Warning: MAJOR SPOILERS ahead for Bad Monkey season 1, episode 10!Bad Monkeyseries creator Bill Lawrence has explained season 1’s ending making certain changes to the book, unpacking the alterations from Carl Hiaasen’s novel. Apple TV+’scritically acclaimedBad Monkeyhas ended, with major characters from Andrew Yancy (Vince Vaughn) to Nick Stripling (Rob Delaney) having their stories concluded. One tragic divergence from the books saw the Dragon Queen, or Gracie (Jodi Turner-Smith) confronting Eve (Meredith Hagner) during a storm, only to be impaled on a tree. Her soul later visits people in her life, realigning herself with the belief system she’d started to neglect.
Speaking withIndieWire, Lawrence revealed how the core changes to the Dragon Queen, or Gracie (Jodi Turner-Smith) inBad Monkeymade her arc more important than in the novel. The creator explained how,in the book, her character is an older woman with clear-cut, antagonistic intentions, while the show sought to make her more complex by making her younger and adding her grandmother, Ya-Ya (L. Scott Caldwell). This made it difficult to kill her off in the finale, although the decision made sense and allowed her redemption after death. Check out what Lawrence had to say below:
The Dragon Queen was a much different character in the book. She was an old woman and she was sort of pretty much evil; didn’t have any redemptive qualities. And so early on, we wanted to make that character more nuanced. We made her younger, we gave her this kind of consciousness of a grandmother, in Ya-Ya. I love that character, and I love what Jodie Turner-Smith did with that stuff.
[Her] arc became a big, important story for us, and her coming to terms with her power and the power of nature, all that stuff is such an important theme in [Carl] Hiaasen’s work. We love Jodie so much that when it finally got time to actually kill her, it ended up being a hard decision, because she’s such a great character; [do we want to] have her continue in the show, if the show continues? So that was tricky. But we felt like we had to honor it: [The character] made this mistake. She forsook her beliefs. And it felt narratively, it was appropriate that she die and then that she has this redemptive moment after her death where she’s able to make peace with the people who she hurt.
Her Tragic Story Added New Layers To The TV Series
Out of all thecharacters inBad Monkey,Gracie had the most changes from the book, which saw her as a secondary character compared to the likes of Yancy and Neville(Ronald Peet). By adding more depth to her character, the TV show created a new sub-plot that dealt with themes of faith and trying to find oneself. This theme coincides with many other stories in the show, from Yancy trying to rekindle his purpose as a detective to Bonnie (Michelle Monaghan) learning to accept who she is despite briefly wanting to take responsibility for her actions.
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The tragedy associated with Gracie’s death also bolsters the importance of her storyline, giving her a bittersweet redemption because she didn’t find it until after she died. However,it allowed the overall storyline to finish mostly how the book ended, while also offering a new perspective thanks to her wider focus. Even though all ofBad Monkeywas filmed in Florida, the authenticity of the characters and their struggles in Andros were all fleshed out and important to the show. Gracie’s death signifies this the most because of its tragic ending elevated by a tinge of hope within.
Despite how important Gracie’s character arc was throughoutBad Monkey, her rejection of her beliefs only to discover they’re real at death makes for a tragic yet compelling storyline. By dying, she’s able to see the truth and learn that Ya-Ya was right, giving her story meaning that, while sad, also felt like the only satisfying way to end her character arc. Although her living would have been a more wholesome finale, it made sense given the last episode’s string of villain deaths that someone good had to go too.
Bill Lawrence already has plans forBad Monkeyseason 2, wherein he hopes to adapt Carl Hiaasen’s bookRazor Girl, which also features Andrew Yancy as a major character.
Bad Monkey
Cast
A former Miami detective turned health inspector, Andrew Yancy, discovers a severed arm while working in the Florida Keys. Determined to solve the mystery and reclaim his former position, he navigates through a web of quirky locals and corruption, all while dealing with a troublesome monkey.
