The decision the kill Ari in First Wives Club was made to show viewers that the series was not afraid to take risks.
Ari’s death was certainly one of the most shocking moments so far in First Wives Club. But the decision to kill this character off so suddenly is likely only one of many unexpected twists that lie ahead in the series.
Why did Ari leave First Wives Club?
Bree Washington (portrayed by Michelle Buteau), Hazel Rachelle (played by Jill Scott) and Ariel “Ari” Montgomery (played by Ryan Michelle Bathe) have always been at the center of First Wives Club.
Unfortunately, all of this changed in the second episode of season three when Ari died suddenly after suffering a brain aneurysm. Fortunately, Ari’s shocking death was not all for naught.
Darren Star and Tracy Oliver, the co-creators of the series, revealed that they ultimately decided to kill off such an integral character because they wanted to show fans that First Wives Club was willing to take risks with its narrative.
However, unnerving as this revelation seems, it likely also means that Ari’s death is likely not the last unexpected twist that the creators of the series have planned.
Why we should have seen Ari’s death coming
Avid fans of First Wives Club may already know that Bathe’s character, Ari, had actually been making a gradual exit from the show for quite a while.
Ari had moved away from her friends and to the West Coast in the show’s second season. Moreover, before David promised to have Ari on the island in time for Hazel’s wedding, she was not seen or mentioned much in the third season.
What has Ryan Michelle Bathe been up to since she left the show?
Just because Bathe’s character was killed off in First Wives Club, it does not mean that she has disappeared from the small screen.
Bathe was cast as the co-lead in the NBC crime drama thriller, The Endgame, which started airing in 2022.
Her role in this series is certainly a departure from her role as Ari, but Bathe explained that she has enjoyed the challenge of playing Val Turner immensely.
As for the rumors…
Ari’s sudden and unexpected death certainly shocked both the First Wives Club cast and the show’s fans and has given way to some pretty juicy rumors about a possible feud between all of the show’s leading ladies.
And, while these rumors do help to make Ari’s death sting a little less, Bathe has disputed that there is any bad blood between her and her former co-stars.
In fact, she even shared a clip promoting Bateau’s new film to her Instagram and later stated that she is “thankful for all of it” while sharing a few behind-the-scenes memories.
