‘Snabba Cash’ Season 2: Ending, Explained – Does Leya Kill Zaki?

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When one decides to continue a strictly average first season into a second one, shouldn’t the makers try to improve wherever they fell short of previously? After the first season of “Snabba Cash” was released and the reviews and opinions came out, what would make one think that continuing the exact same pattern of what did not work so well previously was a good idea? The series is based on Stockholm Noir novel trilogy written by Jens Lapidus. We haven’t read the books, and neither do we know how much of the series is an exact adaptation. However, it remains that there is an important distinction that must be incorporated into every screen adaptation: an explanation of the events. The situation and setting are always explained in ink but are inferred through the screen. That doesn’t rule out the fact that some context is still required to be given, either through dialogues or through narration. When that doesn’t happen, there is a disconnect between the audience and the story, which is exactly what “Snabba Cash” suffers from. 

“Snabba Cash” Season 1 focused on Leya, Tim, and Salim, who were out to make some easy and quick money to meet their goals. Leya is a single mother who is trying to keep her business afloat and needs cash which she doesn’t have. The father of her child, Yannick, was part of a drug syndicate and was shot dead during one of his missions. His brother Ravy wants to be an uncle to Sami, but Leya is not comfortable with it due to his profession. However, one fine day, after running out of options to secure her company, she turns to him for some money. But a loan is never a simple arrangement, even within a family. She finds herself pushed against a wall when she comes to know through Salim that Ravy plans to take over her company. Can we say that we just couldn’t digest that Salim fell in love with Leya in less than a meeting and was ready to leave behind his life and everything else for her? Even if it was love at first sight, the statement “I am much happier in my new life with you and Sami,” which he says after literally one afternoon of babysitting the boy, is a little too much for us to believe in. Leya seems to feel the same way, and that’s probably why she let him take the bullet for her. It makes sense for Leya’s character since she wanted nothing more than for her ambition to succeed.

Despite our mixed feelings about Leya and Salim’s characters in the first season, it is undeniable that Tim’s story arc was the most interesting one of the lots. He was a 15-year-old boy who was way over his depth just because he had a very adolescent idea of “wanting to be tough.” Needless to say, it doesn’t work out well for him, and he is forced to serve time in juvie for a crime he did not commit, all because he was running with the wrong crowd. The first season was good, story-wise, but it doesn’t really keep anyone on the edge of their seats. And the latter issue repeats itself in the second season.


Why Does Leya Get Involved With Markos And Ravy Again In ‘Snabba Cash’ Season 2?

Leya is an excellent negotiator, but she surrounds herself with the wrong people. She also seems to trust her luck a little too much, despite having overwhelming proof that she shouldn’t. “Snabba Cash” Season 2 starts with her dreaming about Salim. She has PTSD and is constantly consumed by the guilt of what happened to him. Things are going well at her workplace, and TargetCoach is soon going to be listed on the stock market. But as dumb luck would have it, right when things are finally coming together, Tomas starts acting finicky about the whole thing. He gives an excuse that his soul feels “off-center,” and he must address it first.

Elsewhere, Ravy is struggling to get back on his feet after the events of the first season. While Nala is still faithful to him, Osman is considering quitting the field. Meanwhile, there is a new player—Zaki, and he is out to create an “empire” of his own. That is coming in the way of Ravy, and blood is being shed on both sides. Ravy has a girlfriend who is pregnant with his child. He wants to start a life with her, but she refuses to entertain that thought as long as he is still involved in his old life. Ravy is strapped for cash and must get back into the game to make some money. Zaki is a ruthless dealer who is not above using children in his business. One such deal gets one of the kids, Jalal, severely injured and at the risk of losing one eye forever. Tim is one of Zaki’s old prison friends, and he wants to get back into the game. The boy has clearly not learned his lesson.

