Well, everyone, it’s time. Apple TV+'s Dope Thief season finale is THISCLOSE. After the events of episode 7, "Mussolini," it’s safe to say we can expect the unexpected. The penultimate episode brought the heat as the cartel proved to Ray (Brian Tyree Henry) that no matter where he and Manny (Wagner Moura) go, or whom they get to protect them, the cartel will always find a way to get to them.
As a result, Manny took his own life, which broke Ray and left him all alone to face what’s coming. Throughout the season, we’ve been encapsulated by Henry’s visceral, award-worthy performance, which has been the most outstanding of his career. We’ve been deeply drawn into this powerfully emotional, gritty narrative, thanks to his genuine portrayal.
In honor of Dope Thief’s final episode, episode 8, "Innocent People," we thought we’d share a little present with you guys and debut an exclusive sneak peek with this clip from the highly-anticipated season finale! Check it out below:
The clip shows such a sincere interaction between Ray and Michelle (Nesta Cooper), his attorney, it’ll give you all the feels. He goes to thank her and say goodbye. Why goodbye? Ray has reached his moment of truth and is getting out of the hustling game. His goodbye also delves much deeper than that and rests on a more personal level. While Theresa (Kate Mulgrew) loved him and raised him like her own son, Ray never, ever experienced a kindness so genuine, it penetrated his tough exterior and cracked open his soul so he could feel again… until Michelle showed up.
One could argue that it’s because of Michelle that Ray becomes this kind of changed man at all. Had she never been in the picture to show him authentic kindness in the first place, or had she not been the one to deliver the news about Manny and be there for support, Ray might have reacted differently to the point that the only place we see him walking around in the season finale is in prison. But he didn’t react differently, and what he also didn’t do was choose his hustler lifestyle.
Ray was born into and forced to live with the trauma it caused him as a child. It was all he knew. Sure, he had the option to make different choices as he grew up, but when one thing is all you’ve known your whole life (and have hence perfected as a result), sticking with what’s familiar is common.
Ray learned at a young age—as most trauma survivors do—to shove down the feelings just enough to do what’s needed to survive. That’s what he was taught, and that’s what he did. So, if the hustling, trauma, and trouble were what changed his life, then Michelle is who changed his identity and altered his path. She came along, showed him kindness, and thus cracked him open.
Then, she became his foundation, the glue holding his broken shell of a self together long enough for him to peer into the mirror she was holding to see who and what he is capable (and worthy) of becoming. After Manny’s death, Ray finally saw what she’s been talking about and made the decision to change himself, his life, and his path.
While this exclusive clip shows Ray as a free man for now, we can speculate from his “I don’t know what tomorrow will bring” statement that perhaps he’s referencing his court date. So, who knows? Will he end up in prison, or will he walk away a free man?
If he does walk away, how free will he be? Will he ever be free of his demons (i.e., memories, thoughts, feelings, and the cartel)? Find out the answers to all your questions in the season finale, which premieres Friday, April 25, 2025 on Apple TV+.
Stream Dope Thief on Apple TV+.