And with that, the single most infuriating season of this series is complete.
Credit where it’s due, In the Dark Season 3 Episode 13 kept consistent with the other 80% of the season, save or those precious first three installments before everything started to go downhill.
And the only consistently likable character remaining is a four-legged canine who is a really good boy and deserves all the kisses and treats.
What’s worth discussing? Well, let’s see.
Ain’t That A Kick In the Teeth
After an entire season of Murphy working her ass off to find Jess, we learn that Jess didn’t want to be found.
Jess recounted her entire tale of how she ended up in some pet shop in the middle of nowhere within, what, a month? And it played out about as we imagined.
Josiah’s protege was the one who dragged Jess out of the building and took her to the hospital. Darnell did speak to Jess while she was awake, and Jess knew that Murphy and the others were looking for her.
She also knew that Murphy cut a deal with the cops that went sideways, and even with that information, Jess chose to disappear and let everyone believe that she was dead.
Um, I’m not saying Jess deserved that kick, but I’m also not NOT saying it.
Don’t You Know that You’re Toxic?
The frustrating thing about the exchange between Jess and Murphy is that what Jessica was saying was correct. She and Murphy do have a codependent relationship.
Murphy is toxic as hell, and she treats Jess horribly. And we’ve seen evidence of all the reasons why Jess would want to cut ties with Muprhy throughout the entire season when Murphy treated so many people terribly and only focused on herself and what she needed and wanted.
Jess isn’t wrong for getting brutally honest about their relationship and how screwed up it is. However, faking her death and insisting that it would’ve been better if Murphy thought she was dead is no less despicable than things Murphy has done to Jess.
In some ways, it’s worse because Murphy only behaves how they condone. But Jessica’s actions didn’t hurt only Murphy.
Her beef with Murphy is justifiable, but what about Felix? How was it OK for Jess to allow her other best friend to assume she was dead? He didn’t do anything wrong to her!
Doesn’t she have family? What about them?!
And how unbelievable is it that Jess thought Murphy, the woman who lit the match for this whole crazy ride because of her relentless pursuit of justice for Tyson, would accept that she was dead and not go through similar measures to find her?
Accountability, Where Art Thou?
Many things have indeed happened in this series, so it’s hard to recall all the details sometimes.
However, did Jess imply that Murphy was the only reason that they ended up involved with Nia?
Let’s recap; Max argued the same thing even though he was laundering money for Nia when he met Murphy.
And the only reason Guiding Hope had to launder money for Nia in the first place was because Jess and Felix stole Nia’s money and didn’t even tell Murphy about it, right?
Murphy deserves a lot of blame on this series, but she also hasn’t earned all of it. It’s insane that they’re expecting us to treat all of these grown adults with agency as if they fell victim to Murphy time and again while absolving them of their accountability.
It’s fine that Murphy is facing consequences for her actions. She’s overdue to recognize the impact she’s left and the damage done to those around her.
However, what good is constantly beating Murphy down to address how flawed she is if none of the other core characters own up to their issues, flaws, and mistakes either? Or worse yet, they act downright indignant the entire time?
Et Tu, Darnell?!
Did anyone have Darnell turns on Murphy because of Little Darnell’s infatuation with pretty lady cops on their Bingo Card?
I did not. One of the most consistent aspects of this season is that Darnell has proven how loyal he is, and he has a soft enough spot for Murphy that he never manages to betray her.
How the absolute hell does he allow Sarah, who looked an utter fool ranting about Murphy, to convince him to turn her over?
She used things like the murder of his shady, criminal sister who damn near killed him as enough reason to turn on Murphy.
Darnell knows the truth about who shot his sister. He KNOWS Murphy wasn’t the one to do it! Wouldn’t it make sense, to tell the truth, thus pinning it on the presumed dead (because the police didn’t care enough to look any further into her) Jess than send the cops to Murphy?
Make it make sense!
Murphy Mason – Queenpin, Sicario, Criminal Mastermind Versus Nia, Patron Saint of Villainy
The unbiased approach to hunting Murphy down for the murder of a ruthless, killer drug dealer they were investigating is in direct conflict with the incredibly biased approach the entire Murphy Mason Task Force takes when speaking about, too, and attempting to capture Murphy.
What happened to “innocent until proven guilty?” What happened to the cops not being judge and jury? What happened to actually proven a case and exploring all options?
Every single one of them speaks about Murphy as if she’s the antichrist. You’d think that she was the one slinging to teenagers, running a crime mob, or anything else.
When did they start ascribing every possible crime against humanity upon her? Is world hunger Murphy’s fault, too? OK, maybe for Pretzel, but that’s beside the point.
When did they stop investigating Nia’s criminal activities and looking into all of her associates?
How have they never looked into Josiah or wondered who took over a drug empire when Nia got killed? Do they believe Murphy did that too? With what evidence?
What’s more logical? That a blind woman who worked at a dog school became the most notorious criminal in Chicago, or that the biggest criminal in Chicago connected to a dirty cop also blackmailed a couple of innocent civilians?
Why have they erased how powerful, corrupt, and criminal Nia was to slander the hell out of Murphy?
