‘The Other Black Girl’ Twist Ending, Explained — and How the Show Sets Up Season 2

variety.com:

BreAnna Bell SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for Season 1 of “The Other Black Girl,” now streaming on Hulu. “How much of yourself are you willing to sacrifice to succeed?” That’s the question showrunners Jordan Reddout and Gus Hickey were seeking to answer when they adapted Zakiya Dalila Harris’ novel “The Other Black Girl” for TV with executive producer Rashida Jones.

And somewhere in the midst of exploring microaggressions and race relations in the workplace, Nella (Sinclair Daniel) finds her answer as she winds up caught in Harris’ fictional sorority of Black women success stories. “The Other Black Girl” follows Nella, a promising editor’s assistant at the fictional Wagner Books, whose life seems to be on a fast-track to success until she meets Hazel (Ashleigh Murray), the new Black assistant whose style and swagger quickly draws the attention of the higher-up executives in the office.

Where most would assume competition ensues, the two instead forge a friendship under the guise of “seeing each other win.” But beneath the surface, Hazel’s intentions are more sinister than Nella could have imagined.

One of the big changes from Harris’ novel was the duo’s close friendship shown onscreen. In the show’s premiere, titled “They Say I’m Different,” what starts as a promising bond between the two is quickly shattered when Hazel hangs Nella out to dry in front of her boss, after claiming she would support her.