her. Almost all of his impulsive and reckless decisions are rooted in his loss and his desire to find the killer.
In the last two episodes of Cross season 1, Alex finally learns who killed Maria Cross and why they torment her family. Miss Nancy conspired with her son Peter Lenox to murder Maria Cross in revenge because Alex told the courts that Dierdre Nolan could not be rehabilitated to re-enter society. Nancy blames Alex for her death behind bars, ignoring her guilt for what happened to Dierdre. Unfortunately, Maria Cross was simply collateral damage due to her grudge against the detective.
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Emir Goodspeed in Cross Episode 1
Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy
The murder case that brings The Fanboy to the police department’s attention is that of a political activist named Emir Goodspeed. Although they initially think he died from an accidental drug overdose, Alex Cross notices elements out of place, such as the fact that his locs were shaved, he was sober before his death, and they found pork in his stomach. The detective’s background in forensic psychology allows him to see death in a different way, and it is eventually revealed that he is right about someone murdering Emir.
The Fanboy, aka Ed Ramsey, chose Emir as his eleventh victim because the young man looked almost identical to Maurice Freeman Jr.a real-life serial killer nicknamed The Sandman. He shaved the Emir’s spot because the serial killer was bald. Ramsey force-fed his victim pork chops, mashed potatoes and a chocolate cupcake to match the killer’s last meal.
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Tavio Lemmons in Cross episode 1
Assassin: a sniper, under the orders of Ed Ramsey
Although the police captain wants to tell the story of Tavio’s murder as a gang-related murder, Cross knows this is not true and refuses to continue with that narrative. The Prime Video original later reveals that Tavio was killed by a gunman – presumably, but unconfirmed, Bobby Trey – on Ed Ramsey’s orders because Emir called Tavio on the day of his death. Tavio had a message on his cell phone that identified the place where Emir went to leave.
If the police obtained this information, they would have reason to suspect that Ed Ramsey was the killer. Ultimately, Vanessa sends this voicemail to her own phone so she has a record of what happened with Emir Goodspeed. Fortunately, the police obtain a copy of this information, informing them that Tavio was likely killed by whoever killed Emir.
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Vanessa Norris in Cruz episode 2
Killer: Bobby Trey
After Tavio was murdered, Vanessa stole his phone and went into hiding with Bobby Trey. It is unclear what exactly she wanted to achieve. Although Bobby Trey was killed primarily on Ed Ramsey’s orders, he broke rank by killing Vanessa of his own free will. He tried many times to get her to unlock Tavio’s phone, threatening to kill her if she didn’t. After she finally unlocks her phone and sends herself a voicemail message, Bobby Trey slits his throat, takes Tavio’s phone and escapes.
This moment shows the difference between Ed Ramsey and his servant. Ed considers himself a moral and fair killer, who only kills when necessary. However, Bobby Trey could have easily just picked up the phone and walked away. There was no reason to kill Vanessa since he got what he wanted, but he did it anyway. In reality, Ed is fooling himself into thinking he is above frivolous murder; Bobby Trey and Ed Ramsey are equally bad.
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Brenda Leeland in Cruz episode 3
Killer: Alex Cross in self-defense
At the beginning of episode 3 of Cross, an ex-con named Brenda Leeland is given a box with a gun and the instructions “Kill Alex Cross.” While the show doesn’t directly show the person who gave it to her, Peter Lenox likely went right out of the box. When Brenda goes after Alex Cross with the gun, he shoots her in self-defense, killing her. Unfortunately, no one was around to verify that he was actually acting in self-defense because John Sampson was in a different area at the time of the shooting.
Ultimately, Alex Cross is cleared of the murder because they found the note with instructions. However, the Brenda Leeland incident fuels the later perception that Alex Cross is a dirty cop. As soon as the video comes out of him beating and pointing a gun at a black man, there is an unspoken implication that Cross engages in police brutality. They never directly mentioned the Brenda Leeland case, but it could have been an influencing factor.
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Stan Cikola in Cross episode 4
Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy
When it comes to the kidnapping of Shannon Witmer, many of Cross’s supporting characters fail her by knowing where she is and having the ability to help, but giving in to the demands of a rich and powerful man. They constantly alter their morals and values because they believe this will help them progress. However, Stan Cikola is the only character who does the right thing by trying to help Shannon after learning her location.
When she is tied up and locked in the closet, Shannon knocks over a bottle with her foot. Stan hears the sound and turns around, then the prisoner starts screaming through her gag. He puts himself in danger by going to the closet and opening it. Unfortunately, Ed probably heard the crash and the screams too, because he enters the room and hits Stan in the head with the back of a hammer, spraying blood all over Shannon.
