Abhiroop Das
At the end of Prime Video’s ‘Ballard,’ the eponymous protagonist’s investigation into Sarah Pearlman’s murder leads to the most unexpected of answers. Before she can tighten the noose around the culprit’s neck, chaos erupts, forcing her to adapt. Meanwhile, the truth of the John Doe murder case shines a light on the criminal underworld that festers right under the LAPD’s noses. However, just when Renée Ballard and her reliable team of volunteers and reserve officers think they have tasted success, they find themselves embroiled in a much deeper conspiracy. As such, the ending embodies the idea of being one step forward and falling two steps back, with the new turn of events threatening to undo all the progress the Cold Cases Division has made. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Ballard Plot Recap
Renée Ballard leads the new Cold Cases Division, which is comprised of volunteers and reserve personnel, solving cases that have been collecting dust for years. They are backed by Councilman Jake Pearlman, in part to further the investigation into the murder of his sister, Sarah, which happened in 2001. Using her keen eye for detail, Ballard finds DNA on one of the fingerprint tapes, bringing the case back to life. The DNA connects to a previous murder of a girl named Laura Wilson. The team devotes its efforts to locating the mysterious blue van, which was spotted near the crime scenes of both murders. The investigation eventually traces it back to a storage unit listed under a man named Mike Garrison. Here, they find their worst fears come true. Sarah’s murderer is a serial killer with several more victims, including Mike himself, casting doubt on the culprit’s true identity.
Meanwhile, Ballard reopens another case, the murder of a John Doe that was closed prematurely. Her conversation with the investigating officer, Samira Parker, reveals that the police might have played a role in covering up crucial details of the case. Ballard and Parker resume the investigation, looking into the flophouse where John Doe last stayed, called the Sunbeam Lodge. However, complications arise when Yulia, a cleaner at the lodge, is killed, and the bullet that killed John Doe is mysteriously removed from custody. Nonetheless, the team’s ingenuity comes to the rescue, and they unravel the larger criminal activity network around the death. Along the way, the team takes on many other challenging cold cases. As such, the Detective navigates through layers of secrecy and uncertainty, while juggling her romantic life with Aaron, her neighbour.
Ballard’s troubles don’t end here, as she also has to deal with Robert Olivas, a fellow officer who had tried to sexually assault her in the past. Yet, when she called him out for it, he engineered her transfer away from the Robbery-Homicide Division. Ballard is upset by both his actions and the inaction of her fellow police officers, particularly her partner Ken Chastain. Ballard’s talk with Parker, who was also Olivas’s former partner, reveals an even more horrifying truth: that Parker is also a victim of his sexual abuse. When Olivas is revealed to be one of the criminals operating from within the system, Parker and Ballard determine to bring him to justice. As such, all these threads come together in the final episodes of the show, with Ballard’s team wading through layers of obfuscation to make their way to the truth.
Ballard Ending: Who is Sarah Pearlman’s Murderer? How Does Ballard Catch Him?
Toward the end of the season, the narrative reveals that the serial killer who took Sarah’s life is none other than her father, Gary Pearlman. The breakthrough comes when the team digs deep into the life of Naomi Bennett, the only surviving victim of the killer, who was attacked five months before Sarah died. Ballard brings Naomi to her old place of work as a last-ditch effort to find some clues. Here, they come across a building that Naomi distinctly remembers, as it was under construction at the time of her assault. The Detective reasons that a construction site can serve as the ideal location for the serial killer to stalk Naomi, which is in line with the killer’s profile developed by her team.
While reviewing the list of the building’s subcontractors, she is shocked to find Gary Pearlman. The shock turns into conviction when Naomi identifies him as her assailant. Meanwhile, Gary learns of the surviving victim in a conversation with Ted Raw and realizes that his days as a free man are numbered. As such, he decides to make an early escape, shooting Rawls on the way. The police barely miss him and then spend the rest of their search effort getting lost on his carefully engineered trail. Although Gary has a chance to run away for good, he is eventually caught in the Detective’s trap, though not in the way she expects.
