‘Transplant’ Team Talks [Spoiler]’s Death: ‘Miraculous Saves Aren’t Always on the Table’
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Transplant Season 4 Episode 8 “All I Have Is How I Feel.”]
The most shocking moment of all of Transplant comes near the end of its fourth and final season. With only two episodes left after this one, the medical drama says goodbye to a major character.
It was only a couple episodes ago that Mags (Laurence Leboeuf) had a heart transplant and she and Bash (Hamza Haq) got back together. But in this episode, she’s been at Level 1 rejection for a couple weeks, culminating in Bash calling an ambulance and them rushing her to the hospital. However, there’s nothing they can do: Mags dies.
Leboeuf shares with TV Insider a key piece of direction she received from the episode’s director, Stefan Pleszczynski. “When they come and get me at the house and when we call the ambulance for them to come get me, he told me to start thinking that Mags was starting at this point to hear a waterfall, but that she was the only one hearing it,” she says. “And as we’re getting closer and closer to the hospital, it becomes noisier and louder. And I really liked that image because I felt like that’s what it was. She was kind of alone in this bubble all of a sudden being so good at her job. I think she knew that this was bad and going into a really dark situation. I don’t know if she expected to die, but I think she knew she was going near this waterfall that she was going to maybe not come back from. And I liked that piece of direction. I thought that was awesome. I think she kind of felt something brewing for sure.”
Read on for more from Leboeuf as well as Hamza Haq, Ayisha Issa, and series creator Joseph Kay for insight into why Mags was killed off, those final Bash and Mags scenes, and more.
Sphere Media/CTV
Why Transplant killed off Mags in the final season
As Kay explains, Mags made a brave and ballsy decision getting her heart transplant, and sometimes those don’t go the way people hope. “She was OK with it either way. Being Mags, she’d really thought through, did she want to live essentially impaired, or did she want to leave it all out there on the floor?” he shares.
He acknowledges that the “happier” choice would have been to let her live, but instead, the show took the more dramatic route, showing, “There are consequences sometimes that suck in a medical series where our doctors are always dealing with random, unfortunate medical situations. Sometimes they’re pulling miraculous saves out, but those aren’t always on the table.”
What also factored into it was the series ending. “We wanted to shake things up and do something bold and important to our audience that would affect them and upset them and make them, sure, angry at us, but also curious to see how the rest of this journey goes. We didn’t want it to go out neatly,” explains Kay, adding he doesn’t mind if fans are sad or angry. “I’d rather you have any emotion than be totally neutral to what we’re trying to do.”
It also came down to them wanting to challenge Bash in the present after focusing so much on the trauma of his past. “We’ve described the show as a window into his life when he learns to put some of his past behind him,” Kay says. “How can we really know that Bashir is going to walk away from this period of his life a little bit better than if we see him lose something in the present and face something in the present that really shakes his foundation? And if we see that he has the tools to overcome that, then we can leave with a grounded bit of hope, not a fairytale bit of hope.”
He knows that fans had expected the series to give Bash and Mags a happily ever after, “but that was never going to be the show,” he tells us. “That’s actually why we did that in the middle of the season. We had them get back together and over the fact that she was having this surgery and create a little life for themselves that was nice. Yes, we’re doing that and ripping it away, which is unkind perhaps to those in our audience who were rooting for them and for either of them, not even as a couple but as individuals. But we want it to make you feel.”
Laurence Leboeuf’s reaction to Mags’ death
Leboeuf tells us Kay called her before work on the final season began to tell her of Mags’ fate. “I loved it,” she reveals. “As much as I was heartbroken about it, I thought it was really daring of them to do that and to do it with Mags that I don’t think you expect to do that with. I love that they decided to go down that journey and that we’re not ending this in an expected way in a sense. And so I was all for the adventure and knowing it was the last season, knowing that this was going to wrap anyway at the end, it was sort of a real way to mourn this show.”
Kay recalls Leboeuf being “really excited” about the development, which he found interesting. “She’s not thinking, ‘Oh, what if you bring this series back in three years?’ She’s thinking, ‘That’s amazing. I really want to do that and lean into it.'”
Ayisha Issa (who plays June) shares that what we saw onscreen mimicked what was offscreen, with Mags’ final episode before everyone else’s.
