So, About That Something Very Bad That Was Going to Happen …

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Spoilers ahead for “I Do,” the finale of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen.

The shocking ending of Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen shouldn’t be that surprising – the title itself is a pretty clear warning! The show expertly builds a sense of dread throughout, making it less about if something terrible would happen and more about who would survive. The finale delivers on that promise with a truly gruesome and high body count. After watching the entire series, though, it’s natural to be left wondering what the whole experience meant.

The new thriller, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, follows Rachel Harkin (Camila Morrone) as she prepares to marry Nicky Cunningham (Adam DiMarco). While their relationship appears solid, Rachel can’t shake the feeling that something terrible will occur if she goes through with the wedding. This anxiety grows when they arrive at Nicky’s family’s remote winter cabin, just five days before the ceremony. Rachel struggles to connect with Nicky’s family – his overly affectionate mother, Victoria (Jennifer Jason Leigh); quiet doctor father, Boris (Ted Levine); slick brother, Jules (Jeff Wilbusch); and controlling sister, Portia (Gus Birney). She finds a connection only with Nell (Karla Crome), Nicky’s ex-wife who is now married to Jules. As the first two episodes unfold, Rachel becomes increasingly convinced that the Cunninghams aren’t just unwelcoming – they’re actively trying to harm her.

The show takes a surprising turn when Rachel realizes her fears of a conspiracy were a distraction from what’s really happening. The Cunninghams are strange, but ultimately harmless. The true plot revolves around Victoria, who is secretly battling terminal brain cancer and wants Boris to assist her in ending her life peacefully. However, Rachel’s instincts aren’t wrong – the problem lies within her own family. She discovers her mother, Alexandra, also felt a sense of impending doom before her wedding and tragically died shortly after from a sudden hemorrhage. An enigmatic man known only as the Witness reveals the full story: his ancestor made a deal with Death to resurrect her fiancé, but only if he was her true soulmate. This deal became a curse – all descendants of their union will die on their wedding day at sunset if they aren’t certain their spouse is their soulmate. The Witness abandoned his bride at the altar to escape the curse, passing it on to the Harkin family when his former love married one of their ancestors. As punishment, the Witness is forced to live forever, observing and witnessing all the doomed marriages within the Harkin bloodline.

The story behind the curse is complicated, but here’s what Rachel needs to understand: after Nicky proposed, she has until sunset on their wedding day to marry her true soulmate, or she’ll suffer the same fate as her mother. If she doesn’t marry, the curse will transfer to Nicky and his family. The rest of the season focuses on Rachel trying to figure out what to do. She starts to question if Nicky is really her soulmate when she learns their first meeting wasn’t as destined as he claimed, and even a little doubt could be fatal. She even attempts to create a potion – using a piece of her own toe! – to become his soulmate, but ultimately decides against drinking it. In the end, Rachel trusts that their love is strong enough and chooses to marry Nicky even though she doesn’t know if she’ll survive. Meanwhile, Nicky starts to realize his parents’ marriage isn’t as perfect as it seems, and he begins to doubt getting married himself. Knowing Rachel never really wanted a wedding, he calls it off at the altar. He believes they can be happy together without being married, and he never truly believed in the curse anyway.

Rachel is devastated to realize the curse is real, and she’s deeply hurt by Nicky’s lies about believing her. This has created a painful break between them that might not be fixable. Though Nicky’s mother encourages him to try again, Rachel is certain he isn’t the one for her and rejects his proposal, declaring she deserves to be happy. She tells him she won’t sacrifice her own well-being for him anymore. The consequences are immediate and terrifying. As soon as night falls, the curse attacks the Cunningham family – Victoria, Portia, wedding guests, and many others – causing them to bleed uncontrollably from their noses and eyes. The scene quickly descends into chaos and bloodshed, with blood covering the dance floor in minutes. In a desperate attempt to stop the curse, Nicky forces Rachel to finish the wedding, but this only seals her fate. She begins to bleed like her mother and collapses in the snow.

The next day, Rachel unexpectedly comes back to life, taking over the role previously held by the now-deceased witness. Surprisingly, Jules and Nell are also still alive, seemingly because Jules now believes his wife is his soulmate. Even more surprisingly, Nicky has survived, despite marrying Rachel after the curse began – seeing his family die made him realize she was the one for him, though Rachel doesn’t feel the same way. She leaves in the witness’s truck, tossing her wedding ring out the window as she starts a new life. While Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen is designed as a limited series, it’s easy to envision Rachel continuing her adventures as the witness. However, considering the story might have worked better as a single movie, extending it further doesn’t seem ideal.

The series ends with a powerful and satisfying climax that truly fits its title. However, it does leave you with a few questions about how the curse actually works. For example, what defines family when so many Cunninghams are affected, and does that mean relatives worldwide are in danger? Does every broken engagement trigger a large-scale event? But getting caught up in these details misses the point – the curse operates on a deeper, symbolic level than it initially seems. Rachel’s wedding fears make sense when you consider the historical ways marriage has limited women. Initially, Nicky appears pleasant, but it’s easy to see him becoming a classic horror trope – the controlling husband seen in films like Rosemary’s Baby or Ready or Not. Instead, the curse in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen ultimately represents something more universal: the uncertainty of relationships. The question, “Are you sure he’s the one?” which is posed to every member of the Harkin family before their wedding, highlights this. As Nell points out, there’s no guarantee any marriage will succeed. And truly, what’s more frightening than that? Nell simplifies it further: the only way to overcome doubt is to make a choice and accept the consequences.

Rachel doesn’t fully grasp this until the very end of the series. Her decision not to drink the potion, after already enduring a painful amputation without anesthesia, seems frustrating at first. However, it makes sense when you consider the show’s central message: marriage is a risk, a “leap of faith,” as Rachel describes it in her vows. While scary, this uncertainty can also be seen as beautiful. Rachel realizes that you can’t expect guarantees in marriage, in love, or in life generally – the only certainty is death. So, she rejects the need for certainty altogether. For Rachel, who has always been afraid of the unknown, accepting this uncertainty is freeing. Choosing to marry Nicky despite it is, in itself, an act of love. Ironically, embracing the possibility of things going wrong becomes the clearest sign she’s making the right decision. The story isn’t about Rachel breaking her curse; it’s about her overcoming the anxieties that have always bothered her by stopping her constant attempts to control everything. By accepting that things might not work out, she finally finds peace.

The brief peace doesn’t last. While Rachel always felt secure in their relationship, Nicky had always been certain about marriage itself. But during their week at the cabin, that certainty crumbled. Nicky became fixated on an impossible ideal, and that’s why he calls off the wedding, tragically impacting his family. Rachel confronts him, pointing out that true love means believing in the other person. “All you had to do was trust me,” she says. Ironically, it takes witnessing the curse kill his mother, sister, and many others for Nicky to finally take Rachel seriously. He promises to believe her from now on, but he’s already standing in a pool of blood. If he’d simply trusted her earlier, they both might have survived, avoiding the terrible consequences. Now, facing undeniable proof, Nicky finally understands Rachel – a realization strong enough to save his life, but one that came at a devastating price.

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2026-03-27 22:55