The following contains spoilers for Them: The Scare, now streaming on Prime Video

Summary

• The Scare in Them Season 2 is a separate entity from Edmund, a supernatural force preying on trauma.
• Dawn and Edmund are revealed to be long-lost twins, adding a tragic layer to the season's events.
• Love conquers the Scare in Them Season 2, highlighting themes of confronting trauma with love.

Them: The Scare is an impressive sophomore season for the Prime Video horror anthology, with the final episode and ending recontextualizing much of the proceeding season. Taking place in 1991 during the aftermath of the Rodney King video being released, Dawn Reeve is a detective with the Los Angeles Police Department who finds herself investigating a horrifying murder case. As she and other members of the police hunt for clues, Dawn uncovers more about herself, her history with the supernatural threat, and a horrifying conspiracy within the police department. All of this makes her a target, especially for the Scare.

The fearsome monster is steadily revealed to not only be connected to Edmund Gaines, but a supernatural force that preyed upon his trauma to possess and transform him. This plays into the overarching themes affecting Them: The Scare characters throughout the season, exploring the lingering ramifications of trauma. The ending of the season not only reveals the truth behind Edmund's identity and reveals how he became the Scare, but also reveals some shocking twists about Dawn and her family. It also ties the show's plot into the largely unconnected first season and sets up a prospective season 3 of Them.

The Scare In Them Season 2 & What It Actually Is Explained

The Scare Is A Separate Entity From Edmund But Eventually Takes Him Over

Them: The Scare's final episodes explore the truth of the Scare and reveal the full scope of the supernatural dangers that are haunting Dawn and her family. While it initially appears that Edmund is the Scare, it's more complicated than that. The Scare is indeed a supernatural force, which feeds on the fear of others to possess them. This explains its inhumane abilities. Initially, the Scare was only able to worm its way into Edmund's psyche because of the fear and pain he felt after meeting Dawn and being told in no uncertain terms to stay out of her life.

The Scare pushed Edmund into killing Donovan. Taking a certain level of control over him after that, the Scare forced Edmund to commit suicide to take fuller control of the young man. Many of Them: The Scare's deaths were perpetrated by the Scare. The imagery of the Scare is also tied directly to Edmund's previous trauma, as it takes his red-haired visage from the Raggedy Andy doll that became his only connection to his birth family. In the series, the Scare is an embodiment of past trauma boiling over into modern violence, leading to the brutal deaths of many people.

How Dawn & Edmund Are Connected In Them: The Scare

Dawn And Edmund Knew Each Other Long Before The Events Of Them: The Scare

One of the big twists in Them: The Scare reveals that Dawn and Edmund are actually long-lost twins. After their mother Ruby Emroy decided she couldn't properly care for the two of them — which is implied to be connected to the supernatural forces that haunted the family — Dawn and Edmund were adopted by the abusive Bernice Mott. Although they both ended up in the care of Athena, his unintentional connection to the death of her husband resulted in Athena abandoning Edmund to the foster care system and Mott. The truth is a harrowing one that reshapes the perspective Dawn (and the audience) has of Athena.

Athena even went so far as to ensure Dawn believed her brother was a figment of her imagination, further separating the two. It also adds a far more tragic layer to Edmund's role in the show and fate. Edmund's efforts to reunite with his sister were ultimately for naught, as his awkward and off-putting personality creeped Dawn out enough that she demanded he leave her alone before he could reveal the truth. It plays into the themes of unresolved trauma in the season, highlighting how Dawn unwittingly helped set up the circumstances that allowed the Scare to take over Edmund.

How Dawn Defeats The Scare & Its Real Meaning Explained

Love Conquers All

After returning to her family and confronting the truth about her connection to Edmund, Dawn is confronted by the Scare in the form of the Red-Haired Man. The possessed Edmund tries to break Dawn's spirit and convince her to open up to his influence, uniting the twins as a pair of monstrous avatars and teasing Dawn's own Scare form. However, Dawn finds a way to reach through to Edmund. She recognizes his true identity and apologizes for forgetting him. Calling Edmund her brother and acknowledging her love for him, Dawn finds the only true way to beat the Scare back.

These shows of affection break the Scare's body, freeing Edmund long enough for him to make peace with his sister before he dies. It's a powerful moment, and one that underlines a major element of the season. After suffering all sorts of trauma from the foster system, the corrupt police force, and even supernatural killers, Dawn finds a path with her son through forgiveness and acknowledgment. Confronting the pains of the world with love and resolve proves to be the key to defeating the Scare. However, the entity behind the Scare may live, given the final moments of the season.

Them: The Scare's Connection To Season 1 Explained & How It Sets Up Season 3

Something Is Still Haunting The Emory Family And Their Descendants

One of the most exciting elements of Them from a structural standpoint is how each season of the show is designed as its own story. While both seasons take place in Los Angeles and explore similar themes about race through the lens of horror, the seasons initially seem disconnected. However, there was a clear connection hidden in the new season all along. After witnessing a memory and eventually discovering a photo of the Emroy family, it becomes clear that Dawn and Edmund's biological mother was Ruby Emroy. Ruby was one of the main characters of the first season of Them.

Them: The Scare ends with Da Tap Dance Man from season 1 returning to torment Dawn. This suggests that Dawn and her loved ones are still targeted by the demonic forces that haunted the Emroys home in Them season 1. It's a powerful message about the lingering threat of racism across generations, a theme that Da Tap Dance Man embodied in season 1. If there is a season 3 of Them, it'll likely tackle a different time period but could continue the overarching story of how generations of a family must confront the supernatural (as more grounded) specters of bigotry.