In the midseason finale, “Homecoming”, All American balances out all the high school drama, as the day of the impending homecoming match finally arrives. It is, after all, a show predominantly about football, and even though I’m not the biggest sports fan, its return was a welcome reprieve from last week’s non-stop relationship drama.
Coop is definitely my favourite character at this point, so let’s talk about her plotline first. She and Spencer have some really nice moments throughout this episode. Spencer still wants to help Coop get out of her troubles with Tyrone, who has been threatening her and Shawn for the last few episodes. Spencer and Coop go to Mrs Baker for help – a good decision, they are way too inexperienced to handle this stuff on their own. All they need to put Tyrone behind bars is for Shawn to be their snitch, which of course, he refuses to do. Instead, he takes things into his own hands, which goes just as badly as you would expect. Shawn’s death may have been predictable, but it broke my heart all the same. Coop’s reaction was especially hard to watch. Combined with the knowledge she would have to tell his mother and child, the scene was a tear-jerker for sure.
Back in Beverly Hills, the stakes are lower, but somehow just as complicated. Football returned to centre stage, and we see the aftermath of Asher and Jordan’s poor decision-making last episode. Asher is forced to sit on the sidelines and Jordan is still reeling after a wild night out with his girlfriend. Throughout the match, it quickly becomes clear that someone had tipped the other team off on Beverly’s strategies. This provides a nice opportunity for Spencer to step up. He works with Olivia’s new beau from Spencer’s old school, and together they plan out new strategies so that the Beverly Hills team can retaliate at full force in the second half. Spencer champions the team to victory, and Jordan works out what really went down.
I immediately assumed the traitor was Jordan’s new cheerleader girlfriend from the opposing team, but in a plot twist, it’s revealed that it was actually Asher. I’ve been pretty forgiving of Asher’s mistakes up until this point, but his actions in this episode were downright petty. Sure, I feel sorry for the guy – his dad is truly the worst. It still doesn’t give him a free pass to sabotage the rest of his team, especially when it’s his own fault he got himself suspended. Yes, he was drunk, and yes he regrets it, but he’s going to need quite the redemption before I (or I’m guessing, Jordan) will forgive him.
I have to say, Jordan is starting to annoy me. I really liked him at the start of the season, but he is being so oblivious right now I seriously want to reach into the screen, grab his face and yell at him to get his act together. He still has his moments – I especially appreciated the scene where he called Asher out for slut-shaming Olivia. Still, he was pretty hypocritical about the whole “there’s more to life than football” thing. I’m on the same page as Coach Baker on this one – Jordan really needs to figure out what’s important to him. I’m all for Jordan doing other things with his life, but he just spun the whole thing against Asher at the end because it was convenient for him. Asher totally deserves what he got, but it still was unfair for Jordan to pin it all on him. After all, Jordan’s hardly the perfect player right now – his girlfriend is a seriously bad influence on him. She may not have been the traitor this time, but she still has no respect for Jordan’s interests and his dedication to the game. Hopefully, Jordan has learnt his lesson this episode and we’ll see him stand up to her sometime soon.
Whilst Jordan’s love life continues to frustrate, Spencer and Layla’s relationship is actually starting to grow on me. Layla was freaking out for the first half of the episode because she thought Spencer had officially turned her down when he suggested last episode that they shouldn’t get together yet (as she had just broken up with Asher). When the two do finally cross paths halfway through the episode, Spencer reassures her that he definitely still likes her in a surprisingly sweet scene. I’m still not completely sold on the two, but I’m remaining cautiously optimistic for now.
In other news, the show seems to be hinting at more mysteries involving Coach Baker. The opposing team’s coach tells Spencer that his dad loved him and must have had a good reason to leave him, whereas Coach Baker “will do anything to get what he wants.” They receive an anonymous tip that someone in Beverly Hill’s team had been under the influence of drugs throughout the game, and they are all forced to take a drug test. When Jordan tells Coach Baker he will fail the test, Coach Baker switches out Jordan’s sample to ensure he won’t be suspended. I’m guessing the anonymous tipper was Jordan’s girlfriend, but we’ll have to wait until the rest of the season comes out next year to know for sure.
Matthew Goode and Teresa Palmer in A Discovery of Witches (2018)
I’m a latecomer to the A Discovery of Witches bandwagon, but I didn’t see enough people talking about the show when it came out, so here I am, to tell you why it deserves more hype. A miniseries based on Deborah Harkness’s book of the same name, A Discovery of Witches is exactly the kind of indulgent, feel-good show the world needs right now. I don’t mean feel-good in the sense that it’s particularly happy or funny – I mean feel-good in the sense that every aspect of the show is simply a pleasure to watch. Not only do the two main protagonists the most wonderful chemistry, but the show also has a complex, well-developed plot and picturesque European locations that are beyond gorgeous.
Set in a supernatural world where witches, vampires and daemons live amongst humans, A Discovery of Witches centres around Diana Bishop, a historian who tends to avoid her magical heritage at all costs. Whilst conducting research in Oxford, Diana finds an enchanted book that has been missing for centuries. Thinking nothing of it at the time, her discovery invites unwanted attention from a number of magical creatures who are in search of the book, which is rumoured to contain vital information about the origin of supernatural creatures. Diana crosses paths with a vampire, Matthew Clairmont, who helps her navigate the world of supernatural, despite the enduring tensions and prejudice between vampires and witches. It doesn’t take long for Diana and Matthew’s relationship to develop into one of romance, and things only get more complicated from there.
Teresa Palmer is wonderful in the role of Diana, who makes a captivating heroine that gradually comes into her own throughout the series. I’ve been a casual fan of her co-star, Matthew Goode, for a while throughout his supporting roles in The Good Wife,Downtown Abbey and The Crown. As soon as I heard he had landed a lead role in this series I knew I had to watch it. At this point, Goode has truly perfected the role of the dashing gentleman and uses it to his advantage in A Discovery of Witches, breathing new life and depths into the role of Matthew. (Yes, they have the same name – clearly, Goode was destined for this role).
I was unapologetically invested in these two characters main characters – far more than I initially expected going into the show. It wasn’t uncommon to find me shouting at the screen or giggling with pure delight whilst watching their scenes together. If I’m being entirely honest, I’m still not entirely sure what makes their romance so special, but I suppose their chemistry is just that good. Even in the most dramatic, cliche over the top moments (which there are a lot of), I couldn’t bring myself to care – I was enjoying it far too much.
The show definitely has a guilty pleasure vibe (and I’ll admit, it does feel like you’re watching a better-quality version of Twilight at times) but it still manages to be intelligent enough that you don’t have to feel all that guilty. Is it a revolutionary romance? No, but sometimes that’s a good thing. Sometimes it’s comforting for a romance to have a certain level predictability – it’s like a warm security blanket in TV show form (which I swear is a compliment – albeit a bit of an odd one).
Modern media has been oversaturated with vampire romances for far too long, but A Discovery of Witches still manages to put its own spin on the genre. The show takes a far more scientific approach to the supernatural than you would usually see. In an interesting take, it presents the theory of evolution as a danger to the future of magical creatures – who, in the modern world, don’t rely on their powers as heavily as they used to and, are therefore gradually losing their powers. This is an issue which Matthew is intent on investigating, which is what originally pushes him into the path of Diana (and the all-important book she finds).
Both of the main characters, Diana and Matthew, are highly intellectual individuals – a historian and scientist respectively. As a result, they both approach the supernatural through a lens of logic that grounds the show in a refreshing sense of realism. Whilst A Discovery of Witches is intellectually stimulating in many ways, its utmost strength is its emotional centre, which whisks you away into a captivating world of magic and forbidden romance.
