There is a certain level of natural excitement that always comes with a season finale, and for a series that has been as twisty and turny as Rabbit Hole, that excitement is increased tenfold. As the conspiracy thriller series winds to a close, it does so in a frantic, energetic fashion that properly caps off this excellent first season.
Showrunners Glenn Ficarra and John Requa have already delivered one amazing show so far, and “Ace In The Hole” really wraps it up well. There won’t be any spoilers here, but it’s great how all of the dangling plot threads are satisfyingly wrapped up. As the Secure Data Act passes, Crowley fully comes out of the shadows and it’s up to Weir and Ben to stop him before it’s too late. And it appears Weir has a few more tricks up his sleeve than he had been letting on.
This is an episode packed with new twists and thrilling moments. From a huge shootout to some quieter moments, it gives a little for everyone. We see the relationship between Weir and Ben take a turn, the building storyline between Weir and Hailey comes to a conclusion and even secondary characters like Agent Madi and Kyle the Intern get a fitting end to their story arcs. But it isn’t a fully complete ending, while all of the big story arcs and questions are answered in this finale, there is a teeny bit of a door left open telling the audience about what waits ahead in season 2.
All of this is anchored around Kiefer Sutherland’s fantastic performance. As Weir has grown throughout this series, we’ve also seen Sutherland develop this character into his own. With subtle inflections, thoughtful line delivery, and proving he can do both quiet character moments as well as explosive action scenes, it’s a wonderful acting job that shows his skills off. When he’s bolstered by some fantastic supporting cast including Charles Dance and Meta Golding, they keep all eyes glued to the screen throughout the duration of this series.
It’s not a perfect finale, however. As with many of these conspiracy thriller type shows, there are a few elements that require a little too much suspension of belief to believe that everything presented is plausible. The show does utilize a lot of modern societies’ fears to assist with its premise, but there are still moments that feel a little too “out there” to be fully effective. Along those lines as well, there are a few moments in this ending where the heroes repeatedly kind of fall backwards in success, and the level of coincidence and luck Weir and company run into kind of took me out of it.
Outside of those issues, “Ace In The Hole” is a well written, well paced episode that hits the gas as soon as it starts and doesn’t let up until its closing moments. With enough satisfying twists and some wonderful acting, Rabbit Hole goes down as a brilliant season and I’m very excited to see what Ficarra and Requa come up with in subsequent seasons. Because just like a great conspiracy theory, John Weir can’t stay in the shadows for too long.
