If there’s one factor “Energy E-book II: Ghost” has confirmed in season three, it is that no one’s protected — not even authentic characters who survived the spinoff’s dad or mum collection. In a moderately surprising and fully sudden flip of occasions, the Starz collection has accomplished away with a personality that viewers have been ready nearly a decade to see meet his downfall: Cooper Saxe (Shane Johnson).
For years, Saxe has miraculously discovered methods to flee a lot of shut calls — together with nearly getting strangled to dying by Ghost (Omari Hardwick) and Tommy (Joseph Sikora) in “Energy” — however his conniving methods have lastly caught as much as him in a deadly conclusion, as with most “Energy” antagonists.
After six seasons of “Energy” and three installments of “Energy E-book II,” it is practically unattainable to listing all of the dust Saxe has accomplished by means of the years. Within the authentic collection, his relentless hunt to reveal Ghost and his drug enterprise practically drove him to an early grave. He even thought of killing Ghost, although the latter’s son Tariq (Michael Rainey Jr.) beat Saxe to the punch. In “Energy E-book II,” Saxe’s hate for Ghost transfers over to Tariq as he groups up with ADA Jenny Sullivan (Paton Ashbrook) — whom he had a short relationship with — to assist a RICO case she and the feds have been engaged on. However this time round, Saxe’s twisted agenda of searching for justice by any means needed turns him right into a rat — aka a prison informant.
If there’s one factor “Energy” followers know, rats within the present by no means stick round too lengthy. From working as a double agent behind his accomplice Davis MacClean’s (Technique Man) again to feeding Jenny data on Tariq and his crime circle, Saxe was at all times taking part in a harmful sport by getting too near the flames. And in episode eight of “Energy E-book II,” “Sacrifice,” he in the end will get burned.
So, how precisely does Saxe meet his demise in “Energy E-book II”? Learn forward for a breakdown of his closing moments within the present, and see what Johnson tells POPSUGAR about his character’s lengthy overdue exit.
How Does Saxe Die in “Energy E-book II: Ghost” Season 3?
If “Energy E-book II” viewers can recall, Saxe performed an enormous half in serving to Davis get his dying brother, Theo (Jordan Mahome), an early launch from jail. In fact, Saxe’s beneficiant (and unlawful) favor served as a approach to get near Davis so he might implicate the protection lawyer in Tariq and the Tejadas’ drug ring, as Davis represents all of them. However this later comes again to chunk Saxe as soon as he is uncovered to Davis because the CI who’s been serving to Jenny’s RICO case.
Midway by means of the episode, Davis informs Theo that Saxe has been working towards him as a CI. This additionally complicates issues for the 2 brothers as a result of any rift with Saxe might threaten to ship Theo again to jail. Theo then decides to take issues into his personal arms and kidnaps Saxe, proper after the latter’s cowl as a CI is blown on account of the RICO case falling aside.
Whereas assembly with Tariq in his workplace, Davis catches wind of what Theo is as much as with Saxe and rushes to achieve them earlier than his brother does one thing they’re going to all remorse. Nevertheless, Davis and Tariq are a lot too late after they lastly catch as much as Saxe and Theo, as they discover the latter strolling Saxe close to the sting of a pier with a gun pointed at his again. Theo then informs Davis, “This traitor gotta go lil brother,” earlier than providing himself up because the “excellent” individual to ship Saxe to his dying. Regardless of pleas from Davis and Tariq, Theo does the unthinkable and shoots Saxe in his again. The surprising slo-mo second of Saxe falling to his dying is punctuated by Theo then taking his personal gun and capturing himself within the head — a second “Energy E-book II” followers positively did not see coming.
Shane Johnson on His “Energy E-book II: Ghost” Exit in Season 3
In line with Johnson, who was a part of the Energy Universe for roughly a decade, he did not find out about Saxe getting killed off the present till it got here time to movie episode six and he pulled showrunner Brett Mahoney apart to debate his character’s arc. “I mentioned, ‘So pay attention, it seems like Cooper Saxe is performing some stuff somewhat bit, like, a lot . . . Does Cooper Saxe make it out of the season?” the actor remembers asking, including that Mahoney solely shot him a realizing look. “That is once I came upon.”
“If I am being actual, I do know that Cooper Saxe wasn’t going to outlive perpetually.”
Of filming his closing scene as Saxe, which Johnson shares was filmed over a 12 months in the past, the “Energy E-book II” star says “it was gut-wrenching.” “It is simply been such a end result of so a few years of the present,” he provides. “[Creator] Courtney [Kemp] was there and that was unbelievable to have her there as a result of she clearly began this entire factor.” Johnson additionally says that his final scene was “actually emotional” as he is “come to essentially love working with Technique Man” and “Michael Rainey.” “It is simply been such a blessing so to have it ending was surreal . . . To have it come to a finality was positively painful,” he provides.
The destiny of Johnson’s character was in contrast to something any “Energy” fan might’ve imagined. The actor notes he too was shocked when it got here time to finish his character’s arc. “If I am being actual, I do know that Cooper Saxe wasn’t going to outlive perpetually,” Johnson admits, including that Saxe’s “desperation” for a win this season made him get “sloppy.” “Did I feel it was going to be some random man who was Technique Man’s [Davis’s] brother that bought out of jail? No, however it was going to be any person.”
Johnson had a number of alternate endings in thoughts for Saxe, sharing that he thought “it was going to be Tommy” to kill his character. “After Tommy, I might’ve thought it was going to be Tariq; perhaps Tasha,” he provides. Johnson additionally urged it “would’ve been cool to see if Technique Man felt like he was ready the place Davis needed to kill him,” including, “After which Davis turns to Tariq and says, ‘Dude, I did this sh*t. How do I cope with it?’ And he is gotta cope with a physique and make this factor go away. That, to me, was form of what was going to occur, so I used to be positively stunned however I knew it was going to occur.”
Trying again on his Energy Universe tenure, Johnson assures that he is pleased with the work he is accomplished, although he is nicely conscious of viewers’ disdain for Saxe. “It is so near my coronary heart as a result of this present has been such an enormous a part of my life,” he shares of his time on “Energy” and its spinoff. “That is the longest job I’ve ever had — the longest most actors ever have. Most individuals do not get to be on a present for 10 years. My children have been 2 and 5 years outdated once I began this present, they usually’re 13 and 16 now, so it actually places issues into perspective. Like my household grew up on this present and it has been such an unbelievable blessing, and I am so grateful for it.”
He continues, “I am so indebted to Courtney and [executive producer] 50 [Cent] and Starz for preserving me round. I really feel actually, actually, actually grateful for this present and the trajectory that Cooper Saxe has been on.”
New episodes of “Energy E-book II: Ghost” air on Fridays.
