[Editor’s note: The following contains spoilers for Cross Season 2, Episode 7.]In episode seven of Season 2 of the Prime Video series Cross, Detective John Sampson (Isaiah Mustafa) continues on his journey of getting to know his estranged and currently locked-up mother, LaDonna (Deidrie Henry). His best friend and work partner for 30 years, Detective Alex Cross (Aldis Hodge), is still knee-deep in trying to capture the vigilante (Jeanine Mason) on a mission of vengeance that’s working her way through victims until she gets to powerful and wealthy businessman Lance Durand (Matthew Lillard). But Sampson knows that when he gets to the truth about his own family, Cross will be there to help him process it. At the same time, Elle Monteiro (Samantha Walkes) is trying to figure out where she fits into Alex’s life among his list of priorities.
During this interview with Collider, co-stars Mustafa and Walkes discussed how nothing good comes easy, especially when you love someone, how Sampson and Cross’ friendship transcends bumps in the road, what it was like to explore Sampson’s journey with his mother, Elle’s relationship with Alex’s kids, and the emotional purgatory they find themselves in.
Elle Is Frustrated With Alex Cross in Season 2 of ‘Cross’
“Nothing good comes easy.”
Collider: Samantha, it must be super frustrating for anyone to try to have a relationship with Alex Cross with her focused he is on work and how much he gets tied up in everything. How is that for Elle? How hard is it for her to realize that how you feel about someone isn’t enough to sustain a relationship with them?
SAMANTHA WALKES: All the things you’re asking, yes. We talk about it all the time, but nothing good comes easy. I feel like there is an investment in people, period, in this show. There’s not a cancel culture because there is so much history, and we do believe we can be greater than we are and what we’re served in that moment. It is frustrating. I do give you that.
More than anybody on this show, Elle needs a vacation on a tropical island somewhere and some time away from everyone.
WALKES: Yep. That’d be great. I know what she dreams about, and I know that she’s one to work really hard for it because it’s a good one.
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Isaish, Sampson and Cross had some bumps in the road of their journey last season. What did you most enjoy about what we got to see between the two of them this season? How was it to be on separate journeys a bit?
ISAIAH MUSTAFA: They have a friendship that transcends any kind of bump in the road. They’re always going to be there for each other. They have to get through it, whatever happens. I’ll be honest with you, in the beginning, I didn’t really like the fact that Cross and Sampson were separated this season. I was like, “What are they going to do without each other?” But having seen the season, I really like the fact that they both went on a different path because I believe that the fans will be like, “I want to see these guys get back into it. How are you going to bring them back into that? What are they going to move on to next? What’s that going to look like?” With Elle’s relationship with Cross, you love that they love each other, and you want it to work, but what brings people coming back is whether or not they’re going to be in that thing. Once you wrap your mind around that, you’re like, “All right, I’m open to whatever happens with this character.” But at first, I was like, “What?!”
WALKES: I had an inkling because the way they ended Season 1 for Elle and Cross, I was like, “Oh, this is too easy. It’s going to be a bumpy ride next season.”
MUSTAFA: But you tear it down to build it up.
WALKES: Yeah, exactly.
You need one big group therapy session with him in the middle and a room full of everyone in his life, just telling him everything that he’s done.
MUSTAFA: Yes. As long as he’s not the therapist.
WALKES: Yes!
‘Cross’ Star Isaiah Mustafa Explains the Challenges of Sampson Connecting With His Mother
“It was beautiful to be in it.”
It’s so interesting to watch Sampson’s journey this season, getting to know his mother while she’s handcuffed to a table. That’s not an experience that most people have. What was that like to explore? When everything is stripped away and the person can’t even actually get away from you because they’re chained to the furniture, does that change the dynamic?
WALKES: (Laughs) I love this question!
MUSTAFA: It’s the definition of captive audience, huh?
WALKES: I love it!
MUSTAFA: Yeah. I never thought of it in those terms, but now that I see that, I wonder what would have happened if I had thought of it in those terms. I never thought of it like she has to listen to Sampson. You bring up an interesting point. If I ever see my mother again, and she’s chained to a bar, I’ll have to think about that. Honestly, I was looking at, how do I connect with this person? It wasn’t really like, “They need to listen to me.” It was more, “How do I connect with this person that I don’t even know, that has been out of my life for so long? How do I connect with them? And then, how do I mend whatever was broken and have a relationship with them?,” handcuffs notwithstanding.
WALKES: That scene in particular is actually interesting because of the body language. Sampson was sitting back, and even though she’s handcuffed, she was sitting forward.
MUSTAFA: She was good with that. She did that every single time.
WALKES: The power of that position when she spoke, all of her power was emanating. It would have pushed me back too. I would have been like, “Listen, one second.” It was beautiful to physically watch that.
MUSTAFA: It was beautiful to be in it. It was such an amazing scene that they set up. Each time, I was like, “Oh, here we go. We’re going into the interrogation room again.”
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Samantha, Elle and Janelle Cross have a very special bond with each other. What did you love about sharing those moments? Do you think that she would have left quite some time ago if she hadn’t cared about those kids so much?
WALKES: One hundred and ten percent. Elle might have tried one or two more times. When you have the trauma bonding with how we ended Season 1 and what they went through, now it’s on a personal level that even Elle was not expecting because it’s about the protection of this new family that she now has. One of her own dreams is to have her own family and to be part of a family, a unit. And these kids are so beautiful to her. What I built for Elle was that a lot of herself growing up, she sees in Jannie. There’s this beautiful connection of, “Wow, this is also what I struggle with.” She plays that leadership role, and Jannie is a responsible little girl. She’s a preteen, and she’s going to rule this house. Jannie knows who she is and what she wants, and that’s Elle. It’s not prison. It keeps her there in a way that’s honest and true. One of the greatest lines Elle says is, “I don’t want to be another person that just disappears from their life.” Maria disappeared. There was no explanation for that. Elle has this beautiful choice to remain. Yes, it means a sacrifice and it’s uncomfortable because she’s in this purgatory, romantically. I feel like there’s this wonderful silver lining with these beautiful babies.
MUSTAFA: Cross is keeping people in emotional purgatory.
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“You tear it down to build it back up.”
What was your reaction to learning how this season would end and how everything would come together?
WALKES: I love that they added a scene and conversation between Elle and Kayla. My favorite part of how this all folds up is that Elle remembers why she and Cross are friends, and Elle goes back to that basic love for him as a friend first.
MUSTAFA: If you want to be dark about it, you could be like, “Man, that is so cruel of the writers. They gave you an opportunity to have a mother, and then they took it away.” I don’t want to say what happens in the finale, but why would you do that? You tear it down to build it back up. If it works for the show, and it’s what drives the show or fuels that engine, then so be it. Let it happen. Emotional purgatory.
WALKES: Exactly!
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Lillard will face off with Aldis Hodge when the Prime Video hit returns.
- Release Date
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November 14, 2024
- Network
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Prime Video
- Directors
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Craig Siebels, Nzingha Stewart
Cross is available to stream on Prime Video.
