Terriers Finale: Is There Hope for Hank and Gretchen?

Bad things seem to happen to everyone around Terriers' Hank Dolworth.
In the penultimate episode of the FX drama's first season, Hank (Donal Logue) pulled Jason Adler (Loren Dean), the new husband of Hank's ex-wife Gretchen (Kimberly Quinn), into his investigation of a corporate conspiracy that threatens Ocean Beach. And by the episode's end, Jason was dead.

Check out photos of the Terriers cast

"I was completely shocked," Quinn tells TVGuide.com of when she first read the script. "I had no idea he was going to die. The bigger shocker for me is that he died because he was tied up with Hank."Indeed, that wrinkle threatens to destroy an already strained relationship between Gretchen and Hank, who divorced because of Hank's alcohol problem. Earlier this season, Hank dug into Jason's past as an accused child molester in an attempt to protect Gretchen, but when his theories were disproved, Gretchen asked Hank to stay out of her life.But after learning of Jason's death, Hank is the first person Gretchen turns to. "She falls into Hank's arms for comfort," Quinn says. "Hank is all she knows. She hasn't been with other guys. They know every ounce of each other, every flaw. There is a comfort level that goes beyond any fight or disagreement. He's almost like her safety net. They know that they can somehow always count on each other."

Get the rest of today's latest news

Despite Hank's lie of omission, Quinn says, it's Hank's innate goodness that keeps Gretchen close and makes people like Jason want to help him. "Hank has a way about him is honest and real," she says. "He's ironically always trying to do good, and I think that's what people fall for. They want to help him because he's not doing anything maliciously. It's easy to want to help out someone who wants to be a hero or save the day. But he just so happens to get everything jacked up along the way."

Regardless of whether Gretchen learns the truth about Hank's involvement in Jason's death, Quinn doesn't expect an immediate reunion between the former couple. "She loved Jason and was hoping for a healthy, long-term marriage," Quinn says. "Really, I think that all she wants is to be happy. She needs to get over Jason and deal with herself a little."
But Quinn says the season finale (airing Wednesday at 10/9c on FX) also gives her hope about the couple's chances to figure things out— if the critically loved but ratings-challenged show gets a second season.

Donal Logue on Terriers: "FX has a really good filter for stuff that sucks"

"You can expect a little healing to be done between the two and a little compassionate understanding of each other's own space," she says of the finale. "They kind of come full circle. Gretchen and Hank have a very deep love for each other. It's just one that's slightly dysfunctional. But I think there is always a hope underlying somewhere."Do you hope Terriers gets a second season?