Summary: In the past, the Crain family is haunted by paranormal experiences in Hill House. The mother, Olivia, loses her mind and tries to kill her children with rat poison, but her husband Hugh saves them by taking them out of the house. Olivia commits suicide and Hugh is separated from his kids, but he never tells them about what happened. In the future, the kids are all grown up but struggling in their lives. The youngest, Nell, is in a dark place and returns to the house where she commits suicide. The other siblings all process her death in various ways. Everyone reunites for her funeral and they all argue, especially Hugh and Steven, who disagree about the nature of the house. Eventually, Hugh tells Steven the truth and he begins to believe it. Luke goes to Hill House to burn it down but falls into the house’s trap. The others come to save him but they are also trapped by the house in its mysterious red room, which “digests” their minds. Hugh cuts a deal with Olivia’s ghost to let them be free, since she is the one calling them back. Hugh dies and stays in the house with Olivia and Nell while the other kids go back to their lives and find happiness with one another.
The Good: I enjoy horror as a genre, but it’s a difficult genre to make something special out of, so I have some reservations with the genre. Often, horror movies and shows get bogged down in trying too hard to be scary, or they become over reliant on jumpscares. This leads to subpar entertainment because I have no reason to be invested, and if I’m not invested, it’s impossible for me to be genuinely scared or at the edge of my seat. That’s why the most impressive and striking thing about this show is the fact that it focuses on telling a compelling story about characters you will care about above anything else. The horror comes after, but this show crucially nails its foundation to make sure that whatever scares happen, they will affect you. The character drama in this series is exceptional. The whole show is focused on the Crain family, who lived in Hill House for a short time years ago, but are still suffering from that time in the present. This show takes the “Lost” approach of prioritizing characters through character-centric episodes with a storyline in the present day that raises mysteries about the characters that are answered through character-centric flashbacks of Hill House. This format works wonders to make me invested in this family and what they went through, elevating both the characters and the mysteries as the show went on. I have always said that the key to good television dramas is to create compelling characters that we can care about, and this show understood the importance of that. By the end of the show, I cared about every character in this family and what they went through. Nell is probably the stand-out character for me. Poor traumatized Nell had the hardest upbringing and struggled the most with the death of her mother and with the horrors she saw at Hill House. Her inability to move on, and her sadly fractured relationships with her siblings led her back to the house, and to her death. Her story is crushingly sad, and her bad fate left me concerned for every other character because I prayed that they would not end up like her. Luke is another tortured individual, and his story is extremely well-written. I thoroughly appreciate that this show took the time to properly explore the pains of drug addiction through his eyes, showing us what led him to this path and how his actions led to a rift within the family. Beautiful storytelling. Theo and Shirley are a bit less interesting as standalone characters, but what drew me to them was the story they had with each other. The controlling Shirley and carefree Theo had a stark contrast with one another, and it was interesting to see their relationship evolve through struggle and reconciliation throughout the show. While this may have been one of the show’s weaker storylines, it was still interesting and featured a number of great moments. The show’s main character is probably Steven, and amusingly he is probably the least likeable character in the family. But this doesn’t end up being a bad thing because he was written perfectly. As the eldest son, he felt hurt by the actions of his father in covering up what happened at Hill House, and this led to him developing bitterness towards the idea of paranormal activity and people who believe in it. His stubborn beliefs consistently lead to arguments and problems with his siblings, a sad example of how childhood trauma lingers within people and drives others away from them. In the end, his arc is about accepting the reality of what happened in Hill House and learning to take responsibility oh his family instead of pushing them away, and it leads to a highly satisfying conclusion, especially between him and his father Hugh. Hugh is a very interesting character. We’re never quite sure of what to make of him until the end, but he ends up clearly being the most heroic character of the show, a parent who prioritized his children above anything else to a fault. It was his love for his family that led to him keeping secrets, and letting them fall to the curse of Hill House for a second time, but heroically, he redeems himself in the end by reconnecting with his kids and saving their lives. It’s a simple, yet beautiful story. Lastly, there’s Olivia. Olivia’s story is a sad cautionary tale about how the house took over the mind of a sweet, normal woman and turned her crazy. Olivia carried a lot of mystery throughout the show until we finally got her full story in “Screaming Meemies”, one of the show’s very best episodes. Outside of the characters and story, this show still has