Rabbit Hole Finale Recap: ‘What the Blue Bloody F— Was That?!’
!['Rabbit Hole' Finale Recap: Crowley [Spoiler] Season 1 Episode 8](https://tvline.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/matt_mitovich_final_v3.jpg?w=250&h=250&crop=1)
I reckon that I was not alone in thinking that, as Paramount+’s Rabbit Hole uncorked its season finale, at least one of the twists would involve someone not being who we thought them to be.
That, for example, maybe Ben — somehow — was also Crowley? Or we’d get a [MOVIE TITLE REDACTED]-ian reveal that a character was purely in twitchy Weir’s imagination all along.
So, bravo to Rabbit Hole for blindsiding me, brilliantly, with one such twist that was nowhere on my radar. And using a bit of “flashback” misdirection to pull that rug out from under all of us.
The season finale, aptly titled “Ace in the Hole,” revolved around Weir deciding to move forward with “The Homm Plan,” the existence of which both startled and probably quietly pleased Ed — even though he was about to also learn that the viral “Ed Is Not Dead” movement was in great part seeded by Ben aka “Zaius.”
The Homm Plan was about getting Ed on live TV to reveal his not-dead-nesss and also detail the conspiracy led by Crowley and other rich and powerful people to use the newly passed Shared Data Act to bend the country to their will. (As we saw early on, one of Crowley’s first acts involved the murder of three SCOTUS judges by three carefully curated patsies.)
Weir met with ABN anchor Debra to hail her integrity and offer a taste of the bombshell he wanted her to broadcast, live, with very special guest Ed at her side. Alas, soon after their meeting ended, Agent Madi and the FBI showed up to arrest Weir and haul him to their office.
Meanwhile, Ben had been sent to the home of Weir’s ex-wife Liv, to keep both her and her son Samuel safe, while Hailey drove Ed to a small “Ed Is Not Dead” protest, so that he could rile them up with a drive-by wave (which Ed took maybe a half- step too far).
While Weir was in FBI custody, Ben and Liv’s first meeting of each other was cut short by a platoon of armed goons, who dragged them away to Crowley’s hideaway. Weir meanwhile managed to pinch a key card from Agent Rasche, then make a dash for it and ultimately meet up with Agent Madi, who we learned was on his side (at least for the moment). As revealed in a jump-back, Weir had earlier emailed Madi proof that Homm was alive (and that the conspiracy ran deep into law enforcement and such), so she helped him slip out and get Ed to ABN.
Even once at ABN, Weir, Ed and Hailey would face more hurdles. Crowley made contact with the security guard who was watching over a freshly nabbed Intern, and blackmailed him into setting the lad free, with a gun. Also, the DOJ stormed the ABN lobby, brandishing legal docs demanding that the live broadcast be stopped. Luckily, the ABN legal team, followed by an arriving Agent Madi and a few agents, who declared (claimed?) the DOJ agents to be phonies, put a stop to the attempted legal action.
Crowley (played by Lance Henriksen), though, did have Ben and Liv now standing before him, cuffed — which he made clear by phoning the ABN producer and getting Weir on the phone. Stop the broadcast, Crowley demanded, or else.
This is where Weir told Crowley a little story, about how his marriage had ended years ago after one of his jobs went sideways and Liv got abducted and hurt, a finger chopped off as proof of life, as a result. Weir explained how he sent an elite assassin/operative in to rescue Liv from her captors, efficiently killing every guard in sight.
We had gotten glimpses of the above scenario throughout the finale, but had been led to think we were witnessing something else — namely, the kidnapping of Agent Madi’s wife, who daughter Chloe had repeatedly called/texted to say was late coming home. But no, the kidnapped woman was Weir’s wife Liv.
Thing is, we’d seen Liv in other episodes, and that woman wasn’t her. This is where Weir calmly informed Crowley over the phone that the handcuffed woman standing before him in fact was not Liv, but the aforementioned ruthless assassin. And on that note, the woman whipped off her cuffs, wrested a gun from one of Crowley’s men and began taking out everyone in sight, a gobsmacked Ben excluded. Once the female assassin’s handiwork was complete, Ben put an ailing Crowley, wounded out of his misery.
