As someone who’s not too fond of more-questions-than-answers finales, no matter how riveting the plot is, it really doesn’t get more balanced than the 10th episode of The Last Frontier. Perfectly complementing the explosive crescendo that’s built up since the plane crashed down into Alaska’s icy tundra, every single thing that makes our protagonist trio endlessly interesting is left at a place of all conceivable possibilities. What could be better than that for people who want to see a whole lot more of Frank, Sidney, and Havlock’s convoluted, volatile dynamics taking shape in a setting that’s no less a character itself? For the record, I don’t think I’ve ever really seen that promise being fulfilled before The Last Frontier. So no matter how easy Jon Bokenkamp and Richard D’ovidio makes it seem with their latest AppleTV original, I think it took a lot of sincerity to actually make Alaska come alive the way it has in the show. Now, coming to the ending that’s pumped us up only to leave us hopelessly waiting for the second season we’re all crossing our fingers for still. I don’t think I need to tell you just how much we need to talk about, so let’s get started.
Spoiler Alert
What will happen with Archive 6?
Nope, not yet. There’s no official announcement reassuring us of a second season of The Last Frontier. But with the way things ended when it comes to the most sought-after MacGuffin in the first season–Archive 6–only a second season could shed light on its fate. CIA’s Deputy Director Jacque Bradford’s particularly vicious Atwater Protocol killed many. The Archive’s the only document that proves Jacque’s involvement in an operation that was originally created with a noble purpose, to position assets in just the right places and with just the right information so that they can lure out enemies of the state. But as it usually goes when an entity as powerful as the CIA, with all the resources in the world to pull off just about anything, gets their hands on a program this delicate, the Atwater protocol was twisted to fulfill a particular person’s agenda; political, financial, and otherwise. The program, created by Sidney’s father Robert Scofield, a true patriot, was turned into a weapon in Jacque’s hands. Sidney’s way of acknowledging this terrible truth about Jacque, someone who’s been there for her ever since her dad died in the line of duty, couldn’t have been more excruciating. Not only did Sidney find out that Jacque had had her father killed, but she was also about to be used the same way by the person pulling the strings from behind the curtains. Archive 6 can expose all of this. So when Sidney gets to hand it to just the right man in the final episode of The Last Frontier, things come full circle pretty perfectly. It was always supposed to be Frank. Havlock practically picked him as a witness to this entire journey because he pegged Frank as the one person who’d get it. It hasn’t been easy for Frank to understand why Sidney had to do what she did. A whole lot of people who had nothing to do with any of this are dead or hurt because Sidney needed to do the right thing. But that’s the fact right there. Frank understands that no matter how awful, unethical, and brutal, Sidney had to do it to put an end to Jacque’s homicidal operation. He isn’t new to tough decisions. In fact, he gets how Sidney couldn’t be more different than Jacque, even when she doubted herself. But what can Frank do with the Archive? He’s a State Trooper. He can’t just go up against the CIA’s most high-up operatives. We know Jacque wasn’t the only one involved in the Atwater Protocol. She was one of the people calling the shots, but there are other, more powerful individuals who stand to lose a lot if Archive 6 goes live. That’s why Frank needs to play it really safe. He’s doing just that by handing the Archive over to someone who’s actually gonna be able to do something about it. Ted isn’t a known face. In the final episode, all we really get to know is that he is a big deal in politics, so big that even the governor would wait for a call back. Let’s just say that Ted goes through the Archive, finds Jacque and a whole lot of Langley officials guilty, and launches a bigger investigation into the Atwater Protocol and all the sketchy deaths of assets all around the world. This is the CIA we’re talking about. If a second season does happen, we’d most likely find Frank in an overwhelming battle with people who want to keep him from spilling the truth about Sidney. Remember, one of the easiest ways for the CIA to distract the DOJ would be to make Sidney look like the villain. There is enough evidence against Sidney for the law to completely crush her. So not only would Frank need to protect himself from the fallout of the mission he’s now in charge of, he has to make sure that the CIA doesn’t twist the story around and get away with every horrible thing that they’ve done in the name of covert operations to protect America. But all of that is considering that the Archive stays with Ted for long enough for him to even get it out of Fairbanks. Too many people are after it, and that number isn’t going down anytime soon.