“I was upset about it. Laurence and I have a close relationship, and we all kind of developed a real connection to our characters and therefore to each other’s characters. And so it was really heartbreaking to know that she was somehow going to be leaving before the rest of us,” she says. “That part of the experience was very real for all of us because even though we shot everything out of order, that part actually followed in the sense of once Mags died, we no longer were really working with Laurence anymore. So it was hard, it was sad. I think we all went through an actual process of mourning as people and as professionals and as actors, as well as through the characters. A lot of what I think you see through the characters is real.”
Bash & Mags’ final scenes together
After ups and downs, it had seemed like Bash and Mags were finally in a good place once they got back together. They were then together for Mags’ ending, from the moment she realized something was really wrong and she needed to go to the hospital, to her death.
“It was a tough episode to film,” Hamza Haq tells TV Insider. “Laurence and I ended up reading the script together. We found it. They wouldn’t give us them too far in advance so we wouldn’t anticipate everything, but we’re conniving, so we were able to get a leak of it. And I think it was during lunchtime while we were filming something else and we’re reading 408. And when we both finished reading it, it was like, ‘Oh, this is good.'”
He liked that rather than being a “grand” event, “it’s approached in such a beautiful way [as] something that just happened. I think that it so beautifully talks about the fragility of life and how when it happened, it was the right time for it to happen because they had six months together. They had this beautiful relationship together, even in the way that they were talking to each other, the way they were planning their futures, the way they approached when the incident started. When she wakes up in the middle of the night and then they’re just kind of with each other and she’s grabbing the stethoscope, he’s grabbing the monitor, he’s staying with her the whole time. He’s with her the whole time. From the moment that they decide ‘we’re going to do this,’ it’s like they’re inseparable.”
Yan Turcotte/Sphere Media/CTV
Haq also noted the lesson that his character learned as a result of losing Mags after he blamed himself for not being able to save all the people he’s lost. “I think he finally made the decision that, ‘I’m going to be here for this person no matter what,’ and Mags’ death was kind of like a forgiveness of everything else because it was just like, ‘You did everything the right way. You were here the whole time and you still couldn’t save her because it was her time,'” he explains. “I think that not being able to save Mags is his big realization that ‘I actually couldn’t have saved any of them.’ The thing that he loved most, he still couldn’t save. There’s sort of a humility that comes with that that allows him to continue to take risks because it’s relinquishing control finally, maybe for the first time in his life. Did Mags have to die for him to learn that? Joseph Kay, our writer, certainly thought so, but I found that the lesson in that was just so beautiful.”
Leboeuf likes that Bash and Mags were together for the end, noting that Haq loved her character as much as she did. “We knew it was the end of the show, also, so I think that added to the emotion,” she says of filming those scenes. “At the same time, we had to play it kind of chiller. It’s not the goodbye that you expect because they don’t know.”
According to Haq, that was an emotional day on set, with the crew pretty consistent since Season 1. “Everybody was taking such good care of us in terms of, a set can be a rowdy place, but it was just the amount of weight and respect that everyone had for Laurence and for me and for the story itself. So when it was happening, we were very supported in telling a very difficult story and it was easy to get to because it was also the end of our scenes together,” he recalls. “It was the end of our time together, and we’d had such a great time telling the story of Bash and Mags. So it was in real time we were mourning that loss and the realization that like, ‘Oh, I’m actually not going to get to do this again.'”
Leboeuf is a fan of Bash and Mags’ relationship as well. “I think they both have this incredible connection since the beginning and you just want them to be together already. You’re just like, ‘You guys connect so much,'” she says. “One of our favorite scenes — and I’m going to talk for Hamza, too, because we’ve talked about this before — is I think at the end of Season 2, where he comes and knocks on my door and I just come out and we just look at each other and we don’t say anything. That was one of my favorite moments of the whole series because I loved everything that passed between us in that moment. And I think that explains that relationship. Sometimes you don’t have to say much to understand that there’s a current that’s there that’s passing and that they understand each other.”
What to expect from Bash’s grief
Looking ahead, expect to see Bash’s grief “come in waves,” warns Haq. “He’s watching other people process their grief around it before he even processes his own. And I think that it’s very much that the only way is through.”