Back at ABN, the Intern, lurking off-camera, had Ed in his crosshairs… but upon hearing through his earwig that Crowley was no more, he smiled at Weir from across the studio and slinked away. And Ed then got to tell his story.
In the epilogue, Hailey shared with an impressed Weir how she got the FBI to go after her old boss (and let her keep the millions that technically never existed). Speaking of the feds, Agent Madi showed up to assure Weir that she could still arrest him for one thing or another… but not today. Maybe tomorrow.
Ben meanwhile noticed an earwig in dead Crowley’s ear, and placed into his own ear for a listen, seemingly (too?) fascinated by who/what he heard on the other end….
Fingers crossed for a season 2!
My only complaint in an otherwise wonderfully written twisty season was in the finale we got a typical “idiot cops” scenario. You mean to tell me after such good planning, they write it so that a single cop is left in charge of searching the kid’s bag? No way. Not after all that came before. Don’t buy that for a second. Just a poorly written way for the kid to escape.
Unless Weir planned for the kid to escape. That’s the only thing that would have it make sense. That would actually be some clever writing and we would presumably find out more next season. We’ll see.
I thought for sure Ben would be revealed as Crowley …I’m glad the kind if wrapped it all up in this episode just in case its not renewed
They weren’t cops, they were “just” (no offense!) security personnel. That might explain the situation.
I was actually a bit annoyed about the fact that they had the guy place the cell phone on the bag at exactly the right angle for the camera to be able to scan his face. The screen was dark, not like he had to read or watch anything on it. For me, the more natural action (aka hand movement) would be to look at the phone and then lay it face down on the table. So that whole situation felt to me a bit lazily written. Otherwise, no complaints!
Doesn’t Peter weller play Crowley, not lance henrickson??? I haven’t watched the episode yet, but I’m confused
Weller, we knew, was a misdirect. Watch the finale.
Misdirect how? He’s (Weller) shown in the earlier eps monitoring video feeds and such, sending flunkies out, then even meets with Wier in Ep. 8. So you’re saying that the Weller character is a fake Crowley, set up by Crowley himself?
I love this show. It was way better than I first expected.
Rabbit Hole full of twists and turns. Intrigue, kept you wanting more. So much switching back and forth. Well written everyone wants to know the ending. That would spoil everything. The ear Bud at the end who do you think was Ben listening to. I believe there are clues throughout the 8 episodes you just have to figure it out. Cat & Mouse
Did nobody see the young woman’s dead body under the highway toward the end of Edward’s monologue?
Who was she? Jo’s daughter? Wife? ???
Everyone’s worried if Crowley’s really dead… I think the gallons of blood around his head and the brain matter splattered all over his chair answers that question.
she was intern girlfriend dude who he murdered in his car after she killed senator Evers or whatever her name was in the rally.
Ah, yes. Thanks. I didn’t recognize her. She was wearing denim when he killed her a couple of episodes earlier. That was an odd place to show her body don’t you think?
I binged Rabbit Hole yesterday and loved it. Admittedly I got a little confused by all the jumping around, past and present, but it all came together in the end. Hoping for season two.
I mean kiefer Sutherland must love these types of roles where he’s the main prtoganist but everyone else around him you don’t know it’s why 24 was such a good show because you had to watch each week what layer of the onion would be pulled back and again when it launched was 2 months after9/11 and the show’s creator said no we’re keeping the opening shot is probably why it suceeeded although you also had a good supporting cast and even in later years I thought for sure when Janine gealofollo was brought in I would hate he’d because of her political views yet on the show she was neutral and became a character just as likeable as chloe
Amazing show! Though the ending feels a lot like a one and done. The storyline took place over their entire lives. A new season would have to be something totally fresh that hasn’t been taking place over their entire lives. Unless they pickup where left off and things go amiss in some way. But I would love it if they figure it out!
I’m confused – I thought Peter Weller played Crowley in the earlier episodes, but now it’s credited to Lance Hendrickson?????