Gary’s Motivations Become the Reason For His Undoing
Ballard’s analysis of the serial killer reveals his deep hatred for women who excel in life. As such, she arranges a press interview, intending to use Naomi’s survival as bait for Gary to finish the job. Although the interview does gain his attention, his target appears to be Ballard, who just so happens to be another successful woman. The serial killer sets up a trap of his own, making it look like he’s run off to Mexico. In reality, he makes his way into the heart of the investigation, the Cold Cases Division’s basement bullpen. Gary aims to isolate and kill Ballard, the Detective who brought him down. While he is successful in trapping her, the protagonist soon gets the upper hand and defeats him by crushing his hands with Rawls’s kettlebell, bringing things full circle.
Following the arrest, Laffont spearheads Gary’s interrogation and learns of the man’s twisted psychology and belief systems. The serial killer believes that ambition in women erodes their values and femininity, which prompts him to curb them in the worst way possible. A deeper look into his past reveals that his mother left him as a child, causing a lifelong trauma of women seemingly moving forward in life. This finds root in his attitude towards women who are successful professionally, such as Laura or Naomi, as well as romantically, such as Denise. He also explains why the suspect’s DNA in Sarah’s case didn’t point to a biological connection, revealing that Sarah was not his real daughter. He continues, claiming she earned his wrath by accusing him of infidelity after finding out about his trophy collection, particularly Naomi’s lipstick, further giving a peek into his thought processes.
Who Killed Robert Olivas?
While Gary’s case comes to a close, the complicated circumstances surrounding Robert Olivas seem far from over. In an earlier episode, he is arrested for leading a smuggling ring within the police forces. However, Bosch later informs Ballard that Olivas has escaped arrest by negotiating a deal and providing information in return. Frustrated, the protagonist storms into his house and confronts him on his manipulative ways. While Olivas celebrates his ability to slip through the cracks every time, his freedom isn’t without cost. With his family separated and his job compromised, he finds himself at his lowest point. As things seem to cool down, Ballard and Parker deplore the law that has let him wander free, not knowing they are in store for one last surprise. Out of nowhere, the police storm in and arrest Ballard for the murder of Robert Olivas.
The fact that Ballard is immediately arrested, rather than being taken for questioning, suggests that the police have firmly managed to tie her to the murder. It is possible that her altercation with him marks his last public appearance. Given Ballard’s complicated history with him and her desire for retribution, she is indeed the likeliest candidate. However, we know of her innocence, and thus, the question of who killed Olivas brings up more than a few possibilities. The most probable answer is the Cartel, which is infamous for its ruthlessness towards loose ends and traitors, both of which apply to Olivas. This is also supported by Manny’s hesitation towards revealing the truth. Since Olivas is a much more high-profile individual, it seems possible that the Cartel would take the strictest course of action towards him.
However, the Cartel is infamous for never hiding their acts or intentions, often making a spectacle out of their murders. This adds a dent to the possibility, given that the primary suspect is Ballard. On the flip side, it is also possible that she is actively being framed for the act. As a result, there is an air of intrigue around the mysterious officer who sits in the driving seat of the police car, where Ballard sits after her arrest. The officer’s suspicious eye contact sparks the likelihood of many more moles hiding their affiliations with criminal entities. Furthermore, it is also possible that Olivas’ killer has a personal motive. As such, the killer might be the cop’s wife, who is anguished over her husband’s double life ruining their family. In a similar vein, Parker is also a candidate, as she is the most frustrated of them all about him not facing any consequences. Ultimately, the narrative leaves this query open-ended, pitching multiple alternatives as explanations to be revealed in a potential future season.
Who is Luis Ibarra’s Murderer? What Happens to Him?
Alongside Sarah Pearlman’s case, the murder of a John Doe, later identified as Luis Ibarra, becomes the central focus of the narrative. Although this murder is solved early, those responsible evade justice for quite a while. The case reaches its conclusion towards the end of the show. Initial investigations into the case soon reveal a manipulation of evidence, which, when recovered, leads them to a former cop named Anthony Driscoll. The man had served as a triple agent, participating in a drug raid while also helping the Cartel’s top members escape without detection. He achieved this by exploiting Luis Ibarra, a Cartel smuggler. Anthony groomed him to be a police informant, setting him up for failure, eventually killing him in the woods. Anthony then pinned all the blame on Ibarra, claiming that the informant had betrayed them and fled to Mexico.
