English Teacher Season 1 Ending Recap: What Did Malcolm Do For Evan and Why?

Season 1 of FX’s comedy-drama English Teacher wrapped up with a satisfying finale that tied together most of the major storylines. Among them was Evan’s ongoing struggle to keep his personal and professional lives separate. That boundary was challenged by Malcolm, who forced Evan to confront the issue by throwing him a surprise birthday party at a gay bar, with all of his colleagues in attendance.

While Evan was aware of the location where Malcolm was throwing his birthday party, he was blissfully unaware of the guest list. So, when he arrived at the gay bar dressed in the tiny shorts that Malcolm gave him, he was quite shocked to see Gwen, Markie, Rick, and even Grant and Harry there, while explicit content played on the screens around them.

Malcolm took the risk of his plan backfiring and made Evan face his hesitations about visibility and authenticity. Luckily, Evan took it in stride and embraced the night as it came instead of backing out. It also gave his colleagues a chance to show that they really cared about him.

Whom Did Evan Choose in English Teacher Season 1 Finale?

In English Teacher Season 1, Brian Jordan Alvarez’s Evan had a crush on Harry, a new teacher at his school. However, in the finale, Malcolm and Evan turned out to be the endgame, but how did they come to be?

In Episode 3 of the season, Evan and Harry kissed. However, Harry was a no-show for the rest of the season, suggesting that perhaps his feelings for Evan were not that strong. Evan’s on-and-off boyfriend Malcolm was aware of Evan’s attraction to Harry.

In a shocking turn of events, Harry was also there at the surprise birthday party that Malcolm had arranged for Evan. The English teacher was shocked to see Harry there. During a conversation, Evan let Harry know he had noticed that Harry was avoiding him, but also admitted that what they had was nice until Harry ghosted him.

Later, Malcolm told Evan that if he did not give Harry a chance, he would hit on him. Malcolm’s seriousness about it became more apparent when he pulled Evan into the toilets and revealed that he was trying to unite Harry and Evan. Although Evan insisted that nothing could happen between him and Harry, Malcolm left them there, with the warning that they could not get caught.

Just as things started to spark between Harry and Evan, Grant arrived. At the party, Malcolm gave a speech and pulled Harry on stage when Evan hesitated. Urged by Markie’s words, Evan finally stepped up and kissed Malcolm, ending the love triangle.

What Happened Between Markie and Gwen in the Finale?

In the Birthday finale of English Teacher, the Gwen-Markie subplot finally gets a spotlight amidst the wild party drama. Throughout the season, Markie’s crush on Gwen has been subtly developed, with his awkward flirtations, small gestures, and admiration beneath the louder moments. Gwen, however, was in a relationship with Nick. Gwen and Nick broke up briefly, but reconciled in the finale.

At Evan’s birthday party, Gwen told Evan that she had broken up with Nick a few hours ago because he was using pool-building as an excuse to avoid getting a new job. To deal with the heartbreak, Gwen decided to throw herself into the night and maybe even get laid, although being in a gay bar would probably not help her case.

To her credit, Gwen drank too much and sang a song. Markie tried to shoot his shot by subtly revealing his feelings for Gwen, but it did not work in his favor. Later, Markie’s comment to let people be who they are motivated Gwen to get back with Nick. So, the finale ended with Gwen and Nick giving their relationship another shot. Whether or not that relationship persists will be revealed in Season 2 of the show.

Here are some key details about the show:

Are you excited to see how the teachers of Morrison-Hensley navigate the next school year? Let us know in the comments!

English Teacher is available to stream on Hulu.