The final episode of the unexpectedly captivating series, The Curse, has left audiences pondering its meaning. With much discourse about Asher’s ultimate curse, various theories have surfaced online. Among them, one theory stands out as the most plausible: Asher was reincarnated as Whitney’s baby. This interpretation is gaining traction and offers a compelling explanation for the lingering mysteries surrounding the show’s conclusion.
The ending of The Curse provoked much theorizing and analysis due to its cryptic ending regarding the fate of main character Asher. One theory argues Asher’s soul transmigrated into the newborn baby of his wife, Whitney. This notion resonates with many as it seemingly connects plot threads left dangling in the finale. Noticing suggestive dialogue and imagery throughout the season that may foreshadow this surprising twist adds to its plausibility. As discussions continue about the best interpretation of the ending, this reincarnation theory shows no signs of losing steam.
10 Asher Is Portrayed As A Baby Throughout The Show
On the nose foreshadowing
A compelling bit of evidence for Asher’s rebirth as Whitney’s child comes from his frequent infantilization throughout the show. From his temper tantrum in episode 1 with the news reporter, the frequent mention of his micro penis, being scolded by Whitney, or engaging in juvenile activities, Asher is repeatedly portrayed behaving like a toddler rather than an adult. While these make up some of the funniest moments from The Curse, this pattern builds the symbolic groundwork for his eventual reincarnation.
In episode 3, after the doctor suggests they put having a baby on pause, Whitney says that Asher can fill the role, with Asher responding by saying, “Wah! Wah! Baby cry cry. Nappy nappy time.” These textual clues seed the idea of Asher’s destiny to literally transform into Whitney’s child. His immaturity underscores this, foreshadowing the finale’s radical transformation.
9 The Snake Keychain Symbolizing Rebirth
A subtle point in the direction of reincarnation
A potent symbol that was briefly featured is the snake keychain, gifted from Asher and Whitney to Pascal and Janice. In numerous cultures, the snake epitomizes cyclical rebirth due to its ability to shed its skin. This connects to the concept of reincarnation, central to many Native American and Jewish mythologies frequently referenced on the show. The transfer of the meaning-laden keychain hints at Asher’s eventual rebirth. While a moment that could easily be overlooked, the keychain subtly communicates Asher’s reincarnation as Whitney’s baby, its presence weaving this theme throughout the story.
8 Alice Coltrane Music
Features Hindu themes of reincarnation
The show prominently features Alice Coltrane’s musical motifs during pivotal scenes. As an American Hindu spiritual leader, Coltrane’s work centered on themes of cyclical rebirth and the eternal soul’s transmigration between bodies after death. The use of her music over images of Asher floating ethereally in space and Whitney giving birth cannot be coincidental. The lyrics directly reference reincarnation as well, underscoring this theme in climactic moments. Connecting Coltrane’s spiritual jazz to these visuals suggests Asher’s soul leaving one corporeal form to enter the new, crying baby. This musical choice offers a subtle, but evocative complement to the visual poetry.
7 “There’s A Little Me Inside Of You.”
More than just a comment on genetics
A compelling quote comes when Asher addresses Whitney’s pregnant belly, shining a flashlight that resembles Earth from space onto it. “There’s a little me inside of you,” Asher says tenderly. On the surface, this comments on the baby carrying his genetic material. However, the mystical lighting effects imply a double meaning. Asher gazing at the fetus hints he intuits his spiritual essence will soon inhabit that growing body. The visual connects cosmic outer space to the inner space of Whitney’s womb, alluding to reincarnation’s endless cycle and finale’s final scene. This line becomes Asher prophesying his metaphysical rebirth.
6 Whitney’s Contractions
Asher’s levitation is guided by the intensity of Whitney’s labor
A striking parallel occurs between Whitney entering intense labor and Asher’s levitation. As her contractions strengthen, Asher floats upward with similarly increasing force, even smashing through the skylight. The timing suggests a direct link that Asher’s physical movements seem to be guided by Whitney’s internal contractions, as if he experiences what her womb does. This represents Asher’s life force being pulled from his body into the new vessel about to be born as Whitney’s child. Her labor pangs signal his metaphysical passage into her baby. The visual contractions hitting them both externalize the transfer of his soul into her body.
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5 The Towel Represented An Umbilical Cord
The towel’s symbolic implication conveys Asher’s destined journey
When Whitney attempts to rescue Asher with a towel in order to pull him back down, it takes on symbolic weight as an umbilical cord between mother and child. Asher requests she throw one end up to him, but she says it will be easier if he throws one end to her, which makes more sense considering the umbilical cord comes from the embryo and connects with the placenta. This visual metaphor reinforces Asher’s rebirthing process being underway. Furthermore, umbilical cords provide essential nourishment and life support in utero, so this towel “cord” represents Whitney trying to save Asher’s soul.
4 “Not This Baby In The Tree.”
A foreshadowing of Asher’s imminent rebirth
As Whitney and the doula depart for the hospital, Asher tells Whitney to focus on the baby in her belly, “not this baby in the tree!” He then makes another “wah wah” sound, like an unhappy child, before swearing he’ll join her at the delivery. This last outburst rings true given the finale’s events. Asher does in fact appear symbolically reborn in the next scene as Whitney’s new baby. His helplessness in the tree womb indicates his soul’s inevitable pull into Whitney’s actual womb. The line chillingly foreshadows his rebirth from tree into her child.
3 “See That Little V-Shape?”
A quote from Dougie offers more interesting symbolism
In another pivotal moment of the finale, Dougie instructs Asher to descend towards the “V-shape,” created by converging branches, a symbol that unmistakably resembles a woman’s vaginal opening during childbirth. This visual metaphor strongly reinforces Asher’s destined journey through a symbolic birth canal, ultimately leading to his reincarnation as Whitney’s newborn son. The struggle against this descent parallels an infant’s movement through the vaginal canal during labor, resisting the forces of contractions, similarly to how Asher physically could not do so. This tense navigation of the tree’s makeshift birth passage signifies Asher’s inevitable progression towards cosmic rebirth.
2 Asher Is Often In The Fetal Position
The fetal shapes cue Asher’s destined reincarnation
Notable visual cues come from Asher’s body language, frequently echoing a fetus in utero. When stuck upside-down to the ceiling, his position ominously mirrors Whitney’s breech baby. Later during his cosmic levitation, Asher curls into a distinctly fetal posture, knees tucked to chest as he floats weightless in starry void. This visceral imagery connects his dying self to a child still developing in its mother’s womb, underscoring his spiritual passage back into embryonic new life. Just as babies grow enwombed, he ascends to the stellar heaven evoking celestial rebirth. The symbolism comes full circle when Whitney concurrently births her baby.
1 Asher Falling Up And The C-Section Happen At The Exact Same Moment
The ultimate parallel adding plausibility to the theory
The violent severing of Asher from the tree synchronized with Whitney’s emergency c-section makes a compelling symbolic case for his rebirth as her child. As doctors cut into Whitney’s womb, firefighters saw into the tree limb, finally suspending Asher into the atmosphere. Chainsaws were, in fact, first created for performing c-sections, providing more subtle symbolism. Asher is torn free just as Whitney’s baby emerges feet-first, their exits mirroring each other.
Additionally, Dougie’s comment that “this happens to a lot of men” refers to fears often plaguing new fathers. However, it also nods to there statistically being more complications with delivering boys, linking the sudden extraction from the tree, as well as the womb. These precisely timed moments visually cement Asher’s passage into his successor’s infant body, making The Curse one of the most interesting shows of 2024.
