‘The Night Of’ Post-Mortem: 5 Finale Shockers

While all of you were basking in the glow of yet another MTV Video Music Award show, HBO aired the finale of the summer’s most thought-provoking television triumph, “The Night Of.”

Going into the finale, we had nothing but questions. Will Naz go free? Did Naz do it? If he didn’t, who did? Will Naz be yet another victim of Freddy’s in prison? Is Helen Weiss the most iconic television lawyer to date (was no one else thinking this)? Will John ever find the proper treatment for his eczema?

Surprisingly, we received definitive answers to some of these questions — and not surprisingly, none for others. (RELATED: EPISODE REVIEW — ‘The Night Of:’ Over My Dead Body)

Here are the five most jaw-dropping moments from tonight’s stunner, “The Call of The Wild.”

Chandra calling Naz to the stand: OK, girl. We get it. Naz is a fine-looking fellow. Let’s peruse the receipts though, shall we? The man is a) on trial for murder; b) your client; c) a drug addict; and d) YOUR CLIENT. In her quest to prove his innocence, her emotions (and Naz’s lips) clouded her judgment. This manifested itself with her decision to put Naz on the stand against co-attorney John’s wishes. Chandra’s questioning goes swimmingly; Naz denies he killed her. But Helen Weiss takes no prisoners — and by that I mean, she viscerally questions said prisoners and causes more damage than 22 mutilating stab wounds. She presses Naz on the details of his sex with Andrea, and the too-big-for-his-britches man snaps back at her. He asks if she’d like being questioned in such a manner. Wrong move, buddy. She doubles down, quotes Muhammed and even extracts a critical on-the-record acknowledgment from Naz. He says he doesn’t know if he killed her, contradicting his fervent conviction earlier that he didn’t.

Box can’t shake Andrea’s case — and points to a new suspect: Box is retired. But that fact alone doesn’t sway the detective from leaving Andrea’s case behind. His attention to detail is astounding, and something the show has reminded its audience consistently (remember his detailed map route skills). He tracks down footage of Andrea fighting with a man on “the night of,” and it turns out to be none other than Ray Halle. Remember that CPA? Yeah, well turns out the dude reeks of shade…and casinos, since that’s where Box finds him. Box goes to Helen and shows her a curious bank statement potentially revealing he swindled Andrea out of $300,000. She contends they have more evidence on Naz. (RELATED: EPISODE REVIEW — ‘The Night Of:’ Don’t Kiss And Tell)

Don’t worry, the story doesn’t end there…

John gives an incredible closing statement…after an attempt to cause a mistrial and a quick hospital trip, natch: Box, wanting to make this story “right,” if that’s what you can call it, (presumably) drops John a huge bombshell: Footage of Naz and Chandra kissing. This could be grounds for a mistrial, though it would likely end Chandra’s career. John tries this route anyway, though the judge decides to instead make John first chair and keep the trial moving. John obviously freaks out, which causes his eczema to flare up. This leads him to downing pills and that mystery remedy from the Chinese man. He winds up in the hospital. When he goes to give his closing statement, he’s never looked worse. Eczema has crept onto his face and he wears gloves. And yet at his most vulnerable, he gives an incredible closing argument. It shows how much the character has grown throughout the case while making a meticulous, well-documented and heartbreaking plea for Naz’s innocence. If Naz really did do it, this would be all the more devastating. But that’s, as John would put it, just “speculation.”

The jury deadlocks and [SPOILER] Naz goes free: John’s impassioned speech apparently (gasp) worked. The jury is deadlocked, six to six and refuses to keep discussing the case. The judge dismisses them and asks Helen how she’d like to proceed. Could a new jury sweep in and decide Naz’s fate? Yes, but apparently Box has influenced Helen enough: She decides not to continue prosecution…meaning Naz goes FREE. Just like that. Note how a) We still don’t know who did it, even though Helen meets with Box later after the trial to discuss apprehending Ray; b) Naz and his family will never be the same; c) Naz is now a drug addict with emotional scars for days; and d) John is the same eczema-clad, cheap attorney who will go on to fight another quick case for the lowest of the low. Funny, isn’t it? How one decision could simultaneously open the floodgates to a whole world of unresolved pain and at the same time just be another day on the job. But that’s the larger point of “The Night Of,” after all.

The mystery of the cat(s?): “The Night Of” writers: We understand. “The Call of the Wild” speaks for itself. Prisoners are like animals. Metaphors, etc. But what is the deal with this cat? Are there many different cats we’ve seen over the course of this show? Have there been a cascade of cats going in and out of both John and Andrea’s apartments? All these kitty instances (kitstances?) cannot be the same. These questions warrant further investigation, not who actually killed Andrea. Not really, but kind of.