A Discovery of Witches is visually stunning in every sense of the phrase (and I’m not just talking about Matthew Goode – or Teresa Palmer for that matter.) With primary settings of Oxford, Venice, and France, the show is filled to the brim with beautiful architecture and scenery. On top of this, the colour palette is to die for, with gorgeous subdued blue and brown hues (aka the classic orange and teal look at its prettiest). It also has the most beautiful soundtrack that works in tandem with the picturesque imagery, creating a leisurely atmosphere that completely immerses you in Matthew and Diana’s world.
Other than the clichés and over the top drama, my main criticism of the show is simply that there is too much plot and too many characters to keep track of at times. I’m sure those who’ve read the books would manage to keep on top of everything just fine, but I’ll admit I struggled at times to remember who certain characters were (or, more importantly, what they were). Perhaps if they had more episodes to flesh out the plot, it wouldn’t have been such an issue. Still, considering the limited number of episodes, they did a great job of covering the amount of story that they did. The fast pacing worked well for many other aspects of the show, so I’d still say they made the right call on making it a miniseries. This way, it’s short and sweet and doesn’t seem like such an overwhelming task to watch.
A Discovery of Witches is the perfect show for when you just want to sit back, relax and forget about all your worries. The holiday season is the perfect time of year for shows like that, which is why I’m actually glad I waited until all episodes were released before I started watching it. Binging the show was not only tremendous fun, but it managed to ease me into a relaxed state for the holiday season like nothing else could. (I guess you could say, it worked like a charm?) So, if you’re in need of a break or you’re in the mood for a good romance, get a cup of tea and a blanket, sit down and start watching this show. As long as you’re open to a few clichés here and there, I promise you won’t regret it.
Jodie Whittaker and Mandip Gill in Doctor Who (2005-)
Since the initial announcement of Jodie Whittaker’s casting as the Doctor, there has been increased speculation over the timelord’s sexuality. In the past, the Doctor has only been depicted in relationships with females, which, at the time, were simple male/female relationships. However, now the Doctor is a woman, things are a little more complicated. Under the assumption that the Doctor’s past attraction to women remains unchanged, many fans have predicted there may be a romance in the works for the thirteenth Doctor and her companion, Yasmin.
Billie Piper, who played the tenth doctor’s love interest, Rose, commented on the topic after Whittaker’s casting. Piper mentioned during a convention that Rose would still be in love with the new female Doctor if their paths were to somehow cross. On the Doctor’s side of the equation, you’d be hard-pressed to argue that the change in gender would magically alter her feelings.
Rose, of course, isn’t likely to be meeting Whittaker’s iteration of the Doctor any time soon. However, Alex Kingston’s character, River Song, always seems to pop up in the most unexpected places. First appearing in the tenth Doctor’s later seasons, River Song has been a recurring love interest of the Doctor, from her marriage to Matt Smith’s eleventh Doctor, to her reappearance during Peter Capaldi’s reign, maintaining her previous role as the Doctor’s wife. If Kingston were to make another appearance at some point throughout Whittaker’s reign, it would come off as pretty absurd if the Doctor’s shift in gender made any significant difference to their relationship. Kingston herself commented at Edmonton Expo, that if the two were to meet, “I think [River would] just take her in her arms and give her a big kiss!”
Rose and River aside, the potential love interest currently at the centre of fans attention is one of the thirteenth Doctor’s companions, Yasmin “Yaz” Khan. Speculation started in an early episode of season 11, in which Yaz’s mother questioned the nature of Yaz’s relationship with the Doctor. She was direct in questioning, “are you two seeing each other?” Some fans interpreted this question as an indication Yaz may have a past history of dating women. Although Yaz quickly dismissed her mother, saying they were just friends, the Doctor’s initial response to the question was a confused, “I don’t think so. Are we?” The Doctor certainly doesn’t seem opposed to the possibility, and many fans suspect that Yaz isn’t all that opposed either.
Time and time again, Yaz has displayed her fierce loyalty and admiration for the Doctor – not dissimilar to Rose’s behaviour back in the earlier seasons. Yaz demonstrated this when she made the decision to continue travelling with the Doctor, saying “I want more, more of the universe… more time with you.” She went on, expressing with wonderment, “You’re like the best person I’ve ever met.”
The season 11 finale, “The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos” featured a similar moment which highlighted Yaz’s commitment to the Doctor. She made the emotional declaration, “I’m with you, whatever happens,” refusing to leave the Doctor’s side in the face of danger. These moments have led fans to believe there may be romantic feelings there on Yaz’s part at least. Whether her feelings are requited is, of course, another matter.
Executive Producer, Matt Strevens has commented, “Since the show came back in 2005, I think Doctor Who has been amazing at blurring the edges of sexuality and being quite gender fluid about the characters and relationships.” He went on to say, “I’m not going to say if any of our characters are or are not at this point. But it is part, I think, of the DNA that Russell re-imbued into the show.”
Hints of romance between Yaz and the Doctor are, at this point, too subtle to say for sure if this is the direction in which the creators are heading. Your average fan mightn’t pick up that there’s anything beyond friendship between the two – but that’s not to say romance isn’t on the cards.
Yaz certainly seems taken with the Doctor and, as previously discussed, it would be difficult to argue that the Doctor no longer has any interest in women. Does all this mean that the two are without a doubt destined for romance? Of course not, but I wouldn’t dismiss the possibility either. At this point in time, there’s nothing that refutes a potential romantic future for Yaz and the Doctor. However, it’s one thing for a romance to be possible, and another thing for the creators and producers to decide to go through with it. There are certainly those who would respond to such a romance negatively, dismissing it as the creators pandering to fans or a publicity stunt.
Such reactions make LGBT+ relationships a complex thing to accurately develop on screen. If you write a subtle gay romantic subplot the same way you would write a subtle straight romantic subplot, many viewers wouldn’t actually pick up on the romantic undertones. Where a gay person might read Yaz and the Doctor’s relationship as a will they/won’t they dynamic, a straight person might just see a close friendship.
There is, of course, a name for this – ‘heteronormative gaze’ – but it’s a phrase I’m hesitant to use. I can’t imagine anyone wants to be told that they’re looking at something through a ‘heteronormative gaze.’ It sure sounds like an insult (and there are many that use it as one.) From here on out, know that if I do use the phrase ‘heteronormative gaze,’ I am simply referring to the complex, socially-ingrained reasons why straight people may not immediately perceive the same potential for romance in same-gender interactions as they might in male/female interactions. (Simple, right?) When you go back to the roots of what ‘heteronormative gaze’ actually means and use it to examine different people’s varying perceptions of media and the effects of any discrepancies in interpretation, things start to get complicated.
In this scenario, where you have a large number of fans not picking up the breadcrumbs of an upcoming LGBT+ romance, these fans of course find it sudden or ‘forced’ when the relationship becomes more noticeably romantic. (Which can make the relationship feel like it was put in there randomly or to make some sort of political statement). In order to compensate for this, some creators may then feel the need to emphasise the build-up period more than they would have otherwise when portraying a romantic LGBT+ relationship. This again might come off as forced or as if it’s being pushed in the viewer’s face. This is a common issue that applies to Doctor Who right now: even if Yaz and the Doctor are destined for romance, creators will have a hard time pulling it off in a way that comes off as natural and honest.
Romance has never been at the forefront of Doctor Who. It certainly has its place in the show (see Rose and River) but fans are bound to become frustrated if creators place too much emphasis on any one romance. This applies especially an LGBT+ romance, which could all-too-easily come off as pandering to political correctness.
There’s no denying the fact the Doctor simply cannot be straight anymore. Whether the BBC will outwardly acknowledge this is another matter – as is the question of whether she and Yaz will become romantically linked. There’s a good chance nothing concrete will come of Yaz and the Doctor’s romantic potential. Considering the extent of Doctor Who’s audience, it might just be one risk too many for the show at the moment.
