Diksha Sundriyal
A major conflict takes place in the penultimate episode of Apple TV+’s ‘Down Cemetery Road,’ which had been brewing since the beginning of the story. After searching far and wide for Dinah, all the interested parties converge at an island in Scotland, which had been kept from the public eye to hide the government’s secret about the experiments they did on their own troops. Downey is the first one to reach and find Dinah, but he is closely followed by Amos, who is intent on killing him. Lastly, Sarah and Zoe find their way to the island, only to find themselves face-to-face with an impossible situation. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Downey Sacrifices Himself for the Greater Good
From the first episode, Downey had been looking for Dinah because he wanted her to be kept safe in the aftermath of her parents’ deaths. He also knew that the government was after him, and with the effects of the chemical weapon still lingering in his body, he didn’t have much time left either. The histropine helped, but he would eventually run out of it, so death was already in the cards for him. This is why, when he finds himself, Dinah, Sarah, and Zoe trapped by Amos, he doesn’t blink before taking the danger upon himself so that the others, particularly Dinah, would have the opportunity to escape and be safe. He knows that Amos and the government want him, and Dinah had always been the bait to lure him out. So, he gives them what they want in the hopes that they will leave Dinah alone.
Downey shares his plan with Sarah and Zoe, and while Sarah tries to convince him otherwise, Zoe agrees that this is the only way they can save Dinah from the bloodthirsty Amos. They say their goodbyes, and while Sarah wishes for him just to distract Amos and come back safely, they all know that this is the final goodbye, and they won’t be seeing each other again. This fact is also supported by the revelation that Downey has only three bullets left in his gun, and there is no way for him to restock ammunition or find another loaded gun. With no other option left, he runs out of the building, shooting one shot in the air to grab Amos’ attention. The plan works, and the assassin runs after him, which gives Zoe, Sarah, and Dinah a chance to run.
It doesn’t take Amos a lot to catch up with Downey. They play a game of hide and seek, where Downey tries to shoot down the villain, but misses both times and then runs out of bullets. Amos, on the other hand, has no dearth of ammunition, and once he realises that his target is out of rounds, he makes his move. He rains bullets in his direction, and while he doesn’t hit the man fatally, he inflicts enough damage to keep Downey from escaping. As the man falls to the ground in front of him, Amos gloats about how he is going to kill him. He ditches the gun because he doesn’t want it to be a simple death. He also talks about how this is a revenge for his brother’s death, and threatens to keep Downey alive long enough to kill Dinah right in front of his eyes. Eventually, he chooses the knife and plunges it into Downey’s neck, killing him on the spot.
Downey’s Death Marks the End of Nathan Stewart-Jarrett’s Arc on Down Cemetery Road
While the mystery of ‘Down Cemetery Road’ follows the perspective of Sarah and Zoe, Downey remains at the center of it. It turns out that he is the one that the villains wanted all along, and as soon as he is on the run, they will keep tracking and killing anyone he has come in contact with. With its penultimate episode, the season wraps up Downey’s storyline by giving him a tragic arc that makes the audience empathise with him, but also, in a way, redeeming him, since his sacrifice results in Dinah’s escape to safety. Since we see him getting stabbed in the neck and bleeding out, it is confirmed that there is no way he could have survived that brutal attack.
He could be saved if he received help in time, but he is too far out of reach. Even if Sarah went back and sent someone for help, Downey would be dead long before anyone found him. Moreover, now that Dinah is safe with Sarah, Downey has served his purpose in the story. So, with his death, actor Nathan Stewart-Jarrett also bids farewell to ‘Down Cemetery Road.’ The actor, known for his work in shows like ‘Misfits,’ ‘Culprits,’ and ‘Black Doves,’ found the role of Downey to be both challenging and exciting at the same time. But having given his best to the role and the show, he has moved on to other projects and is looking forward to exploring new roles and the challenges they bring.
Read More: Down Cemetery Road: Is Histropine a Real Antidote Drug?
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