The Cleaning Lady just wrapped up its fourth season with a bold ending that may pave the way for an epic season 5 wrap-up. We take a look at the events of the finale, along with whether season 5 will happen.
Caution: This article contains SPOILERS for The Cleaning Lady season 4 finale
Throughout The Cleaning Lady Season 4, Thony (Elodie Yung) has been trying to finally get her life on track, working as a real doctor at a hospital. But she couldn’t escape the pull of the cartels, still working for drug lord Jorge (Santiago Cabrera). When Jorge was pressured to kill Thony for knowing too much about his operations, Thony saved herself by offering to marry Jorge, meaning she couldn’t testify against him.
The pair had to keep up this sham marriage, with Thony also having a hookup with fellow doctor Dupont (Daniel Bonjur). However, things came to a head in the two-part The Cleaning Lady season 4 finale as Thony was arrested after being framed for the murder of Rex Blackley, thanks in part to Jorge. Jorge defended himself by cutting a deal with ADA Herman (Robert Cicchini) to help root out department corruption and assured Thony this was temporary.
But Herman’s boss threw a wrench into things by allying himself with Sam Heller, who was now working with Ramona (Kate del Castillo). So rather than being arraigned in a holding cell, Thony was sent to the same prison as Ramona, which led to her being beaten, locked in solitary confinement, and knowing Ramona wanted her dead.
After a few weeks, Jorge was able to solve the problem in his own fashion: Killing the DA and making it look like suicide. That meant Herman took the job while still not trusting Jorge. He moved to get Thony released, only for Heller to use a riot to stage a massive jailbreak. In the infirmary, an injured Thony was horrified when one of Ramona’s gang said Ramona wasn’t after Thony but her son.
Does Thony save her son in The Cleaning Lady season 4 finale?
Thony managed to escape prison amid the riot and contact Jorge and Fiona (Martha Millan), but not before Ramona managed to pick up both Luca and Violeta from school. Jorge was told by aide Feng (Alain Uy) where the kids might be, only to be lured into an ambush he barely escaped from.
Ramona lured Thony to a remote spot in the desert, making the classic mistake of boasting of her victory with the intention of killing Thony. Thankfully, good old Fiona knocked Ramona out with a shovel. She then got a call from Jorge on how he managed to save the kids.
That left the problem of Ramona, as Thony couldn’t flat-out kill her but also knew leaving her alive was too dangerous. So she buried Ramona in the same grave she’d dug for Thony and headed to reunite with her family.
Sadly, that wouldn’t include Jorge, as he’d learned that Feng had pulled a coup to take over Sin Cara. Jorge planned to fly out of the country to regroup and gather help to take back the cartel. He offered Thony a chance to join him, but she elected to stay in the States with her family. That meant a bit of a happy ending as, thanks to Jorge’s work and support from her friends, Fiona had gotten her own house.
What is Thony’s new plan?
Jorge did give Thony a parting gift in a journal of all his cartel contacts that she could give to Herman and cut a deal for her own freedom. Instead, Thony gave the journal to Feng to get on his good side and a prime spot in the cartel. At the same time, she did make a deal with Herman where she could become an informant for him, feeding him information to take Sin Cara down.
But the reality was Thony was playing a far more daring game. She told Fiona that she was sick and tired of being used and manipulated, that she knew there was only one way to ensure Sin Cara could never threaten her or her family again: She would take the cartel over herself.
That was a big cliffhanger that made a fifth season needed for the series. Will it happen?
What can season 5 of The Cleaning Lady be like?
So far, FOX has yet to renew the series. While the ratings are low, the series does have a cult audience that could carry it ahead. It helps that The Cleaning Lady season 4 finale sets up how The Cleaning Lady season 5 could be the final one for the show.
It makes sense Thony makes this bold move to take over. As much as she’s tried to get out of the crime life, she oddly fits in well and season 4 showed her taking a more commanding role helping Jorge. That this is to get herself out of the cartel’s thumb also makes sense and seeing Thony wrestle with her vow of “do no harm” while trying to command a drug cartel will be a great character study.
There’s also the question of how Fiona feels about this, as she would want to support her friend but also hates seeing Thony going down this dark path. Jorge’s feelings for Thony will be tested by wanting to take back control himself which can set up a bitter war. Then there’s Ramona, as the final scene of the episode showed her waking up in that grave, meaning she can still return as a threat.
The showrunners seem confident of a renewal by providing this cliffhanger and the question if it will happen remains. Yet this strong finale shows that a final season to pay off Thony’s journey would be best and make The Cleaning Lady a top crime drama for fans to see come to its conclusion.
The Cleaning Lady is available to stream on Hulu.
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