Based on a novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris, The Other Black Girl is a suspenseful series that hit Hulu just in time for the Halloween season. The show is a brilliant mix of drama and horror as Sinclair Daniel’s Nella, an editorial assistant at Wagner Books, grows skeptical of her only other Black colleague after a series of odd interactions.
Nella is shown navigating uncomfortable conversations and microaggressions from her coworkers and bosses on a daily basis, and is given a sense of relief among Hazel’s (Ashleigh Murray) arrival. However, Hazel quickly loses Nella’s trust after giving her bad advice and refusing to stand by her when faced with consequences.
The two have an on-and-off friendship that comes to a head in Episode 7 – “Caught in the Rapture” – when Nella and her friend Malaika (Brittany Adebumola) attend Hazel’s “hair party” and Hazel tries to re-style Nella’s signature afro. Malaika sees her ex-girlfriend at the party and notices that she has changed. She mentions to Nella that the changes are similar to Hazel’s influence on her.
At this point, Nella begins to wonder if she’s being “crazy” or if Hazel is up to no-good. The following episode sees Nella and Hazel gearing up for the launch of popular author Diana Gordon’s (Garcelle Beauvais) new imprint, which the two assistants have been spearheading.
During the event, Malaika finds out that Diana and Nella’s boss — who they suspect was responsible for the disappearance of the company’s former Black editor Kendra Rae Phillip (Cassi Maddox) — are in a romantic relationship. Malaika tries to warn Nella of their companionship before she confides her concerns to Diana, but doesn’t reach her in time.
When Hazel and Nella are invited to the stage at the launch party, Nella makes a scene after bumping into a Black author with connections to the company and noticing that he has completely changed his identity and appearance.
So, what’s going on? Why do Hazel and Diana have a strange impact on people? Is Hazel brainwashing other Black people? And, more importantly, what happens to Nella? Here’s everything you need to know about the ending of The Other Black Girl.
Remember when we said that things get messy at Hazel’s hair party? Well, it turns out that Hazel has been working with Diana to spread the usage of a “hair grease” that affects the user’s brains and forces them to be more docile, upon application. In the series, the product proves to be used as an agent for Black people to assimilate into white environments, given Hazel’s experience and the targeted users. The grease also encourages users to style themselves differently.
Nella disappears following her meltdown at the party and Hazel and Diana begin to hunt her. It is revealed that Hazel met Diana years ago, while Diana was making a talk at Harvard University. During the Q&A portion, Hazel lost her cool at a heckling member of the audience. Diana tracked Hazel down after the event and invited her to dinner at her house the following night, where she met a group of women who use the brainwashing product. There, Hazel was initiated and agreed to help Diana spread the usage of the special hair grease.
In the past, Diane tried to get Kendra to use the product. However, it was ineffective due to her lack of consistency in using it. Once Kendra realized she was being drugged, she went on the run. In flashbacks, it was also shown that Hazel tried to get another colleague to use the grease, but she refused and was violently assaulted.
Diane and Hazel track Nella down and threaten her into using the grease. Nella is not shown applying the product to her hair, though she later arrives at the office in a colorful outfit and with her hair straightened. Hazel and Diana embrace her. “I love what you’ve done with your hair and it looks like you’re using a new product,” Diane tells Nella.
Nella, who has been promoted to senior editor, tells her, “Every day! You were so right. It gives me so much control..” However, things aren’t as they seem. The next scene shows Malaika kidnapping the “rehabbed” author from the book launch while Nella makes a call on a burner phone while alone in her office. “I’m in. Let’s burn the place down,” Nella says.
Nella appears to be pretending to be under the influence of the hair grease to infiltrate the company and put an end to the brainwashing.