He continues, “It’s going to be a lifelong thing, and it is certainly going to be one of those pivotal Bashir defining things that he’s going to carry for the rest of his life. And maybe we won’t know exactly how because the [series is] done, but what we will know is he’s certainly going to have the knowledge of really loving someone, losing somebody. Perhaps that’ll make him better at talking to patients who have gone through that. But I think processing grief or trauma or anything like that, that’s a lifelong endeavor. And I think he’s just in a good position to be able to do that better than ever really.”
Yan Turcotte / Sphere Media / CTV
The importance of Mags and June’s friendship
The other key relationship in Mags’ life was hers with June, with the former helping the latter to open up.
“They spoke their own language, they understood each other in that way,” reflects Leboeuf. “They understood the boundaries or there’s sometimes no boundaries, that June was able to accept that from Mags and they had this way to give each other space and to really target, especially for June, this wound that she has. And I think Mags had a space to touch that. Their last conversation was about telling her you are loved and I’m here for you, but know that you are loved. And I thought that was nice. It was nice to see that female friendship on screen, too.”
According to Issa, she and Leboeuf are good friends offscreen. “We have a really strong relationship. We’re constantly kind of catching each other up on what’s going on and being supportive of each other through all kinds of personal life stuff. And so it was really easy, I think, to bring that level of love and appreciation to our characters. I think we instantly felt that way about each other,” she shares. That’s different from the characters, who took time to warm up to each other.
“I love the fact that what I see on screen, the way that Joe wrote it, the way that we played it, really mimics my personal perception of a strong, healthy friendship between two people, which is you push other to be accountable for yourself,” Issa continues. “You look out for each other, you call each other out on your BS. You are there and you’re sensitive to each other’s needs, but ultimately you’re there to ensure that the other person, this person you call your friend is on track to who they say they want to be and what is they say they want for themselves. And I think that Mags and June did that really nicely. And as a result of that and as a result of their care and respect and love for each other, they took on a lot of each other’s characteristics in a way that they needed to to grow and evolve and become broader people.”
When Transplant almost killed off Mags
Mags almost didn’t make it to the final season, creator Joseph Kay reveals.
“We talked about doing it earlier, the end of Season 3. We explored it fully because as soon as we introduced this idea of her chronic heart problems, it was the plan. Hamza knew it was the plan. The plans can always change, as we all know. So we did talk about doing it earlier, but then decided that waiting for the last third of the last season was the right time to do it,” he says. “You had to present a crisis in his life, can’t be his sister. That would be cruel on a whole other level. So we would never, ever, ever have done that. And that really leaves her as the best worst choice.”
What did you think of Mags’ death? Let us know in the comments section below.
Transplant, Thursdays, 8/7c, NBC
Conversation48 Comments
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Comments are closed on this story.
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G
I was hoping it was just a dream and Bash would wake up. So heartbreaking and impactful.
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C
I thought he same thing, hoping it was a dream. I'm so sad and mad they had Mags die!😪
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J
I'm in Canada where the show finished over a year ago now and I'm still mad at Transplant (Maggie's) ending. When shows do this I think it really affects their reviewing numbers, even years later. I will be less inclined to watch Transplant reruns because I'll always know the sad ending of the show as a while. And I'll never be able to enjoy it as I did the original time through.
With Bobby's "death" on 9-1-1 this spring, I now think twice (or feel bad when I see him) about rewatching past shows, something I often do even though I've seen all the earlier seasons' episodes 3-4 times, because it negatively affects my enjoyment of those shows now, knowing Bobby has gone. Bad move for these shows that kill off beloved characters. It must impact their long-term rerun revenue.
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B
Jude, I feel the exact same way! I still have yet to finish watching the 911 episode where Bobby dies. This one with Mags took me totally by surprise the same way! I just cannot understand why they keep killing off main characters in these shows and then cancel others that I enjoyed every week. It's getting harder and harder to invest in these shows.
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C
Killing off major characters is a dramatic device since before Greek tragedies. Nothing is more engrossing to an audience.
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C
Hey, if we want the shows to be believable this is what happens in life! We hate it but this was realistic.
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C
I was very surprised, shocked and saddened . It continues to bother me several hours later. I have watched all seasons of the
show and realize that life doesn’t always go the way you want it to go. But it’s still entertainment and the ending didn’t have to be heartbreaking. Maybe the last two episodes will bail the writers out, but I doubt it.
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P
So very sad ending tonight. I was kind of shocked the writers had Mags die. Wanted to continue to see the developing love relationship between Bash and Mags!
