Rain Dogs (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8: Recap & Ending Explained

Rain Dogs (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8: Named after a Tom Waits album, Cash Carraway’s ‘Rain Dogs’ explores its central theme of urban dispossession. From the beginning, the series has stayed away from a melodramatic approach. While following a dysfunctional family on the fringes, the writing showed even the darkest moments of their lives with utmost honesty. It brought in organic humor from their characteristics, flaws, and insecurities. So, every single episode is filled with an abundance of charm despite the bleak reality of its characters.

Until now, we saw Costello juggling her duties of motherhood with her ambition of being a successful writer. After hitting rock bottom, she found solace in Selby’s lavish house in a picturesque village. However, it did not take long for the boredom to settle into their lives since both were city people. Besides, Selby’s toxic behavior patterns started showing up, which made it impossible for Costello to continue living in his house. After making an escape, she kept trying to find a new place while getting a dignified book deal. Nevertheless, the circumstances beyond her control continued to bring obstacles to her journey.

The previous episode showed Costello moving to Somerset with Iris to live in an apartment provided by the council office. While she went there with high hopes about her new book deal, she lost it – mostly because she did not fit in the notions that the publisher had about a working-class woman. As a result, she succumbed to her vices and got wasted. Worried about her mental state, Iris called Selby to come and help her deal with it.

Now the latest episode shows Selby driving to Somerset with Gloria and Lenny to reunite with his chosen family. Meanwhile, Costello is still grappling with the loss of her book deal, and Iris is trying to bring her back to her senses.

*Spoilers Ahead*

Rain Dogs (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8 Recap:

Episode 8: This is Not an Exit

The episode begins with Iris (Fleur Tashjian) playing the piano she finds near their apartment. There was a time when Costello (Daisy May Cooper) promised to get her some piano lessons like the kids from posh families. Unfortunately, Costello walks up to her daughter with dark circles under her eyes, devastated by the loss of her book deal. Iris says that she stinks of wine. Be as it may, Costello finally musters the courage to tell her that she lost the book deal. She is disheartened and believes that there is no way out.

You sense how tired she is with all of running and falling down while being on her way to find just a little bit of happiness. She has fallen too many times to be as upbeat. There is a loss of hope for her writing career. Then there is a loss of hope she feels in herself for not being able to provide for Iris and not being a good mother. Rain Dogs recurringly tackles the theme of the pressure of motherhood with incredible maturity.

Anyhow, while sitting next to Iris, Costello lights up a cigarette. Iris stops her and says how scared she gets when Costello is drunk. She wants Costello to be normal, not try to achieve something all the time. When she leaves, Costello takes another drag of her cigarette to bear her pain.

Selby (Jack Farthing) meets Gloria (Ronke Adekoluejo) and Lenny, aka the pervert artist (Adrian Edmondson), in a strip bar. Since Selby wanted Costello’s exact address, Gloria decided to help, but only if he took her along. Lenny is there to cheer up Costello’s spirits when they reach Somerset. Selby isn’t happy about this arrangement of driving with a deviant and a drunk driver. But he reluctantly agrees, even when they both need piss stops in between – Gloria because of her pregnancy, Lenny because of his age.

During their drive, Lenny says Selby is a big-gesture man. He believes Selby should rather look to bring his goodness from small, everyday acts. Gloria questions him for stealing Costello’s money that she saved to get out and have a better life. Selby says that the past is a clean slate. He needed treatment, and he sought it after their miserable year. Now he needs a fresh start for himself and for his relationship with Costello and Iris.

Lenny admires how Selby does not take an easy way out. He also admires Selby’s commitment. But instead of savageness, Lenny wants Selby to use it for good and hold on to the good parts of his life before it’s too late. On their way, they make a stop at a motel since Lenny soils himself. The motel manager says that they will have to pay for the day. Selby handles the matter politely to get a room for an hour or so. While Lenny cleans himself in the bathroom, Gloria invites Selby to feel her baby’s kick in her belly. It makes Selby consider how he is as a parent. He asks whether he can ever be a good father or not. Gloria says that despite being an intolerable person, all he can do is try.

Costello meets Simon (Karl Pilkington), aka the debt collector, to ask for her old job back. The last time, things ended on an abrupt note when she left the job after insulting its ill intent. Now, she looks desperate, and that desperation makes Simon consider her for the job. They walk up to a house, and Costello knocks on the door. A man opens it and starts talking since he does not know Costello as a debt collector. But the moment she asks for money, the man smacks the door in her face.

Simon tells Costello to keep knocking despite that. She does that and gets shouted at by the man’s wife. She starts abusing Costello, and then they both come out of their house intent on beating Simon. The wife is about to hit Costello but resists. Anyhow, Simon gets a good beating and says that the debt will be increased because of it. Costello finds it hard to be on this side of the equation. Besides, Simon gets angry at her for not being a reliable backup in this situation. Apart from this insult, his general views make him sound like an incel. So, Costello leaves this job once again. She goes home and starts smoking.

Rain Dogs (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8 Ending, Explained:

Low on hopes, Costello goes to Grey’s (Siobhan Redmond) and tells her to pick up Iris from school along with her son. Grey invites Costello to her apartment filled with movie discs. She shows her counterfeit bags and asks for Costello’s help to find a market for them. She believes Costello’s famous writer friends can help with it. But Costello never had any such friends. Besides, her book deal is off. So, no magnums anymore. They have to make peace with having cornettos.

This reality hits her so hard of how her success was just within reach and got snatched since people could not accept her. She feels deeply hurt by it and makes a terrible decision. She goes back to her apartment and keeps two bottles of wine on the table. After having a drink or two to muster some courage, she goes out to the payphone and sends a message to Selby – telling Iris’s current address.

Selby was driving to her place at the time. Suddenly, Lenny decides to fake his death to take the piss out of them. Anyhow, that makes Selby stop the car and check Costello’s message on his phone. The moment he hears it, he senses the danger. He gets back in the car and starts driving faster. Luckily, they reach Costello’s place within moments after she tries to drink herself to death. They take her to the toilet to get it all out of her system.

Besides Selby & Gloria, Costello also sees Lenny and feels hope that she is not alone anymore. She speaks with Lenny, who offers her some comforting advice. Costello asks if she should accept the reality as it is now. He tells her that ‘you should know what you love and then let it kill you.’ Whether that means much or not, it gives her the solace that she sought for a while.

Then Selby jokes around with her about their darker truths. Finally, he says that Iris needs her, and he does too. ‘Sort of,’ he says. Although not entirely ready to share his feelings, he at least takes a step to be honest about them. He also says that she should not lose hope in being a writer. Henry Miller became a writer when he was in his 40s, and Bukowski when he was in his 50s. That puts a smile on her face. Now Selby wishes to stay with her, at least for the time being. She asks if things would be any different than their past. Before he could answer, the episode ends. As the episode title suggests, we can hope that this is not an exit for either of them.

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Rain Dogs (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8 Links: IMDb
Rain Dogs (Season 1 Finale) Episode 8 Cast: Daisy May Cooper, Jack Farthing, Ronkẹ Adékoluẹjo, Fleur Tashjian

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