SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from thePrime Videolimited seriesExpatsincluding the finale.
What is home exactly?
Margaret is considering hiring Mercy to help with her kids so she gives her a trial run.
Nicole Kidman & Sarayu Blue in “Expats"Amazon Prime
Hes gone into the night.
The events of that day changed everyones lives forever.
Throughout the season, the characters deal with traumaboth past and presentwhile also hoping Gus will be found.
Margaret (Nicole Kidman), Sarayu Blue (Hilary Star)
Mercy has an affair with David and soon becomes pregnant.
DEADLINE: These six episodes sent me on a roller coaster ride of emotions.
Was the journey similar for you as you got to know your characters?
Where you go, Okay, here I am.
She hand-picked all of us.
I was like, What role should I play?
Shes like, Youre playing Margaret.
So Im like, Okay.
Its an exquisite piece of filmmaking.
SARAYU BLUE:I second so much of that.
KIDMAN:But you do it brilliantly because its so unapologetic.
BLUE:Well, thats it, right?
Thats what it’s crucial that you tell the story fully.
And that is what I love about what Lulu did with this vision.
She wants us all to walk away and have a conversation.
That reality is the most human part of all of them.
DEADLINE: And the payoff arrives in the final episode.
At the end of the day, what matters most is family, friendship and forgiveness.
What will you both take from working on Expats?
What you just said.
Yes, were all from different places.
Were all from different socioeconomic backgrounds.
I think theres forgiveness in that final episode, as well.
Enormous forgiveness and enormous insight.
This was a writers room full of powerful women.
It is a very strong female-led production.
To me, it is very cinematic.
It takes guts to depict these people this way.
So theres a lot of teeth to this series.
BLUE:What a great way to word it; theres a lot of teeth to this series.
What I love that you said Rosy is that were all just trying to do our best.
Were humans and at our most human selves.
And thats the story, right?
You have these stories with Margaret, Hilary and Mercy but you see the human-ness in everybody.
You see it in Pastor Alan [Blessing Mokgohloa] and Clarke with Brian Tees exquisite performance.
[Brian] is so good in this.
BLUE:Theres Ruby Ruiz.
I could do this all day about everyone on the show.
Theres Amelyn [Pardenilla] who is doing such human work.
Ive always felt its really hilarious having to be a person.
KIDMAN:Hilary can be so selfish, as can many humans in this world.
But theyre trying to work things out.
Theres a harshness to Margaret, theres a harshness to Hilary at times.
BLUE:Theres some obliviousness to Mercy there, as well.
Theyre like, Well, hold on, but then you’re free to always understand them.
The thing I like about me and Brian is our marriage.
The marriage is a good marriage.
Yes, its flawed.
But theyre together and theyre going to stay together.
I know that they will stay together.
He doesnt say, Im leaving you and Im going back.
Hes like, Well be waiting.
This is going to be okay.
He supports her decision to stay because he wants her to find him too.
I believe theres not a chance as a mother that I would leave.
I would do exactly what Margaret did.
DEADLINE: Neither the book nor the series are clear as to what happened to poor Gus.
We can certainly imagine but its such a sad story that you sort of hope for a happier ending.
Life doesnt end like that and certainly not with these experiences.
And yes, we want to hope and we want closure because thats the nature of our human existence.
Well demand endings as human beings.
[Laughs] But thats not life on lifes terms.
So this series is life on lifes terms.
DEADLINE: The show also ends differently from the novel without Mercys baby being born.
KIDMAN:Lulu knows everything!
Aww, you wanted to see the baby, did you?
you might see that ending in your head if you play it out.
you could fulfill the journey for these people.
One of the most devastating moments is when [Mercy] offers the baby to me.
I sobbed when I read that.
And of course, Margaret says, No, I would never take your baby.
But my God, woman to woman to say that.
I start crying now just thinking about that.
That was one of the most powerful moments in the series.
I love that sequence of us looking at the camera talking, its ingenious and thats all Lulu.
What did that mean to you?
My mom sends a full thesis statement about every episode.
You were Indian American.
I think its just such an important piece to the story.
Thats such a painful and powerful storyline.
They brought such authenticity so it felt so real.
Again, this is a testament to Lulu and the way she tells a story.
Thisinterviewwas edited and condensed for length and clarity.
