‘The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey’ Recap: ‘Ptolemy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the series finale of ‘The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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When the time comes for us to depart this plane of existence in any capacity, be it through losing our faculties or outright breathing our last breath, we like to believe that our final moments and final days… are going to be elegant in nature. Wherein our family and our friends surround us and celebrate the incredible journey we’ve all enjoyed together in a bittersweet and beautiful manner before we depart the world that held us near and dear for years on end, and we hold to that belief… because we want there to be true dignity in death. But while that is a wonderful and beautiful way to bid farewell to this life, it is a belief that is something of a pipe dream when all is said and done.
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For death tends to be mired in indignity. Thanks in large part to the fact that the diseases that ravage us in old age rob of us our lives before we have the chance to make plans for a farewell, or the sheer cruelty of fate can take us before we can even blink. Not to mention the loss of faculties can be so subtle and gradual, that by the time our mind and bodies have lost control, we’re in no shape to bid farewell and we might not even be aware of what’s happening around us. Which are fine reminders to have our affairs in order before the possibility of the end of arrives. But that aside, the reason this ugly aspect of the end is top of mind today, is because it was put on full display in the series finale of The Last Days of Ptolemy Grey on Apple TV+.

For when we catch up with Ptolemy in an episode that shared his namesake, he’s preparing for the end by taking part in one last item on his bucket list. In that, he once told Sensia what he would do if by chance he could just have a full day to himself to be free, and for him, that involved taking in art and sitting by his favorite lake to just… enjoy the world and the moment. But alas his desire to fully immerse himself in the wonder of creation both man and meta, didn’t quite go as planned. For his mind was quickly beginning to slip back into his dementia, prompting him to ask strangers for simple help with understanding the basics of art and his trip to the lake was full of hallucinations and worry. But while that would have been a subtle and elegant way to express the show’s thoughts on the indignity of the end, it found a way to hammer it home in a stunning manner.

Because shortly after Ptolemy finished up enjoying his day of freedom, he hurried back home to have a little discussion with good ol’ Alfred. One that he recorded for posterity and one that he wasn’t sure he was going to walk out of. Because Alfred was a dangerous dude, one that undoubtedly would cause serious trouble and harm to Ptolemy if pushed right and push Ptolemy did. Since he was relentless in getting Alfred to admit to the fact that he killed Reggie and well… while Ptolemy was able to survive this encounter with a few bumps and bruises, indignity was how this meeting ended. Since PityPapa shot Alfred when he had the chance, and even chased him out onto the street in a confused manner, leading to his arrest and a supremely unfortunate future.

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One where he was committed to a long-term care facility and forgotten by his family once again. All because they wanted to take this time to fight for his fortune when they learned how vast it was and that led to an ugly sequence set six months after that dark day. Wherein poor Robyn had to duke it out with Niecie and the others to keep Ptolemy’s fortune in a place where it wasn’t spent in a rapid and lavish manner, which was no easy task. For Niecie hired one heck of a lawyer to go toe to toe with Ptolemy’s and in the end, it took a very powerful ‘sound mind’ certification to finally put the money in Robyn’s hands to do with as she pleased. But even, there were no guarantees that PityPapa’s vast fortune would be completely safe and secure.
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Because despite Robyn’s best efforts to make peace and offer kindness to Niecie and the family, Niecie was ready to continue to drag this out in court and fight hard, and of course… Ptolemy was still tied to a bed and lost in his thoughts and his memories. An image that ended this story on a sobering note for certain, one so striking and uncomfortable that it begs the question… what was the point? What was the lesson inherent that we needed to learn from watching a man handle his affairs and right wrongs before slipping into the void through cruelty and indignity? Well as it turns out, bearing witness to the last days of Ptolemy Grey was less about death and more about the meaning of life and what we leave behind… as evidenced by what Robyn revealed when she was speaking with Niecie.

Since she planned to put a vast majority of the money into a trust fund for people in need and of course, the fact that she tried to make peace with Niecie after everything that happened… provided us with the real lesson this series was eager to teach us. In that, life is short, life is fleeting and the memories we cherish are for us and us alone and never come again. Which means, it is what we leave behind and the lessons we impart upon others that matter the most. For that is how we find immortality and that is how we change the world. Because when we are inherently good in our souls and do right by others and stand by them in a time of need… we teach others around us to conduct themselves in a similar manner and slowly but surely… they teach others as well and that is the edict mankind should live by. Because we only have so long here and to waste it on worry and fear and anger and ugliness, does us and the experience a great disservice.

If anything, that’s the kind of powerful lesson… that leaves one silent when this story comes to its melancholy end. Since it asks us to take inventory on the life we’d led and ask ourselves if we’ve done enough to impact others in a positive manner and if we’ve done enough to have our affairs in order since the end can come at any time and well… that makes this series a poignant piece of art. One that everyone should see when they have the chance to immerse themselves in the lessons it sends our way and well, now that the journey has come to an end all we can do is offer thanks. Thanks to Walter Mosely for assembling such a beautiful and moving story, and thanks to Samuel L. Jackson for putting in the finest performance of his career to sell it, and thanks to the rest of the cast and crew for giving their all as well to provide us with a series that truly speaks to the ups and downs of life, all while informing us of what it really takes… to find happiness and fulfillment.

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