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the flight attendant 1.8.1
Photo: Colin Hutton/HBO Max

Television

‘The Flight Attendant’ episode 8 review: ‘Arrivals & Departures’

In the season finale of The Flight Attendant, Cassie finally confronts Alex’s killer.

The Flight Attendant So Far

Feeling guilty over Max’s accident and after having a falling out with Annie, Cassie predictably goes on a drunken bender of destructive behavior with her new romantic interest, Buckley. At the same time, Miranda’s boss puts a hit on her and she fights off an assassination attempt. Seeing that they both now have the same enemy, she reluctantly partners with Cassie to confront Alex’s killer who happens to be…Buckley.

[Spoilers Ahead!]

Cassie and Miranda devise a plan to take out Buckley (Felix) during Cassie’s layover on her next trip. On their way to the airport, Miranda takes a detour to settle some unfinished business causing her to miss her flight and throwing a monkey wrench into their scheme. This causes Cassie to pivot and develop a new strategy against her foe.

Back stateside, the FBI is getting closer to the truth behind Alex’s death. With Annie’s help, they piece together the real culprit but realize too late that all the main players have left the country. The agents scramble to get in touch with their international contacts to help out Cassie. Meanwhile, Megan struggles with the repercussions of her corporate espionage and traitorous act.

The season finale of The Flight Attendant comes to a relatively satisfying conclusion that ties up all the loose ends into a nice little bow. Although the ending may be a bit too formulaic and Hollywood. Cassie reconciles with everyone she’s wronged. Furthermore, she has her epiphany moment about her alcoholism and childhood trauma that is spurned by a heart to heart with a sagacious grandma. The bad guys get their comeuppance and all the primary characters survive.

the flight attendant 1.8.2
Photo: Karolina Wotjasik/HBO Max

There are many great moments in the episode. Buckley and Miranda have a thrilling showdown in an elevator. The close quarters action sequence is intense and brutal and I only wished it lasted longer. In addition, for all the clichés, Cassie’s savior in the end comes as a surprise and conveniently ties in with Megan’s storyline. The scene with Miranda and Cassie is a cute and charming way to end their relationship.

Throughout the season, the motif of Cassie escaping into her head serves as an effective tool to represent her thought process and her current mental state. When she finally progresses in overcoming her personal demons and wanting to make different life choices, the visual depiction of her breaking through her mind prison is a site to see.

Despite being originally billed as a limited series, the show opens the door for a possible season two. Cassie has proven she has pretty good detective instincts and the fortitude to confront a skilled contract killer. Government agencies could have use for an asset with those skills. It would be interesting to see what kind of new stories spin out of The Flight Attendant if it continues since they already covered all the source material.

The season finale plays it safe with a rather formulaic conclusion that has entertaining moments. Even though the episode disappoints, it caps an otherwise fun dark comedy mystery with the potential to see more international escapades of Cassie as a spy.

All episodes of The Flight Attendant are available on HBO Max.

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