The Cleaning Lady Round Table: Did the Right People Pay

Several people ultimately paid for Thony’s mistakes, including Fiona and Garrett.

After Thony administered the experimental drug without the doctor’s consent, she and Fiona were arrested on The Cleaning Lady Season 2 Episode 11. She only made things worse on The Cleaning Lady Season 2 Episode 12 when she confronted Kamdar alone.

TV Fanatics Jasmine Peterson, Whitney Evans, and Laura Nowak discussed our thoughts on the finale’s devastating consequences if Fiona’s deportation was too steep a price, and our ideas for a potential Season 3.

Season 2 ended with a bang. What were your thoughts on how Thony’s mistakes led to several devastating consequences?

Jasmine: I love Thony, but I’m also OVER Thony. I love a complex, flawed female character. I can appreciate that so much. But when I say Thony has irked my spirit and gotten on every nerve in my body this season? I’m not exaggerating. She was long overdue for many of her actions to have severe consequences.

I was shouting when Fi almost got deported, when Garrett got shot, and when Nadia got choked out and nearly died, Thony has woven such a tangled web, and she’s been way too flippant about everyone else’s lives in her quest to focus on Luca.

It was due for many things to come to a head, but I was irritated the entire time while they were because it didn’t have to be this way!

Whitney: Thony got in over her head, and now she’s paying the price. I also love a flawed female character, but the problem with Thony this season is that somewhere along the way, she started to become unlikable because, as Jasmine pointed out, she was blind to everything else but her plight.

I understand that she is a mother, first and foremost. I do, but she wasn’t taking into account any of these people who went out of their way and put their careers and lives on the line to help her again and again. It was frustrating to watch, especially as someone who was such a massive fan of Thony in The Cleaning Lady Season 1.

Laura: This season didn’t do Thony any favors, and I hate saying that since I adored the badass Gansta, she was the first season. Thony was still a badass, and she looked like she enjoyed the criminal world now, which saddened me that so many others had to pay for her mistakes with real consequences.

While I hated that Fiona got stuck in the crosshairs, I was almost relieved the doctor called the police and social services. Thony had to learn that she couldn’t be arrogant and always play God.

Should Fiona have had to pay for her part in helping save Luca? Was JD correct in his anvils to stay away from Thony?

Jasmine: I think Fiona needed a wake-up call because she sacrificed a lot for Thony, and JD wasn’t wrong about his concerns or how Thony’s actions continually affect the rest of the family. While she needed that wake-up call, she should not have had to pay for Thony’s foolish plan.

It’s like everyone always has to pay the price while Thony skates through it primarily untouched, and it’s maddening. I felt AWFUL for Fiona. She’s the one who has been holding the household and the kids down while Thony is off playing in the crime gang.

It spoke volumes when Luca was looking for Aunt Fi when he woke up, and I was cheering Chris on when he went off on Thony.

Whitney: Paying for her part seems harsh because she was trying to do the right things, but consequences do have actions. And we always knew JD wasn’t wrong to want to distance the people he loved from Thony because Thony does put herself and, by proxy, her family into dangerous situations.

Fiona feels like a casualty of all Thony’s ridiculous actions, and that’s not fair.

Laura: I also think Fiona needed a wake-up call since JD had warned her for a while, but the price seemed too steep. Fiona loved Luca dearly too, but she had her kids to think of and how they’d survive if she got deported.

Part of me wished JD had married Fiona so she could have legally stayed, but that’s not her way. Hopefully, she and the kids won’t be as trusting of Thony in the future.

What are your thoughts on the deaths in the finale?

Jasmine: By now, everyone knows how much I love Oliver Hudson and how much Garrett got on my nerves. I was still heartbroken when he got killed. I understand it partially because the character was becoming cyclical, like a hamster on a wheel.

Garrett’s roughshod approach to investigating and crime-fighting would lead him to his death, but it was so hard to watch. I felt terrible that we never saw him be a dad or knew much about him outside of his commitment to this.

I felt terrible that he was finding love in some capacity. I was frustrated that Thony going off the cuff again led to Garrett’s death.

I expected Kamdar’s death, and it was necessary. I expected a more dramatic end for Kamdar, but it worked.

Whitney: Kamdar needed to go. The series will work best as one with a new big bad every season. Things move fast, and having a lousy guy stick around for a long time is almost unrealistic. So, Kamadar’s death was one I saw coming.

