Green Queen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- Nathan Fielder
- Benny Safdie
| "Green Queen" | |
|---|---|
| The Curse episode | |
| Episode no. | Episode 10 |
| Directed by | Nathan Fielder |
| Written by |
|
| Cinematography by | Maceo Bishop |
| Editing by | Adam Locke-Norton |
| Original release date | January 14, 2024 |
| Running time | 69 minutes |
| Guest appearances | |
| |
"Green Queen" is the tenth episode and series 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]
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.
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]