It all came down to the season finale of Graceland. How in the world was Paul Briggs (Daniel Sunjata) going to get away with killing an FBI agent and going rogue as the drug dealer, Odin? It all came down to a deflecting his responsibility onto a “Pawn” or two.
As I started watching the Graceland finale, I had no idea how it was going to play out, which is unusual on television these days. Often you can pick out the killer before the first break or easily predict the conclusion, but not with this show.
Throughout the season, Graceland went in unexpected directions that kept the characters fresh and made it exciting to watch. The agents all had complex histories and back stories that were troubled, yet unique and believable. It was only a matter of time before their secrets became a detriment to the house.
“Pawn” was all about Briggs’ exit plan. And, instead of running, he worked to cover up his misdeeds in order to protect his job and Graceland. I’m not sure how I feel about it. Briggs’ motives were pure, but his actions were wrong. The age old question of whether the ends justify the means.
Briggs helped a drug dealer that feared Jangles south of the border and set him up to take the rap for being Odin. It worked. The FBI fell for it. With Juan dead and the scapegoat out there, Briggs was no longer a suspect.
The whole purpose of creating his identity of Odin was to draw out Jangles. Briggs succeeded in that as well. People were hurt along the way, but Briggs was blinded by his anger at Jangles and it turned out himself for breaking under torture.
In an odd twist, Briggs was able to pin Juan’s killing on Jangles. All it took was adding Juan’s apartment key to Jangles massive collection of trophies. With that, Briggs was off the hook for killing his fellow FBI agent.
Briggs was in the clear and Graceland was saved. It was painful to see Charlie apologize to Briggs for questioning him, working with the Federale/Jangles, and then blaming herself for not trusting him. After all, she was right. He’s Odin. He killed Juan. And, he’s a liar.
She now questions her ability as an agent, when in actuality she should be getting a medal for following her intuitive and the leads. Instead, she was thinking about quitting. Out of everyone, I feel the worst for her. She was right and was betrayed by Briggs and dismissed by Johnny.
Briggs may have gotten away with his rogue actions, but he’s not entirely in the clear. Jakes knows the truth about Juan and is keeping that secret … for now. For some reason, Jakes owed Briggs and now that debt has been paid.
With the tape found and out there, it’s only a matter of time before it threatens Briggs once again. And, the truth about Odin will be hanging over his head too. Bello knows the truth and he could always use that as a bargaining chip in prison.
We’ll have to wait until next summer for answers, but at least Graceland has been renewed for season 2. Will it take Mike hours, days, or months to jump on a plane from Washington back to Graceland to help Briggs with whatever he didn’t previously reveal? My guess: It will only be a matter of minutes.
Mike may have thought he wanted a high profile Bureau job in Washington DC, but the action and beach lifestyle are too big a draw for him to stay away!
What did you think about the finale? Satisfied with how Briggs saved himself? Is he a good guy? Or, was he misguided in his quest for revenge?
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(Image courtesy of USA.)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
Contributing Editor and Writer for Collider, BuddyTV, TV Fanatic, CliqueClack, and other publications. TV criticism, reviews, interviews with actors and producers, and other related content. Founder of TV Diehard.
