Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen!
True love is a splendid thing, isn’t it? Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen, the Duffer Brothers’ next Netflix project in this post-Stranger Things world, sees two lovebirds preparing to walk down the aisle in a wedding ceremony to remember. The psychological horror series questions the nature of soulmates. Are they real? Is there truly someone out there for everybody? Beyond that, though, it speaks to the suppression of women under the patriarchy and the pressure they feel to conform to societal standards. You know: get married, have kids, and run the household before she becomes “undesirable.” The biological clock is ticking, after all.
The eight-episode series is also a meditation on women sacrificing their identity once they marry into their new family. In one scene in Episode 2, Rachel (Camila Morrone), the bride-to-be, finds herself in a position of vulnerability as her future mother-in-law and sisters-in-law descend upon her like vultures picking away at carrion. The mother-in-law, played by the woefully underutilized Jennifer Jason Leigh, hands Rachel her old wedding dress to wear and the jewelry from the women in her bloodline. That’s also driven home relentlessly in Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen – reckoning with what we inherit from the generations before us. So, Rachel must assimilate into this new family and grapple with generational trauma.
At one point, Rachel calls her fiancé, Nicky (Adam DiMarco), to vent about how his family treats her like a husk, “a bride-shaped hole,” as if they don’t care who she is as a person, so long as she marries Nicky. Then, they can imprint a new identity onto her. While Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen tackles these themes well, it’s the overall execution that leaves something to be desired. The first half of the series feels like legitimate horror.
There’s also intriguing animal symbolism in the premiere, in particular. This symbolism usually represents a transition/transformation. It can even serve as a call to do away with old habits. Like the Death card in Tarot, it doesn’t always mean something ominous. In the end, there is a transformation of sorts, but only Rachel walks away unscathed, with a purpose that transcends holy matrimony. Thematically, the show deftly ties back to that animal symbolism in the premiere.
We view this series through Rachel’s perspective. She feels anxious from the get-go, and she tells Nicky that she’s afraid that “something very bad is going to happen.” There’s an organic build-up of this dread in the first four episodes. The tension is palpable. Episode 2 is undoubtedly the strongest of the series. Rachel’s paranoia reaches new heights as she assumes her in-laws are trying to kill her. What’s more horrific than terrifying in-laws? Presenting the horror through this lens is really effective.
Unfortunately, the show pivots from this, and Episode 4 completely deflates that dread via an exposition dump (although it’s lovely to see horror queen Victoria Pedretti in that flashback sequence). The big reveal of Rachel’s family curse would’ve landed better later in the series. After that, Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen transforms into a family drama with light horror flourishes, and that dread, which is the secret sauce that fuels this horror engine, is gone. The intriguing storytelling elements presented in the first half, especially on the horror front, are mostly abandoned. The ending itself isn’t bad, per se; it’s the road to that ending that’s a bit bumpy.
The series makes some head-scratching narrative choices in the back half, and this choice to move away from the horror hurts more than it helps. The pacing is inconsistent at times, with some scenes dragging on longer than they need to. However, the biggest sin this show commits is the character assassination of Julian (Jeff Wilbusch) and its abandonment of the fascinating dynamic between him and his wife, Nell (Karla Crome). Episode 2 presents a thrill-seeking duo who relish getting under each other’s skin. Julian himself gives off “I might have a body in my basement” vibes until he suddenly decides to be Rachel’s savior. It’s a bewildering character change that doesn’t feel organic or earned.
While Crome and Wilbusch have chemistry, Morrone and DiMarco aren’t believable as a couple, no matter how physical they are on-screen. In fact, Morrone and Crome have better chemistry, which the series explores. The central pairing falls flat, and Nicky, as a character, lacks the charisma to be compelling. Perhaps this is intentional, given how the show ends.
However, we’re meant to root for them to marry in light of Rachel’s curse, and Nicky is the epitome of “meh.” That said, DiMarco does well with what he’s given, as does Morrone. Wilbusch stands out the most, delivering nuanced, interesting work, character assassination aside. He would’ve made for a fun baddie. Leigh just isn’t used enough, which is a shame.
Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen doesn’t know what it wants to be, and this indecisiveness is obvious in the second part of the series. There’s a way to seamlessly blend horror and family drama, and while there’s an attempt to juggle both, the show fumbles the execution. For example, a long screaming match between Rachel and Nicky in the finale feels unnecessarily long – we could’ve arrived at the revelation that Nicky’s belief in superstitions much sooner.
While it’s an uphill battle to maintain quality from beginning to end, one can still find things to love about Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen. For one, the show’s thematic exploration. Women suffocating under the weight of a system meant to subdue them always makes for a fun horror theme, and the series doesn’t shy away from showing all the facets of marriage, warts and all. Ultimately, Rachel breaks the curse on the women in her family – that generational trauma – while giving societal expectations the middle finger. It’s a hopeful ending.
So, are soulmates real? Something Very Bad Is Going to Happen seems pretty ambivalent about it. If anything, it’s a cautionary tale. Be careful who you marry. You might not like their family, or, worse, they might come with baggage in the form of a centuries-long curse plaguing their bloodline.
- Release Date
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March 26, 2026
- Network
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Netflix
- Showrunner
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Haley Z. Boston
- Writers
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Haley Z. Boston
Cast