Personally, I wouldn’t mind if there isn’t any romance in store for the thirteenth Doctor – that’s not why I watch the show. In fact, I enjoyed season 11 precisely because of its all-round lack of romance. It certainly subverted my expectations – straight off the bat I assumed we’d be seeing Yaz and Ryan become romantically entangled at some point down the line. As of yet, there hasn’t been the slightest hint of anything more than friendship between the two, and it made for a refreshing change.
Would I like to see Yaz and the Doctor together? Absolutely – as long as it’s well written and doesn’t overshadow the rest of the story. It would be a great opportunity for the BBC to include more diversity, which they do love to take credit for (whether it’s well written or not). No, I don’t want to see Yaz and the Doctor together simply for the sake of diversity, but a relationship between the two (or even a ‘Martha Jones’-esque arc of unrequited love on Yaz’s part) could definitely still be an interesting, fresh avenue for the show to explore.
Will there be any definitive romance between Yaz and the Doctor? I wouldn’t get my hopes up too high – but with new Executive Producers, Chris Chibnall and Matt Strevens at the helm, anything’s possible. Doctor Who won’t be returning for a twelfth season until 2020, so it’ll be a while before we get a chance to find out, but who knows? Perhaps we’ll see more hints of a Yaz/Doctor romance in the upcoming New Year’s Special.
Skylar Astin and Rachel Bloom in Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (2015)
The most recent episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, “I’m Not the Person I Used to Be,” is the one we’ve all been waiting for. I’m late to the review game again, I know, but I honestly struggled to piece a coherent sentence together after the first time I watched the episode (just a long string of wows and an even longer string of questions.) I watched the episode a second time before writing this review, and I have some (only slightly) more coherent thoughts on the matter. As the midseason finale, “I’m Not the Person I Used to Be” brought out all the stocks, with two top-notch musical numbers and, most notably, by bringing back fan-favourite character Greg, who has been absent since early on in the second season.
The role of Greg has been recast, with Pitch Perfect’s Skylar Astin picking up where Broadway star, Santino Fontana, left off. In this episode, we get our first glimpse of Astin in the role, and I’ll admit I was a little hard on him on first viewing. Don’t get me wrong, he was charming and witty and everything I’d hoped the new-and-improved Greg would be – but still, he’s no Santino Fontana. On second viewing my opinion improved. I was more open to the change and the point the writers were trying to make with it. There’s nothing not to like about Astin’s performance – except for the fact he’s not Santino Fontana.
The show handles the recasting exceptionally well of course, with a record number of fourth wall breaks, making “I’m Not the Person I Used to Be” the funniest episode in a long time. The recasting actually has a deeper meaning as well (because this is Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, where every joke is grounded in something deeper). New Greg is, quite literally, an entirely different person to the Greg we left behind in season two. He’s finally sober, and he has a real sense of purpose now that he’s in business school like he always wanted. Like Rebecca, Greg knows who he is and he’s ready to move forward as a better, healthier version of himself. Once again like Rebecca, the qualities that made Greg so entertaining in the early seasons were qualities that were bad for both him and the people around him. Astin’s Greg isn’t the same hilarious embodiment of cynicism and sarcasm that Fontana captured so well – but that’s a good thing.
Up until this episode, I was pretty confident Rebecca wasn’t going to end up with any of her previous love interests, but after seeing this new version of Greg, I’m not so sure. Rebecca and Josh could never pursue a healthy romantic relationship again after everything Rebecca has been through to get over him – and Nathaniel has far too much catch up to do on his self-improvement journey to be a healthy counterpart to Rebecca anytime soon. Greg, however, has been through his own journey of self-improvement off-screen and returns as Rebecca’s equal. Sure, there would certainly be significant complications to the two pursuing a romantic relationship once more, but, if they put in the work, it might just be possible.
Whilst Rebecca certainly doesn’t need to end up in a romantic relationship, New Greg presents new possibilities. He is now someone that Rebecca could pursue a healthy relationship with if she so pleased – and he’s someone that fans already have an investment in. If Rebecca is to end up in a relationship, Greg is the only healthy option right now that would provide a satisfying conclusion for fans. Perhaps the characters will explore this possibility and conclude that they’re simply not ‘meant to be,’ despite Valencia and Heather’s ongoing belief that they are. At the moment I’d say this option is just as (if not more) likely than the show ending up with the two happily coupled together, but who knows? Perhaps Rebecca and Greg will get their happy ending after all.
New possibilities present a number of new questions. For me, many of the questions actually revolve around Nathaniel. What’s his place in the story now if he and Rebecca are truly over? Whilst Josh and Rebecca have managed to rekindle a friendship and make amends, I’m really not sure what a Rebecca/Nathaniel friendship would look like – it’s certainly something I’m curious to see. I’m also keen to see Nathaniel and Greg interact. Does Nathaniel know who Greg is? If so, Greg’s return will certainly test Nathaniel for any remaining feelings he may have for Rebecca. In any case, my main hope for Nathaniel is that we see him in therapy by the end of the season.
In a perfect world, we’d see everyone in therapy by the end of the season (except maybe White Josh.) It’s not every show where ‘they all to go to therapy and work on bettering themselves’ is an actual possibility, and it’s one of the things that makes Crazy Ex-Girlfriend so great. At the end of the day, the creators will pick the healthiest path for its characters. That’s what the show has been about all along – Rebecca’s path of self-improvement. It’s a wonderfully satisfying thing. We’re in the home stretch now, and I know I’ll be the first in line to see how Rebecca’s story plays out. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend returns on January 11 with episode nine, “I Need Some Balance.” Until then, I think it may be time to go back the start and see just how far we’ve come.
Daniel Ezra and Greta Onieogou in All American (2018)
All American isn’t even trying to be a sports show at this point. Yes, All American does teen-drama very well, but when you remove the sports and the insightful political conversation, all that’s left is tired love triangles – and that’s really all there is to episode seven, “California Love.” The episode sets up for the midseason finale, “Homecoming,” in which it looks like the football plotline will finally be returning to center-stage. In “California Love,” however, the show stacks love triangle upon love triangle, completely lacking the balance that makes the teen-drama in the previous episodes more digestible.
It wasn’t until this episode that I realised how little I care about Spencer and Layla’s romance. The writers have been pushing for the two to get together from the very beginning, but still, I held out hope that they would subvert my expectations and take a turn onto a different path. However, in “California Love,” the show takes a more definitive step in their direction. All of the simmering secrets and drama finally collides and pushes Spencer and Layla closer together. They’re not bad together – in fact, I really admire Spencer’s approach to the situation this episode. He was very blunt and honest with Layla about his feelings, which was a relief in a genre that uses miscommunication all too often to create drama. I just don’t find them all that interesting together. Also, I have to say it was incredibly rude of them to slow dance in front of Asher and the rest of the school directly after Asher and Layla’s breakup – even if Asher wasn’t the greatest boyfriend.
Asher was really put through the wringer this episode. I know he’s done a lot of bad things, but dammit I felt sorry for him. He was surprisingly understanding about Layla kissing Spencer – although I suppose he should be given the whole Olivia situation. Still, Layla’s actions were pretty cruel in comparison, keeping in mind she didn’t know about the Olivia situation at that point. I actually yelled at my screen when Asher took to the microphone. I could understand where he was coming from, but the consequences were rough. Homecoming is an unfortunate game to be benched on, considering Asher doesn’t have the money to pay for tuition without a scholarship. Karma really hurts sometimes.
