WARNING: The following contains spoilers for Carmen Sandiego Season 4, now streaming on Netflix.
Netflix's fourth and final season of Carmen Sandiego ends on a high-octane note with the hero Carmen shockingly turning against her crew. Villain's International League of Evil (V.I.L.E.) captured and brainwashed her, making Carmen their operative again.
However, as the story concludes, an old friend helps save the Crimson Ghost while changing the future of the sinister society, as well as the crimefighters known as Agency to Classify & Monitor Evildoers (A.C.M.E.). Here, we break down Carmen Sandiego's emotional series finale.
Freeing Carmen's Mind
V.I.L.E.'s brainwashing alters Carmen's memories, tricking her into thinking Shadowsan killed her dad, their former employee David. As a result, she sets up a heist in Morocco to bait the veteran warrior out. However, Gray has already flipped on V.I.L.E. as he wants Carmen to choose her own path.
However, Carmen uses Tigress as a distraction for the A.C.M.E. agents, leaving Gray no choice but to use the electroshock helmet on her himself. She knocks him out, seemingly killing him with his electric rod, and then goes after Shadowsan. But the helmet partially unscrambled her mind, allowing her mentor to show her a Russian doll. It's the item she grew up with, which reminded her that her mom's somewhere out there, causing Carmen to snap back to her good self again.
Bringing Down V.I.L.E.
The Chief and her A.C.M.E. agents show up, allowing Carmen to give them info on where to find V.I.L.E.'s faculty. Agents head to their Scottish castle, taking them all down within hours. Maelstrom is caught by the Chief escaping in the garden, the Countess is taken in her room, Roundabout is arrested in the dungeon, Dr. Bellum is harpooned via helicopter and Coach Brunt is captured in the main hall.
The ladies are placed in cells next to each other while the arrogant Maelstrom is placed next to the "lunatic" operative he hates: Mime Bomb. The likes of Le Chevre and El Topo retire from the business though, opening a taco truck. Luckily, Gray's alive as he set his phaser to stun. The Chief's grateful for his spy duty and offers him a pardon. Sadly, he doesn't bother to reconnect with Carmen as he knows it'll remind her of their past.
New Beginnings for All
Shadowsan retires and reunites with his brother, burying the hatchet after the V.I.L.E. feud where Shadowsan had to steal swords from him. However, he and Agent Argent leave Carmen details on her mom, Carlotta Valdez, in Argentina.
With Player back home on the phone promising to always be there for her, Carmen visits the orphanage her mom runs with her Russian doll in tow. But as the door opens, whilst we see a smile on Carmen's face, we never see her mother, discover Carmen's real name or find out how the reunion went. However, it does seem like it went well.
Carmen's a True Symbol
In the subsequent flash-forward, we learn the Boston twins, Zack and Ivy, have officially joined Chase and Argent in A.C.M.E. and are rounding up the remaining V.I.LE. thieves. Interestingly, we see Paper Star being strung up at a crime scene by the time they arrive, with someone wearing Carmen's iconic trench coat and hat in the shadows atop the roof.
She tips the hat to the agents, but doesn't reveal her face. It ties into Shadowsan's last words to her, representing the numerous young women who helped Carmen over the series who weren't officially part of her crusade. He said Carmen Sandiego's a mantle, which means anyone could have taken it up, leaving it vague as to who became this vigilante symbol.
Starring Gina Rodriguez and Finn Wolfhard, all four seasons of Carmen Sandiego are available to stream on Netflix now.