“What are you going to do now?”
Early on in “Requiem”, certain characters refer to what they do as a “bad habit”, recognizing that they’ve all been caught up in a cycle of violence for a while now. It’s true, of course; as Job says at the end, every time he tries to leave, something happens that causes him to get stuck again in Banshee. This type of pattern was hammered home throughout the course of the series, playing out among multiple characters as they grappled with past, present, and identity. Naturally, it’s the big question everyone is asked in the series finale, and their subsequent responses mark moments of forward movement as we leave the show for good. “Requiem” is extremely fitting, to put it simply.
“It’s about time I moved on,” Hood tells Veronica Dawson near the end of the episode. Job later follows that with perhaps the most entertaining line of the series: “Banshee, Pennsylvania: suck my tit.” We can see that the finale’s all about finally moving on, all about getting yourself out of that cycle. At the same time, this show finds the nuance in the situation and emphasizes character relationships above all else. Although figuring out what you want to do now is essential, the show states, it’s also important to appreciate the people you’ve met who have kept you going. For instance, Hood tells Sugar that he probably wouldn’t have made it out of Banshee without him, and in one of the more moving scenes of the episode, Carrie tells Hood that she’ll always be there for him. Sugar sums it up nicely: “Maybe the path to redemption isn’t hiding on the mountain. Maybe it’s choosing another road down here with the rest of us.”
Even the episode’s bloody (awesome) fights center on relationships. “Everything I did, I did for you,” a dying Burton struggles to tell Proctor, and although this scene ruins my hopes of Clay Burton World Domination, it’s still incredibly moving in a twisted manner. It brings the past flooding back–the entire episode is full of flashback images–and forces Proctor to confront the truth. On the other side of things, Kurt and Clay Bunker have a brutal showdown in their backyard, and it ends with Kurt holding his brother up as the life drains out of him. In the end, these are all people who feel things; they’re not just cogs in an action machine. Deaths are meaningful, action has weight, and character decisions feel monumental. The past may keep these characters locked up in a way, but the past is also a big part of who they are. And so, as Lucas Hood rides out of Banshee for the last time, he’s looking straight in front of him, ready to take on the world and his life head on. However, the reason he’s able to do that may very well be the people he’s encountered: the people who wanted to kill him and love him and everything in between.
GRADE: A-
SEASON GRADE: B/B+
SERIES GRADE: B+/A-
OTHER THOUGHTS:
-Thanks, series finale promo, for giving us Sugar’s final monologue already! Last words of the series, and we knew them already last week.
-One thing I definitely will miss: the opening credits. They’re fantastic, and they always get me pumped for the episode.
-*Sees glasses on the ground* “Oh shit.”
-The fact that Burton killed Rebecca renders the entire serial killer storyline pointless. The finale wraps things up beautifully in and of itself, but there’s no doubt that quite a bit of treading water was going on in the first seven episodes.
-Brock with a bazooka. Hell yes.
-Speaking of Brock, I really like that Brock-Kurt scene in the office. “To do this job, sometimes you gotta take off the badge and get bloody…a little trust would be nice around here.”
– “Some might say you weren’t too bad at this sheriff thing.” “And some might say I was the worst fuckin’ thing to happen to this town.”
-Perfect way for Proctor to go out.
-The post-credits scene is beautiful.
-Thank you all for reading! This show shocked me with its quality back when I started watching it–the fight scene in the series’s third episode got me hooked–and I’m glad I stuck with it. Season three remains one of my favorite television seasons ever, and I will miss writing about Banshee. An action drama that transcended the action, but still had amazing action.
-Make sure to check out Warrior, Jonathan Tropper’s next project for Cinemax. I think this network proved itself long ago.
Photo credits: Cinemax, Banshee
Polar Bears Watch TV 
I was kind of disappointed with most of this final season. I think it took some bad turns with the focus on the serial killer and even having Rebecca killed and not factoring into the storyline in present day. Feels like in general the show would have been better served honing in more on what the show already had with Hood and his crew, Proctor and his and then the Nazis. Oh well. It is easier to second guess as a watcher I suppose, but I can’t help feel a little let down especially coming off that pretty much perfect third season.
All that said, I really liked the finale. Got some of that classic Banshee action (I particularly loved the Bunker fight and the drug truck sequence). Had a lot of great sendoffs for all the various character relationships. It was a good way to go out. Also thanks again because you were one of the people to tip me off about this show. Might not have watched it otherwise and it was a great ride. I will miss it!
I completely agree with that, and the final reveal about Rebecca makes the whole season even more disappointing in retrospect (even if it might have worked fine for the finale itself). I was definitely meh on the season, but I’m glad they could craft a pretty good finale.
And no problem! I’m glad you enjoyed the show.