The nine perfect strangers at the heart of the Hulu Original had a less than tranquil experience, but it seemingly all worked out in the end.
Nine Perfect Strangers star Grace Van Patten, who plays Zoe Marconi, highlighted this while speaking to E! News about the highly anticipated finale. "It's beautiful and revelatory, in a way that all of these different journeys kind of come to a conclusion," she said. "In a hopeful, but realistic way."
For those who may've missed the Sept. 22 final episode, the Marconi family—which includes dad Napoleon (Michael Shannon) and mom Heather (Asher Keddie)—finally found peace after struggling with the suicide of son Zach (Hal Cumpston). During a hallucinogenic trip, Zoe, Napoleon and Heather realized that no one was to blame for Zach's struggle and subsequent suicide.
On why it was important for the Marconis to go on this emotional journey, Van Patten said that their characters had not been able to heal up until now. "They go to this retreat in the hopes of trying to reconnect," she reflected, "and start that process, not push it down deeper inside."
"The grief does not go away," she noted on how the Marconis have grown. "People just learn to live beyond the loss and grief and learn to accept it. And I do feel like, in the show, that it's executed in that way."
Of course, the Marconis weren't the only ones put through a trying ordeal in the finale, as the others were locked in a padded room and made to think that Tranquillum House was set on fire. Ultimately, it was all psychological strategy by Masha (Nicole Kidman), who knew the situation would motivate her guests to reflect on their regrets and life choices.
And, despite the wild nature of the exercise, the group leaned into the experience—and even covered for Masha when the police arrived to arrest her.
The epilogue went on to show the characters getting relatively happy endings, but we aren't sure if it's real or imagined. One scene cutting back to writer Frances (Melissa McCarthy) implies that this happy sequence may just be part of a story she's telling post–Tranquillum House.
If you haven't yet checked into Tranquillum House, binge all of Nine Perfect Strangers on Hulu now.
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