Back to Leya, her troubles don’t seem to end. Tomas used a certain code called “Kriptychat ” for their transactions, which is illegal and could get TargetCoach and his company in a lot of trouble if he doesn’t disassociate with it immediately. Leya comes to know this and figures out that the only way to save herself is to keep the money round tripping. But she needs the money first. Leya exhausts all of her options seeking it. She goes as far as to ask her ex-boss for money, but it doesn’t work out. She has no choice but to turn to Markos and take up his offer to be a middleman for a deal. Even Markos has used Kriptychar, and the police have cracked down on all his operations, causing him to be unable to conduct his own business. He needs Leya to act as a middleman for once and gives her the money in exchange. But her troubles don’t end here, as she is deemed responsible for the whole deal. Things get messier when Zaki kills Markos and tells Leya that she must work for him now. Having no way out, she contacts Nala and Osman and seeks their help for the coming operation so that she can be free of this world once and for all. But things are in a state of unrest there as well. Nala and Osman have been taking care of things in Ravy’s absence, and their faith in him is fading. However, they agree to help Leya because it means taking down Zaki, which works to their benefit. But things are not that simple. For Ravy, this is going to be his final job before he leaves the field behind for good. He wants to start his own family with his girlfriend and have a relationship with his nephew, Sami, who is the last reminder he has of his late brother. Even Nala has started taking stock of her actions and asks her more religious mother whether she will ever be forgiven by God. But things are not as simple as they might look. As the group gears up for one final mission, another tragedy is thrown into the mix.

In “Snabba Cash” Season 2, we are introduced to the character of Jamal, who is somewhat of a caretaker for the kids. He is separated from his wife and has assumed the role of an older brother/father figure for the kids, showing signs of delinquency. He wants the school to start an after-school program for children so that they will have somewhere to spend their time, keeping them safe and off the streets. But this idea wasn’t picked up by the establishment. He makes good friends with Leya, and it looks like there might just be a romantic angle to their relationship, but it never fully materializes. During a particular shootout, one of the kids, Liban, who was involved with Zaki, gets shot. Leya is on the scene, and she is horrified at the turn of events because this is when she ends up losing Ravy as well. Things have reached a boiling point for her, and she must put an end to things once and for all.


‘Snabba Cash’ Season 2: Ending Explained – Does Leya Kill Zaki?

The only way for Leya to get out of this situation is to put an end to Zaki and his gang forever. She has the help of Nala, who is thirsting for revenge after what they did to Ravy. The plan is to take Zaki to where the drugs are kept and then take the chance to shoot him. And that is exactly what happened. Leya takes him to the storage space and, when he is not looking, shoots him. But he is not killed as Leya is unable to fire the killing shot due to a memory of Salim. This gives him enough time to try to overpower her, albeit unsuccessfully. He calls his members who are keeping a watch on Nala and tells them to kill her, but she proves to be faster and does the deed first. Eventually, Leya catches up to him and pulls the trigger. Zaki is dead. There is an important distinction here for Leya. In the previous season, Salim was killed by Leya’s silence. She did not pull the trigger but might as well have. In “Snabba Cash” Season 2, there is no excuse to be made. She kills Zaki; it was her hand that did the deed in a cold and calculated manner. There is no running away or coming back from it anymore.

At the end of “Snabba Cash” Season 2, Leya gets what she has always wanted—her company is listed on the stock market, and she has gained the success she has strived so hard for. But the weight of her actions remains heavy on her shoulders. Jamal pays her a visit, and he tells her that he knows all about her association with Ravy, Tim, and Markos. He tells her that he knows who she is. But Leya begs to differ. She lets him know that he knows nothing about her and that he should stay that way. The series ends at this point.


Final Thoughts: What Works And What Doesn’t For The Show?

 To put it simply, the show is quite dull. The soft corner that we had for Leya for the pure spirit of her hustle sort of goes away in the second season of “Snabba Cash.” She is still a woman who is willing to do everything for her business. But we don’t like her as much because we saw her do nothing differently in this season. What was moderately fresh in the first season is repetitive and boring in the second. None of the others have shown any character growth either. There was one soft moment when Ravy got down on his knees and asked his girlfriend to marry him, but the moment was too fleeting for us to seriously root for anyone. And the screenplay is just awful. At one point, we felt like it was just a bunch of people walking very fast on the screen. The show is well written, but it relies too much on the audience’s intelligence in the way that it provides no context for the gravitas of a scene or the story. And that creates a complete disconnect, which is hard to come back from. It could have been a good story if it had just had some pace. The lack of it has made the show, for lack of a kinder word, rather dull. We strongly recommend never ever watching this show. Once we get over our disappointment, we will look elsewhere for better content and make sure to recommend that instead.


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Divya Malladi
Divya Malladi
Divya spends way more time on Netflix and regrets most of what she watches. Hence she has too many opinions that she tries to put to productive spin through her writings. Her New Year resolution is to know that her opinions are validated.

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