A Powerful ‘When They See Us’ Ending Honors the Actual Victims

It would be an understatement to say that When They See Us is a tough watch. The four-part Netflix miniseries from director Ava DuVernay chronicles the true story of five teenagers—four black and one Latino—who had their lives ripped away for existing as a minority in the wrong place at the wrong time. That first episode is particularly heart-wrenching, thanks to DuVernay’s emphasis on demonstrating exactly how young, scared and confused those teenagers known as the Central Park Five—Kevin Richardson (actor Asante Blackk), Antron McCray (Caleel Harris), Yusef Salaam (Ethan Herisse), Raymond Santana (Marquis Rodriguez), and Korey Wise (Jharrel Jerome)—all were. But as hard as it is to watch—to know that the system that is supposed to protect its citizens did this to children—it’s absolutely worth finishing to the last episode to witness an incredibly powerful ending.

Those who know the story know it does not end happily: All five men were convicted of a raping a white woman who was jogging in Central Park on the night of April 19, 1989, despite the lack of physical evidence linking them to the case. All five served between 6 and 13 years in prison, while Wise, the oldest at the age of 16, serving the longest time in adult prison (unlike his peers, who were sent to juvenile). When They See Us‘s final episode focuses on Wise’s plight, which begins in New York’s infamous Rikers Island jail, and ends in Wende State Penitentiary,  366 miles from his mother in Harlem. Jerome—who was the only actor to play both the teenage and adult incarnations of his character—totally disappears into Wise, as he slowly unravels, obsessing over the moment he chose to go to the park with his friends, blaming himself for the kind of tiny decisions we all make every day.

Though it can hardly be called justice, there is, at least, a resolution to the story, both in real life and in When They See Us. In 2002, after all the men but Wise had completed their sentences, a serial rapist named Matias Reyes (played by Reece Noi in the series) confessed that he and he alone committed the rape. His DNA matched the only DNA recovered of the scene, and the Central Park Five were finally exonerated. They sued the city of New York, and, eleven years later, finally received a settlement of $41 million, thanks to a campaign promise from Mayor De Blasio.

DuVernay relays that last beat of the story via text on the screen before she delivers the series’ most powerful moment: She films the real McCray, Santana, Salaam, Richardson, and Wise gazing at the camera, lit gorgeously, reminding of audiences of the real lives at stake here while also confirming that said lives approved of her version of the events. As the camera reverently captures each man, accompanied by Frank Ocean’s “Moon River” cover, viewers learn the “where are they now” of the Central Park Five: McCray, Santana, and Salam all relocated to Georgia; Richardson relocated to New Jersey; and Wise is the only one who remained in New York City, where he founded and funded a non-profit organization that provides pro-bono legal counsel to the wrongfully convicted.

When They See Us will not be fun to watch, but if you quit on it, you’ll miss out on an incredible story that needs to be heard, and the incredible people who endured it. And in the face of such selflessness following all that injustice, there’s really nothing to do but cry.

Stream When They See Us on Netflix