I’m still not sure how Olivia feels about Spencer – I’m not even sure if she knows. She seemed okay with everything when she was talking to Layla at the start of the episode. She was perfectly happy for Layla to take her shot at Spencer, but then later in the episode, Olivia gets made at Layla for making a move on Spencer when she knew Olivia liked him. I think it’s time Olivia’s get over him and moves on. At least she’s trying. She took the guy from last episode to Homecoming with her, and he seemed really sweet, but she left him to go comfort Asher, which confused me a little. I didn’t realise the two of them were particularly close, although I guess they have a fair amount in common. It’d make more sense for Jordan to comfort Asher, but I suppose he wasn’t around, so Olivia was the next best thing.
The girl Jordan was flirting with last episode made another appearance, and it looks like things are getting more serious (on his part at least.) I can’t say I care about their relationship at all really – she just appeared out of the blue last episode, and she doesn’t seem to be particularly good for him. There’s a good chance she’s manipulating Jordan to make him vulnerable for the Homecoming game, but I have no idea why. They definitely could have given this arc a bit more thought, and introduced her in a way that made more sense. Hopefully, we’ll see some pay off next episode. I’d like to know who she is, and why she’s doing what she’s doing – right now the whole thing is far too random for my liking.
The most serious arc of the episode was Coop’s. Her struggles always provide a welcome shift in perspective from the ‘first-world’ problems of the kids of Beverly Hills High. Coop had a welcome moment of reconciliation with Spencer towards the start of the episode, and the two returned to their usual buddy-buddy friendship again. She even accompanied Spencer to Beverly’s Homecoming dance – and looked incredible I might add. Back in the hood however, things aren’t looking too great. Coop and Shawn find themselves getting deeper and deeper into their criminal pursuits, despite Shawn’s attempts to go clean. Their arc is one of the most interesting arcs on the show right now, and I know I’m curious to see how it plays out in the upcoming episodes.
Although “California Love” wasn’t my favourite episode, it was well executed nonetheless. It moves the plot forward in an explosive payoff to all the secrets and drama that had been slowly building up over the season. This will hopefully allow for a shift in focus towards some more interesting storylines in the future.
We’re one episode away from the mid-season finale, and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend just keeps getting better. I’m a bit late to the party on this one, but I enjoyed the episode so much I just had to review it. Episode seven was relentlessly entertaining, creating new opportunities for reconciliation, and taking leaps and bounds in the character development department.
The major talking point I want to draw from this episode is Rebecca’s acknowledgement of her tendency to overshare. This tendency is something I mentioned in my review of the previous episode, in which I mentioned, “Rebecca, especially, has always been self-centered, often imparting an unfair amount of emotional burden on the people around her, without offering much support in return.” In “I Will Help You”, we finally see Rebecca acknowledge her habit of oversharing – although she does focus more on how her oversharing affects her, not so much on the people around her. Nonetheless, I started clapping and cheering when Rebecca finally realised, “I don’t need to tell everyone everything all the time,” and that she doesn’t need external validation from people she barely knows or cares about. Although I’d still love to see Rebecca consider the burden her oversharing often puts on other people, this moment was a damn good start.
Another standout in “I Will Help You” was Nathaniel’s ongoing journey to be a better person. It was a happy surprise to see Nathaniel actually stick with the choice he made last episode, and actively try to be kinder to the people around him. I was glad to see the show didn’t immediately let him off the hook however – the confused and suspicious reactions of all the other characters still held Nathaniel accountable for his past wrongdoings. Nathaniel actually had to defend his actions, “I’m nice! I just sent you all massage gift cards, check your phones. Look at them. Look at your phones!” His hilarious frustration at their disbelief reminds the audience that he’s still Nathaniel, and he still has a long way to go if he truly wants to be better. His interactions with Paula, in particular, were quite telling. I loved that she pointed out Nathaniel’s role as a ‘white saviour’ – waving a chequebook around and other such material gestures don’t automatically make Nathaniel a good person. Through his volunteer work in the prison, he instead found a more meaningful way to help people. I found it interesting that he didn’t want Rebecca to know about his efforts. In the past, whenever Nathaniel did anything good, it was usually to get in Rebecca’s good books. Hopefully, this deviation from his usual pattern is an indication that Nathaniel truly does want to be a better person this time around.
Tovah Feldshuh was incredible – as always – as Rebecca’s callous mother, Naomi. Feldshuh took Naomi’s cruelty to a whole other level this episode, and Rebecca’s speech to her at the end was all the more satisfying as a result. Her song was absolutely hilarious – the costume department had a ball with this one. (Although I have to say “Where’s the Bathroom” still retains its place as the best Naomi song in my books.)
Somehow Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is pulling off the recent pattern of only having one fully-produced musical number per episode (likely a reflection of the budget being spread thinly over the increased episode count in this season.) Darryl’s short-lived clean-up song was probably the best joke of the episode, building up to a full-fledged number before cutting it short because cleaning up really isn’t that complicated – you just put everything back where it belongs. It’s pretty rare to see Darryl so abrupt, which just added to the joke. He’s usually over-eager to help – perhaps he’s implementing what he learnt from Rebecca last episode.
Josh was utterly hopeless this episode and I loved every second of it. Watching him struggle to put a bedspread on all four corners of the bed was probably the most relatable moment in the show to date and although his attempt at making pasta was a crime against humanity, he looked so cute in the blanket cape I immediately forgave him. I’m really loving everything they’re doing with Josh in season four; he’s turning into one of my favourite characters on the show, which I never would have expected whilst watching the first two seasons. The mural he put up for Rebecca was such a sweet gesture, and I’m not surprised Rebecca had a moment afterwards where her old feelings for him resurfaced. I’d honestly be okay with seeing Rebecca and Josh come back to each other if I thought it could be healthy. Again, I would never have expected to say that whilst watching the first two seasons, but they’ve been working so well together as friends in this season that, in a perfect world, I could see it working well romantically too. However, where Josh is concerned, it would be all too easy for Rebecca to descend into obsession once more. That’s why I’m glad Rebecca had this moment now – and then again with Nathaniel – so she could catch those feelings quickly and see them for what they are.
Rebecca’s slips into her old patterns should make it all the more interesting at (spoiler alert!) the return of Greg in the mid-season finale next week. Although I’m still not sure what I think about Skylar Astin filling Santino Fontana’s shoes, I think it’s important for Rebecca to reconcile with Greg so that she can truly move forward. A Rebecca/Greg reunion is something we’ve all been waiting to see ever since his surprise departure back in season two. There are so many ways it could go down, and I am just itching to see what happens. I’m almost glad I took my time before watching this episode – it means there’s less of a wait until the next one!
This is a quick follow up to my previous article on Daredevil’s cancellation, in which I briefly mentioned that Karen Page is my favourite female character of all time. I’ll admit it was a pretty big statement to make with very little context to back it up. Nonetheless, it wasn’t a statement I expected to have to defend. Somehow my article made it onto Reddit and this statement of mine about Karen became a means for dismissal – proof of my lack of credibility. Now, I’m not petty enough to write this article in direct response to that comment – to each their own – but it’s worth a mention to understand why I am writing this now. You see, before reading that comment I was blissfully unaware of some Daredevil fans’ dislike of Karen (a matter I have since familiarised myself with.)
If there’s anyone I would fight tooth and nail to defend, it’s Karen Page. I’m not saying she’s the best female character of all time – I’m saying that she’s my favourite. It’s a personal preference. This is why I mentioned it in the first place – in acknowledgment that I have a bias where Daredevil is concerned, that I am deeply invested in the show and its characters.