I thought Nadia was a goner, to the point I was convinced we’d be heading into a potential new season with Thony and Arman at war over her death. But when she didn’t die, I moved onto Garrett because of the other mains, and he seemed like the logical choice if there had to be a shocking death.

Garrett was VERY annoying, but Oliver Hudson is a great actor and brought a lot to the character. I won’t miss him, but I wonder what his death ultimately does for Thony, as she won’t have anyone in law enforcement on her side now.

Laura: Garrett’s death shocked and saddened me. While Garrett could be annoying, as mentioned, Oliver Hudson portrayed him well. I may be in the minority that I appreciated Garrett and Thony’s complex relationship and that he died saving her. He was another victim of her mistakes, but he cared for her.

Besides the personal relationship, what will this mean for Thony moving forward without help to bail her out?

I was glad to see Kamdar go. I agree with Whitney that this series does better with one big baddie per season.

Were you shocked that Nadia survived and was the one that killed Robert?

Jasmine: I wasn’t all-in on Nadia dying, so I wouldn’t say I was “shocked,” it was just something that didn’t happen if that makes sense. Nadia is a fighter, and she’s probably emerged as one of the stronger characters of the season. It makes sense that she would survive and subsequently get Kamdar’s entire empire.

They introduced that aspect of their marriage and wanted to follow through. I was surprised that Nadia was the one to kill him and did it without hesitation, though. Nadia is fascinating in that we still don’t know much about her and what she’s capable of, but I have a feeling with these developments, we’re about to find out.

I noted that Arman was wearing gloves, and Nadia wasn’t. He handed her the murder weapon and had it in his possession, and based on her potentially power-tripping as a Crime Queen now, Arman can have that as leverage if necessary.

Whitney: I was shocked because I still think it would have been the death to shake up dynamics the most. But I did like that she was the one who killed Kamadar because it felt the full circle. It could have been Arman or Garrett for him to die by someone’s hand because they had their reasons, but Nadia’s was the most personal.

Now that she has the keys to the kingdom, I’m excited to see what she does with this kind of power. She loves Arman, but I’m curious now that she had all this wealth and opportunity, where she sees him fitting into everything.

Laura: I was shocked because I thought she was a goner when he first drowned her. However, Nadia is a survivor and may have pushed her way out of sheer will and stubbornness.

I loved that scene where Nadia killed Kamdar. She and Arman looked like Bonnie and Clyde, and she looked so in control as she shot Kamdar and inherited his entire empire. She made no secret that the empire was hers and was in charge now.

Both Nadia and Thony were survivors and acted like the boss lady. Arman seems attracted to that. Who will he finally end up with?

Jasmine: If this were the first season, I wouldn’t hesitate in saying that Arman would end up with Thony. I expect that to be the case, but it has yet to feel like they’ve built that up as much as they should’ve.

I have enjoyed Arman and Nadia’s scenes a great deal this season, but even when Arman and Thony are onscreen together, I miss what they used to have with each other. I have mentioned it a few times before, but their relationship feels so uneven these days.

Arman bends over backward, shows his care, and does everything for Thony, to the point of losing some of his edge and feeling neutered this season, and Thony takes Arman for granted, questions his devotion to her, and so forth.

Thony told Arman that she never stopped trusting him, but I don’t blame him for being confused or unclear, questioning that because I’ve felt the same. Ultimately, I think Arman will be with Thony. He’s shown countless times he’d do anything for her, genuinely seems to care about her, and so forth.

They’re the power couple of the series. But I miss their spark. While The Cleaning Lady is so much more than this romantic relationship, it was a vital component of this show and one of the best things about it, and I’ve been wondering why they pulled back on that dynamic so much this season. If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it and all of that.

Whitney: I agree, Jasmine. This series is NOT a romantic drama, but one of the brightest spots of the first season was the Arman and Thony pairing. It was the thing everyone was captivated by.

This season they got away from it to the point where I started to see scenarios where they could become full-fledged enemies. And I welcomed it because I just wanted something to happen with them!

As much as I wish love triangles could be abolished, I know they are a television staple, so I’m expecting it only fully to die if one of them does. But my gut still says that Arman and Thony find a way to be together against all the odds, and they eventually get their happy ending after much more heartache.

I wish they give them time to fully explore that dynamic and lean into it because it only improves the show.

