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'Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen' ending explained: Is Rachel alive? Twisted soulmate rule exposed

'Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen' finale reveals the deadly soulmate curse twist that proves Rachel's doomed bond was never meant to last.

Just when you thought you had the mystery all figured out, 'Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen' delivers an unexpected twist in the form of an ancient curse that seemingly has a mind of its own. The title of the Netflix show, executive-produced by the Duffer Brothers, isn't just a title; it's a premonition of the horrific events that unfold, especially in the final episode. Starring Camila Morrone, of 'The Night Manager' Season 2 fame, as Rachel Harkin, and 'The White Lotus' star Adam DiMarco as Nicky Cunningham, the engaged couple undergo an unprecedented series of tragic events as they approach their wedding. In this article, we try to make sense of the three most important questions that were addressed by the ending of the Netflix show. 

1) What is the ancient curse? 

Rachel learns all about the ancient curse by interrogating The Witness, whom she had stabbed earlier, and also spotted in her parents' wedding video. Being immortal, The Witness does not age. However, his immortality is more of a bane to him than a boon. Four generations ago, his forefather had tragically succumbed to a hunting accident, and in a bid to bring him back to life, his wife had struck a deal with death. Upon her acceptance of him as her soulmate, death brought him back to life.

The curse thereafter became a part of his bloodline, with the cardinal law being that one must marry one's soul mate or else die. After The Witness ran away from the altar and jilted his former lover, Marianne, the latter married Rachel's great-great-great-grandfather, and that's how the curse entered her bloodline. The only way she could have escaped the curse was by not getting engaged to Nicky in the first place. 

2) What happened to Rachel? 

Rachel initially didn't want to marry Nicky, but agreed to the nuptials to make him happy. As their wedding ceremony came closer, Rachel believed for an instant that she could make their relationship work. After Nicky developed cold feet about their wedding, his family members started dying one by one. Rachel herself seemed to die at the hands of the curse and lay bleeding in the snow after Nicky tried putting the ring on her finger. Nevertheless, the show then revealed that Rachel was fine after all. Rachel eventually became immortal, as previously revealed, because if a cursed individual abandons their partner at the altar, the curse shifts to the partner's bloodline, and the cursed individual doesn't age. 

3) What is the significance of the song at the end? 

Towards the end of the show, Rachel is seen boarding a truck and turning on the stereo. The song 'We Will Not Be Lovers' by The Waterboys starts playing, and it is no accident that it talks about a relationship doomed from the beginning. Rachel tries to skip the track but is unable to, and finally realizes the futility of her relationship with Nicky and that Nicky deliberately tried to bring them together under false pretenses. In the end, Rachel tosses her wedding ring away as the symbolic song continues to play.