Karen Page is my favourite female character and I do not say that lightly. I have some personal connections to her and so I can relate to her on a deeper level than any other character in Daredevil. I admire her drive and compassion, and I value that she isn’t always strong. She has weak moments where she breaks down – because dammit she’s been through too much shit in this world not to – and I love that the show doesn’t put a filter on that. Karen is obsessive and impulsive and she drives the plot forwards in leaps and bounds because even when she breaks down, she gets back up and keeps fighting for what she believes is right. The same can’t always be said for Matt (who tends to wallow in self-pity) or Foggy (who is often logical enough to remove himself from the equation). I love Matt and Foggy to bits, but Daredevil wouldn’t be Daredevil without Karen Page.
Yes, Karen is flawed and poorly utilised at times (The Defenders) but as far as I can tell, the primary reason for the hate is because she suffers from what I like to call ‘hated by whiny fanboys for being a human being who feels emotions’ syndrome. Simply put, she cries too much to be the badass hot chick, and she’s too headstrong to be a cookie-cutter sweetheart. Perhaps if she were more quirky or snarky like Jessica Jones, fanboys would find Karen’s harsher side easier to digest. Instead, Karen reacts to conflict in a way that is far more common – she pours herself into her work or she faces it head-on. She breaks down, and she truly feels her emotions. That’s what makes her so wonderfully human. Nonetheless, people still seem to blame Karen for everything that goes wrong in the show.
There is a common pattern of fans using Karen’s individual actions and the subsequent consequences as proof that she is somehow terrible, but, citing ‘Karen Page did this thing and xy bad thing happened as a result’ is no measure of her character as a whole. If this is your method of judgement I’m surprised you find any characters to like at all. Are we just going to ignore every time Matt has broken down, or been whiney or acted impulsively? If none of these are reasons to hate Matt, then why are they so overused as reasons to hate Karen?
Yes, Karen’s done bad things and yes, worse things have happened as a result. Cause-effect is the most fundamental part of storytelling – that how it works. There are lasting consequences for Karen’s actions and that’s a good thing. The show doesn’t attempt to give her any kind of free pass or pretend those bad things never happened. Instead, they use those bad things to spur Karen’s character development forwards, allowing her to connect with other people through her empathy for their position – which is a vital role in Daredevil that neither Matt nor Foggy can fulfil.
I won’t go as far as to say that Karen is the best female character of all time, but I will say that she is the best female character Marvel has to offer right now. I dare you to find a more complex, interesting woman in the entirety of the MCU. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but right now I can’t think of one. I can’t even begin to thank Deborah Ann Woll enough for breathing such life and depth into Karen’s character, and all I can hope going forward is that we haven’t yet seen the last of her.
I tried to write this article when I first heard about Daredevil’s cancellation, but it quickly became clear that I needed a little time to cool off and collect my thoughts. I was, quite simply, too angry to put any coherent words to paper (and anyone who’s seen my Twitter will know I did not take the news well.) I’m choosing to preface this article by warning you that I am completely biased on this subject. Daredevil is one of my favourite TV shows of all time and Karen Page is my favourite female character of all time. I’m currently in the middle of rewatching season three with my parents, so the show is very present in my mind right now. All of these factors combined led to me being, like so many others, completely distraught when I heard the news. It’s a tough blow. Season three of Daredevil reached wide critical acclaim and completely revitalised the series, solidifying Daredevil’s place as the strongest of Netflix’s Marvel shows. So, why has it been cancelled?
Well, many fans quickly pointed the finger at Disney’s upcoming streaming service – Disney+. After the recent cancellations of Iron Fist and Luke Cage, rumours of possible tension between Netflix and Marvel arose. Many theorised that the cancellations were due to struggles over contract negotiations. Perhaps Disney wanted to come out of the gates running as a new and upcoming streaming service, and no longer wanted to be generating a profit for its primary competition. Nonetheless, fans hoped Daredevil would still be safe from the dubbed “Disney Purge” due to its commercial success and its higher level of critical acclaim than Netflix’s other Marvel shows.
To the fans frustration, both Iron Fist’s and Luke Cage’s second (and now final) seasons ended on cliff-hangers, leaving no doubt that their cancellations came as a shock to the creators. It wasn’t as much of a surprise to fans however, as Luke Cage and Iron Fist especially, were two of the least successful Marvel/Netflix creations (although I would personally still defend Luke Cage season 2 till my dying breath… and the first half of season one.) Many wrote the cancellations off due to the shows’ lack of widespread popularity, remaining hopeful that fan favourites like Daredevil would remain untouched. Some fans even speculated that Luke Cage and Danny Rand might still live on in a joint Heroes for Hire series, which would suit the family-friendly branding of Disney+. However, now that Daredevil has been axed also, fans are left to assume that Disney is in fact purging all of its content from competing streaming platforms. This would indicate that Netflix’s remaining Marvel shows, Jessica Jones and The Punisher, are likely to get the chop shortly after the release of their upcoming seasons.
It seems like a clear-cut case for Disney being the one responsible for Daredevil’s cancellation – or so I thought. Fans derived an opposing theory from a recent tweet from Daredevil’s Co-Executive Producer, Sam Ernst. The tweet in question read “Had a last lunch yesterday with the Daredevil writers. Sushi provided by our Captain, @erikoleson. Marvel execs there too, just as stunned as we were. More than lunch, really: a wake. A show gets cancelled, all those characters we love die. Why I hate my job. Why I love it, too.” If Disney cancelled Daredevil, then surely the Marvel Executives would be aware of the show’s cancellation. There is, of course, rumoured tension between the Marvel film creators and the Marvel TV creators – so perhaps this is simply a case of miscommunication between separate branches of Marvel. However, it’s also possible that it was actually Netflix that cancelled Daredevil, not Disney.
Time and time again, Netflix has demonstrated its prioritisation for cheap, profitable projects over more expensive higher-quality projects (see Sense8 and The Get Down). Netflix may not have wanted to pay increasing licencing costs to Disney, especially now that Disney is rolling out its new streaming service in direct competition to Netflix. I’m honestly not sure I want to believe this theory, and it’s not because I don’t think it’s possible; it’s because I’d hate to see Daredevil cancelled over something so arbitrary, so impersonal.
You see, I can understand if a show is cancelled due to low quality, low viewership or extortionate production costs – at least these reasons are in some way a reflection on the show itself. Daredevil’s cancellation is a by-product. It’s the result of Disney and Netflix’s refusal to compromise, not even for the sake of their joint creation – which neither could have made without the other’s help in the first place. Maybe the cancellation is a result of Netflix deciding Daredevil isn’t worth its cost anymore; maybe it’s that simple. Maybe it’s because Disney thinks they don’t need Netflix to create content for them anymore (even though Marvel originally went to Netflix because it could create far darker content than Marvel could – which is very much still a factor under ‘family-friendly’ Disney’s reign.)
I’d say Disney has more motivation to pull the plug on Daredevil than Netflix does, but there’s enough implication of Netflix being the true culprit for me to stay open-minded. Netflix certainly has a history of axing critically acclaimed shows out of the blue, so I wouldn’t put it past them. Either way, the decision had nothing to do with the fan’s wishes or the quality of the content they were putting out. It had nothing to do with the hard work of the cast and crew, who deserve a proper send-off. At the end of the day, Daredevil’s cancellation is a harsh lesson and reminder of how truly brutal this industry can be.
The most recent episode of All American, “The Choice Is Yours,” starts by bringing us back into the world of sports. Honestly, I’d almost forgotten this was a show about football with all the family drama going on recently. That being said, I’m always a sucker for family drama – and this show does it pretty damn well.
