Green Queen

Last updated
"Green Queen"
The Curse episode
Episode no.Episode 10
Directed by Nathan Fielder
Written by
Cinematography byMaceo Bishop
Editing byAdam Locke-Norton
Original release dateJanuary 14, 2024 (2024-01-14)
Running time69 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Young Hearts"		Next →
—

"Green Queen" is the tenth episode and season finale of the American television satire black comedy The Curse . The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and directed by Fielder. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on January 12, 2024, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on January 14, 2024. The episode was screened at the Film at Lincoln Center. [1]

Contents

The series follows Whitney and Asher Siegel, a newly married couple as they try to conceive a child while co-starring on their problematic new HGTV show, Fliplanthropy. Also joining them on their show is Dougie Schecter, a producer who is trying to make the best possible version of the show in order to reach a wider audience. In the episode, Asher and Whitney are now expecting their first child, just as Green Queen has been renewed for a second season.

The episode received critical acclaim, with critics praising the episode's ambition, directing, originality and absurdist humor. Some critics, however, debated on the closure to the storylines.

Plot

During her talk show, Rachael Ray introduces Whitney (Emma Stone) and Asher (Nathan Fielder) as her guests, with Whitney in the late stage of pregnancy. She asks them about their tactics for Green Queen, challenging them over the effectiveness of their show, which is only available on streaming. Eventually, Rachael loses interest and goes back to cooking lessons with guest star Vincent Pastore.

While the series has been renewed for a second season, Whitney is frustrated with the small viewership, a feeling compounded by the knowledge that Cara has been profiled by The New York Times after quitting her career as an artist. The house at Questa Lane has been finished, and instead of giving it to an interested buyer, Asher decides to give it to Abshir (Barkhad Abdi) for free. When the two go to tell Abshir of their decision, expecting him to be thrilled and grateful, he is instead disinterested and seems more concerned with having to pay property taxes.

One morning, Whitney wakes up shocked to discover Asher floating on the bedroom ceiling. Asher initially believes this is due to an air pressure irregularity caused by the passive house design. The two struggle and fail to get Asher down, and it becomes clear that gravity has reversed direction for him. As the stress of the situation mounts, Whitney begins going into labor.

Asher makes his way out of the house, but is still forced to stay in an overhang. They call Whitney's doula, Moses (Elliot Berlin), for help, but in trying to pull Asher down, he accidentally lets him fly into a tree. Asher is left clinging to a branch as Moses is forced to take Whitney to the hospital. He calls Dougie (Benny Safdie) to stay with Asher as the fire department arrives. Dougie, having no knowledge of what is happening to Asher, believes he is running away from his parental responsibilities, and calls a cameraman to film the situation with a drone. The firefighters try to get Asher to let go of the tree, ignoring Asher's erratic behavior and claims.

As Whitney is checked at the hospital, she is told she will need a C-section. Back at the house, the firefighters start sawing the branch, despite Asher's desperate pleas to stop. When it is chopped, Asher shoots into the sky, shocking Dougie and the firefighters. As Whitney gives birth at the hospital, Asher continues flying upward while Dougie cries back in the street, taking responsibility for Asher's fate by having previously cursed him. Asher is finally seen floating lifeless in space. The camera floats from the hospital back to the Siegel house, where neighbors who witnessed the events decide that it must have been a stunt for the couple's TV show.

Production

Development

The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and directed by Fielder. This was Fielder's tenth writing credit, Safdie's tenth writing credit, and Fielder's seventh directing credit. [2]

Reception

Viewers

Critical reviews

"Green Queen" received critical acclaim. Manuel Betancourt of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A" grade and wrote, "The Curse goes out not with a bang, but with a whimper. Still, it's one that feels so weighted with emotion that it's hard to ignore—and harder still to shake off. What a masterful ending, truly. One that equally exaggerated the surreal world Safdie and Fielder (and Stone, in turn) had created and yet stayed true to it." [3]

Amanda Whiting of Vulture gave the episode a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "What does it mean for television to reach a satisfying conclusion? What did we want from the final moments of The Curse? It was a comprehensively batshit series that made few promises from week to week. It ended as it began, which is how it always was: a soup of famous and semi-famous names goading us to watch, then refusing to be watchable. Dare followed by double dare. I hated it. It was fine. I laughed a good amount." [4]

Devan Coggan of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "We're not even halfway through January, but The Curse might have just aired the weirdest TV finale you'll see all year... or any year." [5] Esther Zuckerman of The New York Times wrote, "All I know is that the final episode of this first season (but perhaps not the only season) of The Curse is one of the most bonkers, baffling, creative and I think brilliant episodes of television I've watched in a long time, the kind of thing that challenges what TV can do." [6]

