Do Elise & Anya End Up Together in ‘The Body’? Their Relationship, Explained
Forgive me, Father, for I have a naughty new OTP…
On November 11, Netflix’s sapphic psychodrama The Body premiered, introducing viewers to Anyalise — a repression-filled queer relationship that has instantly become a fan-favorite ship among romance viewers. (Warning: Spoilers ahead!) While these Catholic school girls know a thing or two about religious guilt, Elise (Sara Boustany) is open about her feelings for her best friend, but Anya (Kristina Bogic) will do anything but kiss Elise, hoping on some level that she can pray the gay away.
Before The Body could even premiere, fans were making Anya and Elise edits, almost exclusively to Slayyyter’s “Brand New Chanel$.” So, do Anya and Elise end up together? Could Anya accept her sexuality? And what happened with Anya’s boyfriend? We’re breaking down Anya and Elise’s entire Season 1 relationship below.
When do Anya and Elise first hook up?
Anya and Elise hook up during Episode 1 at the Halloween party. When Swooon sat down with Kristina Bogic and Sara Boustany, the latter revealed, “I have a feeling that [the] first episode was the first time that ever happened, but obviously, the tension was there.”
Bogic added that their friendship definitely contributed to their sexual chemistry, explaining, “I think there’s a thing in girlhood where you are so close with your female friends that there’s a level of vulnerability and experimentation that feels welcomed and very comfortable in female friendships.”
View this post on Instagram
Why does Anya shut out Elise?
After the party, Anya begins to keep Elise at a distance, knowing that she can’t confess to driving Grace (Sofia Wylie) home in her boyfriend’s car after finding her unconscious on ecstasy, which Lisbeth (Geena Meszaros) convinced her to do. However, Boustany has made it clear that Elise would do anything for Anya, so if she had come clean, Elise would try to protect her. Lisbeth also drives a wedge between the duo, convincing Anya that they need to stick together to hide what they did.
At the same time, Anya has not come to terms with her sexuality in the way that Elise has. Creator Quinn Shephard referred to moments in Anya’s coming-out (at least to herself) journey as “universal tenets of the confused lesbian or confused queer girl experience.” One that especially hit home in the writers’ room was Anya’s “no kissing.”
Still, after sharing the improvised partner dance (and a room) at regionals, the besties find their way back to each other in more ways than one.
When is Anya and Elise’s first kiss?
After Anya and Elise reunite and begin to hook up more, Elise confesses, “I just wanna kiss you. I want you to let me kiss you.” However, Anya’s boyfriend, Steven (Orlando Norman), and his friend, Tyler (Marcel Ruiz), arrive before Anya can answer.
Later, in the hot tub, Anya drunkenly asks Steven, “Do you think it would be hot if Elise and I kissed?” Bogic told Netflix, “I think this scene was a way of her being able to kiss Elise guilt-free. She’s like, ‘I found the perfect loophole.’ Once again, it’s just played off as a joke; it’s sexy, and my boyfriend’s here, then she realizes how much she’s hurt Elise.”
Netflix
That night, Elise tells Anya, “I’m so mad at you,” and they kiss on the mouth for the first time in private. Through the door, Lisbeth overhears them.
Do Anya and Elise end up together?
When a rumor spreads that Grace is dying and one of the Lions took her home, unconscious, on Halloween, the girls turn to Elise, who openly disliked her. At the same time, Stephen finds Grace’s necklace in his car and worries he took her home after he blacked out. To make matters worse, Lisbeth blackmails Anya, saying, “You’re going to protect me, or I’m going to tell everyone about you and Elise.”
Netflix
Convinced Elise started telling people about them, Anya says to her, “Elise, you’re going to ruin my life. My mom is gonna kick me out. And the girls will never wanna get changed in front of me again, and I’ll never get married. I’ll never have babies.” Cutting even deeper, Anya asks Elise if she drove Grace home, knowing full well that Elise couldn’t have because she did.
After Steven tells Anya that he’s worried he drove Grace home on Halloween, she runs to Elise, the only safe person in her life, crying, “I don’t know what to do.” Steven confesses to Elise that someone saw his car driving to Grace’s, and Elise puts two and two together that it was Anya who borrowed the car and left Grace to die. Not only that, she was willing to let both Elise and Steven take the blame.
When Elise makes Anya confess to Steven what she did, Elise leaves her too, telling Anya, “Guess I did ruin your life then.” So, no. They’re pretty far from ending up together during the finale.
Will Anya and Elise get together in Season 2?
Season 1 leaves off with Anya confessing what she did to Grace’s family, right before Grace wakes up — more on that here — so her fate, both legally and romantically, definitely hangs in the balance.
Right now, The Body hasn’t been renewed for Season 2 just yet, but we have high hopes another season is on the way, and so does the cast!
The Body, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
