Is Asher Going To Murder Whitney in 'The Curse' Season Finale?

By Dustin Rowles | TV | January 8, 2024 |

By Dustin Rowles | TV | January 8, 2024 |

I have not been a fan of Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie’s The Curse. It’s an interesting experiment, I’ll grant, but it’s slow-moving, often dull, occasionally nonsensical, and — beyond the first few episodes — not even funny in a cringeworthy way. Aside from Emma Stone’s performance — and it has been interesting to see how an actress of Stone’s caliber has integrated into a Fielder production — it’s mostly been a drag.

I’m willing to concede that it may be because I am not familiar with the HGTV/Magnolia shows that are being parodied. I have seen maybe two episodes of a Chip and Joanna Gaines production, and my only observation to my wife was, “Why is she with that guy? She seems so put together, and he doesn’t.” It may be the only joke about house-flipping couples I understand.

Critics who have seen the entire series, however, seem to insist that the destination is worth the journey, which is the biggest reason I continue to watch (beyond Emma Stone). The ending is apparently shocking, and according to one guy who has seen it, it’s impossible to predict.

So, I am going to predict it: Asher murders Whitney.

That prediction probably doesn’t sound particularly far-fetched to anyone who has seen the final minutes of last week’s penultimate episode, which ends with Asher (Fielder) doubling down on his commitment and dedication to his wife after Whitney so clearly attempted, through footage from their series, to express how unhappy she is in their marriage.

The series, from the outset, has been about Asher’s efforts to lionize his wife at his own expense. In an early scene in the series, Asher plays cuckold to a vibrator named Steven. That scene came further into focus in this week’s episode when Whitney overhears Asher expressing more cuckolding fantasies about another man screwing his wife. “You see how hot my wife is?” he says to an imaginary Bill. “She’s so fucking hot, and you’re so fucking ugly. I’d love to see you fuck the shit out of her.”

It’s the last straw for Whitney, who had recently been using their house-flipping series to sabotage her marriage to Asher in confessionals the network ultimately refused to run. Whitney, however, insisted Dougie (Safdie) show the confessionals to Asher, where she confesses that she feels trapped by Asher’s worship of her.

“When a person is this infatuated with you, do they really see you? Or is it just an idea of you? … Can someone love you so much that the real version of you completely ceases to exist?”

Asher’s response to the video is unhinged. He feels invigorated by the humiliation. He stops blaming the “curse” for his problems and blames himself.

“You still want to be with me, after all that?” Whitney asks.

“More than ever,” Asher pants. “Oh my god, you don’t understand. You haven’t seen it yet, but I am a changed man. I feel it … I’m all in on you, OK? I’m all in on Whitney. Whatever it takes, I’ll do it … I love you, baby, and we, no, I will make this work.”

Asher has neutered Whitney’s attempt to escape the marriage. He’s robbed her of agency. He’s taken over the relationship for both of them, determined to make her happy on his terms. What does a guy like Asher — willing to humiliate and subjugate himself to maintain his stranglehold over his wife — do if he’s rejected again? Does he kill himself? Murder his wife? Or both?

Is a Nathan Fielder “parody” about home improvement shows willing to go there? After the ending of The Rehearsal, I’m willing to bet that Fielder and Safdie are not above going that dark to illustrate a point. What is that point? I don’t know. That the cheerful, carefully edited lives of couples in home improvement shows are a farce, that there is barely contained rage below the skin waiting to erupt? That these toxic marriages are barely held together by network contracts and season renewals? That, when the cameras are off, most reality show couples are more like Jon and Kate Gosselin than Chip and Joanna Gaines?

Go back and watch the original trailer for The Curse again. Listen to that haunting version of The Band’s “The Weight.” My wife refused to watch the series based on that trailer because she thought it looked terrifying. This was never a comedy, cringeworthy or otherwise. It’s been a horror show all along.