Everything Now isn’t afraid of a good time. Over the course of its eight episodes, we follow Mia Polanco (Sophie Wilde) from house party to house party, and dip into one fancy dress night for the ages. But what’s really going on behind all those big nights? The fun comes to a grinding halt at the beginning of the finale, when Mia’s mom Viv (Vivienne Acheampong) realizes her daughter’s recovery from disordered eating isn’t going as well as everyone’s assumed. 

Viv finds a pile of containers of uneaten meals in Mia’s bedroom trunk — it turns out Mia hasn’t been eating for days. Mia’s rehab roommate Jenna (Chloe Acland) recently died from disordered eating, and Viv is terrified Mia could end up the same way. So when Mia stumbles upon her mother mid-discovery, Viv tells her it’s time to return to in-patient treatment. 

At the thought of having to go back to rehab, Mia takes off. She convinces her crush Carli (Jessie Mae Alonzo) to join her as she races to check items off her bucket list. Eventually Mia opens up to  Carli about the reason for her unpredictable behavior: The average recovery time for anorexia is seven years. Mia is desperate for one “free” day in the face of a seemingly never-ending uphill battle to survive. 

Everything Now creator Ripley Parker says the seven-year statistic is a real one that was shared with the series’ writers by a disordered eating consultant. “[That scene] is a big ‘aha’ moment for understanding Mia as a character and the extent to which she’s been rushing through these experiences and trying to force herself to recover too quickly,” Parker tells Tudum. 

“[She’s like,] ‘I need to be better now so I can do all these things and be normal now,’ rather than taking very carefully considered steps to a healthier future,” Parker continues. “Suddenly you understand just how terrified she is to know how much she still has ahead of her.”  

While Mia initially flees home to avoid treatment, her conversation with Carli leads her to Dr. Nell (Stephen Fry). He consoles Mia and congratulates her on how far she’s come. Despite Mia’s recent rough patch, she’s sent home with a renewed dedication to recovery. 

What happens in the ending of Everything Now?

In the second-to-last scene of the final episode, Mia thanks Cam (Harry Cadby) for “saving” her by informing her parents of her illness months prior. She then promises him, Will (Noah Thomas), and Becca (Lauryn Ajufo) that she’ll put in the work to get better. 

“A big part of Mia’s ending is about learning what the process of recovery means for her,” Parker says. While Mia may have believed she could quickly get to a place where disordered eating couldn’t affect her anymore, that isn’t true. “She had to realize ultimately that it’s not going to be that easy or linear,” Parker says. “There will be backslides and there will be times when she needs help. But that doesn’t mean that she’s not making progress. And that doesn't mean that it’s ever time to give up.” 

While Mia’s journey is at the center of Everything Now, all of her loved ones are also growing — and keeping secrets. Keep reading as Parker answers your biggest questions for all the characters after that ending. 

Why doesn’t Mia like Alison back?

Alison (Niamh McCormack) is the most popular girl at Westmere School. She’s also the person with the biggest crush on Mia. She tells Mia in Episode 5 that she’s her “biggest fan,” and they soon become girlfriends. Mia also loses her virginity to Alison. Still, Mia pines for Carli and kisses her in Episode 7. This betrayal is particularly devastating for Alison, since the smooch takes place at the extravagant birthday party she throws for Mia. 

Even Parker herself was surprised by the development of the Alison-Mia-Carli drama. Alison was initially meant to be a more minor character who helped make Mia’s school world feel a little bit bigger, the series creator explains. As Parker was writing, however, the relationship “spiraled into this quite gorgeous love triangle,” she says. “But Mia’s not really listening to Alison. Alison has a way of showing emotion and interacting with people that is so alien to Mia that she doesn’t really understand how much she means to Alison or how much Alison likes her.”

And, most importantly, Mia “doesn’t really grasp that she can hurt Alison. As a result of that, she really, really does.” 

What happens between Alison and Cam in Everything Now?

