Spoiler Warning: The Watcher (2022)The Watcher is the newest Netflix series from American Horror Story’s Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. It is based on the true story of a family that received frightening letters after they moved into a new home. In real life, the mystery has never been solved, though multiple suspects have been investigated.

The real story captivated audiences, with people questioning who sent the letters, why they sent them, and the other curiosities that surrounded it (which include the suggestion that the family sent the letters to themselves). The family didn’t speak to the press about their experience until an article in The Cut in 2018. The article outlined their entire story from start to finish and was used as inspiration for the Netflix series.

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The writers did modify the story quite a bit, changing the family’s name at their request, introducing a supernatural element, and giving The Watcher an “identity.” However, audiences weren’t pleased with how the series came to a close.

Audiences Are Upset About the Lack of Closure

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In its final moments, the show revealed that Theodora Birch (Noma Dumezweni), the private investigator the Brannock family hired to help them find the letter writer’s identity, was behind the family’s terror. Her story goes that she owned and loved the house, but after being diagnosed with cancer, she was forced to sell. She always wanted to buy the house back, but the opportunity never presented itself.

While she lived in the home, she received a letter that complimented the house. This was sent as part of the local school’s curriculum, where a teacher encouraged his students to write love letters to a house they liked. It was a nice gesture, but it gave her a vehicle to try and get the house back.

All the information she gave the Brannocks, specifically the stories of the two former tenants, was made up. She crafted the stories, hired actors to play the previous homeowners, and even faked the supernatural-like activity the family experienced in the home. Everything she did was to try and scare them away, create a stir, and allow her to buy back the house for way below market value, which was all she could afford due to the cost of her cancer treatments.

But this all turns out to be a lie. After her passing, the Brannocks discover that she made everything up to try and give the family closure as one of her final acts. What was already a twisted ending turned into something else entirely that not only took away the resolution, but didn’t replace it with a new one.

Disappointment about this ending has been expressed across social media. Not only was the Brannocks’ closure taken from them, but it was also snatched away from the audiences. Instead of a story tied up in a bow, the ribbon fell apart at the last second, causing viewers to question everything they’d known up to that point. Many have commented that they felt the show was a waste of time and had one of the worst endings they had ever seen.

There Were Other Directions The Watcher Could’ve Gone

There were several other directions the story could’ve gone instead of the last-minute reveal audiences had to endure. Throughout the series, a variety of other circumstances and culprits were presented that would’ve made more sense than the private investigator inventing a story. They also would’ve provided actual closure, which audiences craved.

Initially, the lipstick appearing in Ellie’s (Isabel Gravitt) room and other strange occurrences set it up to be a classic ghost story. That story only grew stronger when Theodora told Nora (Naomi Watts) and Dean (Bobby Cannavale) about a family that lived in the house before them. The father killed his family in the home, meaning there were people who could’ve become spirits tied to it forever. While this was a safe route, and maybe the most predictable one, at least it made sense with the information presented during the seven episodes and provided an actual ending.

A possibility that was introduced and quickly forgotten was that their neighbors Mo (Margo Martindale) and Mitch (Richard Kind) were a part of a cult that harmed children. This is brought to life by a previous tenant Dean speaks to. A cult that harmed children would be in line with the text of the letters, especially since they kept mentioning “new blood,” and would be pretty on-brand for the showrunners. This would also explain how cagey his neighbors were, especially after Dean called them out for their weird behavior.

In the second half of the series, the option that Karen (Jennifer Coolidge), the realtor, could be behind the letters is thrown in. Nora accuses her friend of fabricating everything so she and her business partner can buy and flip the property. Karen did purchase the home after the family moved, but something scared her from the house too.

Any of these options would’ve provided the closure audiences were looking for. Even if The Watcher’s identity hadn’t been revealed, it could’ve been without a fake story that gave viewers false hope that the family had figured out who was tormenting them.

While you marinate in what could’ve been, check out a recent Netflix release also based on a true story.