so much that I have to praise it for. The casting choices for everyone were fantastic. Each and every character was believable and compelling, and the actors embodied the roles perfectly. I was especially impressed by Victoria Pedretti, who was so heartbreakingly tragic as Nell. The child actors were also incredibly impressive. Usually child actors can be wooden and unengaging, but these kids all performed exceptionally well and captured the feeling of a real family. The filmmaking was always immaculate. This show is very cinematic with terrific set design, creative camera shots and transitions, and great makeup effects to make the ghosts look realistic. Embodying all of this, the episode “Two Storms” is the pinnacle of great filmmaking in this show, and it is a remarkable achievement that everybody involved should be proud of. The mystery in this show is so good right from the get-go. We are never able to piece together what is happening until the season finale since there are so many twists and turns that are almost impossible to predict because of how creative they are. And since the ending was known since the very beginning, the story was able to include tons of subtle and creepy hints towards future plot details in the early episodes. This resulted in me having tons of questions that I wanted to have resolved since the first episode (just look at the size of The Unknown in all of my episodic reviews!), and that was a great hook to keep me watching the show to experience its great story. Much like with “Lost”, the mystery of the show comes secondary to its great character drama, but it’s fascinating and engaging to follow it. Of course I have to talk about the horror elements in this show; I can only put it off for so long. I think that the horror is handled well enough that this would still be a good TV show even if it didn’t have great storytelling. There is a refreshing lack of jumpscares, as most of the horror in the show comes from the creepy atmosphere of the show. The long scenes, panning shots, and genuine tension helps create a chilling atmosphere that will give you goosebumps. Adding the scares on top of this is perfect. Few of these scares are genuine jumpscares, but rather the fear comes from the presence of a ghost or something you can’t explain, which is more scary than a silly jumpscare anyways. Hell, even the few jumpscares usually work quite well too. It’s amazing that this show manages to make you feel fear so effectively and in ways that align perfectly with the story, since fear is often a crucial emotion experienced by the characters in these times as well. A small thing that I loved about this show was the presence of hidden ghosts in all of the episodes. If you look carefully, a lot of shots at Hill House end up having blurry figures or faces in the background, which only adds to the horror and mystery if you are astute enough to notice them on first watch. I was unsettled by a few of them, but after looking it up, there were so many more that I never even noticed. These are the little details that made this show so scary. It’s not about being startled by a jumpscare, it’s about being afraid of something you can’t explain lurking around you; you just haven’t noticed it. That is much more primal and terrifying than any other type of horror that I have seen. The Bad: This show is remarkably consistent and I have very few complaints to level at it. The early episodes, especially on rewatch, feel a bit at odds with the rest of the show; the first two especially. They are adequate episodes that set up the story nicely, but it’s undeniable that they are less interesting and more cheap with their horror than the later episodes of the series. I’m not sure if this is a case of the show finding its footing as it went on, or if the story in the first two episodes just didn’t click the way it should have. Best Episodes: E05 The Bent-Neck Lady: The bent-neck lady reveal is one of the show’s most memorable moments. Of all the episodes focused on the siblings, Nell’s story hits the hardest simply because of how relatable and painful it is. E06 Two Storms: This show’s centerpiece episode. This one is a marvelously directed spectacle that maintains its hold over you with its extreme emotional weight. This is the first time we see the family coming together in the present day, and seeing the conflict they get into is devastating and thought-provoking. E09 Screaming Meemies: Olivia’s story is utterly heartbreaking, and features some of the most horrifying content in the show through depicting her gradual mental collapse. With this episode dedicating its whole runtime to her personal tragedy, it’s an easy highlight. Worst Episodes: E01 Steven Sees a Ghost: This isn’t a bad episode and it provides a solid hook for the series, but there’s no doubt that it’s missing an emotional spark that is present in future episodes. E02 Open Casket: The weakest episode of the show. Despite telling a decent story for Shirley, this episode is a bit boring and overly reliant on scares to hold your interest. Character of the Season: Nell. Conclusion: “The Haunting of Hill House” is an excellent TV show. I’ll admit to having reservations about watching it due to my general reservations for modern day horror films, but this was a very well done series. It was beautifully thought out, focused on characters, and utilized horror in a chilling and creative way that left a lasting impression on me. This TV show is damn good, and if you are a horror fan then this is absolutely a must-watch for you. Even if you don’t care for the genre, I’d still argue that this is worth watching because this isn’t just a very good horror TV show; it’s a very good TV show overall.
