‘The Night Of’ Finale Preview: Will We Get a Definitive Ending to Naz’s Case?

Photos: HBO

Warning: This piece contains storyline and character spoilers for The Night Of.

Two questions already answered heading into the Aug. 28 finale of HBO’s The Night Of: Yes, John Turturro is even more brilliant than previously thought, and no, the cat didn’t do it.

Maybe we’d only assign a 99 percent certainty to that last one; that cat, who’s been locked away in Dwight Gooden Stone’s bedroom with plenty of toys and sustenance and gloved petting, has gotten more airtime than several of the human suspects in Andrea’s murder. Is the cat a red herring, or could he have devoted one of his nine lives to murder? We kid. Mostly.

There are plenty of non-whodunit questions remaining, too — what’s Freddy’s real motivation in befriending Naz? What’s the deal with the hilariously named Duane Reade and that creepy, misogynistic hearse driver? Will John Stone’s eczema flare up again? Is there more to Detective’s Box’s story with the inhaler? If Naz is freed from jail, has he been so damaged by the things he’s done inside that he won’t be able to readjust to the outside world? And has Rikers changed Naz — or has it simply made it possible, and oddly, safer — for the real Naz to emerge?

With a movie-length finale (an hour and 45 minutes), there’s ample time for the storytelling duo of Oscar winner Steven Zaillian and author/screenwriter Richard Price to answer them. But will they choose to give us a tidy little ending all wrapped up with a satisfying closure bow — or are we going to get a more ambiguous finish to the tale of Naz Khan’s terrible, horrible, no good, very bad night?

When it comes to “closure,” there are two separate issues at play: Will we get a definitive conclusion of Naz’s trial, with a guilty or innocent verdict announced? And will we find out if Naz really did kill Andrea? Those are two separate issues.

Not even Naz is clear on the last one, since he only remembers the night in bits and pieces. And most of us who were 100 percent convinced of his innocence – and his shockingly poor decision-making skills – on the titular night of, have to be at least a little bit doubtful at this point, after learning of Naz’s adderall-dealing, violent past. And it’s a bit suspect how easily he’s embraced his thug life inside Rikers.

For those who’ve seen Criminal Justice, the original British series The Night Of is based on, you know that an event in last week’s penultimate episode of the HBO version could mean the American series will end in a similar way, which we will not spoil here. Suffice it to say that the original series ends with a somewhat murky answer to at least one of the above issues.

So should The Night Of give viewers explicit answers about Naz’s guilt or innocence and whether he’s convicted? We vote yes on the trial — the show should at least shed light on how, or where, Naz’s future is headed. Regarding Naz’s innocence, is it possible to prove it beyond a reasonable doubt for viewers at this point? Perhaps if the writers gave us a complete flashback of who did kill Andrea… but is that too easy? We want your take. Take our poll below!

PS – If you’re curious about how Criminal Justice ended, go here. But remember, curiosity killed the cat, or, potentially, the cat’s ability to fully enjoy the ending of the HBO series he or she has spent so much time obsessing over this summer. That cat living in Dwight Gooden Stone’s room? He’d avoid spoilers.

The Night Of finale airs Aug. 28 at 9 p.m. on HBO