The stakes are even higher in ‘Hightown’ season 2. HL got EXCLUSIVE scoop with creator Rebecca Cutter about the fallout of Renee betraying Ray, problems for Renee and Frankie, and more.
Hightown returns for season 2 on October 17. So much went down at the end of the first season, including Ray being fired after Renee exposed their relationship and went back to Frankie. HollywoodLife spoke EXCLUSIVELY with creator Rebecca Cutter about all things season 2. When it comes to Ray and Renee, the latter does have regrets about how everything fleshed out with Ray.
“With them, I think it’s always a case where two things are going on at once,” Rebecca said. “Both of them have used each other for their own ends. There’s been a lot of manipulations, obviously. There was a huge betrayal. And yet, there are genuine feelings there between them. I think she’s always playing with two levels. She’s playing her chess game, and she’s playing with her heart. So I think, yes, there are regrets.”
Even though Renee is back with Frankie, that doesn’t mean she won’t cross paths with Ray at some point. “I promise you they will eventually have a chat,” the creator added.
But they’re both dealing with their own individual issues in season 2. For one, Ray is struggling with no longer being on the force. “He’s not handling it great,” Rebecca said about Ray no longer being a detective. “I think he still has high hopes, but they get increasingly dashed throughout the season. I think it’s really fun to see him in a different way because so much of season 1 is about him being on the hunt. I don’t want to say that his life is purely not on the hunt in season 2 because I think a lot of what season 2 is about is how does he find ways to do that as a civilian and ultimately go on some really fascinating and dangerous journeys on his own. I think he and Jackie kind of switched positions over the 2 seasons, which is something really fun to explore.”
Renee reunited with Frankie after his release from prison, but things aren’t going to be perfect between them. “I think they’re still hot for each other,” Rebecca noted. “I think she still sees the man that she fell in love with when she was younger. But I certainly think she believes that there’s more. I think Frankie is happy with her as long as she’s playing the game that he needs her to play. As soon as she deviates from that there’s struggle.”
The addition of Frankie’s cousin into the picture will cause trouble for Renee and Frankie. “I think he’s a real wild card,” the creator teased. “I think everyone in season 1, Frankie always had a plan, Osito always had a plan. I mean, Jackie was kind of a wild card, I guess. But Jorge, played by Luis Guzman, is just really explosive from the minute you meet him and doesn’t always make decisions with his brain. He’s just an explosive character, let’s put it that way.”
As for Jackie, Rebecca said she is trying to move forward after Junior’s death by “going after Frankie, by throwing herself into her new role by making a case. I think she’s handling her emotions this season a lot of the way that Ray handled his emotions in season 1, which is just working the case. I think in many ways, certainly at the beginning of the season, she seems like she’s in a better place. But I think the question of the season is, okay, maybe you’ve shifted to healthier distractions, but has she really done the work? And to really look into the reason why she drank and used in the beginning, so I think that poses a really interesting question. I don’t want to spoil anything, but certainly, she goes on a journey with that.”
When Jackie joins the force, she gets a new partner in Leslie. “They’re the only two women on the floor,” Rebecca said. “I think they both have sort of a chip on their shoulder, and they have decided to team up to empower each other to make a case, to make a name for themselves. Both of them are very ambitious, especially Leslie, which Jackie really admires. And then, of course, she’s a cute girl. So we have to see how Jackie responds to that.” Hightown season 2 airs Sundays on STARZ.