‘Not Dead Yet’ Finale: Could Nell Become a Ghost? Get Details on 2-Parter (PHOTOS)
Not Dead Yet Season 2 is coming to a close on Wednesday, April 24 on ABC, and the finale will be a two-part episode that features guest stars Malcolm Barrett and Jenifer Lewis. The title of the second episode raises questions about whether one of the main characters could become one of the ghosts. Could it be Nell (Gina Rodriguez) herself?
Not Dead Yet stars Rodriguez as Nell Serrano, a print journalist assigned to the obituary beat who sees the ghosts of her assigned subjects. This supernatural gift was bestowed upon her after she became the obituary writer at the SoCal Independent. Prior to that, she was the paper’s star investigative reporter, but a relationship made her follow her lover to London and come back five years later after that engagement crashed and burned.
Connecting with these ghosts has taught Nell valuable life lessons as she’s tried to patch her life back up over the last two seasons, but the show has yet to reveal more of its supernatural lore. So far, Nell’s co-workers have just thought she’s an oddball who talks to herself in public a lot. It will be a big shift for the show when it finally starts to dig into the details of Nell’s abilities. Could that happen in the Season 2 finale?
The back-to-back Episodes 9 and 10 are titled “Not the End Yet” and “Not a Ghost Yet,” hinting at a possible character death in the last episode. Based on the episode loglines, it seems father-and-daughter duo Duncan (Brad Garrett) and Lexi (Lauren Ash) will be major players in the installments.
“Nell finds out that Duncan is selling the SoCal Independent, so she takes matters into her own hands to save her job when Lexi seems unwilling to help,” the Episode 9 description reads. “Then, Nell navigates an unexpected incident that leaves the sale of the newspaper on hold,” says the description for Episode 10.
“Not a Ghost Yet” could be interpreted literally. Maybe Nell faces an existential crisis that makes her reevaluate her career? If there’s anything she’s learned from her friendly ghosts, it’s been not to waste her life. Perhaps “Not a Ghost Yet” is another way of expressing that she’s “not dead yet,” so she should go after what she really wants. That would align with the Episode 8 plot involving Jesse Garcia‘s TJ; the potential lovers called it quits because they didn’t align on having kids.
“Not a Ghost Yet” could also hint at something more form-breaking for the comedy. Assuming the key word here is “yet,” could that mean the aforementioned incident is a medical emergency that leaves someone’s life on the line? That would be rather dark subject for this charming comedy, but then again, it deals with death in every episode with a heartwarming lightheartedness. Or could it be that one of her ghosts isn’t actually dead?
If one of the main characters is to die in the finale, who could it be? One (admittedly dark!) theory is that it could be Nell. What if the “unexpected incident” results in Nell’s death, making her one of the ghosts at the newspaper? What if she’s been seeing ghosts all this time because they were preparing her for the afterlife?
This would certainly an ambitious setup for a potential third season, and thanks to the show’s structure, it’s not a twist that would write Rodriguez out of the series. It would, however, be a massive narrative shift that would open the story up to the other side. It would be a sad turn of events, but Nell has learned time and again that life and death are unpredictable. On the other hand, “Not a Ghost Yet,” in this context, could mean that Nell just has a brush with death, allowing her to learn what it’s like to be a ghost waiting to move on to the great beyond.
Because the Not Dead Yet Season 2 finale is a one-hour episode instead of a half-hour, this means there won’t be a new episode of Abbott Elementary on April 24 (the series typically airs after Not Dead Yet at 9/8c). See photos from the two-part Not Dead Yet Season 2 finale below to see if there are hints at the intrigue to come.
Not Dead Yet, Season 2 Finale, Wednesday, 8:30/7:30c, ABC
Lewis plays the ghost of the week in Episode 9, Donna. Donna is a former editor at the SoCal Independent, who worked at the paper for decades and believes in the power of the press. Could she have had Nell’s powers at the paper before Nell did?
Garrett’s Duncan introduces Barrett’s Quentin to the office. Quentin is an efficiency expert Duncan brings in to streamline the SoCal Independent.
Hannah Simone‘s Sam and Joshua Banday‘s Dennis, SoCal’s lead editors, look concerned for the paper’s future.
Nell has a serious talk with Quentin.
Dennis gets to know Quentin, who looks weirded out but attentive.
Donna gives Nell a disapproving look. If only Sam and Dennis could see her too!
Donna and Nell hug. Wait, can Nell now touch the ghosts?! That’s new!
Duncan and Lexi have a chat in dad’s office.
Roomie Edward (Lexi’s new boo) has a serious talk with Nell while Donna listens in.
Can Nell convince Quentin not to gut the paper’s staff over drinks?
The drinks are working!
Donna means business. But what is her business here?
Nell is shocked by Lexi.
Edward looks pleased about something.
Nell confronts Duncan.
But will the at times callous millionaire care about her plight?
