Massive Cliffhanger Leaves Fans Reeling: Who the Hell is Alice Everly?

Every Year After dropped a bombshell with its finale, leaving viewers gasping over the cliffhanger and the mysterious character Alice Everly.

Warning: Spoilers ahead for season 1 of Every Year After.

In a dramatic twist, Charlie (Michael Bradway) finds himself estranged from his brother Sam (Matt Cornett), consumed by work while family ties unravel. A single weekend in the office flips his world upside down.

Charlie stumbles into his boss’s office and spots a photo of himself, Sam, and Percy (Sadie Soverall) from a summer long gone. The haunting question of who captured that moment gnaws at him. That night, overwhelmed by grief and unresolved issues with Sam, Charlie suffers what looks like a heart attack.

“Obviously, I read One Golden Summer, and so I knew it was coming,” Bradway admitted about Carley Fortune’s sequel that dives into Charlie’s struggles. “I didn’t know how soon.”

Every Year After, based on Fortune’s Every Summer After, centers on Percy, who spent her childhood summers in Barry’s Bay. Her bond with the Florek brothers leads to a romance with Sam that fizzles out—until fate brings them back together years later, but not without baggage from their past.

In One Golden Summer, it’s revealed that Charlie has a congenital heart condition diagnosed months before the events unfold. This condition ties directly to his relationship with Alice, the photographer behind that pivotal photo.

“There are a couple of things that I was aware of, and tried to play as the season went on, knowing that that was going to happen,” Bradway said. “But it is a shock, and I don’t know what happens next, so I’m on the edge of my seat.”

Season 1 didn’t introduce Alice, despite initial plans to do so.

“We had a version where she walks through the airport, and he sees her when he’s going to pick up his family,” showrunner Amy B. Harris disclosed. “Yeah, we had talked all about different versions of how to bring her into the finale. We knew we were bringing her in. We just didn’t know how.”

Harris elaborated: “What we finally realized is we didn’t [have to bring her in yet]. She still has to be a notion, but one that, if you are a lover of Carley Fortune, is just a perfect little Easter egg. … We knew we needed Alice in some way to come in to launch us to season 2.”

Every Year After is streaming on Prime Video now.