If you were anticipating massive dino carnage in the La Brea series finale, creator David Appelbaum would like to set the record straight. While a few characters met their end, the show as a whole remained rather hopeful, showcasing families thrown into an unimaginable situation.
Also, falling into a huge sinkhole in Los Angeles, landing them in 10,000 BC. Appelbaum and his team worked tirelessly over three seasons and 30 episodes to bring the series to life. He penned the final episode, The Road Home, Part 2, wrapping up the complex arcs of the characters.
The series finale ties together decades of family struggles and triumphs (Photo: La Brea/Universal Television and Keshet Studios)With the season now complete, Appelbaum shared insights with NBC Insider about the positive resolutions for the characters, an intense “game of chicken” involving dinosaurs, and possibilities for future stories within the La Brea universe.
What Happens to Ty and Scott in the La Brea Series Finale?
In the La Brea Season 3 Episode 6 The Road Home Part 2, both Ty (Chiké Okonkwo) and Scott (Rohan Mirchandaney) were featured, marking their crucial moments of growth. Appelbaum revealed that concluding the show wasn’t an easy task, especially with only six episodes to wrap everything up.
“These episodes go through a lot of drafts. Every episode, but especially the finale, needed to be done right,” he explained. “We spent time in the writers’ room making sure we tied up all the plot threads and gave each character a fitting emotional ending.”
For the late-blooming heroes, Ty and Scott, their stories ended on a hopeful note. Ty, who had been the only Los Angeles resident to remain in 10,000 BC, was reunited with his wife, Paara (Tonantzin Carmelo).
Appelbaum reflected on Ty’s journey, saying, “Ty began the series contemplating suicide and feeling hopeless, but by the end of Season 2, his cancer is cured, and he discovers what truly matters to him—Paara. It seemed fitting to end his arc with him finding peace in this place where he has rediscovered himself.”
Scott’s growth is also remarkable. Over three seasons, Scott transformed from someone consumed by fear and anxiety to a confident individual. Appelbaum highlighted Scott’s character development, “We wanted to show how far he’s come.
He started as a man who couldn’t see himself as a hero, someone dependent on marijuana. But through many trials, he became someone entirely different. His reunion with the woman who once got away was symbolic of that change.”
T-Rex versus Gavin’s Bomber
The finale also delivered one of the most thrilling moments in the series. The showdown between a T-Rex and a Stealth Bomber piloted by Gavin Harris (Eoin Macken) had fans on the edge of their seats. “For the finale, we wanted to go big in both emotion and spectacle,” Appelbaum explained.
“We had never seen anything like a chicken match between a T-Rex and an airplane before, and it was fun to push the boundaries. Plus, the T-Rex was saved for the final episode because we inspired Spielberg and Jurassic Park. It felt right to have the most iconic dinosaur for the series finale.”
Did Eve Finally Reunite with Her Family in the La Brea Series Finale?
Eve Harris (Natalie Zea) was finally freed from her 1965 portal prison and reunited with her family in Los Angeles, in 2021. Appelbaum always envisioned this reunion as the final moment of the series. “The very last scene with the Harris family reuniting at the Wisdom Tree was something I had in mind from the beginning.
Facing unimaginable dangers, the bonds of family shine through (Photo: La Brea/Universal Television and Keshet Studios)This show has always been about a family trying to find each other, and that moment was our guiding light.” However, due to Zea’s unavailability to film in Australia, Appelbaum shared an interesting detail about how the reunion scene was shot. “We filmed that scene first, before anything else in Season 3.
It was surreal to shoot that before the rest of the season, but it gave us a strong emotional anchor for the series’ conclusion,” he revealed.
Looking Ahead: Could More Stories Emerge from the La Brea Universe?
While La Brea has concluded, for now, Appelbaum isn’t done with the universe. “For some characters, this is the end of the road, but I have ideas to continue the story. I would bring back some of the familiar characters and introduce new ones for a fresh adventure in 10,000 BC,” he shared.
Inspired by shows like The White Lotus, Appelbaum sees potential in blending the old with the new. “We’d focus on the core elements of La Brea: action, adventure, animals, epic moments, and family. A different family could be the emotional heart of this next chapter.”
Though the series has wrapped up, Appelbaum remains open to future possibilities. I feel like we’ve completed the current story satisfyingly for the audience who has been with us from the start, but I would love to continue in a new direction with fresh faces.
