"Was the hardest thing": Dope Thief showrunner lets his feelings known about the Apple TV crime drama's twist finale 

Apple TV crime drama series Dope Thief concluded with an explosive finale, where Ray (Brian Tyree Henry) is finally heading to a sober life, away from crime.

While the finale seems like a second chance for Ray, the penultimate episode saw the shocking death of Manny due to an overdose, and losing his best friend was irreversible for him. All the choices they made throughout Dope Thief come crashing down on them, and Manny becomes a casualty in their dangerous plan.

Talking about Manny's death, Henry discussed with Variety,

''Losing Manny was the hardest thing to do... knowing that him and his character just won’t be there was really tough.''

The final moments saw Agent Mina tell Ray that he is 'clean', suggesting a rebirth for the protagonist.

Here is how Dope Thief star explained the finale twist and ending of his crime drama series.

Brian Tyree Henry breaks down the Dope Thief finale twist and what it means for Ray

While nobody saw Manny's death coming in the penultimate episode of Dope Thief, it unlocked a new level of desperation for Ray, and he just wanted to get out of this mess as fast as he could. He had already faced a lot of hardships trying to keep himself and his loved ones alive, but Manny's death is the final event that completely breaks him.

Talking about his decision to kill Manny, Henry discussed with Variety,

''...To propel Ray into this absolute place of desperation and loss, Manny had to be the final piece...But there’s only one way for this story to wrap. They’re really on the run for their lives, and unfortunately, there are casualties along the way.''

Ray has faced many problems in his life throughout Dope Thief. Right from his childhood, when he saw his mother overdosing, to seeing his girlfriend die in a car accident, Ray has always been around dead bodies, which brings a certain kind of mania into his life.

Discussing this mania, Henry further added,

''I think that’s just what’s happening for Ray, is that mania is taking over, on top of the fact that you’re dealing with an addict as well, who is trying to hold on to some form of escapism at the same time.''

Discussing the major twist in the Dope Thief finale, Ray and Manny were attempting to uncover the identity of the man who was manipulating events from behind the scenes and had been after them throughout the show. The series finale finally revealed who the man is and it turns out that he is a high-level DEA agent masquerading behind his badge to run the drug cartel.

Talking about this mystery looming throughout Dope Thief, Henry added,

''I think that just adds to an extra element of suspense and the storytelling of Peter Craig, how he thinks about these things and how threats are forever looming and never really that far away, and what the stakes are.''

He also said,

''Who thought them robbing a trap house was going to bring down an entire cartel? But that also is just the story of Ray: He ends up in places that are incredibly circumstantial. And he meant for things to be one way, and then they turn out to be a completely different thing.''

The show is available to stream on Apple TV.

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