Abhiroop Das
At the end of Season 3 of ‘Hightown,’ peace and chaos walk hand in hand, with the characters reflecting on the long and arduous journey they have taken. Ray Abruzzo appears to have settled in life, but Frankie’s return to the fray threatens to ruin the fragile stability of his family, forcing him to act. On the other hand, Jackie’s cyclical battle with her addiction continues, this time leading her down a rabbit hole that forces her to confront how she really feels. Osito and Charmaine hope to pull the New York drug market into Cape Cod and become the new kings of the region, but a series of ordeals stand in their way, the foremost being Ray’s Narcotics Division. As such, the finale, titled ‘Big Fish,’ sinks its teeth into the characters’ interpersonal conflicts and searches for a resolution. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Hightown Season 3 Recap
The season begins with Jackie waking up disoriented on the beach after a night of blackout drinking. Ray now lives with Renee and their daughter, Scarlet, but their relationship is gradually straining. While he remains absorbed in his work, his wife grows increasingly unhappy at home, which compels her to take up the managerial position at Xavier’s. Elsewhere, Frankie remains in custody, recovering from a stab wound to the abdomen. On one occasion, Owen Frawley, the cousin of the New York drug kingpin Shane Frawley, kills a woman he believes to be a threat to his operations. Ray leads a task force against him, and Jackie is assigned despite her instability. Soon after, a call about her missing car leads her to a location where she finds her former fling’s bloodied t-shirt inside.
Soon, Jackie fails a drug test and is removed from the task force. Undeterred, she conducts her personal investigation into her missing fling, Veronica, who is revealed to be a prostitute. Elsewhere, Ray takes on a rookie officer named Sarah Keagan and assigns her increasingly dangerous undercover missions, including a relationship with Owen for intel. Renee, finding it hard to manage work and family, gets the help of a nanny named Rachel, not knowing that she is Frankie’s girlfriend. Jackie’s search for Veronica takes her through many criminals, and a string of the girl’s history as a thief begins to form. Elsewhere, Osito hopes to profit off a turf conflict and secretly burns Owen’s stash, setting him off.
Jackie’s quest then leads her to Petey, her former dealer, who she finds murdered in his home. Believing Veronica has met a similar fate, the protagonist relapses. Elsewhere, Renee panics after discovering Rachel has stolen twenty grand and is unaware that her husband is having an affair with Sarah. Owen’s clash with Osito soon takes a violent turn, with the former shooting Osito in the eye before killing his driver. Although Osito survives, he yearns for revenge. Meanwhile, Ray remains involved with Sarah and encourages her to keep close to Owen, while Renee sinks deeper and begins to sell drugs from Xavier’s. However, things take a turn for the worse when Frankie is released from prison. Immediately, he kills Vernon, making it clear that he is out for revenge.
Owen continues to be a loose cannon, nearly killing Sarah during one of their exchanges. This prompts his uncle, Shane, to make the difficult decision of killing him. In turn, Osito and Charmaine begin working their way into the Tampa drug market and discuss expanding back into Cape Cod. Jackie’s investigations lead her to the house of a local cop, Officer Dolan, where she spots a musket once owned by Petey. When caught snooping, she is attacked by Dolan, but ultimately manages to subdue him. Elsewhere, a police raid at Xavier’s fails to uncover evidence of Jorge’s murder, but Alan manages to get a hold of a worker ready to spill the beans. This prompts Ray to take action, using the drug money earned by Renee to pay that worker off. Jackie tries to bring the subject of corruption to the DA, leaving things on murky grounds.
Hightown Season 3 Ending: Why Does Ray Kill Frankie?
Ray’s series-spanning dynamic with Frankie comes to a jaw-dropping finish when he kills the latter in cold blood. However, it is not a murder within the bounds of legality, and knowing this, Ray takes great care to hide his presence. He masks up and waits for Frankie to be isolated, following which, he shoots from the back, before disappearing into the woods. While it is a surprising development, it is not one without reason, and we are shown the events that led up to it in the scenes prior. Primarily, it has to do with Frankie’s visit to the protagonist’s home, where he threatened Renee about her culpability in Jorge Cuevas’s murder, and how he plans to get her in prison, and raise his son himself. Although Renee puts up a brave front, she understands as well as he does that he has the upper hand.
The situation completely changes when Ray learns of this. In particular, Frankie’s toying with Ray and Renee’s daughter while making his claims seems to rile up the protagonist, as it finally sets in for him how real the threat is. Prior to this, he has made a number of desperate ploys to clear his wife’s name from the murder investigation, and in light of this, Frankie continues to be the definitive loose end. Ray decides to put an end to things once and for all. He promises his wife that her former partner will no longer be a burden on the family. Following this, he asks Osito where Frankie will be in the upcoming days and carefully plans out his action. The assassination is a stealthy success, as the following day, no one has any idea who killed the reigning drug kingpin of Cape Cod.
