This article contains major character or plot details.<\/i><\/p>\n
After reading the eighth and final script of Haley Z. Boston\u2019s new horror series, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen<\/i><\/a>, multiple people told the writer that they decided to break up with their significant other. That\u2019s because the finale hinges on a chilling idea: What happens when you realize the person you\u2019re about to marry might not be your soulmate?<\/p>\n \u201cI was like, \u2018Whoa, that\u2019s powerful, I was just writing what felt true to me,\u2019 \u201d Boston tells Tudum. \u201cThat\u2019s the best thing I could ever hear, if it\u2019s affecting you, and you\u2019re taking something from the theme of the show, I think that\u2019s what it\u2019s all about.\u201d<\/p>\n So what is it about the show\u2019s finale that\u2019s been causing a real-life schism in multiple relationships? Let\u2019s start with the bloody wedding, a generational curse, and a deeply grounded portrayal of romance gone wrong. Over the course of her wedding week, Rachel<\/a> (Camila Morrone) discovers that her bloodline has a terrifying condition built into its gene pool. On her wedding day, if she doesn\u2019t marry someone she truly believes is her soulmate by sundown, she\u2019ll bleed to death \u2014 and if she fails to marry at all, the curse will spread to her fianc\u00e9\u2019s family.<\/p>\n As the clock ticks, Rachel must unravel her family\u2019s doomed history, all while grappling with her own relationship with Nicky (Adam DiMarco), which isn\u2019t quite what it seems. Old wounds surface, truths are revealed, and Rachel and Nicky are forced to face uncomfortable realities about each other.\u00a0<\/p>\n Read on for Boston\u2019s full breakdown of the ending, with Morrone and DiMarco helping unpack Rachel and Nicky\u2019s relationship, the curse, and what lies ahead for Rachel.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s go back several hundred years. A bride and groom are heading to the altar when the groom unexpectedly dies. Heartbroken, the bride begs Death to bring her love back to life. Death agrees to answer her plea on one condition: Every future generation in her family has to marry their soulmate by sundown on their wedding day or else bleed to death. Desperate to get her fianc\u00e9 back, she takes the deal.\u00a0<\/p>\n Years pass, and one member of her family finds himself at a crossroads. He\u2019s engaged and \u2014 unsure if his partner is his soulmate \u2014 he decides not to marry her. As such, the curse also takes root in her<\/i> bloodline. The groom, now known as The Witness (Zlatko Buri\u0107), is forced to attend every wedding in her family for generations to come. He decides to make a cruel sport out of it, collecting trinkets from each bloody wedding, and serving as a creepy, looming figure during the doomed nuptials.\u00a0<\/p>\n Which brings us to Rachel. She\u2019s the descendant of The Witness\u2019s fianc\u00e9e and subject to terrifying ramifications<\/a> if she doesn\u2019t marry her soulmate by sundown. As seen in Episode 4, Rachel\u2019s mother (Victoria Pedretti) had a bloody death because Rachel\u2019s father wasn\u2019t her soulmate.\u00a0<\/p>\n On top of that, Rachel discovers Nicky\u2019s entire family will become infected by the curse if she doesn\u2019t tie the knot with him. The big question is: What exactly qualifies someone as a soulmate? Within this universe, it means that you have to believe<\/i> the person is your soulmate, with no lingering doubt.\u00a0<\/p>\n By the way, there is<\/i> a loophole to all this! If someone in the cursed family never gets engaged or never intends to marry, they can avoid triggering the curse themselves. They still carry it, and they\u2019d still pass it on to any children, but they personally won\u2019t face the sundown deadline. Unfortunately, no one has informed Rachel about this exception, and she\u2019s stuck in her family\u2019s deadly merry-go-round.