Hightown confirmed what happened to Riley Voelkel's Renee in Season 3, leaving fans a little unsatisfied. The hit Starz drama is streaming on Netflix in the U.S., bringing its thrilling Cape Cod crime story to even more viewers. Voelkel appeared in all three seasons of the series. She plays an exotic dancer working in the Northeast who happens to have ties to the area's massive drug trade.
Like much of the Hightown cast, Renee's story ended with the Season 3 finale, as the series was cancelled beyond its third season. While some of the characters came to satisfying conclusions, Renee's story left some wanting more. Sadly, with no Season 4 on the horizon, it is unclear if fans will ever get further stories from the fan-favorite.
Hightown ran on Starz from 2020 to 2024, telling a gritty crime story pulled right from the headlines. The series follows the opioid epidemic plaguing the United States, telling the story of those working both in and out of the drug trade in Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Starz show, which is now streaming on Netflix, stars Monica Raymund, Riley Voelkel, and Shane Harper, among others.
What Happens to Renee In Hightown Season 3?
The Hightown Season 3 finale puts Renee at the center of the action. After years of trying to get by (and doing some legally questionable things to do it), things catch up to Riley Voelkel's character.
One key plot point in the Hightown finale involves Renee being threatened by the newly released Frankie (played by Prison Break's Amaury Nolasco). Frankie and Renee were once married; however, when the former drug kingpin was taken to jail, Renee eventually cozied up to James Badge Dale's retired deputy, Ray.
Season 3, though, sees Frankie released from prison, hellbent on taking out his former lover. This vendetta against Renee stems from the character's culpability in the death of Frankie's cousin, Jorge, in Season 2.
In that chapter of the Hightown story, Jorge works at Xavier's Gentlemen's Club (where Renee also works). During a heated exchange with Frankie's criminal cousin, Jorge takes Renee and holds a gun to her head, where Voelkel's character accidentally shoots her assailant, leaving him dead on the floor.
Even though Renee was defending herself, that information never made it to Frankie. All he knew was that Renee had some involvement in Jorge's death. This means that the second he got out of the clink, he was coming to 'serve justice' for his cousin's death.
That finally happens in the Season 3 finale. With Frankie now a free man, he has revenge on his mind and heads for Renee. This culminates in another epic shoot-out in which Renee's current flame, Ray, kills the long-standing drug kingpin to protect Voelkel's character and tie off the one remaining loose end from Jorge's murder.
Does Renee Die In Hightown?
By the end of Hightown Season 3, Renee does not die. The character ends the series living with Ray and their daughter, now free of the burden of both Jorge and Frankie. However, the series does not come to a close without leaving at least one tease for the future (even though the series will likely never see it through).
Dohn Norwood's state trooper, Alan, gets someone from Xavier's to talk, revealing what actually happened to Jorge all those years ago. This means there is now another person (and somebody within the legal system, no less) who knows what happened to Frankie's cousin and how involved Renee was.
Alan finding out about the blood on Renee's hands would likely have been something a potential Season 4 of the hit series would have tackled. This probably would have seen the Massachusetts state trooper confront Renee and try to take her in, long after she thought she had gotten off scot-free.
Sadly, Hightown Season 4 was never announced, and Season 3 ended up being its last. If the series becomes a massive success on its new streaming home, Netflix, perhaps it could get a revival, but that seems unlikely as its third season was branded its last and the show was cancelled after its finale aired.
