Hightown season 3 ending explained: Who killed Frankie Cuevas?

Given the events that have transpired, Hightown season 3 was the most awaited finale of March 2024.

One of the reasons behind the anticipation reaching a fever pitch was the third season being the ultimate finale of Rebecca Cutter’s crime drama.

From the unanticipated return of a few characters to major groundbreaking revelations, the final installment of Hightown was a whole package deal.

However, loyal fans of the series who have been keeping up with the plot developments since day one have been disappointed with the series reaching its eventual conclusion.

Based on the show’s popularity, Hightown is regarded as one of the underrated gems in the crime drama universe, and it will be difficult for the audience to take in the fact that the continuation is not in the cards.

Disclaimer: This article contains significant spoilers for Hightown season 3. Reader’s discretion is advised.

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Hightown season 3: Who was Frankie’s mystery killer?

Ray, moments after killing Frankie (Image via Starz)

Besides the constant fear of getting caught someday for Jorge’s murder, the only thing that kept Renne awake all night was her ex-fiance, Frankie.

After the latter got out of jail, Renee became even more restless, scared and worried about what could happen next, and the stress got the best of her.

After paying Chanice Bailey a hundred grand, Renee was relieved that now Alan had nothing on her to prove that she killed Jorge.

However, with Frankie walking free from prison, the perpetual threat was still there. Meanwhile, at Shane’s request, Frankie and Osito shook hands with each other and decided to partner up, leaving their enmity behind.

For a moment, when Frankie was shot in the head, it was presumed that the culprit was Osito, given the grudge he held against him.

However, much to fans' surprise, the person who killed Frankie was Ray, who acted on Renee’s request to get rid of him. After Frankie’s unanticipated arrival at her home, Renee was startled and worried about her life and her children.

The next day of the murder, both Jackie and Alan become suspicious of Ray as if he were connected to the murder. Initially, for Jackie, Ray was a good cop and a friend, but with Alan’s accusations and the increased number of corrupt cops in the department, trust began to erode.

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Hightown season 3: Was Dolan arrested?

The penultimate episode’s cliffhanger of Hightown Season 3 had the audience waiting fervently to learn about Jackie’s fate, who discovered that Dolan was Petey’s killer.

Subsequently, Jackie ends up in a tight spot but eventually gets an upper hand over Dolan by constraining him and calling the police.

After learning about the situation, Alan took Dolan’s custody with the State Department rather than letting Fall Brook’s PD handle him.

Despite Dolan’s arrest, Jackie wasn’t content, as she had learned from Veronica that the entire Fall Brook PD was corrupt.

Jackie was frustrated that even Amanda wasn’t cooperating to start an internal investigation on the Fall Brook PD officers.

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Hightown season 3: Does Ray partner with Osito

During the final moments of the Hightown Season 3 finale, it was seen that Osito stayed in contact with Ray, extending his partnership or rather blackmailing Ray, after the latter’s recent stunt.

Although in one way Ray made the path easier for Osito with Frankie out of the picture, he also put him in a pinch, with him and Shane Frawley being the prime suspects in the murder.

Given that the season is an ultimate finale, Osito’s deal with Ray will remain shrouded in mystery, leaving it up to fans to speculate and unravel the enigma.

However, one thing is evident: Ray has no choice but to shake hands with Osito. Unlike Renee, this time, Ray is in a tight spot, and Osito has the evidence of sharing the details of Frankie’s meeting location.

Going against someone like Osito would have been troublesome for Ray. At the end of the series, viewers see Ray Abruzzo becoming one of the problems he seeks to eliminate in his mission to eliminate the bad elements from Cape Cod.

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Hightown season 3: What is Jackie and Alan’s next step?

Jackie and Alan entering the Division of Internal Affairs department (Image via Starz)

Alan was disappointed and frustrated over Ray after discovering that his witness bailed on him, leaving him nothing to put Renee behind bars for her crimes.

Witnessing Alan and Ray’s heated arguments, Renee was suspicious, given her recent encounter with Dolan and the intel she received from Veronica.

Jackie also spotted something fishy about Ray when they arrived at the crime scene where Frankie Cuevas was murdered.

To bring justice for Maxine McClean and other adult workers whom the Fall Brook PD harassed and to root out corrupt cops, Jackie joined Alan in his pursuit to bring change in the department.

Alan and Jackie joined the Department of Internal Affairs at the end of the series, where they could get a free hand in investigating officers accused of misconduct.

Disappointingly, with Hightown Season 3 episode 7 being the final installment, crime drama enthusiasts won’t get to see their favorite characters in their new roles.

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Stay tuned for more news and updates on new shows and movies on Starz as 2024 progresses.