\u00a0<\/p>\n After considering drinking a potion that could potentially guarantee she is Nicky\u2019s soulmate, Rachel decides to put all her faith in her fianc\u00e9 and doesn\u2019t imbibe. As she walks down the aisle, she feels certain that Nicky is the one for her, choosing not to annihilate herself to fit the \u201cperfect bride\u201d mold, instead trusting her own belief.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cShe is torn. There\u2019s doubt, but in that moment, there\u2019s enough evidence in her mind to say, \u2018I think he is my soulmate,\u2019 \u201d Morrone explains. \u201cThere are things that could throw her off about their dynamic, but overall, based on evidence and fate, she wants to believe in love.\u201d<\/p>\n Nicky, however, is having doubts. He recently learned that his mother cheated on his father and is suddenly questioning the very concept of marriage. \u201cIt definitely shatters his worldview,\u201d DiMarco tells Tudum on the revelation. \u201cIt makes him reexamine everything. \u2026 He starts to question the concept of marriage and the foundational beliefs he\u2019s built his whole idea system on. Unfortunately, it happens at the wrong time for Rachel.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Despite Rachel warning Nicky that calling off their wedding would cause catastrophic damage to his family, he tells her he doesn\u2019t want to get married, dismissing her warning because he still doesn\u2019t believe the curse is real. \u201cI don\u2019t think he\u2019s a bad guy; he did what he felt was right,\u201d Boston says. \u201cIf Rachel wasn\u2019t cursed, it would\u2019ve been the right decision, because she never wanted to get married. If only he\u2019d done it months ago and not right there at the altar.\u201d<\/p>\n That moment changes everything. As sundown approaches, not only is Rachel not<\/i> getting married, but she no longer believes Nicky is her soulmate. He\u2019s been completely dismissive about the curse and \u2014 because he doesn\u2019t believe her \u2014 she loses faith in her fianc\u00e9. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest betrayal and heartbreak for her,\u201d Morrone says, pointing to that as the moment Rachel understands Nicky isn\u2019t her soulmate. \u201cShe realizes, \u2018You\u2019ve never believed me about anything. You don\u2019t see me at all. You don\u2019t understand me. You\u2019re like a stranger.\u2019 \u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The first part of the curse finally fires: It spreads to Nicky\u2019s bloodline, cursing his relatives. From that point on, any of them who are married and don\u2019t truly believe their spouse is their soulmate begin to bleed to death. In a desperate attempt to stop the carnage, Nicky marries Rachel, rushing through his vows and completing the ceremony even though the curse has already spread. \u201cHe\u2019s desperate. He doesn\u2019t know who to believe. \u2026 He\u2019s lost,\u201d DiMarco says of Nicky\u2019s state of mind. \u201cHe\u2019s just trying to do the right thing and failing miserably at every moment.\u201d That confusion has been building all along \u2014 Nicky\u2019s inability to fully grasp Rachel\u2019s fear or articulate his own disbelief only deepens the surrounding chaos. \u201cYou realize he\u2019s someone who doesn\u2019t really know what he wants, and he\u2019s doing everything because other people are putting pressure on him,\u201d Boston says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rachel dies because she winds up marrying someone she doesn\u2019t believe is her soulmate. And in an unexpected twist, she\u2019s reborn as The Witness, forced to attend every wedding in Nicky\u2019s family\u2019s bloodline for generations to come.\u00a0<\/p>\n After her rebirth, Rachel shares a final goodbye with Nicky, who\u2019s last seen clutching a teddy bear in bed, having watched nearly his entire extended family die a very bloody death. \u201cIt\u2019s shock, a feeling of being catatonic or spent, like you\u2019re living in a nightmare and you haven\u2019t woken up yet,\u201d DiMarco says of Nicky\u2019s feelings at that moment. \u201cHis whole psyche and soul have been flipped inside out. That\u2019s why he\u2019s grabbing the teddy bear \u2014 it\u2019s all he\u2019s got to hold onto.