Cross - Season 1

Police officer Alex Cross races against time to track down a serial killer while the unsolved murder of his wife haunts him. Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge) is the main character in the Prime Video series Cross. As a police officer with a background in psychology, he is not only good at tracking down criminals but also at getting inside their heads. However, his work comes under pressure after his wife is unexpectedly shot dead in the middle of the day. A year later, the killer has still not been found and Alex struggles with all of this. Not only does the loss of his wife and the search for the perpetrator make him less focused than usual, he also finds caring for his children as a single father difficult at times.

Cross is a compelling series with unexpected but sometimes unrealistic twists here and there.

In Cross we follow two major storylines during the first season. Of course, an important subject is the investigation into the murder of Cross's wife, but there also appears to be a serial killer active who receives a lot of attention. Cross and his partner John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa) are the first to realize this, while his superiors at the police force initially do not see the connection. Yet in the end no one can ignore it when the serial killer infiltrates the police force and exerts political pressure on the investigation.

Cross is a compelling series with unexpected but sometimes unrealistic twists here and there. I didn't find the latter really disturbing, but it is clear that we are dealing with an action series that focuses mainly on the tension and less on realism. At the same time, contemporary themes such as Black Lives Matter and drug crime in the slums also play a role in the series. The makers have certainly tried to make the story lifelike, but this has not been entirely successful.

Alex's son Damon (Caleb Elijah) in particular has a hard time dealing with the loss of his mother. This is noticeable in his behavior and actions in daily life, which means that Alex and his mother Regina (Juanita Jennings) have their hands full with him. However, Alex himself is already looking to the future and is in a budding romance with Elle (Samantha Walkes). Elle gets along well with Alex's family but has trouble with the dark side of Alex's personality.



During the eight episodes of this first season a lot happens. Unfortunately the problem that was present during the first episode, the very dark image, remains present throughout the season. It does the grim atmosphere of the show good but the clarity and visibility does not. I also missed some background information about the characters around Alex every now and then. A lot of attention is paid to him and the suspects but the supporting roles sometimes lack some depth because of this.

The level at which the series starts remains the same throughout the season and the cast plays their roles very convincingly.

While Alex is being watched by someone involved in his wife's murder, he has to pretend to his superiors that this doesn't affect his work. Police Chief April Anderson (Jennifer Wigmore, Impulse) has doubts about Alex's tactics from the start and seems to want to use him more because of the color of his skin than his knowledge. Fortunately, Alex has connections within the FBI and his good friend Kayla Craig (Alona Tal, The Spy) is more than happy to help him outside the official channels.

A second season was announced immediately, but despite this, the first season has a clear ending. Although the series is far from perfect and certainly not innovative, it did not disappoint me. The level at which the series starts remains the same throughout the season and the cast plays their roles very convincingly. Cross is a title that fits in perfectly with other current crime series with a clear story, a good structure and enough surprises to keep it interesting. Apparently I am not the only one who thinks so, because the first worldwide viewing figures are very high. Because I enjoyed Cross despite the negative points and am already looking forward to season two, I give it a big eight for season one.