Cities Season 1 may have left us very satisfied, but there’s always a cliffhanger to check out… well, a big cliffhanger.
**Spoilers ahead for Cities Season 1, now streaming on Netflix**
In just eight episodes, the series managed to make us all fall in love with the elderly (but not elderly or infirm) people of The Boroughs, a fictional retirement community in New Mexico. After being forced to relocate following the death of his wife, Sam (Alfred Molina) is not thrilled at the idea of having to match, but the burden is eased by his friendly neighbors, Judy (Alfre Woodard), Renee (Geena Davis), Jack (Bill Pullman), Art (Clarke Peters), and Wally (Denis O’Hare).
Unfortunately for the newest resident of The Boroughs, there’s a lot going on behind the scenes – or should we say below – as forces of evil and the supernatural seem to be at play. While Season 1 left us wanting more, it also gave us a great ending that sets up season two nicely. But what happens and who makes it out alive? That is the question at hand.
No sweat, whether you want to skip ahead and find out how it ends or don’t quite understand what you’re watching, we’ve got you covered. Read on for a full explanation of the Season 1 finale of Citiesincluding who brought it to life and what may follow the inhabitants…
Cities Season 1 Finale Explained: Who Lives and Who Dies?
In the end, everyone in the core group of cul-de-sac neighbors makes it out of Season 1 alive, sans Jack (Bill Pullman), who dies in the series’ cast. Sadly, Jack was the show’s sacrificial lamb whose death set off a chain of events that led the team to discover the alien-like creatures that live beneath an advancing society. Going into Episode 8, Sam and the others know they have to find a way to stop Blaine (Seth Numrich) and Anneliese (Alice Kremelberg), no matter how big the problem.
Earlier in the series, Anneliese explained to Art (Clarke Peters) that The Boroughs is home to supernatural beings and mysterious discoveries, while discussing the anti-aging peach that Art found in the mines. Later, it is explained that Blaine and Anneliese have been drinking the blood of “Mother” to stay young and healthy since 1949. This also applies to several employees of The Boroughs, including the shady security guard, Hank (Eric Edelstein), who dismissed Renee’s concerns about her missing quartz earlier in the season.
Finally, Hank gets his moment of redemption, though he allows Renee and Paz (Carlos Miranda) to help free Mom from her captivity. The mother – who has been reaching out to the citizens of The Boroughs for help – can only communicate with people with broken minds, which is why she was able to send a message to Ed (Ed Begley Jr.), who had dementia and dementia, making him unable to help her. Fortunately, the mother, Sam – whose mind is “split” due to grief over the untimely death of his wife (Jane Kaczmarek) – is also able to communicate with her, which is how she eventually enlists Wally and the others to help her kidnap her. During their retreat, the mother tells Sam that she is ready to die and that her children are preparing the cave where she hatched and that is where she should go.
Blaine and Anneliese are reluctant to just let Mom go – they’ve been draining her golden blood since 1949 and drinking it to stay young and healthy, mind you – and then The Boroughs follow. Things finally come to an end at Sam’s, when he and Claire (Jena Malone) team up to use the spectrum-ray device they built to kill Anneliese, however, Blaine manages to escape. Down in the tunnel, as the group prepares to let Mom die surrounded by her children, Blaine reappears to try to stop things, but Mom finishes her mission and dies in an explosion that kills Blaine as well. So… take that!
While the flash forward showing the party at Sam’s house initially makes everything seem fine and dandy in The Boroughs after Blaine and Anneliese’s death, the camera follows Sam into the bathroom and sees his reflection in the mirror in the last seconds, suddenly. The glitch happens twice, just in the mirror, and Sam doesn’t see at all, which makes us think that there is still a lot of darkness and intrigue to be revealed. Citiesalthough in the second season.
I hope Netflix brings this ragtag group back for more!
The Boroughs Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix offers three subscription plans to fit your streaming needs. Plans start at $7.99/month for an ad-supported tier and go up to $24.99/month for unlimited ad-free streaming up to 4K UHD quality.