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Bored and annoyed, she asks him where her lighter is before walking out of his life forever. \u201cThat scene is one of my favorite scenes in the whole show,\u201d Boston says. \u201cI remember thinking, \u2018How do I close these characters out?\u2019 The show is about a breakup, ultimately. After you break up, there\u2019s that moment of logistics. \u2026 At this point, Rachel is exhausted, and she\u2019s just trying to get out of there.\u201d Adds Boston, \u201cIt felt like the perfect ending for them.\u201d<\/p>\n For Morrone, that final exchange underscores the gap between them. \u201cThere\u2019s a difference between having a lot of love and someone being your person,\u201d she says. \u201cRachel\u2019s person would wholeheartedly understand her, believe her neuroticism and skepticism, and hold space for her. \u2026 Nicky loves her and wants to, but he doesn\u2019t actually understand.\u201d<\/p>\n The Witness becomes The Witness when they allow the curse to spread to another bloodline \u2014 just like Rachel did. Her eternal punishment is to attend every subsequent wedding in Nicky\u2019s family, for generations to come.<\/p>\n In the finale, the original Witness has his \u201clast supper\u201d in the bloody reception hall and quietly dies at his table, released from his centuries-long bookkeeping job as the torch is officially passed to Rachel. She\u2019s free from Nicky, and her new immortal life is about to begin \u2014 one that, as Morrone sees it, isn\u2019t entirely bleak. \u201cI think it\u2019s a second chance at life,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n The idea of Rachel turning into The Witness didn\u2019t come to Boston until late in the writing process. \u201cWe talked about every possible ending,\u201d she says. \u201cShould Nicky die? Should they not get married? We went through everything.\u201d<\/p>\n She continues, \u201cUltimately, I liked this idea of a death and a rebirth, and in order to get the rebirth, it felt natural that there was a mythological answer.\u201d<\/p>\n It\u2019s not a totally happy ending for Rachel, though. She still needs to be cautious when it comes to love. \u201cShe has the curse, so she\u2019s not off the hook, she has to be careful if she ever wants to get married and who she chooses,\u201d Boston says.\u00a0<\/p>\n Once the curse spreads to Nicky\u2019s bloodline, his relatives don\u2019t all die automatically. It turns lethal only for the ones who are both in his bloodline and married, and who don\u2019t truly believe their spouse is their soulmate. Nicky, Boris (Ted Levine), and Jules (Jeff Wilbusch) all live because they think their respective partners are their soulmates. Portia (Gus Birney) and Victoria (Jennifer Jason Leigh) bleed to death<\/a> because they don\u2019t. Nell (Karla Crome), Nicky\u2019s sister-in-law, isn\u2019t part of Nicky\u2019s family bloodline, so she\u2019s safe, and Jude (Sawyer Fraser), Nicky\u2019s nephew, survives for now because he\u2019s still unmarried \u2014 though he now carries the curse.\u00a0<\/p>\n Boston enjoyed planting the surprise reveal that Jules \u2014 who is frequently seen arguing with Nell \u2014 actually believes his wife is his soulmate. \u201cI like that little twist,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s a recurring theme that they\u2019re always honest with each other, and that was the little Easter egg in there, that\u2019s why their relationship actually works.\u201d<\/p>\n Rachel, meanwhile, initially dies because she married someone whom she doesn\u2019t believe is her soulmate after already failing to marry by sundown. She\u2019s brought back to life because she must fulfill the second tenet of the supernatural curse: to observe each and every wedding of the family she curses.