Aahana Swrup
In ‘Duster,’ unlikely partners Jim Ellis and Agent Hayes chart a whirlwind ride that often takes them toward dangerous ledges. Yet, this time, as the latter’s cover blows over thanks to the keen-eyed Billy, the duo find themselves in a hole they might not be able to dig themselves out of. However, crime boss Saxton may not be the worst of their enemies. Hayes’ inquisitive work has ruffled enough feathers among the higher-ups in DC that they have sicced her own colleague from the Bureau on her with an assassination job. On the other hand, Jim’s investigation into his brother, Joey’s death, threatens to blow over all his past assumptions and lead him to an unpredictable conclusion. Thus, in the season finale, episode 8, titled “66 Reno Split,’ the getaway driver arrives at a place that puts more than just his life on the line. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Hayes Confronts Saxton About Her Father’s Death
Nina Hayes has been dedicated to bringing Ezra Saxton down for the longest time. It’s the same reason she applied for the Bureau and strong-armed her way into Phoenix, Arizona. It’s also why she has put her all into working on Sax’s case despite the countless hurdles that have been put in her path. Therefore, once Billy kidnaps her and brings her in front of the crime boss, it’s bound to expose old wounds. The FBI Agent’s cover as a Russian translator well and truly blew up once Groomes woke. There, when Saxton arrives to interrogate her, Hayes decides to face him head-on, as the daughter of Vergil Hayes, the man whom he killed all those years ago.
For his part, Saxton has some unexpected information to share with the Agent. Hayes has always grown up thinking her father earned the crime boss’ ire simply because he wanted to leave the criminal underworld. Nonetheless, it turns out there was more to the story than met the eye. Around the same time that Vergil started wanting to shed his old life behind, he also started working with the local law enforcement as an informant. Consequently, when Saxton killed the man, he wasn’t simply executing petty punishment. Instead, he was taking his revenge by making an example of Vergil. Nonetheless, this backstory does little to simmer Hayes’ desire to avenge her father. Similarly, now that Saxton has the FBI Agent on his tail under his thumb, he only has the worst of fates planned for her.
Jim and Hayes Come Close to Facing Their Doom
Shortly after Saxton and Hayes’ confrontation, the duo receives a new surprise: Jim Ellis. The getaway driver-turned-FBI informant had luckily learned about Billy and Groomes’ reunion through David, the oncologist. As a result, after alerting Awan about his partner’s probable abduction, he walks right into the jaws of danger to rescue the FBI Agent. He walks into the dangerous den with a plan in place. While Jim confronts Saxton, his father, Wade, keeps the latter’s daughter, Genesis, company at her bar. Although she doesn’t know it yet, her dad’s old friend is prepared to kill her if his son fails to reach out again by a certain deadline. Nevertheless, this plan doesn’t do much to deter the crime boss.
Saxton’s family and the Ellises have a long and varied history together. Therefore, he doesn’t believe Wade will pull the trigger on his daughter. Consequently, he’s prepared to take the risk and send his enemies toward their deaths. Since Hayes is an FBI Agent and he doesn’t wish to get her blood on his own hands, he has Billy drive her out to the middle of nowhere. There, Xavier’s accomplice, Agent Grant, will be waiting to execute her. Meanwhile, he sets up a different trap for Jim. Saxton has been engaged in a turf war with Greek Sal for some time now. This same rivalry has cost him the treasured case containing Nixon’s tape, which his rival managed to steal from under Howard Hughes’ nose. Consequently, he’s prepared to hand Jim over to the other crime boss in exchange for the case.
Nonetheless, the tables eventually turn against Sax. Despite the circumstances, Hayes never stops fighting even after Grant comes for her life. Consequently, she manages to stave him off long enough for her partner, Awan, to track her down by following the traitorous Agent’s scent. Meanwhile, Jim also manages to save his own life by diminishing Saxton’s confidence against his father’s ability to kill Genesis. Once that happens, the crime boss gets cold feet about trading the driver’s life for the Nixon case. This results in a shootout between Saxton’s men and Greek Sal. Eventually, Hayes also joins in on the fight, increasing the odds in the former’s favor. Nonetheless, even after besting the other gang, Sax ends up laying down his life for his son Royce. Ultimately, while the duo manages to escape the debacle with their lives, Saxton dies protecting his kids.
Duster Finale Ending: Who is Xavier?