Fletcher Peters of The Daily Beast wrote, "In a world full of bonkers TV series, The Curse reigns supreme by living up to its name — perhaps Asher was, indeed, cursed by Nala. How else do you explain floating into the sky to your death other than supernatural forces praying for your downfall, or rather, the absolute opposite? The Curse was real." [7] Naomi Fry of The New Yorker wrote, "even though the circumstances of his death are cruel, there is something deeply humanistic, even hopeful, about the turn The Curse takes. The world might not want Asher's sudden honesty about who and what he is, and it certainly doesn't want his altruism, however genuine it may be, which is why he is sent hurtling into the stratosphere — a sign that he has become, if not a saint, then at least the universe's cuck. But as a sacrifice Asher is finally able to do some real good, by forcing the terrible people around him to realize and admit their own failings." [8]

Other reviews were more negative. Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "Since I first watched 'Green Queen' in the fall, I've revisited it several times, and thought about it often in between. It's a credit to the previous episodes, and perhaps to just how unexpected this conclusion was, that I haven't been able to entirely get it out of my head. Or maybe I just can't let go of my exasperation that this long, difficult, but at times very rewarding journey somehow led us... here. The Curse definitely goes to extreme lengths at the end, but ones that mostly invite questions about what the point of any of it was." [9] Paolo Ragusa of Consequence wrote, "The Curse has been a charged, nuanced experiment that played with the aesthetics of performance, surveillance, the power imbalances of colonialism, and the damaging consequences of unchecked white guilt. But rather than ending with a visceral moment of clarity, we’re left staring straight back into The Curse's warped mirror, as all meaning drifts up into the sky." [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Medeski</span> American jazz keyboardist and composer

Anthony John Medeski is an American jazz keyboard player and composer. Medeski is a veteran of New York's 1990s avant-garde jazz scene and is known popularly as a member of Medeski Martin & Wood. He plays the acoustic piano and an eclectic array of keyboards, including the Hammond B3 organ, melodica, mellotron, clavinet, ARP String Ensemble, Wurlitzer electric piano, Moog Voyager Synthesizer, Wurlitzer 7300 Combo Organ, Vox Continental Baroque organ, and Yamaha CS-1 Synthesizer, among others. When playing acoustic piano, Medeski usually plays the Steinway piano and is listed as a Steinway Artist.

A curse is a spell or incantation intended to harm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nathan Fielder</span> Canadian comedian (born 1983)

Nathan Joseph Fielder is a Canadian comedian, actor, writer, director, and producer. He is known for his awkward persona and involvement in works that blur reality and fiction. His accolades include an Independent Spirit Award and a WGA Award, as well as a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award. In 2023, he was featured on Time's list of the 100 most influential people in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Safdie brothers</span> American film directors

Joshua Safdie and Benjamin Safdie are independent American filmmakers and actors based in New York City, who frequently collaborate on their films. They are best known for writing and directing the crime thriller films Good Time (2017), starring Robert Pattinson, and Uncut Gems (2019), starring Adam Sandler.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barkhad Abdi</span> Somali-American actor

Barkhad Abdi is a Somali Majeerteen actor. He made his acting debut as the pirate Abduwali Muse in the biographical drama film Captain Phillips (2013), which earned him a British Academy Film Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, along with Academy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations.

Part 17 (<i>Twin Peaks</i>) 17th episode of the 3rd season of Twin Peaks

"Part 17", also known as "The Past Dictates the Future", is the 17th episode of the third season of the TV series Twin Peaks. It was written by Mark Frost and David Lynch, directed by Lynch, and stars Kyle MacLachlan. "Part 17" was broadcast on Showtime along with "Part 18" on September 3, 2017, and seen by an audience of 254,000 viewers in the United States. It received widespread critical acclaim.

"Finding Frances" is the series finale of American docu-reality comedy series Nathan for You. It premiered on November 9, 2017, on Comedy Central. The seventh episode of the fourth season and the 32nd overall, it was directed by Nathan Fielder and co-written with Leo Allen, Carrie Kemper, Michael Koman, Adam Locke-Norton, and Eric Notarnicola. "Finding Frances" follows Nathan as he attempts to help septuagenarian Bill Heath track down Frances, a lost love from his youth. It has an extended runtime of 84 minutes and a more serious tone than previous episodes. While it was initially billed as simply the season finale, one year later Comedy Central confirmed that Fielder had decided to end the series. "Finding Frances" received universal acclaim and was named one of the most memorable TV episodes of 2017 by the New York Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elara Pictures</span> American film production company

Elara Pictures is an American independent film production and television production company founded by Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie, Ronald Bronstein and Sebastian Bear-McClard.