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Chris Wu in Cross episode 4
Killer: Bobby Trey
Chris Wu is Alex Cross’s fellow police officer and Bobby Trey’s former co-worker. He is the one who steals the book from the police and takes it to Bobby Trey. It’s unclear if Cross knew about Chris’s betrayal or if he put a tracker in the book. Anyway, the titular cop shows up at the scene, so Bobby Trey shoots Chris Wu to escape.
Cross analysis of the main facts |
|
Created by |
Ben Watkins |
Rotten Tomatoes Critics Score |
76% |
Rotten Tomatoes audience score |
73% |
Based on |
James Paterson Alex Cruz book series |
That doesn’t work for Bobby Trey, because Cross brought in John Sampson as a backup. As such, John stays with Chris, trying to save his life, while Alex Cross pursues the killer. Ultimately, this murder in Cross the first season proves two things. Firstly, it points to the idea that there is police corruption within the department, foreshadowing Lieutenant Massey’s betrayal. Secondly, it reaffirms that Bobby Trey has no qualms about murdering someone, even someone he cares about, if it suits him.
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Rodney in Cross episode 6
Killer: Michael Grisham (unwittingly) and Ed Ramsey
In Cross In episode 6, the eponymous police officer travels to another state to visit someone who knew Ed Ramsey as a child, uncovering long-buried secrets. Michael Grisham was a former lead singer of a macabre band that Ed was obsessed with. On stage, they imitated ritual sacrifices. When Alex Cross speaks to Michael, he reveals that he had known for years that Ed was dangerous because he had seen him murder someone years before.
Michael catches a video recording where Ed convinces Michael and a man named Rodney – both drunk – to participate in a fake sacrificial ritual. They pose for photos with Michael holding a dagger over Rodney’s heart. Under the pretense of fixing the pose, Ed approaches, grabs Michael’s hands and plunges the knife into Rodney’s heart. This scene is crucial to understanding Ed’s past and his desire to kill.
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Michael Grisham in Cross episode 6
Killer: Lieutenant Oracene Massey
Despite his hesitation and fear of being framed for the murder, Michael Grisham reveals that Ed Ramsey killed Rodney in the past. He travels to D.C., and the police department places him in a safe house until he can speak to the grand jury the next day. However, in one of the most shocking moments, Lieutenant Massey shoots Michael in the head while he is talking to his unborn fetus.
This isn’t the first time the show has brought police corruption to light, but it’s one of the most impactful because Massey comes across as a genuine and kind person throughout Cross’ first season. Ed is the reason she is pregnant. He paid for her visits to a fertility doctor in exchange for her helping him hide his crimes. He destroyed his limits, pushing the limit until he reached the point of murder.
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Officer Jim Farley in Cross Episode 7
Killer: Ed Ramsey/The Fanboy
After Ed Ramsey injects himself with drugs that stop his heart Crosshe wakes up in the hospital morgue. He makes the coroner lose consciousness and steals his clothes. Ramsey then goes to Shannon’s hospital room and tells Officer Jim Farley that he needs to check on her. However, the police officer does his job, stopping Ed from checking his badge. Ed Ramsey makes a gesture as if he is reaching for his badge, but then stabs Officer Farley repeatedly with a scalpel, placing him back in a sitting position afterwards.
Ultimately, Officer Farley’s death didn’t have much of an emotional impact, as he didn’t appear on screen before this scene. However, it points to the fact that Ed Ramsey is not the healthy, moral killer he believes himself to be. When the time comes, he jumps to murder rather than trying any other tactics to get into the room.
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Miss Nancy in Cross episode 8
Death by suicide
The final death at the end of Cross the first season takes place when Miss Nancy dies by suicide. Before this decision, her son, Peter Lenox, discovers that she is the reason why Dierdre went to prison. She convinced the woman to admit to Peter’s crime, saying that Dierdre would never be charged for more than a short period because she was a beautiful, young, white woman with no prior record.
However, she never discussed this with Peter, letting him believe it the entire time. Cross that Dierdre made this decision entirely of her own free will. He begins to berate her for making the decision for him and causing Dierdre’s death. He refuses to help her hurt Alex Cross’s children, seeing them as innocent parties like Dierdre was. Ultimately, she cannot face her decision and the fact that Peter knows about her lie, thinking that she has no other choice but to die by suicide.