At the beginning of the finale, Lise Delorme (Karine Vanasse) visits the motel in hopes of tracking down Tammy Lindstrom (Fiona Highet). Kelly (Alanna Bale) speaks with her dad. She tries to comfort Cardinal (Billy Campbell). She insists her father should be given a reward and not grilled. Seconds later, their attention turns to Cardinal’s dead raccoon. While Cardinal speaks with the investigators, Delorme delves deeper into Tammy Lindstrom. She watches surveillance footage and spots the license plate number on Tammy’s vehicle. Cardinal is asked about his time in Toronto. Meanwhile, Edie (Allie MacDonald) prepares to give her grandma hot water for steam. She finds her grandmother watching a news report about Eric (Brendan Fletcher).
They wind up arguing, before Edie slams the water to the floor. Back at the station, Delorme asks to speak with Cardinal in private. She bluntly asks him about his involvement with Tammy. Cardinal is eventually forced to admit to the truth. He tells his partner that he is guilty. However, she agrees to hold off on filing the report until the end of the day, so Cardinal can inform Dorothy Pine (Gail Maurice) about Katie’s killer. Afterwards, John visits Dorothy and tells her about Eric. He also confirms she might hear bad things about him in the coming days. Then, they enjoy supper together. Next, Lise visits Noelle Dyson (Kristen Thomson) and tells her that she will be turning her report in soon. However, Lise admits she isn’t entirely satisfied with the situation.
Josh (Alden Adair) tries to visit Lise at work. He spots her outside the window and gives her a call. Lise ignores his call. Meanwhile, Kelly hangs out with Catherine (Deborah Hay). They speak about the raccoon, before Kelly reveals her father didn’t want her to visit. Edie leaves home. She finds a blood trail near her car’s trunk. She opens the trunk and discovers that Keith has disappeared. John returns to work and speaks with Noelle. He tells her that she is great at her job. She forces him to clock out and leave. Instead, Cardinal visits the pharmacy and speaks with the manager. Together, they count the pills and discover that Edie has been stealing medication. Kelly returns home. Edie watches from her vehicle.
Seconds later, Delorme meets with Tammy. Delorme attempts to pry information from the woman. Delorme asks the woman about Cardinal tipping off Corbett. Delorme tries to figure out exactly why John would tip off Corbett. She suggests Cardinal might’ve been trying to protect Tammy. Tammy mentions Catherine’s name. She leaves moments later. Cardinal visits Edie’s house and discovers her grandma’s body. He returns outside and calls for backup. Then, he finds the blood trail and locates Keith (Robert Naylor) hiding in the garage. He carries Keith to his vehicle and transports him to the hospital. Meanwhile, Edie knocks on Cardinal’s door and speaks with Kelly. Edie manages to come up with a good enough story to get herself invited into the Cardinal home.
Delorme tries to get in touch with John. Cardinal manages to get Keith to the hospital in time. Then, he speaks with a colleague about Edie. John is ordered to go home. When he returns home, he is ambushed by Edie. Cardinal is shot twice. Edie tries to force John to watch her kill Kelly. However, Cardinal manages to distract Edie enough to help Kelly make an escape. Edie prepares to kill John. However, Delorme enters just in time to bring Edie down with several shots. As Delorme attempts to revive John, she tells him that she knows what happened in Toronto. Moments later, Delorme visits John at the hospital. He finally tells her the truth about Corbett. He admits Catherine’s condition caused her to use his phone and alert Corbett.
Cardinal admits he is willing to go down to protect his wife. Meanwhile, the detectives make Constable Fox (Eric Hicks) look like a fool. Delorme visits Malcolm Musgrave (David Richmond-Peck) and tells him there is no evidence against Cardinal. She tries to coax Musgrave to drop his investigation. When Delorme returns home, she discovers that Josh has moved out. During this time, John Cardinal spends time with his wife and daughter.
Cardinal Finale Review
Cardinal’s finale was very satisfying. Edie remained under Eric’s control and attempted to get revenge on Cardinal. In the end, she only hurt herself. Also, Delorme finally unraveled the mystery regarding Cardinal’s past. The revelation was pretty good and certainly unexpected. Nonetheless, it doesn’t seem like Malcolm Musgrave is ready to give up on his investigation. Also, it appears Keith will survive his injuries. I am glad to see that Cardinal will receive a second season.
While the finale could’ve been a satisfying end, I will certainly watch future episodes. I enjoyed the first season. The finale scores a 7.5 out of 10. Catch up with previous recaps of Cardinal right now!
