'The Rainmaker' Season 1 Divisive Ending Explained: Who Died? Who Broke Up?

The Rainmaker was building up to the trial where Rudy faced off against Leo — but the finale could be divisive for fans looking for a specific ending.

Based on John Grisham‘s 1995 novel of the same name, The Rainmaker follows young lawyer Rudy (Milo Callaghan), who is fired from his prestigious white-collar firm and signs on with small-time ambulance chaser Bruiser (Lana Parrilla). Rudy subsequently tries to win in court over his former boss. The book was adapted into a movie by Francis Ford Coppola in 1997 starring Mickey Rourke and Matt Damon.

USA Network’s version of The Rainmaker showed Rudy nearly losing against Leo (John Slattery) before coming out on top. The rest of the Tinley Britt law firm took a hit with Brad (Wade Briggs) going to prison as the fall guy. Leo’s legacy also fell apart as Sarah (Madison Iseman) ended up the only one finding success after the fact.

“Ultimately, it’s a tough one. It was the most therapeutic experience for me,” Iseman, 28, exclusively told Us Weekly about showing Sarah’s cutthroat approach. “Regardless of whether Sarah is making the right decision, the big theme of this show is the morally gray [area]. Even Rudy — who is our hero — makes some questionable decisions.”

Iseman praised Sarah for the way she took “her power in the courtroom,” adding, “I really think she does it for her. I don’t think she does it for anybody else. There might be some audience members who very much disagree with that logic but that is what she decides to do. And at that point, she wants to prove to herself and show that she can do it. She wants to show that she is just as good — if not better — than Rudy.”

While season 1 started with Sarah and Rudy planning a future together, the finale showed a stark difference as the former couple were on opposite sides of the courtroom.

“No one is going to take her down. Brad tried and turned a switch and she said, ‘I’m not going to let any of these people tell me who I can be. So I’m going to take space in this courtroom and dominate,’” the actress reflected. “I know there’s going to be some people who don’t love it.”

Sarah’s story might not land for everyone, but Iseman is thrilled by the chance to tell her story on screen.

“When I first read for Sarah, I very much knew who she was in the beginning of the show. I felt very, very close to her. As I read episode to episode, I was just so impressed by the complexity of her character and what she goes through,” she shared with Us. “It’s very interesting to tap into young women who make questionable decisions even though some people might disagree with a lot of the decisions that Sarah makes.”

She added: “As an actor, those are the stories that are more fun to tell. I like trying to find this young and innocent woman who’s so naive about life and the world of law and justice and where the corruption takes her and why she makes the decisions that she does. Even from episode 1. I was able to start spreading the seeds of why she does what she does.”

The Rainmaker is currently streaming on Peacock.