Nurse Ratched's origin story took some absolutely wild twists and turns nobody was expecting in the first season of Ratched, and it all led up to a big cliffhanger teasing a whole new direction for the series. The end of the season racks up a pretty sizable body count, and with a second season already greenlit, viewers are left wondering what could come next. Spoiler alert: This post contains spoilers from the Ratched Season 1 finale. With the siblings turning on one another, it seems like Mildred will kill Edmund on Ratched next season. It could also be the other way around... if only fans didn't know Nurse Ratched is guaranteed to survive due to One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.
The main story in Ratched's debut season is Mildred's secret plot to save her brother Edmund from being executed. Unfortunately, she wound up unable to get him claimed unfit for trial, and changed her plan to painlessly euthanize him before he is subjected to the electric chair. That plan went south, though, when escaped patient Charlotte returned to the hospital in the assumed personality of Dr. Hanover. Wielding a gun, Charlotte freed Edmund and Nurse Bucket revealed Mildred's true plan to him before his escape.
The final scene of the season took place a couple of years in the future, revealing Mildred moved to Mexico with Gwen. The two lovebirds seemed to be enjoying a life of carefree bliss, but Edmund put a stop to it. When Mildred heard about a mass murder of nurses in Chicago, she immediately knew Edmund was behind it, and a phone call from her brother confirmed it. Enraged over his sister's plan to kill him, Edmund vowed to come after her, but Mildred flipped the script by revealing she intended to come after Edmund as well. The ending clearly sets up a second season centered on the two siblings hunting one another down to try to kill each other.
The only problem with that is fans already know which sibling has to survive, and it's not just because her name's in the title of the show. Ratched is a prequel series exploring the early life of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest villain Nurse Ratched. Because Cuckoo's Nest is set in 1963, viewers know Mildred is definitely alive and well in the '60s. Ratched is set in 1947 before the finale's time jump to 1950, which is still well before the events of Cuckoo's Nest. So, even though Edmund will be out to kill her in Season 2, there's no real threat to Mildred. Edmund, on the other hand, may not be so lucky.