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Summary: Everyone arrives at Hill House and they get captured by Poppy and put into the red room. Hugh is left outside. Luke has been left to overdose. Each sibling is put into a nightmare but they are saved and awoken by Nell. Once they all wake up, they help save Luke, who is saved from death by Nell. When they are all awake, Nell appears and makes peace with them all. Hugh makes a deal with Liv and helps take everyone out. They all leave, but Steven and Hugh stay behind. Hugh tells Steven everything, revealing that Abigail was the Dudleys’ girl and they want to keep the house to visit their dead family. Steven also realizes that Hugh has died as part of his deal with Liv and will stay behind at the house with her. The Dudleys die at the house and remain an immortalized family. The siblings move on together and find happiness.
The Good: I really liked this finale. The opening of the episode is very spooky as the siblings all venture into the ghost-infested house, getting captured in the red room one after the other. Following that, the episode gets into its most profound content as each character’s insecurities are explored one by one. Shirley is the most fascinating as we learn that she cheated on her husband and is guilt-ridden about it, which adds new layers to her condemning him when it seemed like he was cheating with Theo. The others have good stuff too. Theo’s visions stem from her inability to open up to others and connect, Steven’s guilt comes from his fear of having children and the wedge it made with his wife, and Luke’s vision reflects the pain he feels about what he did to others when he was a junkie and his wish to get clean which feels impossible for him to do. These scenes are fantastic and also have distinct horror elements that are disquieting to experience. But it’s Nell who helps the siblings get out of it, and after a touching farewell speech where she resolves any tensions they had with her, it feels like the siblings are now able to address their problems. And that’s what happens by the episode’s end as we see a glimpse of a future where all four siblings have successfully moved on. As for the episode’s plot-related stuff, I also found that to be satisfying. Hugh’s death was unexpected, but it was powerful to see him still love and care for his wife despite all that happened with her. It was touching that he chose to preserve the kids’ memory of her, and now he can preserve his own memory of her by being with her after death. I thought the red room twist was also fantastic. It nicely answers how the house controls people (more time in the red room means the house gets to you faster), and also provides a surprising twist by revealing that so many familiar locations were in the red room all along; it seems like the door is only closed when somebody else is in there. These reveals worked well and answered questions satisfyingly. Lastly, I found the Dudleys’ story to be quite heartbreaking. Learning that they lost both kids to the house (poor Abigail only went there for one night and died) was devastating, but it was sweet to see that they had something of a happy ending as the whole family was able to unite as ghosts after they died. The Bad: This episode was lightly anticlimactic. The big reveals were fairly predictable by this point, and we didn’t get a resolution to as many little things as I expected, such as all the various ghosts that we saw in Hill House. The Unknown: Were Hugh and Nell able to satiate Liv’s desire to “wake up” the rest of her children? Did the siblings truly live happily ever after? What became of the house? What did Steven decide to do with it? Best Moment: Nell’s confetti speech was terrific, and it felt like this was the main point of the entire show. A great cathartic speech. Character of the Episode: Nell. Conclusion: A great finale that delivers a highly satisfying, though lightly anticlimactic, ending. For my thoughts on “The Haunting of Hill House” as a whole, click here. Score: 67 Summary: In flashbacks, Liv starts to become mentally affected by the house. She has a vision of Nell and Luke dying in the future and is terrified. Liv meets Poppy who gradually convinces her that she has to “wake up” her kids from a nightmare by killing them. Liv leaves the house at Hugh’s behest, but feels lonely and comes back at night. She invites Nell, Luke, and Abigail (who is staying the night) to a tea party where she poisons the tea with rat poison. Abigail is killed, but Hugh arrives in time to save his kids. Liv gets knocked out and Hugh gets his kids out of the house and drives away. Distraught, Liv kills herself.
