If you thought The Cleaning Lady had already shown you the limits of survival and sacrifice, think again. The two-part season 4 finale, “Killer Queen” and “As Time Goes By,” isn’t just a thriller, it’s an emotional gut-punch, a prison break drama, a cartel chess game, and an origin story for a new kind of anti-heroine. It’s the best the show has ever been.
Martha Millan and Élodie Yung have always delivered standout performances, but Yung levels up in these episodes as Thony is arrested, imprisoned, beaten, broken, and then, slowly and chillingly, reborn. What begins as an unfair arrest based on a supposed sting operation orchestrated by Jorge and Joel, quickly spirals into a full-fledged descent into hell. Thony ends up face-to-face with cartel queen Ramona in prison, where survival becomes a strategic, bloody game.
The episodes don’t waste time pulling emotional punches. From an invasive prison exam to solitary confinement, Thony is dehumanized to her core. But her fire doesn’t die, it hardens. Poisoning food, stealing scissors, and eventually planning to kill Ramona, Thony evolves from a desperate mother to a calculating survivor. Her final act, burying Ramona alive after deciding not to slit her throat, is symbolic. She’s not just reacting anymore. She’s taking control.
Kate del Castillo’s Ramona is a perfect adversary: feral, cunning, and emotionally haunted. She snarls her way through every scene, always three steps ahead… until she isn’t. Watching her assert dominance in prison, claim her identity as “Sin Cara,” and escape in a coordinated riot shows she’s not just dangerous, she’s mythic. Her twisted maternal feelings for Luca add a terrifying layer to her villainy.
But even monsters get buried. Literally.
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If there’s an MVP of these two episodes, it’s Fiona. Played with signature spark by Martha Millan, Fiona shines as a sister, a mother, and a relentless moral compass. Whether she’s begging Joel for Thony’s release or watching as the cleaning ladies, women she has helped without question, rally to help buy her home, Fiona is community. Her fierce slap to Jorge’s face? Iconic. Her quiet goodbye when Thony chooses vengeance over mercy? Heartbreaking.
And her moment of triumph, signing the house deed with Chris, is the kind of warm emotional payoff this show rarely indulges in. It’s earned, and it works.
Santiago Cabrera’s Jorge is still the show’s most complex wildcard. Does he love Thony? Yes. Does he also manipulate her? Absolutely. His prison sting may have been rooted in strategy, but it felt like betrayal, something even he knows might be unforgivable. His murder of the DA (via hot tub and oxy!) is stone-cold, but his final scene with Thony, asking her to run away and start fresh, feels strangely pure.
But Jorge’s world is collapsing too. The cartel he once controlled? Gone. Sam Hellar bought out his associates and handed control to none other than Feng, Jorge’s supposed ally. In a ruthless twist, Feng sets Jorge up to be killed at an airstrip ambush. Jorge narrowly escapes, but the message is clear: he’s been outplayed. Sin Cara is no longer his empire. Feng holds the keys now.
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She doesn’t want protection. She doesn’t want escape. She wants control. She wants to take over Sin Cara.
This is the kind of heel turn that makes a finale unforgettable. When she tells Fiona that she’s done letting men control her and wants to take over instead… it’s a seismic shift. Thony is no longer just “the cleaning lady.” She’s the queenpin in waiting.
Just when you think the season has closed the chapter, we get one final breath. Deep, labored breathing. Ramona, buried alive, wakes up. She’s not done yet.
This show has faced real-life adversity, including the heartbreaking loss of original cast member and lead Adan Canto, a moment that could have ended the series. But instead, The Cleaning Lady reinvented itself, deepened its storylines, and somehow came back stronger. It deserves more seasons. This story isn’t finished yet and we need FOX to renew it for a fifth season. Thony’s empire is just beginning.