Prime VideoMike Flanagan has practically made a career out of adapting Stephen King projects, but he’s never been afraid to put his own stamp on the stories. Usually, that means long monologues and a cast full of regular collaborators, but in his most recent project, Carrie, the changes affected the setting, the survivors, and other fundamental aspects of the story.A huge change to the ending inspired questions over the show’s future, and Collider quoted Flanagan as saying, “In my dream scenario, I think it’s three seasons. In my dream scenario, I think Carrie has a wonderful three-step arc. It’s a trilogy, really.” But now that we’ve seen Season 1 in its entirety, what does that mean? Will the story be incomplete if Carrie doesn’t receive three seasons? Inverse spoke to Mike Flanagan to set the record straight. Warning! Major Spoilers for Carrie Episode 8, “AP Physics,” ahead!“Imaginary friend” Emaline actually proved crucial to Carrie’s survival. | Prime VideoCarrie ends with its main character (Summer H. Howell) riding into the sunset with Emaline (Thalia Dudek), who we previously thought was imaginary. She’s not; she was just astral projecting her presence until now. Technically, this leaves the door open for more adventures, but Flanagan is quick to tell Inverse that this story isn’t reliant on a renewal for more. “Our priority was just to survive the first season and just to make it to the end of Episode 8 in a way that honored this version of the character,” Flanagan says. “And I’ve worked long enough in television to know that we had to end this so that if the last frame of video in Episode 8 is the last time we ever see this version of Carrie, that had to be right. That had to work. But always with this, because we knew she was going to survive the story very early, it was like, well, what could this mean moving forward?”In a stark change from the book, Carrie and her mother survive Carrie’s initial attack. | Prime VideoSo while the ending did justice to Carrie as a character, that hasn’t stopped Flanagan from hoping for more. “I think we are very eagerly waiting to see how this season is received, but we did absolutely know that there was so much potential for the story to continue if that was the way that it wanted to go,” he said. “I’m very hopeful that there would be an opportunity for that, but that hasn’t been my priority. And if this is the end of Summer H. Howell’s tenure as Carrie White, I wanted to send her off into the world. We thought she deserved that.”Howell shares that hope, and emphasizes how Carrie got her happy ending, even if she doesn’t return. “Because Carrie ends up in a place full of guilt and just rage and sadness — all the emotions — I hope she can return to her happy, light self who wants to experience the world and meet people and come back from her trauma,” she tells Inverse. So while Carrie may end up being a one-season wonder, it ended in a place that’s appropriate for all its characters. And if we do see them again, that’s just icing on the cake. Carrie is streaming on Prime Video.