The Good: I love episodes that focus on a single story for the entire runtime when that story is good. This episode does exactly that, focusing entirely on Liv’s story as she gradually loses her mind during her stay at Hill House. This story is fantastic and it’s heartbreaking to see how Liv slowly starts to feel more and more pain stemming from her intense love of her children. It’s saddening to see how Liv is plagued with vision after vision of her kids growing old and dying, and these visions make her an easy target for Poppy’s manipulation. It all leads to a horrific climax as we finally get to see what happened on the last night: a tea party where Liv tried to kill her kids with rat poison. This reveal is enormous and it confirms to us that Hugh was actually heroic on this night, stepping in to save his kids from a threat who also happened to be the woman he loved. It has a real air of tragedy since Hugh did all that he could to stop this from happening, but Liv had already been turned too much by the house to be kept away. Liv’s fractured mind made this climactic sequence compelling to watch, and it was horrifyingly sad to see Hugh be forced to escape from her when they had been such a loving family. The end of the episode accentuates the tragedy phenomenally by juxtaposing Liv’s suicide with the family’s first arrival at the house. This ending scene is emotionally devastating, and the perfect conclusion to the episode. I wish all horror was this good. There are scares throughout the episode, but it becomes something more by focusing on a powerful story and building the horror around that. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: How does the house give Liv these visions? Is it Poppy’s doing? Is she behind everything? Why is Liv affected more than anyone else? How did Liv get into the red room? What does she mean by “we are the key”? Who is Abigail? So she was real all along? Was she the other body found with Liv? What does Hazel mean when she says Poppy lies? What is their history? Best Moment: So many great moments, but the standout has to be kid Nell and Luke talking about their dreams and if Liv can wake them up. Such a chilling and horrifying scene that hits harder than any of the creepy looking ghosts. Character of the Episode: Liv. Conclusion: An excellent episode that reveals everything about Liv, resolves a lot of story beats, and most importantly tells a heartbreaking story that I will remember for a long time. Score: 70 Summary: In the present, Hugh and Steven go looking for Luke and find out that he’s heading back to the house to burn it down. On the ride, Steven admits to Hugh that he got a vasectomy and that caused issues with Leigh. Hugh tells Steven that he has seen ghosts in hill house and that they never built a tree house. The house is dangerous. Shirley and Theo continue to fight but are haunted every time they argue. They get in a car to go to hill house as well but are scared by Nell. Afterwards, Theo tells her story and she and Shirley make up. Luke gets to hill house but burning it down doesn’t work. He’s caught by Poppy.
