Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen ending explained: Showrunner breaks down final twist

**Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the finale episode of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.**

From the very off, Netflix's new horror warned us that Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen – but did you see that ending coming?

The new series, executive produced by Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers, follows couple Rachel (Camila Morrone) and Nicky (Adam DiMarco) in the week leading up to their wedding, as strange happenings start plaguing the both of them.

A horrifying revelation changes everything for them, however, and their wedding soon becomes a matter of life and death, with Rachel suddenly questioning everything about their relationship.

Here's everything you need to know about that dramatic end – complete with a breakdown from showrunner Haley Z Boston.

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen ending explained: What happened to Rachel?

While she initially dies from the curse, with it being revealed that Nicky isn't her soulmate, Rachel is resurrected and takes on the mantle of The Witness.

Speaking exclusively to Radio Times about that twist, showrunner Boston said: "It was important to me that Rachel was active in the finale and that, even after making her decision, she has to recalibrate, and she gets another chance to make another decision [about whether to marry Nicky].

"And she says no, but of course, I didn't want her to die. That would have been so bleak! Ultimately, by becoming the new Witness, she is reborn.

"It's a break-up story, so she gets to leave with this freedom and this new life. And that's kind of how it feels to leave a relationship. It's bittersweet, and obviously you're leaving some hurt people in your wake.

"But she's triumphant at the end, and she chooses herself, and that was important to me."

Earlier in the season, it was revealed that Rachel and her entire bloodline have been plagued with a curse when it comes to getting married. If they are proposed to, either they marry their soulmate or they die. If they choose not to get married, the curse also transfers to their fiancé's bloodline.

While Rachel spends much of the season grappling with the question of whether Nicky truly is her soulmate, she ultimately convinces herself that he is, and decides against drinking a potion that she believes could transform her into his soulmate – and she says "I do" at the altar.

However, Nicky ruins everything by deciding he doesn't want to have a marriage like his parents', and walking away from Rachel at the altar. After speaking to his family, he changes his mind – but it's too late for Rachel, who tells him that she deserves a second chance.

By this point, time for the pair has run out, and the curse transfers to Nicky's family. However, in a shocking sequence, it's revealed that the curse doesn't just affect Nicky's future bloodline, but all of his living family who are already married too. Countless family members suddenly collapse, blood pouring out of their nose and eyes, dying in the same way Rachel's mother (played by Victoria Pedretti) did.

In an attempt to save his family, Nicky finishes the ceremony by saying his vows, and The Witness signs – against Rachel's wishes. Tragically, that doesn't save anyone, and now the curse comes for Rachel too. Stepping outside into the snow on her own, she succumbs to the same fate as her mother... or does she?

The end of the episode sees Rachel resurrected. She encounters Jude and, revealing she's taken on the role of The Witness, tells him she'll be there at his wedding. Finally, she finds a note from The Witness, scrawled in blood, reading: "You're next." She collects his belongings, wasting no time in driving away and leaving the Cunningham family in the rear view mirror.

Why didn't Nicky die?

Nicky didn't die because he still believes that Rachel is his soulmate.

Explaining this, showrunner Boston said: "It makes sense to me that Nicky would still believe she's his soulmate. He's such a romantic, and ultimately, I think he's doing what he thinks is the right thing.

"Adam and I talked about that and why he would make this decision to not marry her, and it really does feel true to him and his character. I relate to Nicky. I identify with Nicky. I hope that people don't think he's all bad...

"Having his perception of love shattered, of course he's going to be lost and scrambling to try to make the right decision. But the thing is, he is always trying to do the right thing."

However, this wasn't always the ending Boston had in mind. She explained: "I definitely went through who should die. There was a version where Nicky does die. There's a version where Rachel doesn't bleed to death.

"Thinking through the mythology, it was always important to me that the emotional story was coming first and then the mythology was working in service of that.

"So having that second bloody wedding where Nicky slips the ring on her and betrays her, once that came into the picture, it became clear to me like, 'Oh, Rachel needs to die and be reborn.'"

DiMarco, who plays Nicky, added: "The ending gutted me. I mean, it was very challenging to kind of play someone who changes their mind at the last second, the literal last second, [but] it was a fun challenge, and I didn't really see that plot point coming."

He added: "His worldview is kind of turned upside down when he finds out about his parents' relationship and his mother's affair. He based his whole romantic belief system on a lie, essentially, and it kind of makes him second guess.

"Like, 'Why do I even care about marriage or labels? Why do we need these labels?', which is what Rachel was wanting from the beginning of the show. They've kind of traded places by the end of it."

Why didn't Jules and Nell die?

Jules and Nell don't die because they're actually soulmates – an unexpected turn of events considering their constant arguments and almost-divorce.

As the pair watch over Jules's son, Jude, Nell asks: "Why isn't it happening to you?" before realising from Jules's wordless response that it's because she's his soulmate.

Speaking about how she crafted that ending for them, Boston explained: "By the time when in the writers' room, it was pretty open as to, 'How are we going to end these stories, and what's the most satisfying ending?'

"There's a version where Victoria and Boris live instead of Jules and Nell and I felt like that was just too obvious. Once I realised that Jules and Nell should live, it became more interesting to me. And then I went back and rewrote them a little bit to earn that ending."

Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is available to stream on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media.

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