‘Dead to Me’ Season 3: 4 Shocking Moments, From Judy’s Death to That Cliffhanger Ending
Netflix released the final season of Dead to Me on Nov. 17, 2022. This was just in time to rip fan’s hearts out ahead of the holiday season because season 3 of Dead to Me is gut-wrenching. Here are four shocking moments from the final season of Dead to Me we still can’t get over.
Ben’s involvement in Jen’s husband’s death
The first season of Dead to Me centers around Jen Harding (Christina Applegate) grieving the loss of her husband, Ted. She begrudgingly attends a grief group, where she meets Judy Hale (Linda Cardellini) and kickstarts the twisted story that unfolds throughout three seasons of the Netflix series.
Ever so slowly, the show reveals bits and pieces about the night Ted died. First, Judy says she’s to blame for the hit and run accident. Then we find out Steve (James Marsden) was driving Ben the car that night.
In season 3 of Dead to Me, we learn Ben (Marsden) was also in the car the night Ted was hit and killed. Judy and Steve were driving a very drunk Ben home that night and he’s the reason they were in Jen’s neighborhood in the first place. What makes this truth even more shocking is that Jen ends up with Ben (and his baby) at the end of the Netflix series.
What happens to Judy in ‘Dead to Me’
Judy’s entire season 3 storyline plucked at our heartstrings. It started with her cervical cancer diagnosis. As the Netflix series is wont to do, fans are initially led to believe Jen is the one with cancer. When Judy finds out she’s the one with the illness, she’s almost glad.
“That whole moment, I think, shows you exactly who Judy is,” Cardellini told Vulture. “She’s gotten this horrible news. And in the same moment as she’s processing that, she’s truly so relieved that it isn’t her friend. That says a lot about what you need to know about who Judy is. She’d rather it mbe her than Jen.”
On top of her cancer diagnosis, Judy has to watch as Jen accidentally gets pregnant in her 50s. Unable to maintain her own pregnancy, Jen’s ability to conceive pains Judy in ways many people can understand. In another not-so-shocking but still surprising all the same moment from the final season, Judy dies in the the final episode of Dead to Me.
Jen didn’t name her baby girl Judy
The moment it was revealed Jen was having a girl, it seemed Judy was the obvious choice for a name. Knowing Judy’s cancer was terminal and how much she meant to Jen, the name only made sense.
That’s why it was so shocking to hear Jen say the baby’s name was Joey in the final episode of Dead to Me. “This isn’t a Hallmark movie, Linda,” Jen retorts at a fellow griever. “I named her Joey because what if one day she’s gender-fluid?”
Why did ‘Dead to Me’ end on a cliffhanger?
After Jen leaves Mexico sans Judy, we flash forward to her daughter Joey’s first weeks of life. Jen and Ben sit poolside as Charlie (Sam McCarthy) and Henry (Luke Roessler) play in the water. “Ben, I need to tell you something,” Jen admits. Then the credits roll, leaving us all wondering what it was Jen was going to tell Ben. Was she finally going to admit she was the one who killed Steve per Judy’s advice? Or was Jen going to tell Ben something different altogether? No matter what you think, you’re right because that’s how showrunner Liz Feldman wanted it to be!
“Liz definitely left [the end of Dead to Me] ambiguous on purpose, so I wouldn’t want to speak to her creative decisions,” Cardellini told Vulture. “I think it’s wise because it ends on a cliffhanger, like Dead to Me always does. There’s still some loose ends there.”
Watch all three seasons of Dead to Me on Netflix.