The Good: This episode had a lot going on. Hugh and Steven’s car conversation is hugely important for the show. It entirely confirms that Hugh was correct about there being something wrong with the house without a shadow of a doubt with the reveal that the clock repairman who looked like he was from the 60s was not real, and the reveal that the treehouse never existed. It’s hard to see exactly what this means, but this is a huge revelation, not only for us but for Steven as well. Steven has been so firmly against the existence of ghosts, so it’s a huge turning point for him to receive undeniable proof that ghosts do exist. The story at other places is also quite good. Shirley and Theo’s conflict was very good. It felt realistic that Shirley would be so angry after hearing of several betrayals (taking the money and making a pass on her husband), while Theo is rightly trying to explain and getting frustrated that Shirley isn’t listening. Their conflict leads to a chilling scene in the house with the constant knocking, which is fantastically directed to be spooky and terrifying. Then there’s the car jumpscare, which is one of the best jumpscares I’ve ever seen. It fits with the story being told (Nell is frustrated by this arguing) and is a genuinely scary moment that comes right out of nowhere without feeling cheap. Theo’s speech ends this conflict in a powerful way as she explains what happened to her in an eloquent and sad way. It clearly draws both sisters together, and nicely ties off this conflict before the show’s final act. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: Who caused the banging in the funeral parlour? It was similar to what happened to Theo and Shirley in the house. Was this Nell or something else? What did Liv see in the mirror? What will Poppy do to Luke? What is the significance of there not benign a treehouse? How did the house create these fake locations? Best Moment: Theo’s speech to Shirley about what she felt when she touched Nell hit very hard. Character of the Episode: Hugh. Conclusion: A shorter, but action-packed episode that sets up the show’s endgame. Score: 67 Summary: In flashbacks, Hugh and Steven fix up the house from water damage caused by the storm, but it is inexplicably all over the house. Liv is feeling unwell and Mr. Dudley advises Hugh to give her time away from the house, sharing his own scary story. When Hugh wakes up to Liv holding a screwdriver to his throat, he gets her to take some time away. However, he wakes up another night to see the red room door open. In the present, Hugh speaks with a hallucination of Liv. He tries to help his kids who continue to drift apart at Nell’s funeral. Luke sees some ghosts and takes off in Theo’s car with nobody noticing. Hugh and Theo are frightened by Liv’s ghost at the funeral home.
The Good: I welcome the focus on Hugh for an episode. He is an important member of the family and hearing his side of the story is a crucial piece of the puzzle. This episode may not have major reveals, but it’s fascinating to see Hugh’s side of the story. In the present, he has visions of Liv to help him process what happened but is tragically unable to reconnect with his family after everything. We see that he has a desire to help but is unsure of how and is left as a passive observer, afraid to engage more in the lives of his children. It’s a sad story. The past story is more plot relevant with Hugh learning about the nature of the house from Mr. Dudley, who gives an outstanding monologue. I also quite liked Luke’s eulogy for Nell, which was heavy in emotion, and the ghost scenes in the present day with Luke at the grave and Theo/Hugh in the funeral parlour were very well done. The Bad: This is a much slower episode coming off of two excellent episodes, and it shows. The plot development is measured and there aren’t a whole lot of major reveals or emotional moments here. The Unknown: Who is the other unidentified body with Liv? Where did the water in the walls come from? The red room? What was that face in the wall? Did it have to do with the dead body? Why is the house able to make people go crazy if they spend the night? How does this work? Where did Luke go in Theo’s car? Is he going to relapse again? What did Hugh see in the red room on the last night? Best Moment: The tragic backstory of Mr. Dudley and learning why he is afraid of the house. This was a terrific monologue that was engaging the entire time. Character of the Episode: Hugh. Conclusion: A good episode of story progression, though one that feels like a transitional episode between the highs of the previous episodes and whatever is coming next. Score: 65 Summary: In flashbacks, Hill House is rocked by a terrible storm. Nell disappears so Liv and Hugh go looking for her but Liv enters a trance. Nell reappears, saying she was right there all along. In the present, the family gets together to prepare for Nell’s funeral. They reminisce briefly, but eventually things get heated and they argue, especially Steven and Hugh. Theo drinks her pain away but is caught by Shirley seemingly trying to kiss her husband.
