Each of the families attends church, before Hector Tontz is shown in prison attempting to put together a defense. Russ (Timothy Hutton) finishes renovating the home and attempts to make contact with Mark to no avail. He calls Barb (Felicity Huffman) and warns her about the DA letting Carter Nix go free, but she doesn’t answer. Aliyah (Regina King) preaches to the congregation about her treatment, at the airport. She insists her brother is a good person and got what he deserved, by walking free. Carter speaks and tells about his plight.

Afterwards, Carter forces Timothy Little to tell him about Aubry’s confession. He approaches Aliyah and whispers something, before they hug and he departs. Tony gets into trouble at school for doing nothing. Carter pays a visit to Aubry and insists they’re not going to kill her, since she is mental. Aubry insists 15 years wouldn’t be that long and they could still get together afterwards. Carter speaks about his lonely childhood and imaginary girlfriend. Aubry suggests Carter should call and talk with her, but he insists he will not. She is forced away, after trying to kiss him.

Tony and Mr. Gutierrez look at a new potential garage prospect. Jenny doesn’t seem too thrilled with the idea. Barb gets a visit from Russ, who insists he gave the prosecutor a piece of his mind, but Barb says she doesn’t care. She says Matt is gone and they’re losing Mark. Russ speaks about a nice future, with the family, but Barb continues shutting him down. Russ attempts to convince Barb that there is something else for them, before he hugs her. She forces him to let go and leave, which he does.

Hector is paraded in front of the judge. The judge refuses a continuance, as the prosecution attempts to present their case, but the witness is unavailable. With that, Hector is released. Hector asks his girlfriend what happened to the witness and she suggests he tried to help him, but turned on Hector, before they depart. Tom receives a call from Russ about selling the house. Gwen and the family are shown going on a road trip, before Carter hits up a bar and imagines he sees Aubry at the other end. He leaves, without drinking.

Outside, he places a call to Aubry. Russ comes up out of nowhere and shoots him. The cops arrives almost instantly and confront Russ. Carter dies at the hospital. Aubry is told about Carter’s death and she suggests the doctors reincarnate him. Mr. Gutierrez asks Jenny why she would want to stay in Modesto. She insists she doesn’t want to run anymore and wants to work for Carlos’s family. Eventually, she admits she wants to stick around for Carlos.

Aubry discovers her door open at the hospital and she attempts to make her escape. She passes by the newborn babies, before visiting Carter’s body. Cater begins breathing, as a nurse enters. Aubry holds Carter’s hand, before we’re shown Aubry, who seemingly killed herself. Aubry’s mother and Aliyah comfort one another. Barb is brought in to identify Russ’s body and learns about his suicide. Matt questions what they’re going to do with the body and Barb suggests Oakland.

Barb insists it is over now and pushes Matt out of the picture. Barb drops to the group and cries, before she is consoled by Richelle. Next, Hector attempts to get a job, at a call center. He is questioned about his gangs, before he admits he is tired of his life. He eventually emerges from the call center and reveals he got the job. He insists he feels like a new shirt, before the episode ends.

Review


I was really looking for to the finale of American Crime. While it did wrap everything up, it did so in a disconnected way. The killer was never really revealed and the writers went down the chaos route. Pretty much everyone ended up miserable, except for Hector and his new shirt, which felt like a rushed ending. With the incredibly low viewership and the significant quality drop, after the first few episodes, it is surprisingly to see the show renewed for a second. Sadly, the writing left the show feeling like a puzzle, with a few missing pieces. For that, the finale deserves a 5 out of 10. The chaos was fun, but ultimately, I’d rather have seen a fitting conclusion and more revelations regarding the night of the Skokie murder.