Mike Flanagan’s Carrie has arrived on Prime Video, with all eight episodes available to watch now, and anyone who has already reached the finale will know that this version takes the Stephen King story somewhere very different. The final episode still takes Carrie White to prom night and the infamous bucket of pig’s blood, but what follows changes several major parts of the story. Carrie’s mysterious friend Emaline becomes far more important than she first appeared, Carrie’s fate is rewritten, and a group of telekinetic women emerge with their own interest in what happened.

So, yes, there is quite a lot to unpack. Who exactly is Emaline? Does Carrie survive? Who are the women watching her, and where are Carrie and Emaline going at the end? Here is what happens in the Carrie finale.

Warning: Major spoilers for all eight episodes of Carrie follow.

Is Emaline Real in Carrie?

Yes, Emaline is real. For much of the series, however, Carrie deliberately makes that difficult to work out. Earlier in the season, Billy and Chris steal footage from Carrie’s house that was recorded during her argument with Emaline. When Carrie watches it back, she appears to be arguing with herself, making it look as though Emaline could be an imaginary companion or a manifestation of Carrie’s growing confidence and power.

The finale finally explains what is happening. Emaline is an astral projector, meaning she can appear somewhere without physically being there. That is why other characters cannot necessarily see her and why Sue later remembers a shadow appearing behind Carrie during the prom.

Most importantly, Emaline physically arrives after the destruction of the White house, pulls Carrie from the wreckage and puts her into a car. Kate Siegel’s unnamed character also knows who Emaline is and describes her as dangerous, confirming that she is a real person with powers of her own.

What Happens at Prom in the Carrie Finale?

The finale returns to the moment Chris and Billy dump pig’s blood over Carrie as she is crowned prom queen. As the other students begin laughing, filming and taking pictures, Carrie uses her telekinetic powers to make their phones explode, and a fire begins to spread through the gym.

Emaline then appears and asks Carrie if she can help. At first, the scene makes it possible to read Emaline as another part of Carrie herself, but we later learn that she is using astral projection. Meanwhile, one of the mysterious women connected to Margaret attempts to shoot Carrie, and two other telekinetic women intervene.

Carrie locks the gym doors and leaves as the fire continues. She then catches up with Chris and Billy as they attempt to escape in Billy’s car, flips the vehicle and kills them by crushing the roof. Carrie and Emaline briefly celebrate together in the street, but the scale of the destruction begins to sink in and Carrie returns home to Margaret.

Does Carrie Die at the End?

No. Unlike Stephen King’s original story and the previous film adaptations, Carrie survives the ending of the Prime Video series. Back at home, Margaret washes the blood from her daughter before deciding that Carrie has become too dangerous and attempting to stab her with scissors. Carrie takes control of the scissors with her powers and drives them into Margaret’s back before bringing the house down around them both.

Carrie appears to expect to die in the collapse, even seeing her late father lying peacefully beside her in the wreckage. However, both Carrie and Margaret survive. Emaline arrives and rescues Carrie, and the pair leave together in her car. Margaret’s survival is much shorter. Kate Siegel’s mystery character later reveals that she also has telekinetic powers and stops Margaret’s heart, killing her before the other women arrive.

Who Are the Mysterious Women at the End of Carrie?

The finale confirms that there is a wider group of telekinetic women who have been watching Carrie, although we still do not know exactly who they are or what their wider purpose is. Their presence has been hinted at throughout the series. In Episode 2, another telekinetic woman is able to sense Carrie using her powers, and several of the women later appear around the events at prom. Two of them are eventually shown to be working with Kate Siegel’s unnamed character.

Kate has been interviewing survivors including Sue and Tina under the apparent premise of making a documentary about what happened. By the finale, it becomes clear that the interviews are also being used to gather information about Carrie and influence how the survivors remember the night.

Sue knows that Carrie was not alone during the destruction, but she cannot see Emaline and instead remembers a shadow. Kate then tries to convince her that the other women she saw were never there. The group also appears to know a lot about Carrie and Emaline already, and they regard Emaline as a threat.

Who Dies in the Carrie Finale?

According to Sue, around 200 people die during the events of prom night. Among the named characters killed are Principal Grayle, who is electrocuted, Tommy, Rita Desjardins, Chris and Billy.

Chris and Billy survive their initial car crash before Carrie kills them herself. Margaret also dies later, although not at Carrie’s hands, with Kate killing her after the collapse of the White house. Carrie, however, survives. The finale ends with her and Emaline driving away together, leaving their destination unknown.

Will There Be a Carrie Season 2?

Prime Video has not officially renewed Carrie for Season 2 yet, but the finale clearly leaves the story open to continue. Carrie and Emaline are now together and on the run, and the mysterious group of telekinetic women has become a much bigger part of the story. The group knows about Carrie, sees Emaline as dangerous and appears willing to kill to keep information about itself hidden.

Mike Flanagan has also spoken about having a longer story in mind. Discussing where he would like to take Carrie, he said: “In my dream scenario, I think it’s three seasons. In my dream scenario, I think Carrie has a wonderful three-step arc. It’s a trilogy, really.”

For CultureCues, we were not expecting Carrie to end quite like this. Revealing that Emaline is real completely changes how you look back at her earlier scenes with Carrie, and keeping Carrie alive is an even bigger departure from the story most viewers will know. We also really want to know more about the telekinetic women and why they are so interested in Carrie, because the finale leaves a lot unanswered about who they are and what they want. Prime Video has not confirmed Season 2 yet, but after that ending, we really hope Mike Flanagan gets the chance to continue the story.

All eight episodes of Carrie are streaming now on Prime Video.

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