The reality of this tragic incident is eventually uncovered by Ballard and her team, who soon trace a larger network of illegal police activity to him. Despite Anthony having several countermeasures of his own, ranging from his series of informants to the murder of people like Yulia Kravetz, he catches the whiff of the investigation too late. In a desperate attempt, he tries to kill Ballard at her home. But the seasoned Detective fights back, eventually managing to rupture his windpipe, which leads to his suffocation. With Aaron on call guiding her, Ballard performs an emergency tracheostomy, using a pen tube to get Anthony to breathe again. However, with the last ounce of his energy, he throws the tube away, choosing death over arrest and its consequences. Driscoll’s death, while a cathartic moment, also leaves behind many burning questions, the primary being the whole truth of Ibarra’s death.
Is Abril Reunited With Her Son?
One of the burning questions left behind following Ibarra’s death is the status of the baby he was last seen carrying. As the show continues and leads about Ibarra’s case pile up, none seemingly mentions the child. However, after Parker’s prolonged negotiations with the Mexican Federal Police, she finally manages to get information on Ibarra’s wife, Abril Cortez, and son, Gael. While Abril lives alone in the country, still reeling from grief, Gael’s whereabouts seem to be unknown, bringing the search back where it started. With only a photo of the child as an infant, Laffont begins a new approach. Using age progression software to generate an older version of the child, he compares it with the images of hundreds of children put up for adoption to match the profile.
Laffont’s efforts end in success, with him locating an adoption center near the Sunbeam lodge, where Ibarra stayed prior to his death. A closer inspection finally introduces the team to Gael. It turns out that Ibarra had handed his son to a worker in the lodge, who, unable to take care of him, put him up for adoption. Earlier in the story, Abril expresses her fear of not recognizing her son; however, those fears are dispelled the moment she finally lays eyes on Gael. In a heartwarming scene, the child finally reunites with his mother, ending years of suffering. Abril now has a chance to truly start a life anew, and hopefully provide the child with a brighter future.
Is Ted Rawls Dead?
Gary Pearlman’s final victim is not one of his serial targets, but Ted Rawls, a key member of Ballard’s team. Rawls was at Gary’s residence right when he was informed of the truth, and had no time to react when Gary shot him. While he is ushered to the hospital, Ballard informs everyone that he has had severe blood loss. Although Rawls puts up a good fight, he ultimately succumbs to his injuries in the hospital. Upon hearing the news, the team breaks down in tears, as they have not just lost a colleague but a dear friend.
Over the course of the entire narrative, Ted undergoes one of the most significant transformations. Originally, he comes off as an obnoxious, lazy member of the team, criticizing their every move while refusing to put in the effort. Despite appearances, his attitude doesn’t come from a place of apathy, as he is deeply connected to the case, being an old friend of Jake Pearlman. Instead, he struggles to understand Ballard’s methods and motivations. Thus, he becomes a stand-in for the audience who are new to her thought process and dedication to the job. As Rawls spends more time with the team, he begins to care about them. This is reflected in his actions, such as helping Colleen find Yulia’s parents or backing up Martina after her fallout with Manny. As such, he blossoms into a team player, one as dedicated to the work as the lead Detective.
Earlier in the story, Ballard remarks on how he has all the makings of a good police officer but is held back by his attitude. Keeping that idea in note, Ballard speaks at Rawls’s funeral, where she acknowledges that despite being a reserve personnel, his work and zeal for justice were no different from that of an officer, and his contribution was crucial to cracking every case that the Division touched. As such, his loss leaves a gaping hole in the team, further worsened by the arrest of their leader. With the entire police force seemingly enveloped in chaos, it is now up to the rest of the Cold Cases Division to carry the spirit of Rawls and keep the flame burning.
Read More: Ballard Season 2: What to Expect?