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B
I'm still weepy the next day. It was a beautiful thing to see such warmth and love so perfectly presented. Very good to have waited till the end of the series but not the very last episode. We viewers got so attached to Bash & Mags as couple, it's difficult to imagine his going it alone. Thanks for the storyline. It's memorable.
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B
My mouth was wide open as they were working on Mags! I really felt Bashir's confusion on what was going on. I teared up when I realized what had happened. All I can say is great storyline!
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P
I had no idea that this was the last season of Transplant, but when I began to see how other characters in the hospital were making alternate career plans, I guessed that Mags was going to die and that this was it for the series. So I guess I came here to verify that hunch. I'm sad that another one of my favorite "medical" TV series is ending.
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P
I cried. I really wanted both of them to have a lasting, strong relationship. I really loved both of the characters, and I always want the best for people I care about.
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C
I was shocked and saddened by Mags' death, but it was done beautifully. I am a huge fan of Dan Fogelman, and it felt like a page out of his book. I kept thinking "no, they won't kill her," and in a way I am impressed by the balls it took to choose this direction, knowing that many watchers would be incredibly disappointed.
I kept expecting them to say "I love you," but they never did, and then I realized that they were "saying" it from the moment she woke up feeling "off." This was a perfect on-screen depiction of the saying "love is a verb."
I appreciate shows that make me feel, and this definitely did! It was beautifully written, beautifully acted, and completely broke away from the death scene tropes that have been done to death (sorry, just couldn't resist the pun).
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R
As much as we want life to be like a fairy tale or a Hallmark movie It rarely is I thought this was done beautifully because the value was real life portrayed in a beautiful and touching way.
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G
I am still sad that you killed her off. That was a cruel thing to do. I have watched the entire time. I understand why you did it though.
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G
It was so sad losing mags in this episode. Like bash hasn't gone through enough between the war he escaped from with his sister and all the Death there and that are finally find love again to just have her die. That is awful. A very heartbreaking episode.
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O
I was saddened by it. Bash has been through so much & they just got their act together. I’m a sucker for a happy ending so while I know that’s not real life, we NEED that in our entertainment too to escape real life. I’m sad that the show is ending so I guess since the show was ending it’s better that it happened at the end then if the show was to go on very long without her.
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G
I have watched transplant from the beginning and really enjoyed it, but I have to admit I was disappointed in the final season and was shocked at Mags death. I will see it through to the end but honestly not happy
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O
I get what the writers were doing. But it still sucks. I was hoping it was a dream as well.
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P
I get it, but there's so much real life sadness that having her live and them be happy is what would have helped me escape real life issues better. Now, sadness and depression intrude. I didn't like what they did.
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O
Pissed off. Horrible
4 1
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O
I don't think Mags had to die. Just when Bash gets his head together he looses Mags
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R
Was ridiculous to kill mags off. I could care less about the rest of the season
Waited a year and a half to see season four and sadly it ends this way
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B
Very disappointed and I think it was a bad move to write her off. I liked the show before that. Horrible episode.
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C
It would have been better if they got married in the end, I'm really unhappy with the ending of the series, I watched all 4 seasons and got invested in the characters lives, I'm upset with NBC (again) because they don't listen to fans! How do you think Grey's has been on ABC for so long? Why can't you idiots at NBC take a lesson and keep the only medical show you have?? OH I forgot, sports pays the big bucks!! Not procedurals!! Again I'm done with NBC!!
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P
Transplant is not NBC’s only medical show. Chicago Med, anyone? I don’t think it would have been better if they married. While they had a previous short relationship, this time it was only 6 months in. Coupled with her heart issue (the main reason Bash did not want to go away for a weekend), it was too soon. So much up in the air with his residency ending. It was not the time. It’s sad that Cam didn’t get there in time, her parents were on their reunification trip. Honestly, a few episodes ago, I actually thought Mags had died. In any case, well done.
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J
Actually this is a Canadian show that NBC buys the rights to show on their network. For us, the show ended over a year ago now (Jan 2024). So I've been sad about Maggie's death for a long time now. 😉
It was written, produced and filmed in Toronto and originally shown on our CTV network. The cast was almost entirely Canadian, too. Except for the amazing (and Scottish) John Hannah. It was a very good show and I looked forward to it every season, as well.