By the end of Everything Now, Alison and Cam are both heartbroken. Alison is reeling from her breakup with Mia, and Cam is smarting from rejection after telling Becca he loves her. They agree to get, in Cam’s words, “really fucking drunk” together. The next morning, Alison texts Cam that she “can’t believe what they did last night.” While we don’t know exactly what happened, it’s clear Alison and Cam are now hiding something from their respective exes. 

“If I had it my way, every episode would end with a group hug, and they would all part ways as really good friends. But you can’t do that apparently,” Ripley says with a laugh. “[The rest of the team] just kept telling me to throw more stuff at the characters.” 

A very sexy secret between Cam and Alison turned out to be just the twist this friend group needed. “And they’re both so tall, it makes sense,” Parker adds. 

What’s next for Cam and Becca in Everything Now? 

Exes Cam and Becca go through a lot in just the finale. Cam confesses his love to Becca. She avoids responding, instead leaving to spend time with her new beau Jonah (Kiran Krishnakumar). Something goes down between Cam and Alison. And the morning after, Becca announces her split from Jonah, leaving Cam speechless. 

Parker, at least, is rooting for Becca and Cam’s future. Especially since their will-they, won’t-they relationship wasn’t always planned. “When I originally wrote it, they were just going to end up friends,” she explains. “It was going to be a long road of forgiveness between the two of them…  and they would [eventually] be better friends for the time they spent in a relationship.” 

But then the Everything Now team met their portrayers, Ajufo and Cadby. “Harry and Lauryn just had such insane chemistry,” Parker says. So, everything changed. “It was so moving to see a relationship like Cam and Becca’s play out, and to see someone like Cameron — who is so impacted by a culture of toxic masculinity — really, really open himself up to Becca, and open himself up to getting hurt, which he unfortunately does.” 

By the way, who is Mr. Polanco’s girlfriend? 

Carol (Lucy Liemann), Jenna’s mom, is dating Mia’s dad, Rick (Alex Hassell). It’s Carol  who tells Mia about Jenna’s death. Breadcrumbs hinting at Rick and Carol’s romance are dropped slowly. In Episode 5, we learn Rick has been cheating on Viv and is divorcing his wife to be with his mysterious new girlfriend. Early in the finale, Rick reveals he met his new partner in a support group for parents at Mia’s facility — meetings Viv never attended. Then, in Rick’s final scene, we see him get into a car with Carol and kiss her wrist.  

The Everything Now writers understood the gravity of penning Rick’s ending. “There is so much water under the bridge between Mia and Rick. We wanted to leave them in a hopeful place, but we need[ed] something to bring people back in,” Parker says. An affair with Jenna’s mom was the perfect surprise. “Everyone was [like], ‘Oh, that’s good!’” Parker reveals.

Team Wheo? Team Wheo. 

You can call them Wheo or Thill, but, either way, Parker can’t wait for viewers to ship the unexpected coupling of love-phobic Will and Westmere dreamboat Theo (Robert Akodoto). “I just think they’re adorable,” Parker gushes. 

Will doesn’t see his love story with Theo coming. They connect during the Episode 4 house party and flirt with a relationship for the rest of the season. 

“I love seeing Will be so suspicious of how nice Theo is, because he’s such a nice guy,” Parker says. “Watching it first, you do have that reaction, like, ‘What is your game? What do you want? What are you after?’ ” 

But Theo doesn’t have any ulterior motives. He simply likes Will. Although Will hurts Theo in Episode 7 — mocking his “emo crush” — they talk out their problems in the finale. Will tearfully apologizes for his cruel words, and Theo forgives him. 

“Seeing Will let down some of his walls and be vulnerable with Theo — I found that so, so moving to watch,” Parker says. “That scene at the end really got me.” Everything Now will do that to you.

If you or someone you know is struggling with disordered eating or mental health, you aren’t alone. Please visit wannatalkaboutit.com for information about how to find support.

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