Red Rising Finale: Darrow Beat Their Game... But At What Cost? | Red Rising by Pierce Brown | Part 4: Chapters 34-44

Darrow entered the Institute thinking he understood the Golds. By the end? He’s beaten their game, exposed just how rigged it really is, and somehow made his mission even MORE complicated.

In our final Red Rising discussion, we’re covering Chapters 34–44—and Pierce Brown apparently decided there was no reason to let us emotionally recover before the finish line.

We’re talking about Darrow finally turning his attention toward the people actually controlling the game, the confrontation with the Jackal, the absolutely devastating loss of Pax, and whether Darrow has truly become the leader the Sons of Ares hoped he would be.

And then there’s Mustang.

Because after spending an entire book wondering whether Darrow can actually trust her, we finally learn exactly who Virginia au Augustus is—and suddenly their entire relationship looks a little more complicated.

We also look back at Darrow’s journey from the mines of Lykos to becoming the champion of the Institute, discuss what worked (and what didn’t) for us in our first trip into the Red Rising universe, and make our final predictions for where this story could possibly go next.

The Institute may be over.

Darrow’s real war? That’s just getting started.

🚨 Spoiler Warning: This episode discusses Chapters 34–44 and the ending of Red Rising by Pierce Brown.