The Curse – Season 1 Episode 10 Recap, Review & Ending Explained

Green Queen

What is the future of the TV show?

Eight months after Asher’s demonic confession to Whitney, the duo are all set to have a baby. Things couldn’t go more perfectly for them as Season 1 of their re-titled show, “Green Queen,” is all set to drop on HGTV Go. Yes, there is no premiere on air for the show; just a paltry streaming debut that will hardly be noticed.

Episode 10 of The Curse begins with a cold open on the sets of The Rachael Ray Show. The celebrity cook is accompanied by Vincent Pastore of ‘The Sopranos’ fame. In this instalment, he is cooking meatballs from The Wise Guys cookbook.

While all of this is going on, Rachael introduces the “green queens” to the studio crowd and those watching on TV. Asher and Whitney prop up on a screen, visibly excited. However, Rachael doesn’t share too much of that enthusiasm. They navigate an awkward interaction where it is clear that she has no idea what the show is about and who the couple are. The start-stop introduction probably forebodes how the first season will fare with viewership numbers – it won’t do well. And yet, the show is renewed for a second season. 

Whitney has a hand on her stomach the entire time in a pretend non-obvious way to get attention. But Rachael doesn’t bite, not once mentioning the pregnancy. After the interview is over, Whitney even shares her frustration with Asher, who reciprocates the sentiments. During dinner later that night, Whitney inadvertently makes an awkward joke about The Holocaust. And what does Asher do in response? Make it weirder to the extent that it becomes offensive. 

Why does Asher decide to gift Questa Lane to Abshir?

Asher has a gift for his pregnant wife. Whitney’s eagerness to see what’s under the sheet drains out pretty quickly as Asher presents a miniature model of Questa Lane and begins to explain it. “I am gifting this to Abshir.” Whitney is confused and ultimately disappointed when Asher says he is “doing it for her” because she finds “happiness in making other people happy.” Oh, you poor disillusioned dud. Asher’s blindness and aversion to his wife’s long-standing selfishness elevates this interaction.

But what’s even more intriguing is Asher’s description of the Holocaust, which is apt to characterize this beautiful show. “We thought it was a sad thing, and it is a sad thing, but it’s also funny, too. Or there’s humour that could be found in it. Because art is about… really, art is about, um… sometimes you have to go to extreme lengths to make your point.” 

The next day, when the couple goes to execute this wild thought, the situation is even more chaotic. Abshir thinks they are there to move them out. He opens the door, doesn’t let them in, and talks about involving his cousin who is a lawyer. He is defensive and understandably so. But Asher and Whitney try to assuage his fears by handing over the spare keys. Abshir, surprisingly, isn’t grateful…or perhaps does a poor job of expressing it. He is still suspect about the move – and the financial responsibilities that come with owning a house. His first question: “Who will pay the property taxes this year?” 

Asher assures him the payment will come from his pocket. He says it in anticipation of Abshir breaking down or getting emotional. It does happen – and Whitney instantly points it out – but Abshir quickly dismisses the speculation, blaming dust. The end is anticlimactic and the couple is left to bemoan that everything cannot happen in the traditions of Reality TV. 

Why do Asher and Whitney give up the passive certification of their house? 

Next, the duo move on to adjustments in their house. They are giving up the passive certification to accommodate the incoming family member. For that, they get the baby’s room installed with a controllable temperature unit. The worker offers a gift for the baby’s crib but Whitney returns it as soon as she reads the “Made in China” label. In another inspired moment of creative genius, we see later that night, an intimate moment between Whitney and Asher.

She lies on the bed, exposing her pregnant stomach. And Asher shines a light on it, talking to the baby, remarking “There is another Asher inside of you.” Whitney has a blank look on her face. Eight months hence, she is still trapped. And soon enough, there will be “two of them.” Could it get any worse for her? Uh…yes. The next morning, Whitney is aghast to see Asher against the ceiling when she wakes up. Asher has no inkling of what happened. He doesn’t realize he isn’t on the bed. 

How do Whitney and Asher try to deal with the unfolding situation?

Panic starts to settle in once Whitney fails to get him down. It is obvious that the pressure in the house isn’t a problem. Why would Whitney not get sucked up? For some reason, gravity is working against Asher. To ensure that she is safe, Asher asks Whitney to step out of the house. In an elaborate scene, we see Asher trying to crawl across the room and get down. At this point, it wouldn’t be erroneous to call him a “real-life apparition”, due to the way he navigates this situation. 

