The role of Terra Newell in the Dirty John Finale, John Meehan Fight

By Brandon Baker On Mar 31, 2021

Bravo’s limited series Dirty John reached a shocking climax this week in the finale episode when Debra Newell and her family faced John Meehan one last time. In an unexpected twist, the audience saw John Debra’s daughter Terra Newell attack in broad daylight in the parking lot of their apartment complex. Contrary to her usual calm demeanor, Terra fended off John’s attempt to stab her by grabbing his knife and using it on him instead. And according to Dirty John’s producers, the real Terra Newell was crucial in bringing her harrowing attack to life on the small screen.

“The most important thing in the fight was seeing it through Terra,” executive producer Jeffrey Reiner told Dirty John After the Episode. “So I actually met with Terra for an hour and recorded her telling me what she smelled, what she saw, what she felt, how her heart felt, how her body felt, and what she was incredibly giving right now She gave us a lot of pictures, so if you look at the sequence it is really being told from her point of view.

Jeffrey also revealed that Julia Garner, who portrays Terra, played a pivotal role in recreating this scene. “Julia Garner really buried herself in, and you had to give her space because she really takes on the character. And I could tell that it was difficult for her. It was painful for her.”

Eric Bana, who plays John Meehan, added that his character finally met his match in Debra’s daughter. “It’s really interesting to think about what his endgame actually was, and I’m not entirely sure what that was, unless I think it was more from an obsession with chaos, distraction and damage that ultimately was his downfall” he said in Dirty John after the episode. “He finally hit his match.”

However, Debra Newell and her daughters may have had an idea what John’s plan might have been. “I asked Debra, and I asked Terra and Chris Goffard how they were feeling. They had a feeling that he would probably kidnap Terra and then use it to take Debra where Terra was and he would probably kill both of them . ” said executive producer Richard Suckle. Fortunately for the Newells, their fight with John ended thanks to Terra’s bravery and tenacity to fight back.

Be sure to have the cast explain the rest of the shocking finale in Dirty John After the Episode above, and see what happens when Terra faces John’s sister in the Dirty John episode clip below.

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Terra Newell meets John Meehan’s sister face to face