The Outsider season 1 finale: Will there be a season 2? What's wrong with Holly Gibney in mid-credits scene?

Enigmatic finale of HBO show hints story is not yet done

The chilling first season of mysterious HBO show The Outsider has come to an end, leaving fans pondering one big question: will there be another?

*Spoilers follow – you have been warned*

Ralph (Ben Mendelsohn), Holly (Cynthia Erivo) and company’s attempts to track down El Cuco hit a big wall in the penultimate episode after the demonic shapeshifter sent the possessed Jack Hoskins (Marc Menchaca) to gun down everyone outside the cave he was hiding in.

After a blood-filled shootout, which leaves four dead – including Jack and Holly’s boyfriend, Andy (Derek Cecil) – Ralph enters the cave and, after seeing El cuco’s shapeshifting abilities with his own eyes, batters his head in with a rock.

The finale’s epilogue seems to tie most things up after seemingly overcoming El Cuco: the gang successfully pedal their story without much suspicion and manage to exonerate the name of Terry Maitland (Jason Bateman) in the murder of Frankie Peterson (the scene in which Maitland’s widow Glory – brilliantly played by Julianne Nicholson – discovers this was an episode highlight).

Ralph and Holly go their separate ways, with Ralph even suggesting he’d like to work with Holly again one day on a standard murder case as opposed to the supernatural one they’ve just been investigating.

All seems well, until a mid-credits scene catches us up with Holly on her way home.

First up, we see Holly have a terrifying vision of Jack. She immediately checks the back of her neck for the same boils Jack had – a sign of being under El Cuco’s spell. She finds nothing.

In the sext scene, though, we see Holly with a scratch on her arm, scrolling through a web article about the exoneration of Terry Maitland.

Throughout this season, it’s been repeated that once El Cuco scratches you, he is able to shapeshift into your form. Is this moment hinting that, should The Outsider returm, we might be seeing a very different altogether more evil Holly Gibney interacting with the other characters? Time will tell.

Worryingly, HBO is yet to announce any more episodes of the Stephen King adaptation, but we’ll update you as soon as there’s news on the show’s future.

The Outsider is available to watch on NOW TV and is available on Digital Download everywhere now.