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O
I was very sad and I cried!! I wanted them to have a happily ever after!! Love both characters!! I do not want the show to end!!!!!! I love Transplant!! They make life “real” even though I was so sad to see Mags die!!
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B
Devastated!
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G
Mad and sad! I wanted a happy ending because I need it. Too much sadness in the news yet you added more!
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C
Mags death was a surprise. I was hoping for a happily ever after. That they have had a wonderful six months syncs with the fact that her passing was so quiet. In a way, it was ok because they were allowed to have a complete relationship in only six months. Of course, it quiet and heart- breaking. All the actors on the series were marvelous.
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O
Terrible Very disappointed in that storyline So many thing could happen with mags and bashir
I watched this whole series and now it sucks
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C
She was such a beautiful character, I kept thinking, do not kill this woman over and over, and she died. All the characters in this show were great. I did not know the show is ending. It was a great surprise out of nowhere from the beginning and became one of the best medical shows.
1
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O
Horrible! I hated and so does everyone else I know. We think you were awful to do that to us.
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T
I am angry that writers think they need to make us feel something. Killing Mags was a middle finger to the audience. Killing Bobby on 911 was just wrong. They don't care if it destroys the audience.
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R
I started “binge” watching” this show about a month ago. I found the show to be excellent until the character “Bash” began to have flashbacks to when he was in prison which became overkill. Then when he spent time in the camp offering medical help I almost quit watching. I continued to watch as the Mags and Bash relationship began to grow. When she died, I was so sad and cried for them both. I’ll miss all the characters and their personal situations! Overall an excellent show - Bravo!!
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B
I'm really sad about Mags' death, especially for Bash. But this is real life stuff! The show was not a Disney fairytale!! You Can't mature if you don't face reality. If you don't want reality based programs, then stick with Disney movies. Or grow up!
MSPKBREW
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B
I loved this show from the first episode. I was intrigued by it. Bash needed to be everyone's savior and Mags everyone's inspiration. The head doctor who Bash saved showed humanity. His replacement not so much. June was so very smart but suffering herself emotionally needing and wanting love. The doctor , name ?, who experienced the crash loved and needed to love and help others no matter what. Almost all of the nursing staff had their frailties. June's nemesis, the jerk, can't remember character's name, was such an unhappy person. He couldn't show compassion because he has never received it in his life. He hurt so he hurt others. The head cardiologist had to experience a critical condition before he could treat others in a compassionate way. The show was about brilliant everyday people with flaws but exhibiting great skills while trying to keep their heads above the waters of their own lives.
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R
I probably am in the minority, but I personally am glad. She was my least favorite person on the show.
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P
The show could have used a happy ending for Mags and Bash. It is so otherwise grim. It is hardly watchable.
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C
I think it's terrible. I'm in shock. The writers accomplished what they wanted which was to surprise us all and make us sad. I'll watch future seasons, but this is a hard one to get over.
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P
I’m heartbroken. How can they do this. Bash and Mags needed to say I love you at least! I don’t know if I can watch anymore.
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O
From the standpoint of drama, I always appreciate it when a show chooses the brave path versus the predictable, happily ever after cliche. So, just as I was surprised early on with the departure of John Allen and its ability to refresh and redirect the story in a real life way, I was also surprised here. I am also always pleased when a company recognizes a natural ending, rather than flogging the entire premise for the sole purpose of dragging it on and making more money. Of course they could have used the conditions already established to carry on, because as you'll recall Bash was leaving BECAUSE Mags got the only available job. With her gone they could simply give it to him, keep him there, and rehash all the known storylines. But why? I'm sad to see them go but impressed to see it done with such class.
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O
There is enough reality in life. As viewers TV is a break from that. You ruined this show for me. I’m glad it’s ending because I would have stopped watching. Terrible decision.
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O
I think there should be another season and let Bash find a new gal friend. Best TV show around as far as I am concerned.
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G
I'm wondering if there will be a spinoff with him opening a clinic and the other guy (I'm bad with names) taking over the private practice.
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G
Great show the first season. Fascinating actually Them it took a left turn and went full blown woke. It wasn't really about Bashir anymore. I soon lost interest.
2 14
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B
How can you say it wasn't about Bashir anymore? This shows his struggle with PTSD while trying to make it in a foreign country plus looking after his sister. His struggles with not being accepted even tho he has excellent doctor skills. Glad you're not watching anymore. . . you don't get it!
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