Warning: The following explainer contains light spoilers for Showtime’s The Curse.
The Curse delivers the uncomfortably twisted tale of aspiring HGTV hosts Whitney and Asher Siegel and the titular damnation they incur during their fledgling production. Here’s how the duo received their curse and what it means for their fictional show, Flipanthropy.
Nathan Fielder’s Asher Siegel Gets Cursed
While attempting to launch their HGTV show Flipanthropy, married house-flippers Whitney and Asher Siegel find themselves caving to the whims of their dubious producer, Dougie Schecter. Dougie stages a philanthropic stunt for the pilot episode that requires Asher give money to a young girl selling soda in a parking lot. Only having $100 in cash, he dishes out the dough on camera only to walk it back after he thinks the cameras have stopped rolling. Offended by his proposal to break the bill and downgrade his offer to $20, the Sprite-toting Nala cursed him.
Though initially dismissed by Asher, the curse takes on a new dimension when he encounters Nala once more at one of the homes he and Whitney intend to flip. Though learning that her ominous phrasing stemmed from a TikTok trend should have ameliorated his discomfort, discovering that Nala intended to remove the chicken from his dinner unsettled Asher as that actually came to pass.
Whether something genuinely supernatural occurred between Asher and Nala has thus far been left to audience interpretation. Though The Curse‘s intentionally unsettling cinematography could add to the interpretation that a malevolent force is prying into the Siegels’ lives, Asher and Whitney’s finely curated images were shown to be built upon shaky and insecure foundations prior to encountering Nala. The titular curse more likely serves as a catalyst for the Siegels’ self-imposed implosion.
What Is The Curse on Showtime About?
The curse incurred by Asher Siegel weaves its way through many of the show’s narrative threads such as the production of Flipanthropy, the Siegel’s attempts to start a family, and Dougie’s various seedy side quests. However, above the broader plot beats, The Curse presents an open-ended critique and discussion about morality. The series establishes this theme early with an opening scene that harkens back to Broadcast News, a film that explored journalistic ethics.
The Curse is designed to be an uncomfortable watch, with filmmaking and performances that amplify its character study of Asher, Whitney, and Dougie and their distinctly maladapted moral compasses. While reminiscent of other intentionally cringe-evoking television entries like Pen15, The Curse utilizes unease as a launchpad to explore what it means to be a good person by throwing a lens up to its characters spiraling hypocrisies.
