‘Neagley’ Stars Officially Address That Finale Betrayal, Surprise Kiss, and the Fight That Almost Halted Production

Editor's note: The following contains major spoilers for Neagley.

Summary

• In 'Neagley,' Frances learns that a team makes her stronger, despite everyone's baggage.
• Episode 7 delivers brutal, messy fights for Hudson and Renee.
• Renee and Keno share an innocent finale kiss, as Renee makes it clear she wants to find her missing brother.

Aside from showing up to give her mentor Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) a hand when he finds himself in sticky situations with very bad people on Reacher, Frances Neagley (Maria Sten) typically prefers to be a lone wolf. It wasn’t until things got very personal and she decided to pursue answers about a friend from her past having been killed in a mysterious but suspicious incident that proves to be no accident that Neagley realizes a team – including Detective Hudson Riley (Greyston Holt), Renee Birdwhistle (Adeline Rudolph), and Keno (Jasper Jones) – actually makes her stronger. They each come with their own baggage, whether that’s being a cop from a family of criminals, an assistant with a missing brother, or a young homeless man willing to break the rules, but Neagley can’t hold them against them when she brings along a bunch of baggage of her own.

Collider recently got the opportunity to chat with co-stars Holt, Rudolph, and Jones about how their characters fit into the world of Neagley, the fight scene that almost shut down production, Renee’s hidden skills, the unfortunate way Keno’s relationship with Mandy played out, Renee’s desire to find her brother, and what that kiss with Keno could mean for both of them.

An Intense Fight Scene in Episode 7 Almost Led to 'Neagley’s Production Being Shut Down

"It was kind of scary for everybody."

COLLIDER: To jump right into spoilers, Greyston, in Episode 7, Hudson and Murphy get into a pretty intense fight where you both are getting hit and thrown around. You ultimately kill him in what’s clearly a kill or be killed situation. What was it like to shoot that brutal fight?

GREYSTON HOLT: Yeah, I’ve done quite a few fight sequences over my career, and that fight, I’m the most proud of. There’s something so visceral and real and raw about it, and scrappy and messy. Neither of our characters from a background in martial arts. We’re just like trying to survive by trying to get the gun. That one was great. The last take of it, I twisted my ankle. I couldn’t walk on it. It was kind of scary for everybody. That can really hold up production. I really thought I was going to be out for at least a few days. And then, I went to the hospital and I felt better the next day, miraculously. So, strong ankles.

It’s a pretty great fight to watch because your character seemed pretty evenly matched throughout it.

HOLT: Yeah, you don’t know who’s going to win. I mean, you can assume, but it’s not obvious who’s going to come out on top.

Adeline, also in Episode 7, Renee ends up killing two people in an alley and has to explain to Neagley how she was even able to do that. What did you think of that moment? How do you think she felt about all of that? And what was that like to shoot?

ADELINE RUDOLPH: It was really fun. Neagley does ask, “How the heck did you do that?” So, Renee does have a background when it comes to martial arts, and she does have a background when it comes to being able to handle a weapon. She’s just never had to put it into practice. And so, I think that’s what we, the audience, get to see for the very first time – her really applying this to a real-life situation and being rattled by it emotionally, but also just having to do it because it was their lives were on the line.

I loved it because comes out of nowhere, and she is so effective at it.

RUDOLPH: A hundred percent. Yes. Yeah.

Jasper Jones Is Inspired by Keno’s Spirit and Lack of Cynicism in ‘Neagley’

"He definitely came into his own."

Image via Prime Video

Jasper, there’s something particularly sad about how everything plays out between Keno and Mandy. How did you feel about that relationship? Do you wish he could have gotten through to her in some way, or do you think it was important for him finding his own inner strength to be able to see through that kind of manipulation?

JASPER JONES: I think a bit of both. He definitely came into his own to see through the manipulation. But it just goes to show, the worst thing that could happen to him, in that moment, happens. This young man put his life on the line for this girl, multiple times. And to just have her spit in his face like that, that’s brutal. That’s brutal. But I think it’s really a testament to how strong the Keno spirit is. He gets mad, but he doesn’t become cynical. That’s the thing that I found most inspiring about him.

Greyston, before the end of the finale, Hudson actually gets congratulated for taking out Murphy instead of getting in trouble for it. How do you think he felt about that? Is that going to be something that he has to come to terms with? Is he going to have to reevaluate what he’s willing to do when it comes to taking down bad guys, if he’s going to continue working with Neagley?

HOLT: There was a lot of vindication in that moment, but I don’t think that changes his approach. He was put in a very specific situation there. I don’t think he’s going to go out seeking to kill cops now. It was just a particular situation. He was fighting for his life. I don’t even think he was trying to kill Murphy. It just happened. That’s what can happen when shit gets messy and you’re fighting for your life.

Adeline, Renee wants to find her brother, so do you hope you’ll be able to get into that in a possible Season 2? Do you have more insight for yourself, as far as where all that is going, or do you just have the questions that we all have?

RUDOLPH: A little bit of both. I definitely have the same questions. I don’t know where it’s going to go. But I do definitely think it’s something that we must be able to explore. It’s such a big part of Renee’s motivation in Season 1. She calls in this favor with Neagley, and now that she’s done Neagley this favor of helping her on the Tommy Crane case, I feel like she’s owed something now too. We leave on that note as well, in that final moment with Renee and Keno, where she’s showing him a photo. Let’s see what other secrets there are and what else we can uncover.

What Will That Renee and Keno Finale Kiss Mean in the Future of ‘Neagley’?

"It was just in the spur of the moment."

Image via Prime Video

I love that Keno and Renee do get to a point where they believe in each other and she kisses him before she walks away. What do you think that moment meant to each of them? How do you think their dynamic will continue to evolve in the future?

JONES: I’ll speak for Keno. I think Keno is starstruck. It’s just like, “Oh, my God, I didn’t think that a girl like that would ever do something like that.” It just wallops him. It wallops him in the best way. I like that we got to catch that spark of awe on camera. And that was a beautiful day. We were shooting in a park, and it just all came so naturally. We were working with MJ Bassett, and she’s a great director.

RUDOLPH: I like that there was something very innocent about the kiss. It didn’t feel like this grand gesture of love or anything. It was just in the spur of the moment. These two characters have gone through a lot, and they’ve built this relationship where they trust each other and feel a fondness and closeness. Dare I say that moment for Renee was spontaneous, even though she’s not necessarily a spontaneous person. There’s something very innocent about it, even on Renee’s side, which maybe is a side of her that we haven’t gotten to see yet and that comes out in that moment.

JONES: It felt like a button to all of this horror that we just went through. It felt like a good button that was natural and honest, as opposed to, “Let’s be boyfriend and girlfriend.”

RUDOLPH: Exactly.

JONES: It just felt natural, like it would happen that way.

HOLT: I thought you guys played that scene beautifully.

It’s really cute, especially with her walking away. It doesn’t leave a moment for him to say anything to mess it up.

RUDOLPH: Yeah.

JONES: Mic drop.

Neagley is available to stream on Prime Video.

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  Greyston Holt

  Detective Hudson Riley

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  Maria Sten

  Frances Neagley