‘The Big Door Prize’ Ending Explained: Season 1 Finale Recap

If you’re reading this article, chances are you just finished basking in the mysterious blue glow of The Big Door Prize‘s Season 1 finale. Welcome. And also, what the heck just happened?!

The Apple TV+ dramedy, adapted from M.O. Walsh’s 2020 novel of the same name by Schitt’s Creek writer/EP David West Read, took viewers to the 150th annual Deerfest in the Season 1 finale. There, we experienced traditional games, rides, Giorgio’s World’s Biggest Pasta bowl, a town-wide power outage, some Ferris wheel shenanigans, and several MORPHO-related personal crises that culminated in a major cliffhanger — or ten! And now it’s time to debrief.

If you’re in desperate need of a Season 1 finale recap or simply want to know what The Big Door Prize Episode 10 has in store before you watch it, Decider’s Big Door Prize ending explained has you covered. Just be mindful that major spoilers lie ahead!

The Big Door Prize Ending Explained: Season 1 Finale Recap

When we last saw our favorite Deerfest residents in Season 1’s penultimate episode, a major storm was coming. And you can bet it hit full-force in the finale. After getting electrocuted and developing a cluster of blue dots on his neck from tampering with the MORPHO machine, Mr. Johnson was rushed to the emergency room while the majority of the town was blissfully aware of looming danger at Deerfest. Beau, Jacob, Trina, Dusty, and Cass enjoyed some nostalgic family bonding while Nat let Giorgio know she’s very into bald men.

Aside from Mr. Johnson, two Deerfield residents were notably absent from the festivities: Father Reuben and Hana. They were in the back room of Hana’s bar (aka her bedroom) making out, but the romance was short-lived because they got into a disagreement over MORPHO cards and their meanings. Father Reuben admitted he no longer wanted to be a priest, opened up about his past, and shared his reason for coming to Deerfield, but Hana got weirdly defensive about him “rewriting” his narrative to make her a part of his “sad story.” She told him that even when his wife died he was never alone, unlike her, and said even when he found his MORPHO card in the gutter his father-in-law was with him. Her words made Father Reuben tense up, because he never told her his father-in-law was present. When he pressed her about the detail, she simply played it off and left the room. Yikes.

Back at Deerfest, Dusty and Cass were having some Real Puffin Talk and decided to reclaim their youthful spark on the Ferris wheel. When Cass tried to buy some tickets for the ride she was confronted about her mom’s accusations at the magic show and finally snapped. “It is I, the evil genius who figured out the hopes and dreams of everyone in this town you guys,” she sarcastically screamed to onlookers. “You should bow because I’m your queen!” Just then, Izzy showed up and shut down her scene. Cass pulled her mom into a hay bale maze, and instead of killing her like Dusty (and tbh us) suspected, she brought her in tight and gave her an uncomfortably long hug. “I’m just letting you know that you hurt me too many times,” Cass told her mom before leaving her in the maze, where she eventually got lost. As Izzy was trying to find her way out, she received a call from the hospital asking her to visit Mr. Johnson who’s recovering from a cardiac arrest. Turns out he had her listed as his emergency contact because he has no one else.

Meanwhile, outside the bar, Hana and Father Reuben reunited for Round 2 of their tense discussion. Hana admitted she was working the bar the night he found his card, but she didn’t remember him when they first met in Deerfield, and once she did, she didn’t know what to say. “You were the asshole picking a fight with anyone who looked at you, hence the kicking out, then your father-in-law came and apologized. Said you were just passing through town and wouldn’t be back,” she said. “You had just spread your wife’s ashes…it didn’t really feel like something I should bring up.” Father Reuben asked why she didn’t tell anyone she had lived in another town where the MORPHO machine existed, and she said she had her reasons, just like he did for keeping his first card a secret. “You want to believe this card led you to me and you don’t even know me dude,” she told him. “I don’t have any answers for you. You need to stop looking for signs.”

Next time we saw Hana she was driving out of Deerfield, presumably to skip town, but something strange happened to her and her car. The radio malfunctioned, she appeared to get a headache, and she saw a white deer on the road ahead of her. She swerved her car, and when it stopped her headlights were pointed at Colton’s memorial on the side of the road. She saw the Welcome To Deerfield sign and headed back into town with a new lease on life.

Back at Deerfest, the whole fair (and town!) lost power as a major lightning storm brewed overhead. Unfortunately for Dusty, Cass, Hawaii, and friends, they got trapped on the Ferris wheel. But not for long! Superstar Giorgio saved the day with a trusty bucket truck — which for anyone confused, is a cherry picker, not a truck full of buckets. Then he shared a victory kiss with Nat! Guess he’s over Cass!

Beau saved Izzy from the maze with his trusty chainsaw. Trina and Jacob committed to dating despite not knowing what the future holds for them. And though Dusty and Cass still love each other, they decided it might be worthwhile to spend some time apart (like Puffins) and pursue their potentials alone. Perhaps Dustard will head back to Whistler in Season 2 and Cass will figure out royalty on her own terms. We’ll have to wait and see! But The Big Door Prize left us with a much more pressing mystery before the end credits rolled.

As Deerfields residents walked the dark streets in the storm, they noticed Mr. Johnson’s general store glowing bright blue. They went inside to find the MORPHO machine with WINGS jutting out of its sides and the following message on its screen: “Are you ready for the next stage?” As Dusty’s theremin played the machine’s theme song, a voice from the back of the crowd said, “It’s never done that before!” It’s Hana! She’s back! She knows things! And she’s got a back full of glowing blue MORPHO dots!

What light can she shed on the machine from past experience? What’s the next stage of the MORPHO machine? What the heck is with the blue dots on her, Mr. Johnson, and Dusty? And what’s in store for Deerfield’s residents? We’ll have to wait for Season 2. UGH!

The Big Door Prize is now streaming on Apple TV+.