What I’m not a sucker for, is love triangles, and the way they treated the Spencer/Olivia/Layla love triangle in this episode was frankly, quite confusing. You see, towards the start of the episode, Olivia didn’t really seem all that interested in Spencer anymore. (I think the ‘hey that guy might be your brother’ thing may have put her off a little.) In a conversation with Layla, she discussed the whole situation. She heavily implied that she knows Layla is into Spencer, saying “we both know that you trying to set me up with Spencer was more about you than it was about me.” Olivia then proceeds to go on a date with a guy she met whilst volunteering at a community event. She does seem a little wary of committing to a new relationship – but I assumed that was more because the whole Spencer thing was super stressful, not because she actually still had feelings for him. However, later in the episode, Olivia witnesses Layla and Spencer kissing and she is completely taken aback. She actually starts crying, which I found odd, given how okay Olivia seemed about Spencer earlier in the episode. Maybe she was jealous of Spencer, not Layla – I can’t be the only one who’s noticed Olivia and Layla’s chemistry… Or maybe I just missed something.
Speaking of Layla and Spencer kissing, it seems like Layla is sick of putting up with Asher’s lies. I’m honestly not sure if she kissed Spencer because she has actual feelings for him, or just out of frustration with her relationship troubles with Asher. I’m also not sure which option the show wants me to be rooting for – if it’s the first, they’re not doing a very good job. Either way, I’m sure the aftermath will be complicated. If Asher’s lies are her only real issue with him, then she may be happy to know that Asher has started to open up to his friends about his financial struggles – that’s got to be a step in the right direction.
After fighting with Jordan all episode, Asher finally told his best friend his secret. Jordan had been understandably passive aggressive around Asher, due to the previous episode’s revelation that Olivia and Asher had slept together. Jordan believed that Asher had taken advantage of Olivia’s mental state at the time, but after Asher confronts Jordan about his attitude, Asher reveals that he had also been struggling at the time and that they were both equally drunk (and equally ashamed once they sobered up.) The two boys were able to reconcile – as if these two could stay mad at each other for a whole episode. I’m not saying gay but… As a gay myself, I have the right to say gay if I want to say gay – that’s how that works. They did show Jordan flirting with a random girl this episode though, so I’ll say bi instead and leave it at that. Is it unrealistic of me to hope either Jordan and Asher or Layla and Olivia get together at some point? Probably, but I’m going to hold out hope anyway.
The one lesbian romance All American does have is still going strong, so at the moment, I’m more than happy with that. We see Coop and Patience looking quite cosy towards the start of this episode. Spencer and Patience chat about their mutual concern for Coop, who is still working with Shawn – who’s into some shady stuff. Spencer repeatedly expresses his concerns to Coop herself throughout this episode, pointing out that it’s not just her in danger – it’s him and his family too. Coop, however, is too close to Shawn (and too financially desperate) to cut him out of her life. She finds out this episode that Shawn has a (really cute) daughter, and they have an honest conversation about the dangers of what they do. Shawn tells her that he doesn’t have much choice, saying, “you’re playing yourself if you think people like us get the same shots as other people – cause if we did, I’d be out.” On so many other shows, Shawn would be made out to be a total bad guy who’s manipulating Coop for his own gain. All American’s approach is far more powerful. Coop isn’t a gullible idiot – she’s working with Shawn for a reason. He’s actually a pretty compassionate guy, and it’s really our main character, Spencer, who’s looking at the situation in black and white.
Another refreshingly complex relationship explored in this episode was Layla’s relationship with her father. When her father returned with a young girlfriend on his arm last episode, I figured we’d probably see the same old “teenage girl is angry at her father for dating hot new young chick – who is probably a ditsy gold-digger” storyline. At the start of this episode, I still thought that’s where it was going, but it turned out to be a lot more nuanced than that. I won’t get too deep into it, but Layla’s father’s girlfriend turned out to be pretty cool, and her father turned out to be… less cool? They didn’t completely villainise the father though. Layla was originally angry, but, in the end, he admitted to his mistakes openly and honestly and the two shared a particularly emotional scene where they bonded over the loss of Layla’s mother. All episode, Layla sought validation for her not wanting her father to be in a new relationship. She tried to find someone to blame – some sort of conspiracy to break the two apart. Although some of her reasons for suspicion were valid, at the end of the day, there wasn’t anyone to blame, and I really enjoyed watching her come to this point of realisation.
Well, that’s a wrap for this week’s episode of All American. In future, all I can ask is that they continue to surprise me – and that they maybe turn the love triangle down a notch. As a general rule, an extra sprinkling of gay can never hurt, but I’ve been pleasantly surprised with the depth of Coop’s character so far, so far be it from me to complain. If All American keeps it up, I can see the show turning into quite the success.
Going into these the last five episodes of The Haunting of Hill House, my main questions were: what’s up with the red door, what really happened to the children’s mother, and why is the house haunted in the first place? Two of the three were answered throughout these next five episodes, which leaves room for another season if they decide to make one.
Before I talk about the individual episodes, I’ll just start by addressing the show and these last five episodes, as a whole. Now, I’m probably the last person to finish this series. At first, I just thought it was just because I’m a bit of a wimp but, when I got to these last five episodes, I found myself moving through them much faster. They follow directly on from one another, which made it much harder to stop watching. The first five were more self-contained, and I actually liked taking a break between episodes to just sit with each individual character for a while.
These last five episodes have really made me appreciate the slower pacing in the first five – and I don’t mean that in a bad way. It was only when all the children came together that I realised just how much depth each character has. They have that depth because the writers took the time to flesh out each character individually, and the last five episodes work so incredibly well as a result.
I forgot to mention in my review of episodes 1-5 how much I love this show’s opening titles. I’m a big fan of opening titles in general. I don’t know if that weird thing to be a fan of, but this show’s titles is one of my favourites. If you read my previous review, then you’ll know that the show’s pilot didn’t leave too much of an impression on me at first, but you know what did? That’s right – the opening titles. They are very spooky and atmospheric and in my official reviewer opinion, they are, in fact, pretty rad. They’re probably half the reason I came back to the show in the first place and I simply couldn’t do another review without saying so.
Now let’s get into the individual episodes. Strap in – this is a long one.
Timothy Hutton, Elizabeth Reaser, Anthony Ruivivar, and Kate Siegel in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
In episode 6, “Two Storms,” our main characters are finally all in the one place – thanks Nell. The episode is a well-needed standstill after the harrowing “Bent-Neck Lady,” as the characters come together to mourn Nell. Now we finally have a chance to see all the messed-up family dynamics clashing together at full force. The characters reflect on their memories of Nell, frustrating one another with their conflicting defence mechanisms.
Steve interrogates their father in search of some much-needed answers, and they attempt to piece together what really happened to Nell. Steve believes Nell must have inherited some sort of mental illness from their mother, whilst Luke maintains Nell’s death wasn’t a suicide – that it was the result of something supernatural.
Theo confronts Shirley, revealing she took Steven’s money. Shirley’s husband admits he also took the money and Shirley, who somehow held herself together throughout the first five episodes, finally had the breakdown I’d been waiting to see. Later in the episode, Shirley is shocked to find her husband and Theo in close quarters. It appears as though Theo is attempting to kiss Shirley’s husband, which doesn’t make sense. It isn’t explained in this episode, but I expect it will be the source of some drama to come.
In a discussion with Luke, the father agrees that the house had somehow killed Nell. Luke pushes him to confirm that their mother hadn’t killed herself either but he refuses. Steven joins in the argument, also appearing to believe their father is still hiding information from them about that night.
There was little new information provided in the flashbacks this episode, which simply told the story of one particularly stormy night in the house where Nell goes missing. The father sees an unexplained ghostly apparition of his wife whilst they search for Nell, starting to hint at the mysteries to come centred around the children’s mother.
This episode was a perfect opportunity for the characters to reconcile and express their struggles to one another, allowing them to begin moving forward – and hopefully bring them closer to finding out what actually happened to the mother.
Michiel Huisman, and Oliver Jackson-Cohen in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
In many ways, episode seven, “Eulogy,” feels like the second instalment of “Two Storms,” directly following on from both the flash-back timeline and modern-day timeline of the previous episode. Like “Two Storms,” episode seven is more focused on the progression of family relationships than it is on adding much to the haunted house plotline.