\u00a0<\/p>\n Rachel\u2019s mother, Alexandra Harkin (Pedretti), haunts the series even before we know her name. In Episode 4, Rachel finally \u201cmeets\u201d her through a grainy VHS wedding tape: a home video her father, Jay (Josh Hamilton), shot on the road in 1997. On the tape, Alexandra is heavily pregnant, joking about baby names, teasing Jay, and talking directly to \u201cbaby Rachel\u201d in her belly as they drive to a rental cabin where they plan to get married. She\u2019s warm, funny, and clearly superstitious \u2014 she gets bad vibes from the Coldies custard guy, has recurring nightmares about the cabin, and admits she has a terrible feeling that \u201csomething bad\u201d will happen if she goes through with the wedding. Even in these brief glimpses, the parallels between mother and daughter are unmistakable. \u201cYou feel a lot of similar energy between Rachel and her mom in Episode 4,\u201d Morrone says. \u201cHer mom maybe has more lightheartedness and positivity, and Rachel\u2019s a bit heavier.\u201d<\/p>\n In the cabin, Alexandra\u2019s terrible feeling comes true in the worst possible way. On the tape, she suddenly starts bleeding \u2014 first from her nose, then from her ears and eyes \u2014 during what should be her first dance. Jay frantically calls 911, but by the time help can arrive, Alexandra is lying in a pool of blood on the cabin floor. The baby in her belly is still moving, and in a panicked, brutal act of love, Jay uses his Leatherman to cut the baby out and save her life. Rachel is literally born in blood as her mother dies on camera.<\/p>\n In the present day, when Jay finally shows her this tape, Rachel sees for the first time that her life began in the same kind of horrific, wedding\u2011day bleeding that now threatens her. The experience is as clarifying as it is devastating. \u201cIt comes full circle for her,\u201d Morrone says. \u201cShe\u2019s able to understand what happened to her mother. \u2026 It validated this gut instinct Rachel\u2019s always had on some level, that she\u2019s different.\u201d Watching Alexandra\u2019s final moments doesn\u2019t just explain Rachel\u2019s fear \u2014 it connects her to the mother she never knew. \u201cIt\u2019s less isolating,\u201d Morrone adds. \u201cShe\u2019s not going to let this be her story.\u201d<\/p>\n That connection is something Rachel has been craving her entire life. \u201cRachel\u2019s longing for her mother, yearning for that womb-like connection \u2026 it\u2019s a massive hole in her heart,\u201d Morrone says. \u201cShe wishes she knew who her mother was.\u201d And in the end, that revelation reframes everything, including her relationship with Nicky. \u201cMy dad didn\u2019t believe my mother, and look what happened to her,\u201d Morrone explains of Rachel\u2019s mindset. \u201cThat\u2019s really what it comes down to \u2026 \u2018You don\u2019t believe me.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n From the start, Boston always had an image in her head of people spontaneously bleeding from every orifice. Her vision came to life courtesy of VFX and special effects. The fake blood itself was \u201cvery sticky,\u201d and it was difficult to walk around the set, because shoes would get stuck to the floor. \u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe had so many blood meetings and blood tests and [conversations about] the special effects tubes versus VFX,\u201d Boston tells Tudum. \u201cWe shot that sequence last, of course, because the whole set was full of blood, which it was incredible to see.\u201d<\/p>\n Adds the creator, \u201cI was known for just constantly saying, \u2018It\u2019s not enough blood, it\u2019s not enough blood, more blood.\u2019 \u201d<\/p>\n Foxes pop up throughout the series, starting with a gruesome scene<\/a> involving a dead pregnant creature and her deceased unborn babies. As the series progresses, we encounter a fox hunt held by Nicky\u2019s family, in which one of the animals chews itself out of a trap. In the end, we spot a fox who runs wildly around the woods, free at last.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I was writing the pilot, the fox in the bathroom just felt right to me. It represented Rachel\u2019s origin story,\u201d Boston tells Tudum. \u201cWhen we were writing Episode 6 and there\u2019s the fox hunt, that\u2019s where it was solidified. \u2026 I [liked] the idea of using this animal to represent how she\u2019s feeling at different points in the story.