One of the mysteries that remains central to Jim’s narrative revolves around the death of his brother, Joey. The latter died in a car explosion, presumed to be a freak accident. However, the getaway driver learns a different truth when Agent Nina Hayes crosses paths with him. From the minute she learns about Joey’s death, she remains suspicious of the entire ordeal. Consequently, she looks into the case and unravels a disconcerting truth. The explosion that is believed to have killed Joey didn’t come from inside his van. Instead, it was an intentional bomb, set up using the C4 explosive. Years ago, Saxton had used an identical method to kill Vergil. Therefore, Hayes remains confident that the crime boss is behind this murder as well.
Naturally, this remains a hard pill for Jim to swallow. Saxton has always treated his family like his own. For the same reason, the idea that he would kill Joey is hard to believe. In fact, initially, after the driver signs a deal with the FBI Agent, he does his best to prove her theory wrong. Nonetheless, he can’t deny the connection between his boss and his brother’s death once he traces the unique C4 explosive to Saxton. Even so, when he later confronts the older man about it, he categorically denies the accusation. After the crime boss loses his life in the shootout against Greek Sal’s gang, it almost feels like he would take the details of this secret with him to the grave.
Nevertheless, Hayes discovers the truth about Joey and his death all on her own. Once the Saxton case gets shut down, the Agent tries to hand in her resignation, having done what she joined the Bureau to do. However, her boss, Abbott, rejects her resignation. As it turns out, he has another, bigger assignment for her. Over the past few weeks, Hayes has continuously tried to investigate departmental corruption, something that her boss wrote off as her paranoia. Yet, she had actually been right all along. There is a conspiracy afoot involving federal agents that goes all the way to the top. One name remains connected to this conspiracy: Xavier. Now that Hayes has been recruited to work the case, she finally has clearance to learn about the mysterious man’s secret identity. Thus, she discovers that Xavier is actually Joey Ellis, who has been alive all this time.
Did Saxton Kill Joey? What Happened to Him?
Joey’s death turns out to be infinitely more complicated than previously imagined. Initially, when Hayes tries to pin the Ellis brothers’ murder on Saxton, the implication remains that the former must have wanted to leave the crime organization, which put him on the crime boss’ radar. The latter’s sincerity around the Ellis family remains easy to believe on multiple occasions, especially when Jim goes on one-on-one missions with him. For the same reason, there’s still some doubt about his involvement in Joey’s death, even after the C4 connection all but confirms it. Therefore, the revelation about Xavier’s identity clears up more than a few doubts.
As it turns out, Saxton indeed never killed Joey. This is because Jim’s brother isn’t actually dead. It was common knowledge that the Phoenix crime boss was grooming the Ellis brothers to take over his criminal empire one day after his own retirement. However, when the time came, instead of passing the baton to Joey, Saxton helped him conquer an entirely different stage instead of passing the baton to Joey. The latter had the plans and the potential to become a threat that supercedes his boss’ influence. Therefore, he decided to fake his own death, shedding his Ellis name to take on a new identity as Xavier.
Yet, even after Joey’s identity as Xavier is revealed, terrifyingly little is known about the man. We know that he was still in business with Saxton, particularly regarding the acquisition of the Nixon tape from the Russians. Furthermore, Agent Grant’s storyline also establishes the fact that Xavier has deep connections at DC, as far up as the Oval Office. Furthermore, as Abbott explains it, he’s intricately involved in interdepartmental corruption and conspiracy. Ultimately, much about the mysterious man still remains a mystery. Even so, now that we know he has a personal connection to Jim Ellis, we can rest assured that his secrets will be unraveled in potential future seasons.
What Happens to Nixon’s Tape?
The Nixon Tape has been a crucial element within the plot for some time now. It contains a recording of the President discussing his plans of mass destruction, orchestrated solely so that he can swoop in and save the day as a hero himself. Inevitably, this tape promises great power and influence for whoever owns it. For the same reason, Saxton, who is working with Howard Hughes, makes a million-dollar deal with the Russians to take ownership of the tape. Nonetheless, before their men can take it to their higher-up, the ever-elusive Xavier, they hit a minor bump in the road. Greek Sal, who has a bone to pick with Saxton, steals the case without ever knowing the value of what’s inside it.
Consequently, when Saxton offers Sal an exchange for the case in return for Jim, who ruined the latter’s daughter’s wedding, he is quick to take him up on the offer. Nonetheless, the ultimate shootout ruins this plan as well. As such, even after Sal dies, one of his surviving men manages to run away with the case. In the aftermath, the henchman ends up bringing the case to a different crime lord in the wake of his own boss’ death. As a result, the tape ends up in the hands of the recruiterman for Mad Raoul, the terrifying kingpin from Mexico. Thus, it seems a myriad of complications await Xavier in the future, who will undoubtedly go up against Raoul to get his hands on the precious tapes.
Read More: Duster Episode 4 Recap: Longitudes, Latitudes, and a Lincoln
