All good things must come to an end, and so it is with the hit Amazon series Goliath. The final season of the acclaimed show sees its heroes of the people, led by the alcoholic lawyer Billy McBride (Billy Bob Thornton) and his heart of gold, taking on Big Pharma in a fight that often hits too close to home.
Billy's right-hand woman Patty Solis-Papagian (Nina Arianda, Billions) gets an offer she can't refuse from the San Francisco law firm Margolis & True, and she brings Billy along for the ride in a hot case against several drug manufacturers accused of exacerbating the opioid crisis. However, not only is Billy currently hampered by the medications he's taking and the depression setting in after being shot, but Patty herself is nursing some fresh wounds that she's not entirely ready to let go of.
Arianda spoke to Screen Rant about Patty being captain of the ship for once, as well as how she's dealing with her personal struggles in a season that's all about pain.
Screen Rant: In this final season, we get to see Patty step into the world of prestigious law firms as she's going up against big pharma. Can you talk about how different things are for her now that she's the one steering the ship?
Nina Arianda: It was very exciting for me to be with Patty this season because I think after everything we've been through with her, we finally get her to take ownership of her talents, to really give herself a shot, and to not be dependent on anyone else's name. It's very exciting, and I'm very proud of her.
Patty ended last season pregnant and reconnecting with her mother, but things did not necessarily play out the way that one would have expected. And yet the season still is very much about family for her. Can you talk about exploring that side of her we haven't seen yet?
Nina Arianda: I think we find Patty at the end of a personal crisis - to a certain degree it hardens her, and to a certain degree it humbles her. I think that through the humble side of her, and in just her heart, she keeps giving people second and third and fourth chances.
She's negotiating whether she wants to break that hard exterior, and that's really great to watch. Because she's not one thing; she is a very compassionate person. She is a lot of bravado. She's a very brassy lady, but she does take things personally and things do affect her. Having that kind of internal-external life is tough.
I have loved every dynamic that plays out at Margolis and True, but is there one that you're most excited for fans to see or for Patty to play off of?
Nina Arianda: Oh, God. I mean, I loved working with everybody. Truly, I loved working with Brandon [Scott, who plays Rob]. Lenora [Crichlow, who plays Ava] and I had some really fun exchanges and fun improv fun stuff that we got to do together. I'm such a huge fan of hers that it was really fun to get a playmate; get somebody in the sandbox with you. I enjoyed everybody.
Looking back on the last four seasons, what has been the most important aspect of playing Patty, or what are you proudest of?
Nina Arianda: I had a really great time for so many years working slightly from the outside in, if that makes sense. Being able to work with Lindy [McMichael], our costume designer, in such a seamless and collaborative way was so fun. Because of how many bags she held in season 1 versus where we leave her in season 4 - her style, which she thought was good, relaxes into owning her body in a different way.
Even just that; technically, that physical weight that she had in season 1. To not have that is almost like you don't have your crutch, so you have to almost slowly - this wasn't like a band-aid ripping off - evolve with the Patty who's on paper and Patty the character. That was really exciting.
Goliath's final season is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video.