“Not every love can lead to a love story.” We don’t know when we first heard this phrase, but it made us cringe. Over the years, as our understanding of the complexities of human emotions grew, the non-grammatical part of our brain, the one where thoughts spilled over from their logical boxes—started making sense of this statement. When we saw the final episode of “George & Tammy,” this is what we were reminded of. It is the saddest reality of love that, by itself, it is not enough. Human beings are complicated, and they function within an entangled web of personal, familial, and societal emotions. While love makes an effort worth it, the emotion itself is not worth it without the effort. There’s no better example of this than the story of George and Tammy. Two people who loved each other till the end of their days but could not place that above their demons. Let us look at how the series ends the story of its protagonists.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens After Tammy Marries Richey?
Episode 6 of “George & Tammy” starts with Tammy trying to escape from someone. She reaches the house of an old couple and claims that someone is trying to kill her. A few days later, a couple of people interview her about what happened, and she claims that someone had kidnapped and beaten her up. There is a stray question as to whether George Jonas was involved, but she denies it. After the interviews, when she goes back to her room, we discover that it was Richey who had inflicted the violence on her. He claims he did it because he was hurt, as she was always going to love George Jonas. However, Tammy is under no delusions, but she still relies on him for her injections. Meanwhile, George has been taken to court by Peanutt for his attempted murder. This time, George is sober and apologizes for his behavior while asking for another chance. Peanut withdraws the case and assures George of their continuing friendship. He is still not over Tammy and keeps driving by her house occasionally, which she is aware of.
On one particular night, as George and Billy are having a talk, the latter asks him to record another song for him. George agrees, but on the recording day, he is completely drunk and unmotivated. Sensing no other way out, Billy calls Tammy, asking her to help him sort this out. Tammy shows up, and seeing her, George records the song. However, he is not just singing. He is declaring his love for her. The moment he finishes, Tammy gets up to leave. George follows her and promises to fix himself and take her away. It is clear that Tammy doesn’t believe him, but she tells him to do it nonetheless and come see her and her children once he is done. Probably that is the moment when George starts his journey toward sobriety.
The time jumps to 1995. Tammy is a star like always, and George is doing well and has remarried. While he claims to have moved on, things are not that good. Meanwhile, as Georgette says, the only time Tammy is on her feet is when she is working. She is completely inebriated with medication the rest of the time. That night, she overdoses and ends up in a hospital. Her daughters are told to be prepared for everything, but they remark that she is in such a state because of the careless prescription of painkillers by doctors. George comes to visit her, and honestly, despite our cynicism, we can admit for a second that love conquers all as his presence works its magic and Tammy comes back to consciousness.
‘George & Tammy’ Ending Explained: Do George And Tammy Get A Happy Ending?
The next and last part of the story has both George and Tammy touring together once again. They share a good rapport, though their spouses, who are also their managers, are constantly quarreling about the economics of the partnership. George thinks that Georgette hates him, but Tammy reassures him that he just needs to be there in her life. On stage that day, when they are performing, George asks Tammy one more time whether she is happy. Tammy has gotten used to practicing her fake smile, and she replies in the affirmative, but George has always been the kind of man to wear his heart on his sleeve. He is unable to lie like her. After the concert, they spent some intimate moments together. Had someone walked in on them, they would look like a couple who have spent a lifetime together. George finds some notes from Tammy that are clearly a sort of makeshift will. He is heartbroken, knowing that she has accepted that death is close. When he goes out, he meets Georgette, who begs him to help her mother. As a last-ditch effort, George threatens Richey to stop harming Tammy, but the scene is broken by the person of interest. All Tammy cares about is a means to escape her pain.
Later, George asks Tammy whether they should run away like they did all those years ago from her ex-husband, Don Chapel. But Tammy refuses, saying that he is too late. She still loves him, but she can offer him nothing. George breaks down in his car at the loss of the only person he has loved in his entire life. Had he cleaned up his act earlier, he might have saved her, but his ruin had also brought on hers. “George & Tammy” ends with the two of them riding in a bus with their bandmates, singing some songs. They couldn’t be together, and these moments that they spent in each other’s company without any expectations were going to be their only peace for the rest of their days.
Final Thoughts: What Works For Episode 6?
Watching George and Tammy’s lives unfold on screen felt like a privilege. As usual, the integration of the music was relevant to the development the characters were going through. We love how crisp the storyline was, yet so effective. We would call it a “must-watch” only if it weren’t so heartbreaking. Tammy deserved a better life; she deserved the men in her life to do better than her. As for George, as much as we wish that he had been with Tammy, we are simply disappointed in him for not being able to protect her sooner. He couldn’t do what she had done for him. It is an imperfect story of perfect love, and there is no greater tragedy than that. We don’t even know what to wish for them at this point. Many romance novels and films have stated that lovers can only find their solace in a place that is beyond the realm of right and wrong. We don’t know if such a place exists in reality, but if it does, then the only thing we can ask of this couple is that they find their happiness somewhere, in some way.
