The ending of Brigands: The Quest for Gold Season 1 isn’t especially happy, but this being a show about morally fluid bandits streaming on Netflix, where it’s always better to leave a story unresolved and hope for Season 2 than it is to provide a decent payoff, that fact shouldn’t come as a surprise. Episode 6, “The Well”, leaves things with Michelina in a tough spot and Sparrowhawk having made quite a decision.
Throughout the six episodes, Filomina and the other brigands have put their differences with Sparrowhawk aside, but nobody – least of all the audience – ever fully trusted him. Still, there was a bigger objective to work towards and a more obvious villain to root against in the form of Fumel, so many hoped that Sparrowhawk would stay the course and help to liberate the land.
No such luck, but we’ll get to that in a minute.
Filomina’s Plan
A lot of the ending of Brigands revolves around Filomena’s bold plan to snatch the gold from the church in the city’s center where she discovers it is being kept.
Filomena is privy to the existence of a secret underground passage that will allow access to the church. While Michelina and the others keep Fumel’s forces occupied outside with a gunfight, Schiavone and Francesco Guerra sneak in, grab the gold, and sneak out again.
The plan’s a success, though it doesn’t account for the betrayal that is to follow.
Michelina Is Captured
It also doesn’t account for Michelina being shot and captured by the Piedmontese forces, which occurs during the battle outside the church.
Season 1 ends with Michelina’s fate somewhat uncertain, though her capture provides a handy leg-up for Season 2 since a rescue plot should be right in the wheelhouse of Filomena and the others. Liberating Michelina and bringing her back into the fold would be a good way to kick off another run of episodes, though the more pressing matter will probably be Sparrowhawk.
Sparrowhawk Steals the Gold
Yes, despite helping the brigands liberate the gold, Sparrowhawk ultimately steals it off in an act of treachery.
Despite sparing Guerra’s life, Sparrowhawk’s turn positions him in direct opposition to the brigands, having undercut their hard work for his own purposes.
And what are those purposes? Well, it seems like he’s using the fortune to liberate a lover from Carmine Crocco. This is a semi-justifiable reason for betrayal, but it’ll need to be fleshed out more in Season 2 if it’s greenlit.
Brigands never implied Sparrowhawk was trustworthy, of course, but he’s far from an outright villain. Delving into his motivations for this betrayal would be a compelling basis for further exploration of the character.
More on Brigands: The Quest for Gold