Laura: I agree that this isn’t a romantic drama, but we had many more Armony moments in Season 1. They were the root-for couple. While their chemistry was still there, their relationship shifted to more of a trauma couple this season. We got more comforting embraces than passionate kisses.

I also agree with Jasmine that Arman went out of his way for Thony, even though she didn’t appreciate it. I lost track of how many men he shot and killed when they stole Luca’s meds from the docks, but she acted like she still didn’t fully trust him.

In some ways, I appreciated Arman and Nadia this season, even if they were the underdogs. She was willing to risk her life to protect him. While I think Arman will end up with Thony, I won’t dislike the alternative as much as I would have before.

If the show gets renewed, what do you want to see in Season 3?

Jasmine: I love this show, but it felt like a sophomore slump. I want season three, and we better get a freaking season three! I want it to return to some of the magic that made it great in the first season.

It’s promising that Thony is leaning into the illicit activities on her own and owning them. Yes, her son has been behind her reason for doing things, but we don’t need this constant justification for everything she does because she has a sick son.

I want them to shift away from the sick son angle because it’s gotten to the point where some of us, myself included, and other fans haven’t been against Luca dying. Never in a million years would I want to be close to advocating for the death of a child to further the plot.

I want the other characters to continue to hold Thony’s feet to the fire and call her out because she’s been selfish, reckless, and careless with everyone else. I would like to see Arman’s backbone return because he’s become too much of a doormat for Thony.

The two will hopefully work together and battle Nadia to control Kamdar’s criminal empire.

I’d like to see more evolved storylines for Fiona and the kids and that aspect of the show. I’m also here for Nadia stepping into her villainess era if necessary, and honestly, she’s earned it. The battle for Queen pin between Thony and Nadia could be interesting. And if we can get Armony back on track, that would be sheer perfection.

Whitney: I want Season 3 just as much as you guys, but I want them to find that lighting-in-a-bottle magnetism throughout Season 1. It felt like something was missing this season like they altered the recipe just a little and the dip came out much flatter.

I’m here for Thony continuing to lean into her “villain” tendencies, and I would love a season where she and Arman finally get to explore the feelings between them.

I want Fiona and the kids together and continued storylines for them that involve the season’s more prominent themes and some that step away from it. And I want a big bad that puts Hayak and Kamadar to shame! Keep upping the ante and giving us the most despicable people you can conjure up!

Laura: If we get a Season 3, first, Thony and Arman must save Fiona. After that, I also want some of the magic of the first season. Seeing Thony and Nadia battle it out for the Queen pin would be fun. They’ve both earned it, and Nadia has shown she’s the queen.

I want Thony’s family and others not to accept any more excuses and to hold her responsible for her mistakes. Like you guys, I’d like to move away from the sick son storyline, as it’s been overplayed.

I’d love to see more with Fiona, JD, and the kids and the evolution of their relationship. Fiona deserves some happiness and maybe some storylines with the other cleaning ladies.

What was your favorite part of the two-hour finale, or do you have anything to add?

Jasmine: Chris was in a whole mood when he went off on Thony at the hospital, and I giggled when he pointedly asked if Garrett’s death was her fault too. I loved the cover of Billie Eilish’s “When the Party’s Over” during Garrett’s funeral and Fiona’s boarding the plane because the lyrics worked with what was shown. I loved how all that came together.

Whitney: I don’t want to say Garrett’s death was my favorite because it wasn’t, but I want to shout out that scene because I’m always a sucker for a shoot-out where it looks like everything is fine and all the good guys are going to be okay and then BAM, one of them has been mortally wounded. It always catches me off-guard, and this time was no exception.

Overall, this was a powerful season finale, and even though I wasn’t in love with the season, I enjoyed this 2-hour journey.

Laura: I loved the emotional talk that Fiona and Chris had when she admitted she did everything she did so he could have a better life in the States. That was a touching moment, and it was bookended when he went off on Thony for Fiona’s deportation.

Like Whitney. I also appreciated the shoot-out scene. I loved Arman and Garrett working on the same side, and it was an epic fight scene with all the bullets flying. It kept you guessing until the end.

Over to you, Cleaning Lady Fanatics. What were your thoughts on the two-hour finale? Comment below.

While the series is on hiatus, catch up on Thony and Arman’s adventures and watch The Cleaning Lady online via TV Fanatic.

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Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.

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