Hightown Season 2 Ending Explained: Is Frankie Dead?

At the end of the second season of ‘Hightown,’ the line between good and bad outcomes begins to blur, with every step in the direction of justice being juxtaposed with setbacks. While Ray manages to wiggle his way back into investigating Cape Cod’s criminal activity, he struggles to move past his flaws. Although Jackie initially fares better, old wounds soon start to reappear, testing her stability in this new profession. Their trajectories overlap in the form of Frankie Cuevas, whose drug empire grows to include Charmaine Grasa, a teen who stands toe to toe with those who have the most experience. All of these characters clash in the season finale, aptly titled ‘Fool Me Twice,’ and the result is a splash that affects all of them uniquely. SPOILERS AHEAD.

Hightown Season 2 Plot Recap

The season begins with Alan assuming the role of Sergeant to the Narcotics Division, with Jackie frequently assisting him in their investigations into Cape Cod’s drug epidemic. In contrast, Ray struggles to settle into his new life away from the Police, in part due to Frankie’s rise to power. This is complemented by the release of his cousin, Jorge Cuevas, from prison, following which Frankie makes him the manager of Xavier’s. While Renee no longer has to work as an exotic dancer, her new life is no better as she finds herself suffocated by the two brothers. Meanwhile, Charmaine and Aileen’s new product, called Great White, takes the market by storm, prompting a new alliance between them and Frankie. The former also secretly deals with Osito, who is serving prison time.

Jackie and Leslie develop a sexual relationship, but when the protagonist develops feelings, the latter seems put off and starts maintaining her distance. Elsewhere, Renee’s dynamic with Jorge simmers with tension, and his violent relationship with his girlfriend, Daisy, does not help. Jackie tries to recruit her as an informant, but that prospect is cut short when Frankie shoots Daisy to death for calling out Jorge’s aggressive nature. Emboldened, Jorge makes his way to Renee and threatens her with a gun. When she tries to show off her own gun, it accidentally goes off, shooting him in the chest. Renee then lets him bleed to death before getting two of her employees to dispose of the body. When Frankie grows suspicious about his cousin’s disappearance, she continues her facade of normalcy.

Charmaine’s operations hit a setback when her sister, Aileen, is killed due to narcotics poisoning, following which she tries to call it quits and leave the town. However, the Police set camp in both the sea and on the road, ultimately preventing her escape and arresting her with drugs. On the other end, Frankie grows paranoid following his cousin’s death, but doesn’t come to know that behind his back, Renee and Ray have rekindled their relationship. She resumes her position as his informant, tipping him off on Frankie’s important meeting with his dealers. However, the latter manages to escape arrest and tries to escape to the Dominican Republic, before being arrested. Jorge and Daisy’s bodies are found, and the investigation enters its next stage.

Hightown Season 2 Ending: Is Frankie Dead? Why Was He Attacked?

While the final sequence of the second season takes the form of a warm Christmas montage, with Ray, Alan, and Jackie taking a break from their stressful lives with their near and dear ones, the tone soon takes a grim turn. Back in the prison, we see Vernon, Osito’s former cellmate, charging into Frankie from behind, before stabbing him multiple times. While he is stopped almost immediately, his work seems done, as the antagonist falls to the ground and a pool of blood begins to form around him. While his injuries appear to have pierced his abdomen, he still retains consciousness, which brings up the chances of his survival. Furthermore, the fact that the guards and doctors are nearby further strengthens the possibility of him getting medical care and ultimately recovering.

The person who put the hit on Frankie is no mystery, as Vernon himself shouts out that the attack is a present from Osito, the antagonist’s former right-hand man turned arch-nemesis. This attempt brings a previous narrative beat full circle, going back to Frankie’s accusation of Osito killing Jorge. To this, the latter makes it clear that his way of assassination is far more transparent, and had he been the killer, he would have left behind a note. Though this doesn’t exactly hold true for the attempt on Frankie’s life, it is nonetheless a bold statement. While Osito holds his fair share of grudges against his former boss, the most immediate reason for the murder is likely the fulfillment of a deal with his mystery bail setter. As such, his actions hope to put an end to an age-old dynamic for good.

However, given that Frankie’s survival is more likely than not, the story is all set to head into a completely wild direction. This would add to his already overflowing list of annoyances, with Renee’s betrayal making it to the top of the list. Surviving the assassination is almost guaranteed to light a fire inside him, prompting an all-out war. As we’ve seen in the previous season, Frankie is capable of exercising control over his drug empire from inside the prison, which gives him access to both money and muscle. This threat is echoed in his own words to Renee, pointing out how she will have to live the rest of her life watching her back. Frankie’s enmity is not just with these characters, but also with Charmaine, who abandoned the operations and ultimately contributed to his arrest. Given all of this, he emerges as the wildest card in the entire series going forward.

Who Paid Osito’s Bail?

While we are told that Osito’s staggering 1 million dollar bail was paid off by a mystery person, the identity of that individual is never explicitly confirmed. However, it can be intuited that the person is someone within the drug industry, as they are most likely to have an interest in what Osito offers. Furthermore, given that they intend to ally with Osito and kill Frankie, the idea that they are a competitor also gains better footing. At the end, the person behind Osito’s release is strongly suggested to be the uncle of the young man driving Osito away from Cape Cod. This man is described as the king of New York, which suggests that the story is on its way to another leap in the scope of the story, with Osito making new allies and possibly fanning the flame of his own operations.