The Millenial Mod Squad talked about Nia like she was a single mother of three who fed the homeless in her spare time.
Murphy Cracks the Case
Despite the cops aggressively yelling at her, leaving a dead body on her, and aggressively snatching Pretzel from her hands, Murphy told them where to find Jennifer Walker, thus saving her life.
It is unfathomable that Murphy did more to find Jennifer than the cops ever did. And she practically gift-wrapped the girl to them.
They barely acknowledged what she did.
Josh, Go Play in Traffic!
Can Josh go? How did he become this much of an insufferable character?
He was frothing at the mouth to get to Murphy. It’s still insane that he’s walking around like a seasoned cop.
And after endless potshots and some attempt to get her to apologize, or kiss his ass, or whatever he was looking for, he got to why he was so angry.
Can we all take a moment to process that Josh thinks Murphy deserves to burn in hell for using the disability he was willfully defying protocols to keep hidden against him but didn’t have this level of animosity for Nia, the drug dealing murderer?
To borrow from Ted Lasso‘s Roy Kent, imagine suffering from the incurable condition of being a little bitch.
Josh did all of this, and he’s still not happy.
Holiday Blues, and Prison Blues, Too
Murphy made what we’re supposed to believe is the selfless and best choice by letting Jess go and heading into custody.
But it’s not the least bit satisfying given everything that has taken place.
It doesn’t even feel in character that Jess would happily take Murphy up on the offer and let her best friend go to prison for something she did while she bakes cookies or something for the holidays.
Of all the times that Murphy needed to prove that he was putting Jess first, this was a hell of a one to present without Jess feeling the least bit conflicted about it.
It was devastating to hear Pretzel whimpering after they took Murphy away.
But worse yet, Sam has enough pull to pay guards off, which doesn’t bode well, and she’s coming face to face with Murphy and still has some ridiculous level of loyalty to Nia.
Did no one else consider what could happen to Murphy if she went to prison? Ideally, Sam reconsiders some things Felix and Lesley said and helps them out.
Murphy ending up in jail isn’t a stretch, and it makes sense that the narrative wants to give her some consequences that pay off, but the contrast between her and Felix going to jail versus Jessica and Max living happy lives as if they had no parts in anything, is messed up.
Murphy and Felix Should Be Endgame, Sorry Not Sorry
Have you Murphmax shippers finally freed yourself from the shackles of this ship yet?
Max has been annoying at best for the majority of the season. Perhaps it was nice that he came to visit Murphy in jail, a lovely parallel to her doing the same, and gave both of them some closure by acknowledging he’ll always love her.
But Max wants stability and normalcy now, you guys. And Lesley gives that to him.
Truthfully, Max can stay with Lesley, and they can both kick rocks.
Meanwhile, loyal to a fault Felix is there for Murphy. He knows everything, and it’s too bad we never saw his reaction to learning that Jess was alive.
The 35 minutes they spent on Murphy and Jessica talking in circles could’ve been cut down to give us a glimpse of that phone call between Felix and Jessica.
Felix is Murphy’s ride or die. He’s devoted to her, and while we’ve learned some things to suggest that this is a disturbing pattern for him, Murphy is at her lowest and her most self-aware right now.
She treated Felix like crap, and Jess highlighted how much she ruins the people around her.
Murphy knows that she’s done that to Felix, but he’s still there.
Her declaration that he’s her best friend, something she couldn’t outright say before, speaks volumes.
Assuming that Murphy is heading towards becoming a better person, Murphy and Felix seem like a better endgame option than Murphy and Max right now.
People vs. Murphy Mason– The Laughable Trial of the Century
The wait until season four is more than welcome after all of this.
But you know what’s going to be hilarious? The prosecution’s attempts to prove their case against Murphy.
Case Highlights Shall include:
- The working theory is that a blind woman killed and buried a drug queen pin.
- There is video evidence that a civilian obtained because the cops never searched for it, that Nia had some of them at gunpoint the night of her death, but no one considered that her murder was self-defense.
- A button at the crime scene is their most damning evidence. A cop was in a sexual relationship with a person of interest and ex-felon and assisted the suspects, supposedly under duress.
- A ten-day-old rookie detective turned head of the unit allowed Muprhy to escape his custody.
- The cops refused to investigate the presumed murder of Jess.
- The cops refused to follow the Jennifer Walker lead or relay pertinent information about that missing person’s case.
- A terminated IRS agent turned consultant displayed a blatant conflict of interest by investigating this case, interrogating suspects, and carrying out his police-sanctioned vendetta.
- A litany of improper searches, illegally obtained evidence, rights violations, and more took place.
- They somehow crossed state and country lines to investigate outside of their jurisdiction.
- The police didn’t find a murder weapon.
- A department history of police corruption and misconduct that Murphy was a victim of herself.
Let us hope that Murphy gets a kickass defense attorney next season.
Although, a public defender could try this with their eyes closed.
Over to you, In the Dark Fanatics.
What are your thoughts on this finale? Sound off below!
Jasmine Blu is a senior staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.