High Desert's finale feels incomplete, with unanswered questions about subplots and characters. Peggy's death-like launch resembles Birdman's ending, with Keaton's character becoming timeless. The fate of Peggy's salvation remains uncertain, and questions like Carol's true identity, Heather's departure, and Kachel's absence remain unanswered. Without a second season, these questions will never be addressed. The finale of High Desert aims to salvage the show from a mediocre start, but the makers struggled to prioritize narration. The jarring events at the end felt uncharacteristic and hastily executed, lacking the solid finale expected. High Desert's attempts to make the show offbeat are common, but the show never truly gets the foundation right, and the disconnect from the overall show makes the finale less impactful. Arman and Heather hitch a stolen Mercedes to Denny's trailer, but are stopped by a police officer due to Peggy's previous request. Officer Milton stops them because they were suspicious, but Heather killed the officer. Heather returns to the car, but one of the bullets hits Arman, causing him to be dead. The officer's actions serve as a reminder of the importance of identifying potential suspects before leaving. Carol visits Peggy's house and suspects something is wrong. Denny, who has been released from jail, believes Peggy has been kidnapped. Carol denies this and asks Denny not to bring it up. Denny believes Heather and Arman took her, while Carol believes it was the Gatchi brothers. She leaves the house to seek help. The Gatchis kidnapped Peggy and Bob, who were high on drugs while hiding in the wine cellar. They take them to the desert and ask them to dig up Dona's body. In-fighting ensues, with Leo wanting to execute them for killing Dona, but Nick is more practical. Peggy deceives her friends about Kachel, a friend who would buy Dona's fake paintings. Nick, intrigued by Peggy, beats Leo and shoots him in the chest. Leo falls to the ground but manages to hold the gun, killing Nick. Bob asks Peggy if she is telling the truth about the paintings. Carol and Bruce discover that the skeleton in the photos is Dona's skeleton.
Bob tells the real story of what happened to her. When Bob won an important award, Dona discovered that Bob had sold her life's work, leading to a fight. She declares the marriage to be over and accidentally pushes her down the stairs, where her neck was impaled by the same award. Peggy calls Bruce, pretending to be Kachel, to meet at Pioneertown for a painting. Peggy wants to ensure her survival, and she asks Dianne to bring the painting from her house. It's the opening day of Peggy's "Hamilton" in the Desert play. Denny, still holding a gun, also meets Peggy and Bob. Peggy volunteers to be put in a cannon as her ultimate act of redemption, despite attempts to stop her. Despite Owen's resistance, she remains determined to end the situation, and the screen turns black before her actions.
Bob tells the real story of what happened to her. When Bob won an important award, Dona discovered that Bob had sold her life's work, leading to a fight. She declares the marriage to be over and accidentally pushes her down the stairs, where her neck was impaled by the same award. Peggy calls Bruce, pretending to be Kachel, to meet at Pioneertown for a painting. Peggy wants to ensure her survival, and she asks Dianne to bring the painting from her house. It's the opening day of Peggy's "Hamilton" in the Desert play. Denny, still holding a gun, also meets Peggy and Bob. Peggy volunteers to be put in a cannon as her ultimate act of redemption, despite attempts to stop her. Despite Owen's resistance, she remains determined to end the situation, and the screen turns black before her actions.