You just knew things weren't going to end well for Cassius.

But at least, after leading a generally despicable life, he went out a hero on NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 10.

And Parsons isn't going to bother anyone ever again.

Both of their deaths just had a kind of inevitability to them.

Cassius made Dwayne into the lawman he is today, as he rebelled against all his father stood him: greed, corruption, all that tainted the city that Dwayne loves.

Probably that's why Pride pursued Mayor Hamilton so hard, even though Hamilton's machinations were mostly outside his purview. The slimy mayor was a faint copy of Cassius.

Related: NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 9 Review: Risk Assessment

Even the secretive Barlow, who put Pride through Hell for most of NCIS: New Orleans Season 4, was the spawn of the man who used to rule New Orleans with Cassius.

Nope, Dwayne's never truly been able to escape the shadow of his father, no matter how hard he tries.

But things had been looking up between Dwayne and Cassius. 

Dwayne's testimony helped get Cassius out of prison. Cassius used the dirty little secrets he knew to start a new life in a new city, resulting in one less headache for Dwayne. His philandering even resulted in a new confidant for Dwayne in step-brother Jimmy.

But Dwayne isn't meant to enjoy unadulterated happiness. Sure, there's his work family, but he's even been separated from them, at least officially, even though he seems to find every excuse to work with them regularly. I guess rank has its privilege, even if he's failed to embrace the drudgery of his position.

There's the Tru Tone, which should be his refuge. But the bar is haunted by the ghost of his mother, and he's been held hostage in the bar itself and shot and nearly killed in his upstairs apartment, his first tentative step to create a life outside of NCIS Headquarters.

Related: Watch NCIS: New Orleans Online: Season 5 Episode 9

Pride rekindled his relationship with Rita, but that was fleeting, what with her getting a new job in Washington. Besides, being around Dwayne and his crusades can prove dangerous.

Now Cassius got gunned down protecting Dwayne from Parsons, who came back to finish the job that she attempted once before. That certainly won't help his already battered psyche.

You know that Pride isn't all the way back from his near-death experience when he keeps having visions of Sutter, the morally bankrupt CIA operative, as, what, the devil on his shoulder? Obviously, Sutter is being manifested by his subconscious, but to what end?

Dwayne has been no fan of shrinks in the past, so maybe this is his mechanism for processing all that he's been through lately, coming back from the other side and getting a second chance at life.

Which begs the question: What has he learned from his experiences?

He needs to talk with someone outside his normal circle. Maybe Commander Atkins or the potion seller from NCIS: New Orleans Season 5 Episode 6. But someone other than himself, since that ain't working.

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I enjoyed the philosophical exchanges between Pride and Parsons. They really were two sides of the same coin.

And the two of them had to clash again. Parsons blames Pride for killing her husband, and he blames her for trying to kill him. I'm surprised they got along as well as they did for as long as they did, even though it was purely mutual self-interest at work.

Hannah is a quick learner, staying back and following Pride's lead, however outlandish it may be. Dwayne's methods are often unorthodox, but they generally work out in the end.

I likely missed something, but was that Apolean organization a real thing, or was it just Parsons' way of getting another crack at Pride? It had to be the former, since Parsons was incarcerated, then was a prisoner of the CIA. So there's no way she had the resources to pull off that kind of con.

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So now there's some omniscient group of mercenaries on Pride's turf? Or did the raid at the end drive them back under their rock? It will be interesting to find out.

How will the deaths of Cassius and Parsons affect Dwayne's frame of mind? Are there be two fewer things for him to worry about, or will he blame himself for what happened?

To catch up on Pride's travails, watch NCIS: New Orleans online.

What did you think about the deaths of Cassius and Parsons? Will they leave Pride in a better or worse place? Will this secret paramilitary group be a continuing threat to NCIS?

Comment below.

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.