Frankie’s death also marks the end of years of bitter rivalry between him and Ray, which precedes the events of the show, as we begin with the former behind bars. Even in prison, his impact on the story has been undeniable, and he forced Ray to bend the rules every step of the way in the desperate hopes of one-upping the antagonist. Frankie, too, countered back, often using the Officer’s tactics against him, and their complex game of chess soon reached a stalemate. As such, it is ironic that the move that finally kills Frankie is spontaneous, and comes outside of all expectations, leaving him no room to plan or foresee things. In the fallout of the murder, Ray visits the scene, along with Alan and Jackie, and the latter mentions how it’s the end of an era, not knowing that the killer is standing right next to her.
Does Ray Work For Osito Now?
Ray rests at ease, believing that no one suspects him. However, this notion is soon proven wrong when he gets a phone call from none other than Osito, who makes it clear that he knows the truth behind Frankie’s murder. Ray’s mistake of relying on Osito for intel backfires, as the clever criminal easily puts two and two together. While he may not have evidence, simply accusing the protagonist of the crime is enough for the police to direct their attention towards him, following which, it is only a matter of time before Ray is caught. Having only recently gotten his job back, he realizes the possibilities this can create, from him being suspended to avoid media buzz at best to him being arrested for murder at worst. Given this, he says nothing when Osito declares that Ray will pay back the favor he owes. This subtly confirms that the protagonist is now under the new drug kingpin’s thumb and can do nothing about it.
While Ray has had his fair share of flaws throughout the journey, he has consistently been a hard-core cop who has never once sided with the enemy. In fact, his traits have made him crucial to the force’s informant department, as he could easily interact with them without being distracted from his true orientation. As such, his dynamic with Osito marks a new chapter in their life. As a major member of the Narcotics division, Ray’s new role in maintaining the balance between Osito and the police is likely going to be a particularly difficult one, with him having to face the risk from both ends. The new development also has a thematic dimension, as it can be interpreted as Ray’s ultimate punishment. Having played with fire at every turn, the protagonist is now trapped, seemingly for good.
While Ray’s arc has a tragic ending, the same cannot be said about Osito, who exits the season as a more successful man than ever. Just before death, Frankie had cut out a tripartite deal with Osito and Shane Frawley, and they all seemed ready for business. However, with one end gone, Osito’s share of the profits is likely to blow up, along with the power he exerts all over Cape Cod. This is reflected in his operating the drug business with a grin on his face. More importantly, Charmaine can be seen by his side, equally eager to participate. After a long period of hiccups, the old allies finally get to work together, complete with a budding new Osito’s growth is noted by Frankie, his former boss, and it only makes sense for him to take the lead of the underworld. Ray fails to escape.
Do Jackie and Alan Join the Internal Affairs Division?
As Ray sinks deeper into a life of crime and secrecy, his colleagues, Jackie and Alan, begin their campaign against it. In the final sequence, they can both be seen entering the State Police Internal Affairs Division, and it is likely that they have volunteered to become a part of it. The two officers have their own reasons for this decision, and it can be pieced together from the many cases they handle across the season. Alan’s arc is marked by a disillusionment with the system, as despite trying his best to follow protocol and lead a just life, he always seems to fall behind Ray, despite the latter’s glaring personal issues. This comes to a head when Alan has to helplessly watch as his investigation into Jorge Cuevas’s murder goes to waste after Ray covers up Renee’s involvement. Thus, it is likely that his next step is directed towards a formal investigation into Ray’s corrupt practices.
Jackie’s reasons are similar, but come from a different direction altogether. Her role in the season is punctuated by a parallel mystery into the death of her dealer, Petey, along with the disappearance of one of her sexual partners, Veronica. The two cases appear to be related, and soon she uncovers that Dolan, a corrupt police officer, is behind the scenes. He is backed by a larger network of corruption, which gets no attention from higher authorities, despite her many attempts. This leaves her with two choices: to continue her life as a member of the Narcotics unit, or pursue this burning internal issue to its lengths. The turning point comes after Frankie’s death when she notices how dispassionate Ray is towards the investigation, likely growing suspicious of him. With this, she chooses to pursue her real desires instead and makes her way deeper into the system.
Does Jackie Overcome Her Addiction?
Jackie’s transformative journey doesn’t end on a professional level, as she also makes great strides in reconciling with her true self and working on her issues. This is reflected in her attending yet another round of group therapy for addicts, where she reveals that she has been at it for over a month. Following this, she begins a monologue that serves as a series of retrospectives. She details how her previous attempts at recovery failed because she tried to avoid taking responsibility for her actions, instead focusing on the damage inflicted on her psyche by external circumstances. In acknowledging this, she promises to start things anew and brings up how she has now become a team player, one who is more sensitive to how her actions impact others.
Jackie immediately exemplifies what she said when she has a chance meeting with Leslie, her former romantic partner. Immediately, the protagonist apologizes for not owning up to her actions and shows empathy when the conversation turns to Leslie and how her life has been going. Jackie’s latest trip to rehab is different from her previous attempts, owing to a greater level of self-awareness. As such, even if she fails and relapses, she is likely to find her footing once again. The final scene shows Jackie fishing with Ed Murphy. While the ocean has always been a site of work for her, this leisurely moment shows how she has found balance in life and is now looking forward to new directions while also nurturing the relationships she treasures.
Read More: Where Was Hightown Filmed? All Shooting Locations