The Good: This episode was tremendous. After five episodes focused on each sibling, this one brings them all together to hash out their conflicts with one another while also having them mourn the loss of Nell. It is fantastic to contrast how each character grieves, and we also see that reflected in the many conflicts that are brought up, like Steven’s book and the pay-offs he gave, Hugh keeping the circumstances of Liv’s death secret, Steven’s denial over any paranormal activity happening, Theo drinking her pain away, and Luke being the only one silently mourning. The tensions are palpable throughout the episode, and it is immensely satisfying to see them bubble up to the surface like they do. It’s also quite heartbreaking as this is a funeral for Nell, and her family can’t even keep it together for her sake because they are too busy squabbling. With how Hugh describes Nell’s kindness for the family, and what we know about her from previous episodes, it is devastating for Nell to see this from the afterlife, and things get increasingly tense and sad when she starts interfering to try to get them to stop fighting. It all builds up to a devastating final scene that highlights the tragedy of her character. The flashback story is also fantastic with a lot of scary moments as we see the haunted nature of Hill House traumatize literally everybody on a stormy night. I also have to praise how cinematic this episode was. The directing is outstanding with tons of jaw-dropping long-takes that travel through the multiple sets. Visually, this episode is stunning. The Bad: Nothing. The Unknown: That was just Nell haunting the funeral parlour right? Were there any other forces involved? Is Hugh talking to his dead wife in his head? Has he gone crazy? Who were all those ghosts that appeared in the flashback? What was the creature on the first floor that scared the kids? How did Nell disappear like she did? What happened to Liv that caused her to enter trance like that? Did Theo really try to hook up with Kevin? That doesn’t seem like the full story, especially since we know Theo is lesbian. Best Moment: The final moments with Nell’s frustration at not being seen juxtaposed with Nell’s spirit sadly waiting in the funeral having watched her family fall apart. Just crushingly sad. Character of the Episode: Nell. I just feel so sad for her. Conclusion: A magnificent episode that will likely be this show’s very best. It’s hard for 1-season shows to hit that hard emotionally, but this hit like a double-decker bus. Add on the phenomenal visuals and directing, and this is a top quality episode. Score: 75 Summary: As a child, Nell is haunted by the bent-neck lady. After the last night, Nell and the other kids are dropped off at a motel where they stay while Hugh is questioned by the police. When Nell grows up, she still suffers from sleep paralysis but marries Arthur, who helps her with the symptoms. But Arthur suddenly dies from an aneurysm when the bent-neck lady returns. Nell grows estranged from her siblings as she processes this and her psychologist encourages to confront her fears. Nell returns to the house where she has a vision of all of her dreams coming true only for her to be tricked into committing suicide. As she dies, Nell’s life flashes before her eyes and she realizes that she is the bent-neck lady.
The Good: This is another excellent character-centric story that breaks your heart. Nell’s life story is horribly sad as she spent her entire life afraid as a result of the sleep paralysis she picked up in Hill House. I love how this episode depicts this unique type of horror, and it does well to make sleep paralysis feel terrifying and insurmountable. This makes Arthur feel like a genuine relief when he enters Nell’s life. Their interactions are cute and I ended up caring about them in the short time they were together. Watching Nell fall apart after his death was absolutely devastating. She worked so hard to put herself together only for everything to go wrong. Seeing her relationships with her siblings fall apart because she felt like they were not there for her when she needed them was painful, with the drive with Luke being easily the most devastating as he ends up using her for heroin instead of showing her the affection he should have. This set up the ending wonderfully. When Nell returns to the house, she’s put into a trance as she sees everything she could have dreamed of: her siblings have apologized and come around, Arthur is here, and her family is finally together. But it’s all a trap as the house preys on her broken soul and kills her in a horrifying moment. The final twist that Nell was being haunted by her own dead self from the future is fantastic, and it makes the already frightening scenes of the bent-neck lady feel even more terrifying knowing what it really was all along. The Bad: The advice given by Nell’s psychologist was absolutely abysmal. Surely there isn’t an actual psychologist who is that bad out there. The Unknown: Who wrote the “come home Nell” message? What was the significance of the cup of stars? Is Jacqueline one of the ghosts in this house? Was Arthur’s death really just an aneurysm? What was the tea party in the red room with Abigail on the last night? What happened there? What did Nell mean when she said “that wasn’t mommy”? Was she possessed? Was she already dead? Why was Hugh covered in blood when he returned? Where did he go and what happened? Why did Nell see a vision of Luke dead in the motel? Is he going to overdose soon? Best Moment: The stunning reveal at the end. Character of the Episode: Nell. Conclusion: A shocking, tragic, and emotional episode. This show is firing on all cylinders now, and I can’t wait to see what’s in store in the second half now that we know all of the characters. Score: 69 Summary: In flashbacks, Luke continues to have paranormal encounters in Hill House. He keeps a hat found by Olivia, but a tall, floating spirit comes into his room at night to take it back, terrifying him. In the present, Luke has a friend named Joey who helps him through rehab. But Joye runs away so Luke goes after her and tries to convince her to come back. When the rehab place can’t house them, Luke steals from Steven to get money for a motel for the night. However, Joey steals his money and runs away. Luke calls the rehab center for help and Steven is there. Steven picks him up and tells him about Nell.
