I Know This Much Is True Season Finale Review: Season 1 Episode 6
The conclusion of HBO’s tragic yet artful miniseries, I Know This Much Is True Season 1 Episode 6, has moments of clarity with a pinch of confusion. The majority of our series-long questions are answered, but the ending leaves things slightly muddled — unless you know the source material.
It’s always great to see a wonderful book to screen adaptation and all along this series has been just that. It’s also managed to stay relevant and easy to follow and understand even if you don’t know the book at all.
The final episode is where things get a little confusing and hairy because the way they shoot the final scene seems a bit out of left field. We see Dominick walk down a hospital hallway toward Dessa who is interacting with some newborns.
It’s a scene filled with hope and joy despite all the tragedy that has plagued this miniseries from the start. What isn’t exactly clear is why this scene is even placed there.
For most viewers, a perfect ending could be Dominick repainting his mother’s house and stating what he knows to be true. This is a great ending that while it’s not totally in line with the source material is still close enough that everyone watching can be left with a clear cut end.
By adding that final scene at the hospital things get a little murkier.
It is implied that Dominick is working toward friendship and reconciliation with his ex-wife based on the conversation they have at the hospital before seeing Ray.
The problem this ending creates is the unclear jump toward intimacy between these two characters. There is a clear picture of love, respect, and future togetherness portrayed at the moment where they both hold separate newborns and talk silently.
For those who haven’t read the book, I am going to warn you that spoilers are ahead so tread carefully.
Wally Lamb’s novel ends with Thomas’ death and Ray’s illness creating a road toward complete reconciliation for Dominick and Dessa. The two end up married to each other once more and they create a family by adopting Dominick’s ex-girlfriend, Joy’s daughter together.
Knowing this ending, the show could’ve possibly explored that outcome a bit more clearly. It has been at the back of my mind as to why they introduced Joy and her pregnancy if they didn’t end up doing anything with it — except to showcase Dominick’s unstable mental health.
It’s obvious that the final scene isn’t a replication of the source material’s ending. However, fans of the book can infer that the reference is there.
Overall though, this episode does a fantastic job of tying up all the loose ends that the series has created. We find out the extremely tragic end to Thomas’ story while also seeing Dominick and Ray finally have it out about their joint past.
It’s cathartic to see Dominick finally open up and spill all his emotional turmoil. It’s even better that he does so in a way that isn’t completely out of character for him.
He uses his pain and suffering to push everyone away and hurt them deeply with the worst jabs possible. To watch both his therapist and Thomas’ social worker look at him with sympathy and empathy drives home just how much Dominick needs this outburst in order to truly move forward.
While Dominick’s grandfather’s book doesn’t hold the answers he thought they would — i.e. the identity of his father — he still manages to learn something from the troubled, cruel old man. As Dr. Patel points out, Dominick is similar to Domenico in that he also puts the fault of his failures on a curse or other people’s shortcomings.
The turning point for Dominick is when he realizes that he has a chance to really take responsibility for how he treats those around him. It makes our investment into this series worth everything and more because all we ever want is to see characters learn and grow.
By reading his grandfather’s book, Dominick is able to see that Ray has been there for him all along and so he works to repair that bond. This, in turn, reveals to him just who his father is — yes we learn his actual name is Henry Drinkwater — but ultimately Dominick knows that Ray is his father.
These two end their story together admitting that they both failed Thomas in the biggest ways. That realization is transformative and has been on the cusp of coming to light since the very first episode.
It’s just tragic that Dominick has to lose his brother in order to see just how much he hurt him. Thomas deserved so much better from both his brother and his step-father during his lifetime.
I Know This Much Is True is a perfect example of how guilt and blame can destroy relationships. The source material is tragic enough and yet this miniseries has managed to make the Birdseys that much more so.
With strong performances from start to finish, it works it’s way easily into our souls and plants roots in a way that keeps us invested long after it has ended.
We want to believe that Dominick’s turn around through discovery is permanent and that is because we’ve gone on this journey with him and trust him implicitly.
What did you think of this episode of I Know This Much Is True? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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I Know This Much Is True is streaming now on HBO Max.
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Mads Misasi
Mads is a part-time entertainment journalist and full-time marketing content creator. They love any and all TV Dramas with a few sitcoms mixed in. Join in the fun talking about TV by following them on Twitter: @dorothynyc89.