We have arrived at the season finale of High Desert, and it ends in the most perfect way possible. Once Peggy gets the money, all her problems will vanish. But surprisingly, the latter occurs without any need for the former. And that’s life—uncertainty at its finest. Episode 8 gives Peggy the perfect “sendoff” after bringing every aspect of her life together in the very heart of the High Desert, Pioneertown.
Spoilers Ahead
Death Of The Duo
Arman and Heather are spotted by a cop and following a short brawl between the cop and Heather, she stabs the cop to death. However, Arman dies when a bullet from the cop’s gun accidentally hits him. It is the most unusual and bizarre way in which their criminality could have come to an end. Naturally, without her father, Heather will remain a kid, lost and with nowhere to go. There is a dark side to this since we all know how unhinged she is, but it seems otherwise. Arman was her green signal. Now, there is none.
Kidnapped Couple
As for Peggy and Bob, both have been kidnapped by Nick Gattchi and his brother Leo. The duo found Bob, who was supposed to have escaped. Now that they have the two cheats, they intend to kill them. Meanwhile, Carol and Denny have no idea where Peggy is. She has even left her phone behind. Carol and Denny try to figure out who may have taken Peggy. Their suspects include Arman and Heather, Bob, and the Gattchis. Denny uses Peggy’s phone to contact people and find out about Peggy’s whereabouts. One of them is her son Ethan. Unfortunately, Ethan doesn’t seem to care about his mother anymore, although the fact that he received the call means that there is still some love inside him for her. Denny finds out that Kashel is in jail. This means that he isn’t coming for the painting, which in turn means that the money isn’t coming either. But the solution to that problem can be addressed only after Peggy is found. For now, Denny has to hide from Heather, who has come to unleash her pain and rage on Peggy. It is human nature to vent the rage that has resulted from something, on something else that has no relation to it. Denny is successful in the endeavor and can resume his search for Peggy.
Showdown At Pioneertown
Peggy and Bob are taken hostage by Nick and Leo, who have found out from Tina (the nail art lady) that Peggy found Donatella’s nail in Bob’s bed. In other words, Peggy and Bob dared to sleep in the very bed that their sister used to sleep in after killing her together. There can be only one punishment for this: death. But there is one problem: Nick and Leo are idiots. So, they don’t realize when Peggy and Bob manipulate them and turn them against each other. What follows is unexpected but feels normal all the same. Nick and Leo shoot each other to death. Well, there’s another bizarre ending to High Desert lawlessness! But this event also reveals how Donatella died, i.e., that Bob was present when she died, but he didn’t kill her; she died by accident. All he did was bury her in the desert. So, his crime is that he didn’t report her death and tried to hide evidence. If only he had contacted her brothers, or better yet, the cops, neither he nor Peggy would be in this situation. However, they don’t have to worry about getting killed anymore. But what they do not know is that Arman is dead, so in their eyes, they aren’t out of danger yet. Peggy calls up Bruce, addressing him as Kashel, because Bob cannot know that Kashel is in jail. She then calls up Dianne and asks her to bring the bridge painting, which is the most important thing amidst all this chaos. Bruce and Carol have, meanwhile, found Donatella’s body in Bob’s backyard. So that concludes Donatella Scarborough’s murder case. All Bruce has to do is inform the police.
Does Peggy Get The Money?
Denny arrives at Pioneertown because that’s where the exchange will take place. Luckily, he spots Roger. The way Roger speaks to Owen, defending Peggy; Denny realizes that he can ask this guy for help as he is sure to agree to it. And that’s exactly what happens. Peggy and Bob arrive at Pioneertown. Dianne also arrives with the painting. In front of Bob, Denny hands over the painting to Roger who, according to Bob, is Kashel. A wink from Roger brings Peggy a sigh of relief. As for Bob, it’s the end of the road. Bob chooses to run rather than just stay because he is a fool. How far can he run and that too in a desert? I guess we’ll find out in High Desert Season 2. So, the painting is now with Denny (and Peggy) and they can easily sell it to the highest bidder. But before that, she is subject to harsh words from Owen who is justified in claiming that she has sabotaged his show of the day. The show, especially the cannon, was Peggy’s idea and she deserted him without even letting him know. If only he knew all that has transpired. Surprisingly, Dianne steps up and defends Peggy to Owen.
One can say that it is at this point that Peggy finally breaks. All this while, she had hidden the pain inside her but to see her sister speak for her encourages her to open up. We do not see tears in her eyes but the pain she has been carrying for so long is understandable; the pain of not being able to save their mom because she had overdosed; the pain of not being a good sister or a good mother. Peggy and Dianne have stayed apart for a long time and maybe they should give themselves and each other a chance. Now that Peggy has nothing else to worry about, she can just get shot out of a cannon wearing a cape. If only we could do that. While Owen believes that her act will put Pioneertown on the map, for us, this is her liberation from a phase of life where she had to quietly accept the pain and chaos. Denny and Dianne, the two people who love her the most, watch her as she gets inside the cannon. The Season Finale ends with the screen going dark. All that we hear is the sound of a cannon.
There needs to be a High Desert Season 2 because we all want to know how Peggy is doing. She has Denny and Dianne with her. She has the painting that she can sell to the highest bidder without fearing that some thug with a gun will come asking for money. Kashel is in jail but she might just find a way to get him out. Maybe that will bring Ethan to her as well. The ending of High Desert Season 1 with the firing of a cannon symbolizes a salute. A salute to Peggy Newman for having a never-giving-up attitude and hopeful self. She is what life is all about. The screen going dark symbolizes the uncertainty of life. All that we can do is imagine the possibilities but can never know what is going to happen. But what we do know is that Peggy will survive.