\u201d<\/p>\n Across the season, the fox becomes a kind of emotional stand\u2011in for Rachel \u2014 cornered, wounded, and eventually willing to do something drastic to escape. Plus, Boston adds, \u201cA fox is an interesting, mysterious animal, so it fits within the world.\u201d<\/p>\n Don\u2019t expect Rachel to be \u2014 for lack of a better word \u2014 as big a jerk as her predecessor.<\/p>\n \u201cI think she is probably a bit more empathetic,\u201d Boston says. \u201cShe\u2019d work harder to end the curse, find another way, make sure people are prepared so that they don\u2019t end up in this situation, whereas the [previous] Witness was having fun with it. I think she would have less fun with it.\u201d<\/p>\n Morrone echoes that idea, imagining a version of Rachel who uses the role with intention. \u201cIt\u2019d be interesting to see where Rachel takes it and how she uses her power,\u201d she says. \u201cI think she would do good and warn people, like she warns Jude in the finale: \u2018Be really careful who you choose to marry.\u2019 \u2026 You\u2019re never really sure how much you know someone.\u201d<\/p>\n All eight episodes of <\/i>Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen<\/a> are now streaming, only on Netflix.<\/i><\/p>\nWait \u2014 what\u2019s this curse?<\/h3>\n
![\"Camila](\"https:\/\/dnm.nflximg.net\/api\/v6\/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8\/AAAAQVI0HP5PB3xU9IV5YMB1YgA2Kmvel6elEAF3vyLu_GflASa0JsaTj_I86BI0XLOpv-z1ue90h3zMD5ZCxSQC6KPsiUtxnY7ttnTStWB0Y3h9Lxss3CkFFINWELZOSoGCaqtUhEDOJy9Pjc9dr_sbMLUz.jpg?r=e78\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nHow does Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen<\/i> end?<\/h3>\n
![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/dnm.nflximg.net\/api\/v6\/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8\/AAAAQSI1NkTJxtbEwZ2VDmag39XkndfbKpdMiHvYTH7jnAL9yyzakYFEbUusWL1b4LabCqeCjCPsY3uwLQy94R9-z3n4WNA3s2D6TasXU40ORRXnFDE_APhsPjwWWgM7wnisLvb74VGdgEokhDrJGt67tzCj.jpg?r=c2e\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/dnm.nflximg.net\/api\/v6\/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8\/AAAAQaqDdXLIUx5fZ6SvRIAg8i9BMp6kYXI5YPuFQcNzToMBjOD44fYrsXGYmfe03jy8uJqZnm4HA2ioBMWt-zdyXgn5hFB9FLvssJ2B_mgm4wxSKxBnY1YB5NU7xdXzpC1f0tSG9wqeVx6si_tJGzb6_fuU.jpg?r=248\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhy exactly does Rachel become The Witness?\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"A](\"https:\/\/dnm.nflximg.net\/api\/v6\/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8\/AAAAQR6jnZyMa3XiZxnJjV7LEyCW2kpG9hRoXPJHYZC7B-QjCwixeRojv8-vhTI0KUGuyNeyJs7pF7Vm_-viUisHhkA320JMlpFPnc5kVIdn-CdQkVBXRPBqqs2f9aoxW3qQf7R_9qVZqFlxsP6q-SoW3tpF.jpg?r=946\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhy do some wedding guests die and others don\u2019t?<\/h3>\n
![\"Karla](\"https:\/\/dnm.nflximg.net\/api\/v6\/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8\/AAAAQV8hgCLztgtmJa6TGb9Jbs-hufdlRtXApliZfuvJHxpPeA_u8pb752R-RpSmMnS7fMbOxdxnwgPjlBoDEPink207oC8cgC5mAFaYtcPk-FORnG4ZbrwRf2IwMkn4yWgJN-e3_ou_YdWNxDYoUZTPLx6Z.jpg?r=12c\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat happened to Rachel\u2019s mother?\u00a0<\/h3>\n
How exactly did they shoot that bloody wedding scene?\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Ted](\"https:\/\/dnm.nflximg.net\/api\/v6\/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8\/AAAAQd_OYkbAPIG9HQlvAymdmNmLYya46vYIjGKefA7mY385DjLhe4dFhPXRXqysbsgte_Iicx91P7M4Vy92-rhAuun8cVgcB9_q1GdmC2wOGDijk6TP77VNGmJlvZAruQtAjHKvKgoIk8SMubqjSpeYTGzd.jpg?r=417\")
<\/picture><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWhat do all those foxes represent?<\/h3>\n
What happens to Rachel once she becomes the Witness?\u00a0<\/h3>\n
![\"Adam](\"https:\/\/dnm.nflximg.net\/api\/v6\/2DuQlx0fM4wd1nzqm5BFBi6ILa8\/AAAAQXi2NwTm55DEfmj8IP0j22QHpK2dcoNVHqKVTGuf5gky8OonndEEX0wQvIanCNCOqGO5zMqllFxfpFJKqJkQ8q6kiOdLu3dlma2nQbFJv3hGh1Uq-3ce7sU8unBCClmIP-a2Nc9UXk78K1OD3Z5bgPph.jpg?r=832\")
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