Asher, unable to get down, asks Whitney to get him the Dyson vacuum. She remains tethered to the ground on her knees, making a laborious effort…and inducing labour. Whitney powers her way through the pain and gives Asher the vacuum, which he attempts to use to retrieve his phone. However, that doesn’t work. The contractions start coming in fast as Asher counts the seconds between them. Whitney retrieves the phone and rushes outside. Whitney calls Moses, their “doula” (even after Asher asked him to call Dr Brown, her gyno, first). 

Moses informs her that the delivery will have to be done in Espanola, which freaks Whitney for a second. How many deaths will irony endure in this episode? Since the masks have come off, everything has been chaotic. Asher – who is now outside, by the frame of the door – still insists he will drive her. When the doula arrives, Asher asks him to help him down. However, as soon as his legs leave the ceiling of the facade, Asher is inexplicably sucked upward.

Ending Explained: What Happens to Asher?

If Moses lets go, he will fly away like a balloon. This is a terrifying moment where the stakes are “sky high.” Moses cannot hold any longer and lets go. Asher thumps into the branch of a tree and holds on for dear life.

All this while, he pacifies Whitney, asking her to “focus on herself,” like she needs an invitation to do that. Moses calls Dougie to be present in their absence and drives away with Whitney. The locals catch wind of the unfolding situation and look upwards puzzlingly. Dougie arrives shortly and even invites Remy, his cameraman, to film it. He thinks Asher climbed up there because he is “fearful of embracing fatherhood.” Dougie’s own father abandoned his family and that is why he thinks this is the case. 

Dougie remains relaxed, refusing to believe Asher’s dictum that he is being sucked upwards. A fire truck is soon called in to help. They don’t believe Asher either and install a large inflated pillow on the ground. Asher frenetically repeats that they install a net over him to prevent him from flying away. But no one listens. While this is going on, Whitney learns at the hospital that she will have to undergo a c-section surgery.

Back at the tree, Dougie makes all attempts to film the rescue, using a mic and a drone. But as soon as one of the fighters cuts the branch, Asher is launched into the sky and the branch falls with a thud.

No one can quite believe it…including us. As Asher leaves the mortal realms, Asher Jr is born, healthy and safe. Whitney gets teary and has a smile plastered on her face when she holds the newborn. It is the first instance of genuine, selfless happiness that we have seen with Whitney. Asher keeps flying upwards, ultimately reaching space. There is no coming back for him. Dougie collapses in disbelief, constantly apologizing to Asher – perhaps for the curse and also because he has lost another person close to him. As the show ends, we see some bystanders near the house discussing how this is a “stunt for television.” 

What does the ending really mean?

The Curse ends with “the curse finally being lifted.” There are so many nuances to this ending that is virtually impossible to list every single one of them. The Curse is really about Whitney, even though the story doesn’t unfold from her POV. Her failing marriage has her trapped with a man who worships her but is way too clingy. They are not a good match and the picture gets uglier as the season progresses. The finale fulfils Whitney’s wish for a new start. Remember the line, “I’d be gone, and you wouldn’t have to say it. I would feel it, and I would disappear” from Episode 9? 

This is why I guess Safdie and Fielder don’t need to even explain Asher’s bizarre end. Whitney professed quietly for it to happen…and it did. The firefighters not putting the net around Asher also has its own meaning. Although it wouldn’t have made a difference anyway, it is a clever metaphor for the empty promises that the duo made to the Espanola community and what they got back. This false illusion of security drove away the show’s entire purpose. The well-intentioned positioning quickly lost momentum and as the layers were peeled back, everything became more bleak. 

Asher was indeed the curse; the unassailable problem that Whitney wanted to rid herself of. He was so obsessed with the curse that when it finally came to pass, it meant the end of the road for him. I strongly believe that since Asher Jr was born “Breech,” there are chances he is reborn. And Whitney is stuck again. Too jaunty a storyline for Season 2? We will see. 

The Episode Review

How do you even begin to describe this episode? The Curse’s finale is unforgettable…and in hindsight, creative ingenuity at its preposterous peak. While Asher’s “up in the air” moment will take all the gasps and looks of astonishment, Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie quietly conclude a story squarely about Whitney and her failed marriage. It is all about a few moments in Episode 10 – like Whitney’s blank face when Asher is shining a light on her stomach or when she holds her newborn for the first time – that everything starts to make sense.

It isn’t easy to decouple Episodes 9 and 10 because only together do they make the most sense. There are plenty of cheesy instances that not only poke fun at the show but also reveal everything about it. While the prior episodes have been quite good, these last two are distinguished in terms of quality and imagination. 

Episode 10 of The Curse ekes out meaning, terror, and laughter from every second of its runtime. The finale is a beautiful expression of the inherent dichotomy and contradictions that kept propping up episode after episode in the show. Hats off to the dazzling trio for giving us one of the most unique television shows of the past few years.