Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen – A Wedding Worth Surviving

Something Very Bad Is Going To Happen is one of the most interesting TV shows I watched in a while. It has been a long time since I came across a work that’s so out there, so unabashed, so uninterested in explaining its own premise or bowing to the viewer’s expectations of a premise that they can grasp onto.

The show centers around a couple, Rachel and Nicky, who are travelling to the remote house of Nicky’s family to celebrate their small scale wedding. On their way, Rachel is met with an odd stranger who asks her “Are you sure he is the one?”. This question summarizes the premise of the show, but not in the way you or I would think from the first episodes.

(Lukewarm spoiler warning) The show is full of red herrings, but only for the first couple of episodes, in which it tries to convince us that something usual will happen. From the stranger’s question to Nicky’s dysfunctional family, we are probably convinced that the show is about a partner with a dark past, a family cult that needs a sacrifice, etc. Even the dysfunctional family trope is initially played out like a horror film we’ve seen countless times before. Everyone is either brooding (Boris), manic (Portia), hostile (Jules) or disengaged (Victoria). This all happens much to Nicky’s dismissal of Rachel’s worries. Nicky is of course played as the straight man who is oblivious to his family’s behaviour, a perfect stereotypical cherry on the top of the dysfunctional family trope.

Around the 3rd and 4th episodes, the series takes a turn to reveal its true premise, through another silly red herring followed by one of the creepiest found footage I have seen in a long time, achieving terror not through hidden figures and jumpscares, but through a gnarly scene that explains not only the premise, but also why one of our characters is antagonistic. The rest is a rollercoaster of a ticking clock, in which our characters need to figure things out before the Bad Thing really Happens.

And while the true premise is thrilling and complex, it is full of holes that the show does not bother to explain, and other cases where a character uses language ambiguity as an excuse to justify a plot twist.

Stylistically, the show is all over the place. It feels like a canvas for every single thought that comes across its creators’ minds. A freeform environment where they start and stop the musical score abruptly, which puts a hard horrific or comedic stop on dramatic and sentimental moments. The camerawork is at times so immaculate, offering breathtaking imagery of the cold northeastern winter, similar to ours in eastern Canada. At other times, the camera is panning all over the place, sometimes taking the POV of an unspecified entity. At other times, we get the grainy found footage that glitches at the “right” moment.

You might think that I hated this series or was very confused by it. And while I was confused, I actually really appreciated what it was. A show like this is so unabashed and honest in its own story and form that it becomes refreshing. The logic of the main plotline has so many holes and the rules of horror constantly change. The show takes a long time going through so many red herrings before it gets to its substance. And the camerawork, editing and sound choice is so out there that they risk alienating viewers. But it ends up being a unique experience that I appreciated. And a solid ode to many horror genres.

Whatever it is that you like, you might find it in this show: The gore is glorious and excessive. The camerawork and lighting are solid. The characters, while initially very by-the-books and at times annoying, end up exposing more of their layers, with some of them evolving in heartwarming ways.

Ultimately, it’s a show about commitment; its uncertainty, weight and the responsibilities that come with it. It’s about the messiness of relationships and the challenge and unreliability of human promise. It’s also about soulmates.

Worth a watch.