Aahana Swrup
‘Wellmania’ is an Australian comedy show based on a book by Brigid Delaney titled, ‘Wellmania: Misadventures in the Search for Wellness.’ The author co-created the show herself, along with Benjamin Law. This Netflix adaptation follows the story of a successful food journalist, Liv Healy, who gets stuck in Australia right after receiving the biggest career opportunity of her life. Now in order to get back to New York, Liv has to reevaluate her partying lifestyle and get her fitness back up.
As Liv tries different “healthy-living” techniques while juggling her demanding professional life, she finally faces the issues she has spent her entire life running away from. ‘Wellmania’ brings a funny and fresh take on wellness culture and recontextualizes it through the character of a workaholic party girl. If you’re wondering how this tumultuous journey ends for Liv and where it leads her in her personal and professional life, here are the highlights of the ending of ‘Wellmania.’ SPOILERS AHEAD!
Wellmania Plot Synopsis
Liv Healy is a food blogger in New York who is the life of every party she walks into. In one such party, Liv manages to land the chance to be a judge on the next big cooking competition show. Yet, before she can get the wheels running on the project, she has to make a stop back at her hometown in Australia to surprise her best friend for her 40th birthday. However, when her bag gets stolen with her green card inside, things start to look bleak for Liv. Though she applies for a new one, her application is swiftly denied after the Doctor deems her too unhealthy. Liv— in desperate need to get back to New York— tries to solve her numerous health issues in less than a month. Horrible cholesterol levels, concerningly high blood pressure, and a family history of heart disease pitted against the ticking time bomb of a life-changing opportunity— what could possibly go wrong?
Liv starts by trying to take the easy way out and enrolls in a detox cleanse program. There her guts are pumped out, and she is put on a no-solids diet. By the end of her first few sessions, she’s barely any closer to leaving Australia than she was days ago. Deciding to quit the program, Liv finally asks her soon-to-be-married brother Gaz, a fitness professional, to help her. In Gaz’s gym, Liv crosses paths with Issac starting up a “will-they won’t-they” dynamic with him.
At the same time, Liv also finds a well-known New York chef, Gabriel Wolf, dabbling in veganism. Wolf’s story presents the perfect opportunity for an article to get Liv on the map and affirm the producers’ faith in hiring Liv as a judge on their show. Liv tries to pursue her health journey and work together but fails at both. When the chance of another potential story for her article arises through Amy’s help, Liv confronts parts of her identity that she never has before. As the plot progresses, Liv confronts her past and mends her relationships— but, most importantly, she tries her best to get out of Australia.
Wellmania Ending: Does Liv Return To New York?
The whole driving force behind the premise of ‘Wellmania’ revolves around Liv’s need to return to New York. Once she realizes she needs to pass a health check to get her green card, she immediately tries to revamp her lifestyle. The only problem is her misplaced motives. She doesn’t really want to get healthy, and her healthy-living lifestyle is entirely situational. When she asks her brother to help her work out, Gaz puts her on a strict healthy diet and assigns her a daily step count. Liv fails at both when she decides to go on a “Duck Crawl” and try out numerous restaurants to track down Gabriel Wolf. She first compromises her healthy streak for her job and then compromises an article scoop for that same job for her health. Every corner she turns, it seems, it’s always a lose-lose situation for her.
In this context, Issac’s character provides an excellent contrast to Liv. He’s seven months sober and abstaining from every temptation. The same is something Liv struggles with. She often drinks and does drugs, which plays a part in her deteriorating health. However, the narrative doesn’t morally condemn this trait of hers. Instead, it offers a refreshing insight into the impossibility of a work-life balance in today’s age— and the part childhood trauma can play in it. Though it is pretty well-established that Liv’s life in New York is an escape from her problems, the show doesn’t downplay her ambitions and her passion for food. The cooking competition is a big deal for Liv, and she’s not going to let it slip away from her.
In the end, Liv convinces Doctor Singh to approve her medical, given she passes a psych eval. Liv makes an appointment with the only available establishment and hitches a ride to Canberra. Her journey to the city is an eventful one. She crosses paths with a “death doula,” Philomena, and witnesses an eccentric family grieving the death of a family member. After passing her psych test, Liv finally gets her green card approved. The next day, on the day of Gaz’s wedding, she tries to keep everything smoothly running so that she can get to her post-reception flight on time.
Things, of course, get out of hand yet again. Liv ends up in the hospital after getting hit with one of her frequent panic attacks. She misses her flight but insists on looking for another one. This leads to an argument between Liv and her family, and she leaves things off with Gaz and her mother on a sour note. Still, she manages to find another flight to New York and makes it to the show launch party on time.
Does Gaz Marry Dalbert?
In the show, the focus is scarcely ever on Liv’s romantic life. Though there’s something between her and Issac, it doesn’t get explored beyond the surface. Therefore, one of the primary romantic plotlines in ‘Wellmania’ is the relationship between Gaz and his fiance Dalbert. Initially, Liv only visits Australia for Amy’s birthday. However, when her green card situation extends her stay, she has to get involved in Gaz’s wedding prep. While out shopping with Gaz and Dalbert, Liv notes how controlling and pushy Dalbert seems. Gaz tries to brush off her remarks, but after Dalbert’s insistence on forgoing a candelabra that Gaz wants, Gaz starts to doubt their relationship.
As Gaz spirals out, he keeps overthinking his sister’s comments. Eventually, he reaches out to one of his ex-boyfriends, Sebastian. The two decide to meet for lunch and catch up with each other. Gaz ends up cheating on Dalbert by kissing Sebastian. His infidelity incredibly stresses him out, and on their wedding day, Gaz realizes he has to tell Dalbert about the kiss. Dalbert expectantly does not receive the information well.
Though Gaz has been unsure about this relationship at one point, he has now realized he wants to spend the rest of his life with Dalbert. Even though Dalbert has a habit of being controlling at times, he only does so because of Gaz’s constant indecisiveness. Moreover, he does truly love Gaz and cares about his happiness. In fact, after making Gaz drop the topic on the candelabra, Dalbert went out of his way to buy it anyways to surprise his partner.
In the end, Dalbert decides to forgive Gaz and agrees to marry him. Gaz has never been more certain about something in his life, and he promises never to doubt Dalbert again. Dalbert, in turn, loosens up and becomes more spontaneous. By the show’s end, the two are happily married and still together. When Gaz’s mother is in the hospital after her accident, Dalbert is there for Gaz as he tries to call Liv.