<i>The Curse</i> (American TV series) American black comedy television series

The Curse is an American satirical black comedy thriller television series created and written by Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and starring Emma Stone, Fielder, and Safdie. It was filmed from June to October 2022 and premiered on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on November 10, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on November 12. Its first three episodes premiered at the New York Film Festival on October 12, 2023. The first season concluded on January 12, 2024, receiving critical acclaim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Benny Safdie</span> American actor and director

Benjamin Safdie is an American film director, screenwriter, actor, and film editor best known for working with his older brother Josh as a filmmaker. His directorial works include Heaven Knows What (2014), Good Time (2017), and Uncut Gems (2019). Transitioning towards acting, Safdie was nominated for the Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male for his role in Good Time and has since taken on roles in films such as Licorice Pizza (2021), Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. and Oppenheimer. He co-created, co-wrote and starred in the television show The Curse (2023).

Fruit Tree is an American film and television production company, founded by Emma Stone and Dave McCary in 2020. The company has produced the films When You Finish Saving the World (2022), Problemista (2023), and I Saw the TV Glow (2024). The company's logo contains a stylized tree.

"Land of Enchantment" is the series premiere of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and directed by Fielder. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on November 10, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on November 12, 2023. The episode was screened at the 2023 New York Film Festival.

"Pressure's Looking Good So Far" is the second episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by co-executive producer Carrie Kemper, from a story by Kemper and series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on November 17, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on November 19, 2023. The episode was screened at the 2023 New York Film Festival.

"Questa Lane" is the third episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on November 24, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on November 26, 2023. The episode was screened at the 2023 New York Film Festival.

"Under the Big Tree" is the fourth episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and directed by David Zellner and Nathan Zellner. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on December 1, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on December 3, 2023. The episode was screened at the Film at Lincoln Center.

"It's a Good Day" is the fifth episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and directed by Fielder. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on December 8, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on December 10, 2023. The episode was screened at the Film at Lincoln Center.

"The Fire Burns On" is the sixth episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and directed by Fielder. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on December 15, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on December 17, 2023. The episode was screened at the Film at Lincoln Center.

"Self-Exclusion" is the seventh episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and directed by Fielder. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on December 22, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on December 24, 2023. The episode was screened at the Film at Lincoln Center.

"Down and Dirty" is the eighth episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, from a story by Fielder, Safdie and co-executive producer Carrie Kemper, and directed by Fielder. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on December 29, 2023, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on December 31, 2023. The episode was screened at the Film at Lincoln Center.

"Young Hearts" is the ninth episode of the American television satire black comedy The Curse. The episode was written by series creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie and directed by Fielder. It originally aired on streaming and on-demand for all Showtime and Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers on January 5, 2024, before making its on-air debut on Showtime on January 7, 2024. The episode was screened at the Film at Lincoln Center.

References

  1. ↑ Bergeson, Samantha (September 26, 2023). "A24 Series 'The Curse' with Emma Stone, Nathan Fielder, and Benny Safdie Sets Release Date". IndieWire . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  2. ↑ "The Curse – WGA Directory". Writers Guild of America West . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  3. ↑ Betancourt, Manuel (January 12, 2024). "The Curse season 1 finale: Oh. My. God". The A.V. Club . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  4. ↑ Whiting, Amanda (January 12, 2024). "The Curse Finale Recap: The Gravitron". Vulture . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  5. ↑ Coggan, Devan (January 12, 2024). "The Curse might have just aired the weirdest TV finale ever". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  6. ↑ Zuckerman, Esther (January 12, 2024). "'The Curse' Season 1 Finale Recap: Things Are Looking Up". The New York Times . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  7. ↑ Peters, Fletcher (January 12, 2024). "OK, What the Hell Happened in 'The Curse' Finale?". The Daily Beast . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ Fry, Naomi (January 12, 2024). "The Horrifying and Humanistic Ending of "The Curse"". The New Yorker . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  9. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan (January 12, 2024). "'The Curse' Finale Is Bonkers and Deeply Frustrating". Rolling Stone . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
  10. ↑ Ragusa, Paola (January 12, 2024). "The Curse Finale's Shocking Twists Fall Short of Satisfying: Review". Consequence . Retrieved January 12, 2024.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.