The Good: Luke’s story is very compelling. Compared to the other characters, Luke is far more tortured and we get a very unique story of a drug addict struggling to recover by focusing on him. I love that the traumatic experiences at Hill House haunt him and are a big reason for his drug use (so he can stop seeing ghosts). But in the present, the focus is more on seeing if he can finally stay clean. In the process, he’s put through a heartbreaking experience as a girl who helped him falls off the wagon and then turns on him by stealing his money when he tries to help her. By the end of the episode you really can’t help but feel for Luke as he’s put through the wringer at such a vulnerable time, and worse yet, he is forced to experience the pain that he put his family through repeatedly. By the time you get to the end of the episode, it’s all become quite sad. We see Luke counting to 7 to control his fears just like he did when he was a kid, confirming that this poor guy has never been able to get over his fears as a kid and they have controlled him ever since. Great, and heartbreaking, storytelling. Then we add on the flashbacks to Hill House that have some of the most unsettling scares yet, which I enjoyed greatly. The Bad: It’s lightly frustrating that the story hasn’t progressed past Nell’s death yet, but I’m okay with it since it has led to great character pieces like this. The Unknown: Is this twin thing real? How does that happen? Who is the ghost that said “Clara”? Who is the tall ghost? Why did it terrorize Luke? Why did it need its hat? Did Steven and Leigh split over not wanting kids? Why did Luke say Nell’s death wasn’t a suicide? What does he know? Best Moment: The sequence with the tall, floating ghost visiting Luke was genuinely intense, mysterious, and frightening; easily the best horror setpiece of the series so far. Character of the Episode: Luke. Conclusion: This episode was the best one yet, using horror as backstory for a junkie who is struggling to make things right in the present day. Really good and emotional storytelling. Score: 68 Summary: In flashbacks, Theo learns that she has a psychic ability to sense feelings when she touches people. Theo plays with Luke on the dumbwaiter but sends him to the basement on accident where Luke sees a ghost, but nobody believes him. Theo finds the basement herself and talks with Olivia, who says she has a gift to and is open to talking with her about it. In the present, Theo helps a child who keeps seeing “Mr. Smiley” haunting her. Theo uses her psychic abilities and finds out that her foster father is molesting her and she has him arrested. Theo has sex with a girl, Trish, but doesn’t interact with her after. She learns about Nell’s death from Shirley. Theo goes to Nell’s body and uses her powers and is horrified.
The Good: This episode is very well done. Theo’s powers are never outright explained to us, but the directing shows us wordlessly how they work in repeated fantastic ways. I love how this episode handled the horror. Mr. Smiley is scaring this young girl, but instead of turning this into a horror story, it becomes a depressing tale of child abuse with Mr. Smiley reflecting the trauma this poor girl had to endure. I really like that as it brings into question how many of the ghosts we are seeing in the past are actually real. I also like how this episode used suspense. Luke’s misadventure to the basement was incredibly tense and had me at the edge of my seat. Great directing. Lastly, I really liked the scenes at Nell’s wedding in the past between the siblings. This show is doing a great job of making these characters feel real, which goes a long way towards making me care. The Bad: Theo going to the basement alone is suspenseful, but it relies on the classic horror trope of characters doing needlessly risky things on their own. It may be based in realism due to Theo’s character, but it’s always frustrating to watch characters not ask for help in these situations. The Unknown: Did a spirit try to get into Theo’s dance room? Why? What was the ghost in the basement? Did Luke imagine it, or was it real? Olivia looking dead when Theo touched her hand was frightening, but it raises questions. Is she possessed at this point? Is she already compromised by spirits? Or is this just foreshadowing her future? What were the visions that Theo saw when she touched her father on the final night? What did she see when she touched Nell? Lastly, who died on the sickbed? Best Moment: Theo touching Nell and reacting in such sheer terror was an excellent scene. Even without ghosts or anything, it was terrifying to see Theo experience something so scarring that we can only guess at what it was. Character of the Episode: Theo. Conclusion: This was the best episode so far. The mysteries keep getting more interesting, and I’m getting more invested in the characters with every passing episode. Score: 65 Summary: Flashbacks show Shirley developing a complicated relationship with death when she adopts sick kittens she found and they all die. Later, Shirley contributes to paying for Luke’s rehab, but he runs away. Luke shows up at Nell’s wedding, but Shirley sends him away. In the present, Shirley operates a funeral parlour. She learns from Steven that Nell died and decides to clean her body herself. She explains death to her children and has a vision of Olivia in the morgue.
