Warning! Spoilers ahead for the ending of American Primeval.
American Primeval
star Taylor Kitsch responds to complaints regarding the Netflix show’s ending. Created by Mark L. Smith and directed by Peter Berg, the miniseries hit the streamer earlier this month, chronicling the lives of a variety of figures attempting to survive on the American frontier in the midst of the Utah War of 1857. Kitsch’s Isaac serves as one of show’s leads, ferrying Betty Gilpin’s Sara and her son across dangerous territory. After surviving a number of fights over the show’s six episodes, the American Primeval finale features Isaac dying as he saves Sara one last time.
During a recent interview with Vulture, Kitsch responds to the passionate reactions to Isaac’s death in American Primeval, defending the decision to kill the character off. The actor explains that he’s ultimately happy his performance and character are eliciting such strong emotional responses. Check out his response below:
We’re all flattered that people are that receptive to this show. I’d rather have you f–king truly upset that I die than not feel anything at all. Then I didn’t do my job.
Kitsch also breaks down how Isaac’s final moments and that kissing scene with Gilpin were actually filmed, revealing that Berg gave him a particularly useful note ahead of shooting Isaac’s emotional goodbye with Sara:
It’s the time, right? That’s 1857 in a nutshell, pure survival, moment to moment. There are not many happy endings. In the scene right before the kiss, where she’s saying about California, “Are you sure you don’t want to go?” — it’s a guy who just couldn’t let go. It felt more organic to be that way, rather than, “Let’s just go to California, and maybe we’ll strike gold and get rich.”
Pete and I, there’s such a trust. We had rehearsed, and that’s one of the last scenes we shot. Pete gave me a sick note. He was like, “Isaac is this f–king raw animal.” You hear about how, in a wolf pack, sometimes they’ll leave the pack and go die. He was like, “I want that moment with Gilpin, but it’s also watching this guy go die and come to terms that he’s crossing over, and as honorable as it is, there’s still this fear of did he do enough to go to his family?” That’s where the emotional part of it is, the way I played it.
There are two cameras handheld by Brett [Hurd] and Johnny [Garrett], and they’re right there with me following, and Pete is like, “End up at that rock, and we’ll get it.” We did four or five takes. You live for those scenes, of trying to end on a real note.
What The American Primeval Ending Means For The Show’s Future
More Of The Netflix Western Could Be On The Way
American Primeval was envisioned as a limited series, but it has recently been revealed that some sort of continuation isn’t off the table. The series has been a major viewership hit for Netflix, topping the global viewership charts since its release, so there’s clearly an appetite from viewers for this kind of material. Berg, who also serves as an executive producer on the series, recently told Decider that he thinks that “there are many ways that we could go“ regarding an American Primeval season 2, expressing interest in reuniting with the cast in a less chilly filming environment.
Related
American Primeval’s Ending Was Set Up In The Opening 2 Minutes Of Episode 1
American Primeval features a huge twist for Sara and Devin in its ending, but the reveal was actually set up in the show’s first minutes.
Isaac’s death means that any kind of American Primeval sequel with the character is off the table, but Berg recently told THR that a prequel show about Kitsch’s character is a possibility. “We’re talking about it right now,” Berg told the outlet, though he did stress that nothing has been decided just yet. If an Isaac prequel happens, this does mean Gilipin likely wouldn’t return as Sara, but others in the American Primeval cast, such as Shea Whigham’s Jim Bridger, could.
Berg and Kitsch previously worked together on Friday Night Lights, Lone Survivor, Battleship, and Painkiller.
Our Take On The American Primeval Ending
Isaac Deserves A Prequel Show
As has been highlighted in the American Primeval reviews, the show is especially brutal, and no character is safe. This means that it isn’t entirely surprising that Isaac dies at the end, but the moment is still frustrating because he was so close to some level of peace. What’s more, Isaac is ultimately brought down by only one man after being able to take out a handful of enemies at a time in previous episodes.
Still, the anger at Isaac’s death speaks to how effective he was as a character, and it would be interesting to see him back in an American Primeval prequel. There’s clearly a lot that transpired with that character to shape him into who he is in episode 1, and all of this could be explored in a spinoff. It remains to be seen what’s next for American Primeval, but it’s entirely possible that audiences haven’t seen the last of Kitsch’s Isaac.
Source: Vulture
American Primeval
- Release Date
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2025 – 2024
- Network
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Netflix
- Directors
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Peter Berg
- Writers
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Peter Berg
, Eric Newman
, Mark L. Smith