The supernatural side of the story is mostly reflected throughout the flashbacks – which shift attention back to the mysterious room with the red door. At one point, the father vents out his growing frustrations with the house by unsuccessfully attempting to force his way through the door, but it remains inexplicably impenetrable. The house is full of water damage after the storm in the previous episode, which pushes back the repairs considerably – as if the house is refusing to let the family leave.
We also see signs of the mother reaching a breaking point, when the father wakes up to see her pressing a knife to his throat. The father also notices her drawings of their future “forever house” have a remarkably similar layout to Hill House. Later in the episode, one of the water-damaged walls is demolished to reveal a decaying human skeleton – which is a good indicator that there is some sort of backstory for the house’s supernatural happenings. Whether this backstory will ruin the ‘spooky’ factor of the house remains to be seen, but this discovery (along with the mother’s descent into hysteria) shows a definite step towards finding some much-needed answers.
In the modern-day timeline, the episode focuses on the father, Hugh, on the day of Nell’s funeral. Throughout the episode, he interacts with each of the children individually, giving the audience an insight into each of the withstanding parent-child relationships. He sees and interacts with a vision of the children’s mother, which he tells Luke about towards the end of the episode, where he implies that she’s just a projection of his grief. Luke also experiences a vision earlier in the episode of Nell at her grave. In their later conversation, Hugh implies that Luke’s vision, unlike his own, was likely real in some sense. Steve was the one with Luke when the vision actually occurred, and he maintained that it was due to some sort of hereditary mental illness – warning Luke that if he wasn’t careful, he would end up like Nell and their mother.
Later in the episode, Luke goes missing along with Shirley’s wallet and Theo’s car, and the others assume the worst. Shirley and Steve go out looking for Luke and back at Shirley’s house, Theo and Hugh find the model of the “forever home” has been destroyed. Theo then experiences a similar vision of Nell to Luke’s.
In this episode, we finally get to see flashbacks of what happened between Hugh and the police on the day after the family fled the house. The episode concludes with the revelation that Hugh found the red door open on the night they ran from Hill House, but he conceals this fact in his statement to the police. I can only assume that the room has something to do with the mother’s death, but I suppose I’ll just have to wait and see.
Elizabeth Reaser and Kate Siegel in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Now, because I don’t hate myself, I have not watched a single episode of this show at night. Well, I hadn’t, until I watched episode eight, “Witness Marks.” In fact, I watched this episode just before I went to bed – like the idiot I am. I actually thought I was going to get away with it, but the jumpscare of Nell screaming in the car got me… and then the ending really got me.
Anyway, this episode we’re back to Steve, and we finally get more information about what happened between him and his wife – which he had been awfully tight-lipped about up until this point. Steve’s father encourages him to reconcile with his wife, but Steve dismisses him, still holding his father accountable for his mother’s death. He implies that his father may have abused her, as some of her injuries that the police report documented couldn’t have been self-inflicted. Regardless – in keeping with his belief that their family is mentally ill – Steve also blames his father simply because “the one person who was supposed to care about her didn’t do a goddamn thing to get her help.”
Steve tells Hugh that he had a vasectomy right out of college because he never wanted to pass on the family’s mental illness. He had lied about this to his wife, which is what lead to their separations. In turn, Hugh disputes Steve’s ‘mental illness’ theory, telling him the house itself is the real danger. He implies that the house had some personal vendetta against their family in particular and tells Steve the house is especially dangerous for him because of what he wrote in his book. In an effort to convince Steve, Hugh reveals that many of the events Steve wrote as fact simply weren’t possible. A man Steve saw fixing a clock was never there, and the treehouse, which was featured in a number of flashbacks of Steve’s memories, was never there. This discussion occurs as the family continues their search for Luke, who they discover may be on his way to burn down Hill House.
Back at Shirley’s house, we see Shirley’s marriage problems continue after she saw Theo and her husband almost kissing in episode six. Left alone in her home, Shirley hears repeated knocks on her front door, but each time she checks outside, she doesn’t see anyone there. She convinces herself that it’s just kids messing around. When Theo comes back, the two fight about what had really happened with Shirley’s husband. The fight is interrupted by repeated knocking from all over the house. A shaken Shirley still insists its kids stirring up trouble, but Theo dismisses her, saying, “you know it wasn’t.” Both of our sceptics, Shirley and Steve, are therefore forced to face the possibility that their supernatural encounters are in fact real. As we drive closer to the end of the season, these realisations will hopefully help the family become a united front.
Shirley and Theo both see the same apparition of Nell screaming (which frightened me half to death) whilst arguing in the car. Theo breaks down and explains to Shirley how touching Nell’s dead body had made her feel completely empty, as if she were also dead. This scene was probably the highlight of the episode; it was incredibly emotional, and Theo’s descriptions of what death felt like were truly horrifying.
The flashbacks in the episode continue to show the mother’s descent into some sort of madness. We also hear more backstory about the Hill family, who apparently met in a mental asylum – nice.
The episode ends with Luke entering the house, pouring gasoline everywhere and attempting to light in on fire. Oh boy did I have chills. From the moment the house lit up as it had done for Nell, I was a goner. Now, I know I said in my previous review that Luke’s episode wasn’t my favourite, but I’ll admit I’ve grown quite fond of him over the past few episodes – though I’m not sure I realised it until this scene. I was genuinely distraught over the possibility of Luke dying, and if it hadn’t been for John Mulaney’s New in Town airing on TV that night, (like a gift from God himself) I’m not sure I would’ve slept a wink. Any episode that can make me feel that amount emotion is a good one in my book.
Carla Gugino in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Episode nine, “Screaming Meemies” was the episode that I’d been waiting for. The entire episode occurs in the flashback timeline, showing the mother’s perspective of the events leading up to her death. The mother, Olivia, experiences a vision towards the beginning of the episode, of an adult version of Nell lying dead, with Luke on the floor next to her with a needle in his arm – which was all kinds of disturbing. This vision instils a sense of fear in Olivia for the twins going forward. She tells her husband about the vision, and he assumes it was a dream but she doesn’t seem convinced.
Olivia often sees spirits around the house. One woman disturbs her in particular, Poppy Hill – who, as we learnt last episode, met the house’s original owner in an insane asylum. The two discuss the pain of losing a child, and Poppy describes in vivid detail a dream in which she killed her own child. It’s implied that this ‘dream’ Poppy speaks of may have actually been real. She attempts to manipulate Olivia into violent action against the twins (thereby attempting to ‘save’ them from the darkness of the outside world.) This is when Olivia wakes up with a knife to her husband’s throat.
In another particularly disturbing scene, Olivia speaks to the twins before bed and Nell asks, “what if I dream that you kill me?” Luke follows this with, “and what if I’m so sad and scared of the dark that I put poison in me?” Nell continues with an eerie premonition – “you send us out there to the dark and the dark gets us – a piece at a time, over years and years and years until I’m on a silver table… and Luke is cold and dead on the floor with a needle in his arm, and it was you that killed us because you sent us out there in the dark.” When Nell asks “would you wake us up from a dream like that?” Olivia replies, “of course.” Steve walks in and interrupts her, and the twins aren’t actually there. This vision gives us many answers about Olivia’s mindset at the time. Her visions all indicated that her children needed saving from the pain and darkness in their futures, which is an idea Olivia becomes obsessed with moving forwards.
