After nearly two years, the finale of The Nevers is here.
Will the public accept the Touched? Is “mom” really gone? Will the Galanthi save London and create a better future?
The answers are pretty complex, but it does show some openings for a second season that may never happen.

SPOILERS BELOW

It starts with Lavinia shooting at the Galanthi, stunned it was easy to capture. She’s doing this to “cure” her brother before his “bird skills” turn him insane. How she’s treated him, like tossing him into an asylum, doesn’t count.
That’s why he is already ordering his bird friends to find her.
Then it gets wild: Maladie shows up, apparently feeling the Galanthi’s pain. Myrtle’s with her, willing to help. Amalia and Penance get free while Augie grabs his sister.
Finally, the show getsdark. He gets his sister alone, recalling how she’s treated him while she argues it’s for the sake of the family. He disagrees…and kills her. It looks like his power might make him insane. The show has hinted that the powers can be abused by a touch, but it’s the first time it’s really emerged. This would have been a great plotline for the future.

Back at the orphanage, the Touched celebrate their victory at the House of Lords…until the Purists start attacking. Amalia gets a ripple that the Touched are getting attacked, She leaves with Penance, but is worried Maladie will be alone with the Galanthi. It seems, though, she means no harm.

The Purists have other ideas, Bess, the most radical and one of the youngest, does her share of “purifying”. Not only that, the Galanthi is dying, and the Touched are losing their powers. The aftermath is shocking and bloody. Even Amalia is stabbed.

Despite all this, Dr. Hague is still not dead. It seems “mom” (the woman from Zephyr/Amalia’s future) has possessed Hague. She also claims she’s not easily removed. Still, Maladie finally kills Hague, but is “mom” dead, too?

Massen, who ordered the attack, tries to call it off but he’s a little late. The Beggar King (Nick Frost) tells him to get him out of London. It’s not clear if he has, but if there was a future for the show, maybe he’d be back.
He also finds Lillie, who is “cured” but she refuses to go with him. What she was as a Touched isn’t the point, it’s how he reacted to it. She’ll never forget that.
Mundi and Hugo Swann get there, and there’s some shooting. Mundi kills Massen to avenge Mary, but he also accidentally kills Swann. He’s shocked, but gives his friend one last kiss. It’s a tragic but tender moment.

It looks like Amalia will die, too…until she ripples back to Mary, telling her the Touched had to see how someone would sacrifice herself for them.
Then, the spores that gave them their powers start floating and combining, and the creature also turns into something else. As it dies, it creates seeds that spread everywhere, and the Touched are restored. Amalia also recovers.
Happy ending, right?
Maybe, maybe not.

Amalia explains the Galanthi wanted to put a piece of themselves in everyone. That could mean more Touched to help create a better world.
Penance isn’t so sure, since it also caused destruction and death. She can’t believe that’s true, because the Galanthi didn’t have the right to do this. For now, she can’t follow Amalia anymore.
She is glad to see Augie, though. That’s not a happy ending.
There is hope and there is doubt. What happens next? We may never know.
All we have the post-credit scene, where Myrtle seems to be lighting up lamps all over London. She also sings a song that does not for several decades (the title of the finale).

What would have been next?
Would more people support the Touched, while others still don’t? Are there be more, with powers that are benefits and threats?
Can Amalia and Penance make peace with other? Would Penance’s romantic dreams with Augie dissolve when he loses control of his powers…and worse?
Even worse, could other Touched in other countries emerge, and it becomes a national security issue?


It is interesting Tubi TV showed the episodes uncut, profane words and all. There were even a few nude scenes, which is a shock for afternoon TV. That might change eventually. It was also difficult to find the streaming channel, WB Watchlist, because few knew about the “live TV” option.

The Nevers may have been a steampunk version of the X-Men, and maybe it would have worked better as a mini-series. At least it shows how human nature can get very dark very fast. As usual, the public are suspicious of something different, and people exploit that fear. As Harriet explained in the previous episode, a better way is to see if this new thing or new power can help people. Still. this happens in an era where people are scared of change.
Maybe the show should have presented more examples of the Touched being a benefit rather than a curiosity. There would still be resistance, but both sides would have a fair shot.

At least the story of the Nevers (so far) was finally told. Maybe it can resume someday.