David Tate's meticulously orchestrated plan finally came to its climax in "Take the Ride, Pay the Toll" - with devastating results.

He spent years after his wife and son's death planning his revenge against those that he held responsible. With a scheme in place, the police were no match for him. He succeeded in tormenting Marco in the worst possible way.

I wondered after "Old Friends" if Tate wanted Marco to have his gun in order to kill Daniel Frye. That ended up being the case, though it was much more complicated than that. It all goes back to the bridge and the death of his family.

Tate was serious about getting his revenge, yet had no intention of surviving. The bomb vest wasn't there to protect his life as much as it was to make sure he wasn't killed before his plan was completed. He wanted to see Daniel and Marco both tortured by their choices and then he would die a happy-as-he-could-be man. A father's love for his son was all the leverage he needed. While it didn't all go as ideally intended, Tate was prepared for Marco's inability to kill Daniel to save his son.

Would you kill one man in order to perhaps save someone you love? That's a no-win situation. Demian Bichir was breathtaking throughout this episode. He brilliantly showed the range of emotions and struggle that Marco had with the decision. Every time Marco raised his gun to kill Daniel, there was an even more overwhelming force that made him put it down.

Marco may be a cheating husband, but he's a man with a strong sense of right and wrong. Besides he knew there was no guarantee that Tate would ever allow him to save Gus. Marco decided not to play into Tate's plan and refused to shoot Daniel. Ultimately, it didn't matter as Tate just shot the reporter instead.

When Sonya found the tank and Gus' body, I held out hope that they were able to save the teen. At first, I was frustrated that no one called to the bridge to let either Marco or Hank know that Gus was found. Though, as it played out it made sense creatively. I sat on my couch and experienced the same emotions as Marco had on the bridge.

Did Sonya find Gus alive? Or, was she lying? Tate satisfied his desire to see Marco's pain after telling him that Gus was dead. And, then knowing that Sonya was lying and giving false hope to the loving father was just extra satisfaction. Tate was ready for Marco to shoot him as he stood there with triumphant grin on his face. Only that wasn't to be. Sonya grazed them both, ended the face off and held Marco as he wailed for the loss of his son.

With Tate captured, where does the story go next? Daniel wasn't killed by Tate and appeared to be in a coma. Sonya attempted to be there for Marco, but he pushed her away. Their interaction at the hospital was heartbreaking to watch. Sonya followed the advice Marco gave her about friendship and then pushed her away for it. 

Sonya: I'm not leaving. We're friends, Marco. I only did what you told me friends do for each other.
Marco: Friends? You stopped me from shooting him. Why?
Sonya: Because that's what he wanted. And, you're not that person.
Marco: I am that person. We're not friends, Sonya. We're partners and that's over. | permalink

Marco was in pain in that moment and she was an easy target. Will he be able to get over his anger towards her? I expect that he will come to appreciate what she was trying to do for him. He'll come to forgive her and she eventually understand why he acted that way. There are still deaths to be investigated and they worked well together. 

Plus, there's still the story of the tunnel. It hasn't been directly tied to their investigation yet, but with the bodies piling up it probably will soon. If Tim had a tracker on him, the Feds will certainly close in on his location. And, even though Ray tried to make it look like the Mexicans killed Tim, he left his fingerprints and a blood trail that could easily be traced back to the other side of the border.

With two episodes left in the season, just about anything could happen now. Will Tate bargain with information he has gathered about what's been happening on both sides of the border? Or, is he headed to prison to never be seen again? I'm intrigued to see what comes next.

Carla Day is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter and on Google+.