detailed analysis

As this is the last episode of season 2, there is lots of tension, cliff-hangers and all the major storylines are interweaved together.
Firstly, the audience are shown Amanda and Christina and the mise-en-scene is Fay’s chamber. Low key lighting is used as it’s very dim and dark, which reinforces the connotations of the chamber being full of secrets and very mysterious. The secret chamber is unknown to everyone, yet the fact that Amanda and Christina have found it hints that some of the secrets will be unravelled. Amanda and Christina are shown to be drunk which relates to wider context because nowadays, females are seen to be binge drinking more.
A long shot is used to show Queens and then a cut is used to show Santos in a local corner shop which is important as it sets the scene. Santos is represented as a good supportive father at this point because he is looking for something for his son. The fact that the shopkeeper is Asian (Indian?) is quite stereotypical as Asian people are usually seen to have small businesses. This stereotype creates familiarity for the audience and to an extent makes the show more realistic.
When the gun is pointed at Santos, the audience are sutured into the narrative via a reverse shot-showing a close up of the shooter and the gun (the image is blurred of the shooter whereas the gun is shown clearly with a sharp focus) and then a cut is used to show Santos facial expression of panic. The camera slowly zooms in showing a close up of his face allowing the audience to capture his emotions. At this point, the music is parallel and is dramatic creating a tense and panicky atmosphere as the music helps to build the tension, as the binary opposition is created (between Santos and the shooter). Moreover, this scene does link to social context as gun crime is a social issue and it is also a economical issue, because Queens is shown to be a deprived area so the people commit crimes which shows their desperation for money. Therefore, this shop robbery relates to the wider context.
While the last scene is left with a cliff-hanger, the next shows Christina and Amanda trying to break into a safe.
The most dramatic storyline is Santos death as the shots are mainly interweaved with his son Justin. Justin is shown to be in a school play ‘West Side Story’ and while Justin is singing, a sound bridge is used to show the other storylines. Daniel’s mother is shown to be escaping from a prison van.
Moreover, a long shot is used to show a long, isolated road which is dark, and the car is out of Alexis’s control (due to the fault in the brakes). The car goes out of sight showing only the road and Alexis says ‘Oh my God’ and the audience hear a crash. The use of this diegetic sound helps to anchor the meaning as we don’t see the crash, we hear it. Daniel is shown to be drugged and this links to wider context as there is a misuse of drugs.