She bumps up her trip to see her sister out of fear for her mental state, but lies to the family, and simply takes a cab to the nearby motel instead. In a nice piece of foreshadowing, the husband discovers the mould killer has been ineffective on the storm-damaged walls, which had regrown. That night, Olivia takes a cab back to the house. Shirley finds her in the kitchen and notices that something is off. Olivia visits the twins and discovers Luke’s ‘imaginary friend’ Abigail is with them. Olivia invites the three of them to have a tea party with her, and she takes them through into the room with the red door, which lies open. Shirley wakes their father out of concern, and he finds the mould-killer in the kitchen where Olivia made the tea and assumes the worst. He finds the twins beds empty and runs to the room with the red door.
Abigail drinks the tea and starts choking, and Olivia maintains the belief that she’s freeing them from a life of pain. Hugh runs into the room, grabbing his wife by the neck and pushing her against the wall when she objects to him stopping the twins from drinking. This aligns with the injuries on the police report that lead Steve to believe Hugh may have been abusive. When the mother wakes up, most of the children are already in the car. She makes her way to Steve’s room, who Hugh has gone to rescue. Poppy materialises once more, telling Olivia that her husband wants to take the kids away from her into the darkness. Olivia twists the door handle around – which we saw from Steve’s perspective in the first episode – but another ghost distracts her, telling her that the Poppy is lying. When the mother moves away from the door, Hugh escapes with Steve.
When they drive away, Olivia returns to Abigail’s body. Abigail appears as a ghost, and Olivia follows her up the spiral staircase, where Poppy appears once more. Poppy convinces Olivia that she’s dreaming and that when she wakes up, the children will be asleep in their beds. In an attempt to wake up, Olivia jumps. In one final blow to my fragile heart, the episode cuts to the scene where the family first moved into the house, and Olivia insists that her husband must go on (upstairs) without her.
Once again this was an incredible episode, and in no way do I feel that the backstory/reasoning behind the spooky events (as revealed so far) has ruined the show – as I so often feel in horrors.
Victoria Pedretti in The Haunting of Hill House (2018)
Onto the finale, “Silence Lay Steadily.” This last episode wasn’t my favourite episode, but that’s not to say I wasn’t impressed. As I addressed in my last review, it’s no easy feat to provide a satisfying conclusion to a horror story. Somehow, this episode managed to wrap up most of the loose ends in an interesting, emotional final hurrah, that gives each character enough screen time to say a proper farewell. The episode provides answers to enough of the remaining mysteries to make all the buildup worthwhile, but it doesn’t drown the audience in too much detail to the point where the show simply isn’t scary anymore. To accomplish all that in an hour of quality television is impressive.
The episode starts with the scene from episode one where Shirley and Nell try to unlock the red door, but this time, we also get to see that Theo was on the other side. She can hear them, but they can’t hear her. This hints at a revelation that occurs later in the episode. We then see Steve with his wife, who is somehow pregnant. Steve is struggling to write a sequel to Hill House, retelling this season’s modern-day timeline – he is up to the part of the story where he and his father arrive at the house looking for Luke. We then follow Steve and Hugh back at that time, climbing up the spiral staircase to the room with the red door, which is locked. When his father turns away, Steve sees the door open, and Luke is inside on the ground. Steve runs through the door and it slams shut behind him.
When Steve is writing the second book, his wife mentions that Luke had died – which was very mean of the show’s writers. Steve says he doesn’t remember what happened after the door closed, that he doesn’t remember getting out of the house or reconciling with his wife or how she got pregnant. Steve realises his wife and everything he’s seeing isn’t real, that he’s actually in the room with the red door. Nicely done writers, you had me fooled for a second. Luke is trapped in a similar dream state to Steve, back in the events of episode four. This is a different version where the girl he went after came back for him. She tries to convince Luke to take drugs with her and he starts to realise something is wrong. Nell appears, pulling him out of the vision in time for him to wake up and see Steve enter the room.
Shirley and Theo enter the house and they both have similar visions. Theo’s depicts her telling her lover about a time her mother had spanked her for throwing a rock through a greenhouse window. She puts on her gloves but she doesn’t remember why, and she doesn’t feel anything when she touches the woman’s skin. Eventually, Nell pulls her out of it and she wakes up. Shirley’s vision is different, revealing new information that had only been hinted about throughout the season – that years ago, she had cheated on her husband with a man she met in a bar.
When the girls wake up, the siblings are all together in the red room and they attempt to resuscitate Luke, to no avail. Luke wakes up in the red room to see his mother, along with a young Nell and Abigail sitting at the table as they did during the tea party. Olivia asks him to join them, but the young Nell warns him not to. Luke tells his mother he doesn’t want to be dead, but Olivia insists that he had been knocking on the red door for years – thus knocking on the door to his own death. Nice metaphor. Nell eventually breaks through and Luke wakes up to see Steve and Theo struggling to open the red door.
The siblings all see the same apparition of Nell, who confirms Shirley’s suspicions that they’d all been in the room before. She describes the room as being the ‘stomach’ of the house, revealing that it had been Theo’s dance studio, her own toy room, Olivia’s reading room, Steve’s gaming room, the family room for Shirley and a tree house for Luke. The siblings use this opportunity to apologise to Nell and say their goodbyes. It’s one of the episodes more touching scenes, but Nell assures them that she’s not dead, that pieces of her are still scattered throughout their lives.
Hugh wakes up to a vision of a decaying Poppy. She threatens him but is stopped and dismissed by Olivia. The parents speak, and Olivia asks him what he was doing all that time away, and he responds, “I was holding the door closed” because he knew “there were monsters on the other side that wanted the rest of [their] family.” Olivia argues the true monsters are the ones in the outside world. She still blames him for taking the children from her, and for their suffering. She insists, “this is our forever house, it always was” and that they would always be safe in it. He asks her to open the red door and to let them go out into the world. She refuses, as she’d be left alone. He offers to stay there with her, as long as she opens the door. She finally agrees, and the children are able to escape.
Steven remains behind with Hugh, who has something more he wishes to reveal. The two observe the scene where Hugh found Olivia dead all those years ago. It turns out the caretakers were there that night, as their daughter had snuck out of her bed. Their daughter is revealed to be Abigail, and they find her dead body on the floor. Abigail’s ghost appears, and Hugh also sees Olivia’s ghost materialise by her body. The caretakes talk Hugh out of burning the house down, saying they would keep Abigail’s death a secret as long as he let them stay on as sole caretakers of the house. After these revelations, Steve and Hugh apologise to each other for the secrets they kept. Hugh says goodbye, leaving the house to Steve as he joins Olivia and Nell in the red room.
In the final scenes, Steve apologies to his wife, and the two reconcile. Shirley tells her husband about the time she cheated on him in hopes that the two can move forward. Theo moves out of Shirley’s house with the help of the girl she’s been seeing, and she throws out her gloves, choosing instead to feel. We see Luke celebrate two years of being clean, and in the background, we hear Steve’s narration of what we can assume is the second book in the making. The caretakers return to Hill House on their deathbeds to be with Abigail, and everything is tied up in a neat little bundle.
The finale didn’t delve too deep into the mechanics of the house, which I actually like. It’s implied that the house feeds on its inhabitants somehow, collecting them as ghosts. It doesn’t explain how this began, simply choosing to focus on the Crain family and their emotional connections, as they were the real draw to the show in the first place. Perhaps they’ll delve into how the house works more in the next season – if there is a next season.
It’s hard to tell how they would proceed with a second season, but there have been talks about potentially exploring other familys’ experiences with Hill House. Creator, Mike Flanagan, released a recent statement stating that he doesn’t feel the need to revisit the Crain family, as he wants to “remember them the way [they] left them, and leave them to their lives.” In some ways this is disappointing; I’ve grown quite attached to these characters over the course of the season, so of course it would be nice to see more of them. But, like Flanagan, I’m perfectly happy to leave them here, safe in the knowledge that the worst of their troubles are behind them.
TheScreenReview 