Will Frank’s past come back to haunt him?
We were there when Frank’s family couldn’t cope with the loss that his drive to do the right thing had invited. Back in Chicago, Frank kept a gun, a crucial piece of evidence, to himself to make sure that a bad guy wouldn’t go free. Frank broke the law, did the right thing, and in turn, had himself and his little daughter Ruby, perforated with bullets in the middle of the street. It was wrong of Frank to not trust Sarah and Luke with the truth about Ruby. Their grief took them to a lot of dark places. As people tend to do, they found ways to blame themselves for the senseless loss. It’s taken Frank a bit too long to come out and tell his family what really happened, why Ruby is dead, and why there was a gun in the cellar. So all things considering, Frank’s the luckiest guy in the world that his family happens to be just the right fit for him. At the end of the day, Sarah and Luke have nothing but love and sympathy for Frank. They’re not foolish enough to hold on to the technicality of their loss and make it worse for all three of them. And because Frank’s not too big on playing it by the book anyway, it’s a relief that Sarah and Luke see no sense in the idea of him confessing to his “crime.” They’re right to encourage Frank to finally forgive himself for the death of his daughter. He had to have held on to the gun because he wanted to punish himself with it at some point. But now that Frank, Sarah, and Luke want to move forward as a family, it’s best for the gun to lie in the Alaskan ice. But if we’re being realistic and still looking forward to a second season, this whole thing might come back to haunt Frank. I don’t think Havlock will reveal his secret, but how long before the CIA gets to know about the missing gun and looks into it? It can’t be too difficult for them to tie it right back to Frank, even without the gun. That’s when he might need to talk about this with more people than he thinks. Like Hutch, for example. I’m pretty sure Hutch will have a bigger role to play in the new season with all the build up in this one.
What does Havlock have in store for Fairbanks?
Frank didn’t buy it for a second when the bush pilot called in Havlock’s death. First of all, it looks too staged. So I think Havlock kind of knew that Frank would never believe he died in a car crash and went up in flames. Frank’s always had mixed feelings about Havlock anyway. He wanted to hate the guy, but come on, how can you hate Havlock? When he’s not doing the right thing, he’s doing something even better, and at his own expense, at that. How could Frank feel anything but absolute admiration for a man like Havlock, someone who’s always done the right thing for the country, for people, and most importantly, for his wife. Yeah, even after Sidney basically decided to sacrifice him when she signed off on the plane explosion. Capturing Havlock would’ve been the worst betrayal of everything that Frank believes in. So I’m glad they both dodged that. But maybe I shouldn’t speak too soon. There’s no way that Havlock’s going anywhere as long as his wife is still here. Thanks to Frank, Sidney’s back from near-death, and is doing much better by the end of the final episode. Frank should’ve expected that Sidney would do anything to keep out of that courtroom. The CIA wants to bury Sidney the moment they can get her back to Washington. She didn’t come this far just to sacrifice herself, did she? With the Archive out of the way, the only thing that matters between Sidney and Havlock is their love. They’ve clearly found a way to stay in touch. And while Frank was busy being happy with his wife and kid for once, Havlock and Sidney have schemed a grand escape.
In The Last Frontier’s ending, Frank gets a courtesy call from Havlock, warning him about the new and improved chaos that’s about to take over Fairbanks. For the record, I do think that Havlock actually wants to help out Frank and his family by scaring them off beforehand. Havlock is about to attack the prisoner transport van meant to whisk Sidney away from him. Not under Havlock’s watch. Frank, Sarah, and Luke better stick to the cabin. But how’s Frank going to be there for his town when the effects of Havlock’s new mission ripple through it? He might just have to physically protect Sarah and Luke while helping his crew contain the mayhem over the radio. He could easily pull it off. The only problem is, they might need him on the field too. The town’s got to turn to their savior should the need arise. And I think it will. If Frank has to choose between his work and his family one more time, that sadly might be the thing that breaks them. But happy thoughts for now. Fairbanks needs lots of it.
