American Rust: Ending Explained Are Bobby & Jackson Dead? What Fate For Billy & Lee?
In what sounds like a very “Sopranos” ending, there are more questions than answers when the credits for American Rust begin to roll. And if there is a season 2 of this murderous drama, much of it will be devoted to explaining the aftermath of Del Harris’ actions in the first season. We dissect the arcs of the characters after the finale and try to speculate on their future. We tell you all about the end of American Rust Season 1!
American Rust Ending Explained: Are Bobby & Jackson Dead?
Bobby and Jackson are both dead. When Harris sneaks into the West Virginia shack, Bobby attempts to kill him with a rope the same way he killed the dealer earlier. However, Harris shoots him in the head. He then kills Jackson, who arrives shortly after. As he tries to clean up the scene, Bobby’s 87-year-old cousin appears and shoots him with a shotgun. Having no other choice, Harris lodges him a bullet. He then continues to methodically clean the scene to make it look like Harris and Jackson killed each other, and that one of their stray bullets hit the old lady.
The past seems to catch up with Del Harris in the Season 1 finale. Suddenly down the street, Harris spots Isaac walking towards the police station and realizes that all of his carefully constructed and methodically executed plans are about to be undone. Knowing exactly what it is, Harris tells Isaac to put the key back in his pocket and not show it to anyone.
Harris therefore tries to close Pandora’s Box before it’s too late. Without knowing it, there are already things at stake that can potentially bring Billy and him down. Now, after his conversation with Virgil, he knows that Grace manipulated him into killing Bobby and Jackson so that his son could be free. But Harris realizes he can’t go back, ever.
What Fate For Billy & Lee?
Billy is not dead. After being released into the general population, he is severely beaten by several members of the Aryan gang. He is then taken to hospital, where he is placed in an induced coma. Grace then comes to visit him and promises him that he will be out soon.
Billy and Lee don’t end up together, at least not yet. When Lee receives the message Billy left for her, she knows something is wrong at all. But before she can find out more, she returns home to find that her father has taken too many of his pills and is now dead.
With Bobby’s death, the DA and Sheriff know they don’t have a case against Billy and will have to release him soon. Feeling frustrated and embarrassed, Sheriff Deluca decides to head back to the factory to see if he hasn’t missed anything sooner. Billy’s jacket that Harris hid is still there. Deluca could find her and reopen the case against Billy, this time with evidence putting him at the scene of the crime.
Meanwhile, Deputy Steve Park realizes that Harris has taken some equipment from the armory. Seeing that the chief of police cannot move one of his arms, he probably connected the dots and realized that Haris could be the gunman who killed Bobby, Jackson and the elderly woman. Unlike Harris, Steve’s ethics are not compromised. He will most likely contact the prosecutor and Deluca with this information.