Do Ray and Renee End Up Together?

While Frankie has a face-to-face with death, things seem to look up for Ray and Renee, who become an official couple following the antagonist’s arrest. In their final appearance, Renee introduces the protagonist to her mother, and they all bond during Christmas. Although it appears that Renee has left her traumatic past behind and is ready to make amends with Ray, who has his own share of things to improve on, the show reminds us how this dynamic has always been on a slippery slope. Shortly before this, Ray figures out that Jorge was killed by none other than his romantic partner, but given a new chance at life, he is comfortable with ignoring that fact. However, this doesn’t erase the truth of the events, and it is likely to continue rearing its head and causing trouble in their dynamic.

Another significant change in Ray and Renee’s relationship is her unborn child. While she claims that the baby is Ray’s, we know that she herself is not sure about that fact; as such, the confirmation appears to be her attempt to bring him more on her side. This scene gets additional layers when Ray talks to Frankie, with the latter trying to get under his skin by reminding him of how Renee has a history of manipulating him. Although Frankie’s words are in bad faith, they do point to the couple’s tendency to lie to each other, evident in details such as Ray planting a tracker under her car. Furthermore, his sex addiction is bound to become a challenge in their dynamic going forward, with his flaws naturally being compared to her previous partner.

Alan Gets His Chance to Strike Back

Although Renee tries her best to move on from her culpability in Jorge’s murder, Alan seems to be right on her tail when he hears a tip about two Bayside Cleaners employees being involved in burying the body of Frankie’s cousin. It is only a matter of time before Alan follows through on the information and discovers that Renee is the one who pulled the trigger. For him to be the one heading this investigation is an ironic turn of events, as his transfer to Homicide is a result of Ray’s reinstatement as Sergeant in the Narcotics unit. Alan’s exasperation at this development is not without reason, as he points out that his former partner is given the luxury of returning right where he left things off, in contrast with the former, who has had to work his way up to the position he rightfully earned.

However, it is Alan’s work in Homicide that grants him the ability to fully investigate Jorge’s murder. With this, the discovery of Renee’s involvement can take on many routes, most notably two. It is possible that Alan reports this fact to the authorities and brings her in, as he is not bound by the emotional reasons that plague Ray. On the other hand, there is a case to be made for Alan using this knowledge as a bargaining chip to make his way back to the top. However, given that he has largely proven himself to be a straight-laced Officer who understands the value of protocol, the former is more likely, which puts Renee’s fate in imminent danger. This sets the stage for her further descent into the world of crime, or, alternatively, her eventual arrest and the drama that would follow.

How Does Charmaine Escape? Is She Caught?

Over the course of the season, Charmaine grows into a formidable player, but her luck ultimately runs out when she is arrested by Alan and his forces. Following this, Jackie and Leslie are tasked with transferring her to prison, but the teen manages to outsmart them, headbutting Jackie before making her daring escape. While the Officer gives chase, she soon loses track, and Charmaine manages to make her way deeper into the woods, unseen. Later that night, we see her find a hitchhike ride away from Cape Cod, which mirrors her last scene in the first season, making her way to a new town with new promises. However, this time serves as a point of contrast, notably due to her sister Aileen’s death, which leaves her directionless, as symbolized by her asking to be driven “anywhere but here.”

However, Charmaine’s fate isn’t completely out of reach. Prior to being arrested, she was making her way to New York, and as such, it is still a probable candidate for her future destination. Furthermore, this puts her on the same trajectory as Osito, who has always served as her ally. Given this, it is entirely possible that the two will collaborate yet again, and this time, with no prison fence between them. This plays into the idea that it is nearly impossible to leave a life of crime. The same was the case for Osito’s previous partner, Junior, and is likely to reflect in his dynamic with Charmaine as well, especially given that she has lost her primary anchor point and is now without any resources whatsoever. On the other hand, this also means that she has nothing to lose, which makes her as dangerous as Freddy.

Does Jackie Fall Back into Addiction?

Jackie has to face the brunt of the Lieutenant’s fury when news of Charmaine getting away comes to light. Although she expects some support from Leslie, her romantic interest, she is only faced with more bad news, as the latter chooses to prioritize herself, and puts the blame squarely on Jackie’s shoulders. Adding to the injury, Leslie describes her partner as a loose cannon who was put in the force by Ray, an equally infamous individual. This prompts an investigation into the case, and given that Jackie enabled the teen’s escape, her prospects seem less than favourable. However, the bigger whiplash for her continues to be Leslie’s betrayal, which causes her to break down in private.

Jackie’s string of failures is juxtaposed with Ed Murphy’s retirement party, where she is prompted by her friends to have another drink. However, this becomes a mistake, as it takes her no time to relapse and feel the urge to go deeper into the rabbit hole. Ultimately, Jackie’s drug addiction is her means of unbundling herself from the stress of her occupation, along with the trauma of her poor upbringing. However, the fact that it merely serves to continue the cycle of addiction, originally perpetuated by her father, seems to be lost on the protagonist. In the end, we see Jackie make her way to her father’s dealer, who has been a suspicious person throughout the story. Earlier, her father urged her to have sex with the man to alleviate the debts, which puts a grim spin on her future and her subsequent spiral into addiction.