‘Devil in Ohio’ Ending Explained: Does Mae Return to the Cult?
The new Netflix thriller Devil in Ohio hit the streaming platform earlier this month and quickly became the number one series. Based on the book by the same name by Daria Polatin, Devil in Ohio follows the story of a teenage girl who escapes from a satanic cult and is taken in by a psychiatrist. The series includes eight episodes and takes viewers on a wild ride with a big twist at the end. So, let’s take a look at Devil in Ohio’s ending.
[WARNING: This article contains detailed spoilers about the Devil in Ohio ending.]
Mae Dodd’s intentions seem innocent at first in ‘Devil in Ohio’
Mae (Madeleine Arthur) escapes from her home in the first episode, and the cops drop her off at the local hospital. At first, she won’t speak, but eventually, Dr. Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel) gets her to open up. Suzanne’s parents abused her as a child, and Suzanne feels a connection with Mae. She opts to take guardianship of Mae.
When Suzanne brings Mae home, her three daughters find the situation odd. However, a rift between Helen (Alisha Newton) and Jules (Xaria Dotson), Suzanne’s two oldest daughters, gives Mae a chance to grow close with Jules. At first, Jules loves the opportunity to gain a new friend. However, it’s not long before Mae’s actions cause Jules to question her motives. At first, Mae’s decisions seem innocent, but viewers see that Mae isn’t as sweet as she pretends. Mae copies Jules’ Halloween costume, steals her Harvest Dance date and starts leaving her out from outings with her friends.
The ‘Devil in Ohio’ ending explained
Throughout the series, Suzanne becomes increasingly protective of Mae and constantly makes excuses for the girl. This comes at the expense of her family. Eventually, it becomes clear that Suzanne is choosing Mae over her daughters, much to the frustration of her husband, Peter (Sam Jaeger).
At the Harvest Dance, Mae wins Harvest Queen. However, instead of the usual red carnations, Mae receives a bouquet of white roses, a flower used in the cult. Once Mae sees the flowers, she flees from the school. Jules and Helen call their parents, just as Alex (Gerardo Celasco), the case detective, calls Suzanne to tell her Mae’s in danger. They believe someone kidnapped Mae and took her back to the cult. Suzanne drives to Amontown just as the cult prepares to sacrifice Mae, but she sets fire to their church, and Mae chooses to leave her birth mom and return with Suzanne.
Before the dance, Peter gave Suzanna an ultimatum about Mae. He says that Suzanne needed to find her a different place to live. However, after the night of the Harvest Dance, Suzanne changed her mind and decided to allow Mae to stay. Peter and his three daughters move into an apartment away from their mom. Suzanne and Mae remain in the family home. At Thanksgiving, Suzanne tries to drop off a pie for the girls, but Peter won’t let her inside because she brought Mae with her. After, Suzanne and Mae return to eat Thanksgiving dinner at home.
During the Devil in Ohio ending, Alex calls Suzanne and explains that Mae set the entire thing up herself. She changed the bouquet to white roses and willingly drove herself back to Amontown. Suzanne fearfully stares at Mae as Mae tells her to come eat, and the camera pans out to a shrine Mae made in the forest, implying her goal the entire time was to separate Suzanne from her family and keep her for herself.
No word on season 2
Netflix lists the thriller as a limited series, but the Devil in Ohio ending leaves the door open for continuing the story. With it being based on a book, it seems unlikely that fans will get a sophomore season, but that all depends on the folks at Netflix. Devil in Ohio quickly shot to the top of Netflix’s charts, so it clearly has an audience who might want more. Right now, though, Netflix hasn’t indicated we’ll get a second season.