The Good: I enjoy seeing the flashbacks a lot. The kid actors all seem to be very good, and together they create a believable and loveable family. I found myself connecting to the relationships they have with each other. Shirley is the central focus and her confusing connection with death is very nicely explored throughout the episode. The Bad: The episode doesn’t have much going on beyond a very basic exploration of Shirley’s character. It’s also over-reliant on scares with several sequences creeping you out without much substance behind it. Instead of building tension or increasing intrigue, these scares feel like they only exist for the sake of spicing up the episode. They don’t add much. The Unknown: Who is the girl in the forest? Is this Abigail? What happened to the kittens? Were they really just sick? Who is the guy with the drink that Shirley is imagining? What was the repeated banging on the wall? Why did it stop suddenly? Why did Olivia appear to Shirley in the parlour? Did she imagine it, or was Shirley actually there? Best Moment: It’s tough to find a standout moment. I’ll go with Shirley forcing Luke out from Nell’s wedding, a sad moment with how Luke’s addiction has started to rip up the bond between these siblings. Character of the Episode: Shirley. Conclusion: This was a competently executed episode, but it didn’t have a whole lot going on. Score: 58 Summary: In flashbacks, Nell is haunted by a bent-neck lady but nobody else sees her. One night, Hugh rushes all of his kids out of the house as something has happened to Liv, their mother. In the present, Steven has grown up and has written a book about what happened at Hill House but doesn’t believe in ghosts. After the family miss calls from Nell, Steven is called by Hugh who tells her she went back to the house and is dead. Nell appears to Steven as a ghost.
The Good: For a horror show, this is well done. There isn’t much emphasis on jumpscares, and the horror is genuinely creepy. Moments like Nell staring at the bent-neck lady at night and Steven realizing he’s seeing Nell’s ghost are genuinely chilling and memorable. Much of the rest of the episode is spent building up mystery behind what happened at Hill House. I like a good mystery, and I am already invested in getting answers. I also like the family dynamic so far. The child actors are good, and the dialogue between family members is well written. In the present day, I liked the lady’s story about her dead husband. The story captured my imagination, and it felt both empathetic and cruel for Steven to decide to tell her story despite acknowledging that it likely isn’t real. Steven being such a non-believer in ghosts is surprising, but he will likely be forced to face his beliefs after his encounter with Nell at the end of the episode. The Bad: This is a very methodical start. I’m interested to see more for sure, but this is undoubtedly a slow first episode. Nothing here wowed me. The Unknown: What is the bent-neck lady and why does she appear to Nell? Is she even real? What is in the red room? What happened to Liv in the house? Did she die? How? What were all the ghosts that appeared on that final night? What tried to get into Steven’s room? Who is Abigail? What influenced Luke’s creepy drawings? Why was Luke at Steve’s apartment? Did he fall off the wagon again? Why did everyone wake up at 3:03? Is this when Nell died? Why did Nell go back to the house? Why did she appear to Steven as a ghost? Was she crazy? How did she die? Best Moment: The reveal of the bent-neck lady staring down at Nell in the living room was terrifying. Character of the Episode: Steven. Conclusion: Overall, this was a solid episode that got me interested in the series. Score: 63 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
March 2024
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