Devil in Ohio ending explained: Did Mae escape the creepy cult? What happened to Suzanne?

Devil in Ohio ending: star Madeleine Arthur as Mae
Devil in Ohio ending explained: Mae was involved in a Satan-worshipping cult — but what happened to her? (Image credit: Netflix)

Devil in Ohio follows a Satan-worshipping cult, and it's pretty intense!

Netflix fans everywhere have been tuning in to the eight-part series, which opens with a terrified young woman named Mae Dodd (Madeleine Arthur) who flags down a trucker after escaping somewhere, and is then taken to a hospital and looked after.

At the hospital, she finds herself under the care of psychiatrist Dr. Suzanne Mathis (Emily Deschanel), who's keen to help Mae after her traumatic experiences. But, of course, nothing is quite as it seems.

The series is based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Daria Polatin and the Netflix adaptation has certainly made an impression on viewers. 

But what happened in the gripping final episode? Read on and we'll answer all your questions...

*WARNING — spoilers for Devil in Ohio below*

Devil in Ohio ending explained: Does Mae manage to escape the Amontown cult?

Technically, yes, when Mae is first seen terrified and running through a corn field with a knife, she has escaped the cult and is taken into the care of Dr. Suzanne Mathis, but it's not that simple later on.

Throughout the course of the series, we learn more about Mae's past, and it seems the cult held her in high regard as she was considered to be the "special one", hence the mark we see carved into her back. 

At first, it seems Mae's adjusting to a more normal life following her escape from the Amontown cult, and she's even crowned the Harvest Queen at high school, but something in her changes after she receives a bouquet of white roses and she disappears to return to the cult.

Mae has returned to be a sacrifice to the devil, which obviously terrifies Suzanne, who realizes what has happened and goes off in search of her. When she reaches the place, she gets into a fight with Sheriff Wilkins (Bradley Stryker) which results in them knocking over a torch and starting a fire.

Suzanne's arrival derails the ceremony, which sees Mae walking down the aisle in a bridal-style gown, due to an alarm being raised to notify the cult of the fire. Suzanne reaches Mae, and finds her with her mother Abigail who is deeply involved in the cult and wants to complete the sacrifice in place of her daughter.

Despite Mae's pleas for her mother to leave with her, it doesn't work, and she ends up returning back to Suzanne and at first it seems like the whole saga is over.

Devil in Ohio stars Emily Deschanel and Madeleine Arthur

Mae is taken into Suzanne's care, but ends up going back to the cult. (Image credit: Netflix)

What happened to Suzanne?

After getting involved with Mae's case, Suzanne faced some family complications and her job began to put a strain on her marriage to Peter (Sam Jaeger). She later opens up about having an "obsession" around helping Mae, as a coping mechanism from her own experience of abuse.

With Suzanne repairing her family life slowly, at first it feels like we're going to get a happy ending, but then we're hit with a chilling reveal. It's not a Netflix thriller without one of those, right?

Suzanne continues to stick by Mae and the pair celebrate Thanksgiving together, but Suzanne's family isn't there with her, suggesting there's still work to be done. But that's the least of her concerns after Detective Lopez (Gerardo Celasco) phones her with a bombshell update.

It turns out that Mae had planned her return to the cult the whole time, and that they're still active somewhere, with Mae in a position of power and she has Suzanne exactly where she wants her.

In addition to this, it seems this was all premeditated, as a shot at the end shows a shrine featuring a photo of Mae and Suzanne implying she had planned the whole thing and wanted to get the doctor to herself.

Devil in Ohio - a photo of Mae and Suzanne

Well that's not creepy... (Image credit: Netflix)

The series ends on a cliffhanger as we don't actually know what happens to Suzanne following this revelation, only that Mae tells her to sit back down and eat the Thanksgiving dinner, with her fate unknown.

It's certainly a creepy way to end things and opens the door for a potential sequel, although nothing has been confirmed so fans might just have to make up their own minds about what has just happened!

In an interview with Collider, Suzanne actress Emily Deschanel called the twist "interesting" and added:  "I thought it was fascinating for the character of Mae and what she's doing. It adds another layer of where her drive and instincts are coming from and what she's really doing, and then it gives me even more questions. Why did she do that? Would Suzanne forgive her? It's very possible.

"She's not seeing everything fully. There's some shadow there that she's not seeing. But I embraced the ending. I found it satisfying, but I don't know if everyone will find it satisfying. It's not as final, as neat and as clean as some people might want it to be."

Lucy Buglass
Senior Staff Writer

Lucy joined the WhatToWatch.com team in 2021, where she writes series guides for must-watch programmes, reviews and the latest TV news. Originally from Northumberland, she graduated from Oxford Brookes University with a degree in Film Studies and moved to London to begin a career writing about entertainment.


She is a Rotten Tomatoes approved film critic and has a huge passion for cinema. She especially loves horror, thriller and anything crime-related. Her favourite TV programmes include Inside No 9, American Horror Story, Stranger Things and Black Mirror but she is also partial to a quiz show or a bit of Say Yes to the Dress