Nine Perfect Strangers has come to an end on Hulu with a final episode called "Ever After."
Masha had a trippy day, Carmela was subdued and the Marconi family attempted to see their dead son one more time as almost every character's storyline was given a surprising and ambiguously positive ending.
The drama, based on a book by Big Little Lies author Liane Moriarty and starring Nicole Kidman and Melissa McCarthy, has proved popular with fans—as well as raising interesting questions about the effects of micro-dosing on health and wellbeing.
The show was set at a fictional California wellness resort called Tranquillum House and filmed almost entirely in the lush surroundings of Byron Bay, Australia.
Let's take a look at how Nine Perfect Strangers ended and whether it sets itself up for a Season 2.
What happened in 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Episode 8?
After we hear "Strange Effect" by Unloved for the final time in the opening credits, we see Carmel (Regina Hall) standing over Masha (Kidman), after the former revealed that she was the one who had shot Masha and had been threatening her.
The situation is defused surprisingly quickly, ending with a hug. Carmel reveals that she didn't intend to shoot Masha that day, just scare her, but Masha antagonized Carmel into pulling the trigger. They talk and Masha walks away unharmed as Carmel lies down to take a nap.
Outside Tony (Bobby Cannavale) is "social distancing" in the pool when Frances (McCarthy) arrives to warn him about an impending "lockdown" at Tranquillum House. Frances apologizes to Tony for breaking up with him in the last episode. They patch things up and agree to leave the retreat together.
Looking into a mirror, Masha is starting to experience the effects of the hallucinogenics that she took with the Marconis. She visits the family—father Napoleon (Michael Shannon), mother Heather (Asher Keddie) and daughter Zoe (Grace Van Patten)—who confront her after Lars (Luke Evans) told them that Masha wants them to take the drugs not only to see their dead son Zach but also Masha's dead daughter. As she always has, Masha manages to calm things down and the quartet sit down to ride their trip together.
Carmel wakes up in a sensory deprivation tank. She panics from claustrophobia and eventually gets out of the tank, only to discover that she's trapped in a padded room with steel doors.
Masha and the Marconis are deep in the woods as they start to feel the full effects of the drugs. Lars films to document the experience while Yao (Manny Jacinto) watches on. Zoe wanders, Heather sits back against a tree but Napoleon tweaks uncomfortably. All of a sudden his nose is bleeding—he's having a brain aneurysm.
Everyone is freaking out when Zach appears to talk his dad through it. Suddenly Heather and Zoe see him too and all three interact with them in their shared delusion. One by one, they talk with Zach and ask him questions about why he killed himself. Napoleon struggles the most with his trip, hearing the loud and unpleasant phone alarm tone that reminds him of pressing snooze on the morning Zach died.
Frances, Tony, Ben (Melvin Gregg) and Jessica (Samara Weaving) head to the garage only to find that all their cars have gone—including Ben's yellow Lamborghini. They overhear Carmel screaming and go to confront Masha.
Masha accompanies them to the padded room to let Carmel out, but sneakily ends up locking Frances, Tony, Ben, Jessica and Lars in there with her. "God she's good," says Frances. On her way out Masha instructs Glory (Zoe Terakes) to start a fire.
In the padded room the guests start to panic as they smell burning. It seems a fire has started in the next room. One by one they start to open up and express their regrets in life.
Back in the woods, Napoleon has chased down Zach again. Eventually the family find peace when Zach explains that no one is to blame for his death. The Marconis share a hug with their son one last time and wave goodbye as he walks away.
Zoe then accompanies Masha, who's starting to experience her own flashbacks while snow falls—as it did on the day she lost her daughter. Masha's child appears and for hours she sits on the grass holding her daughter.
Back in the room that is "on fire," the guests are relieved to see Yao open the door. He explains that it was a hoax to help them find peace as they endure a near-death experience. Everyone seems unnaturally calm about the revelation.
Throughout the episode we've seen snippets of Delilah (Tiffany Boone) heading to the police station and traveling back to Tranquillum House to arrest Masha. They arrive to interrupt her time with her daughter as everyone watches on.
The police start questioning the guests but no one incriminates Masha. Masha doesn't inform anyone about Carmel's past crimes either.
After this, an epilogue sequence begins, with Tony and Frances ordering their body weight in food at a nearby restaurant. She starts to write down ideas for a story as Tony calls his kids.
Next we see Yao and Delilah, back together doing charity work for the Peace Corps. Lars has reconnected with his ex, with whom he now has a baby. He appears to have written a glowing account of Masha's actions with the headline "Psychedelics to the Rescue."
Carmel, speaking more coherently than she has throughout Nine Perfect Strangers, is leading a support group for women. Ben and Jessica are dressed in white and appear to work at Tranquillum House, welcoming new strangers. In a scene harking back to the season's opening, we see the Marconis in the car together, this time with Heather in the driving seat.
Frances arrives at a house with a new puppy and seems to have developed her relationship with Tony, who has reconnected with his daughters.
We then cut back to the restaurant table, with Frances still jotting ideas down as Tony has fallen asleep sitting across from her. This cut forces the audience to ask themselves whether everything they've just seen is reality or ideas for a happy ending written by Frances.
The final scene shows Masha driving her daughter in a car. The camera pans away and the daughter is gone, but Masha is driving down the highway in Ben's yellow Lamborghini.
All 8 episodes of Nine Perfect Strangers are now available to watch on Hulu.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Jamie Burton is a Newsweek Senior TV and Film Reporter (Interviews) based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on ... Read more
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