THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER Ending Explained!
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 13 ต.ค. 2023
- In this video we take a deep dive, review, recap, and breakdown Netflix's latest horror masterpiece from Mike Flanagan THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER starring Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, and Kate Segel.
The Haunting of Hill House Ending Explained: • THE HAUNTING OF HILL H...
Midnight Mass Ending Explained: • MIDNIGHT MASS Ending E...
The Haunting of Bly Manor Ending Explained: • THE HAUNTING OF BLY MA...
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Where would you rank THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER in the Flanaverse?
The Haunting of Hill House Ending Explained: th-cam.com/video/2NIbnMx5cZU/w-d-xo.html
Midnight Mass Ending Explained: th-cam.com/video/XRhZLPvdCZA/w-d-xo.html
The Haunting of Bly Manor Ending Explained: th-cam.com/video/of3Qr30467U/w-d-xo.html
My ranking for The Flanaverse:
Series
1- The haunting of Hill House 10/10
2- The Fall of the house of usher 10/10
3- Midnight Mass 8/10
4- The Haunting of Bly Manor 7/10
5- Midnight club 6/10
And the movies:
1- Gerald's game 10/10
2- Doctor Sleep 10/10
3- SOMNIA 9/10
4- Ouija Origin of Evil 9/10
5- Hush 7/10
1- Fall of the house Usher
2- Midnight mass
3- Haunting of Hill house
4-Haunting of Bly manor
5- Midnight club ( this one was so awful I quit before the end).
Although I love Mike Flanagan and everything he creates but my personal rankings on his series goes like this:
1. The Haunting of Hill House
2. Fall of the house of Usher
3. The Haunting of the Bly Manor
4. Midnight Mass
5. Midnight Club ( I haven't finished it yet, also its a bit boring imo compared to other Flanagan series 🤷♀️)
Whats midnight mass? I think I missed that one
Definitely my #2 after the hill house. The hill house was beautiful
I love how they made Verna not just an entity that kills, but a being with emotion and judgment. She did warn Roderick and Madeline of the consequences of the deal, she also warned the kids before their deaths to make things right. She told the bar staff and Morella to leave before the sprinklers went off. She decided to make Frederick pay for torturing his wife. She showed compassion and sadness for Lenore.
She says it with Camille’s death she told her that she could have died in her sleep
@@catfoy8888same with fredericks death, verna said she could've chosen a different way for him to die like a car accident "But you just had to grab the pliers" as she said
My thing with this is, it didn’t matter if they had decided to become better she was still going to kill them.
@@CandicePoe This part of it I don’t understand. She warns them about their choice as if they could live and live a better life but Lenore was innocent and she is killed.
@@naefaust581Lenore was still considered Roderick’s Bloodline and her fate was already set years before her birth when her grandfather and great Aunt made a deal with Verna. So basically she was cursed from birth.
Lenore’s death still hurts me. The fact that she went out peacefully and not horrific as her family just destroyed me. The innocence of her 😩😩🙏🏾
I legit thought she'd just passed out until her body appeared in front of roderick
I love how the woman who killed her I forgot who she was she that this isn’t her fault and wanted her to know what her mother will do for her in the future and took such care of her.
The only scene i cried. You could see Verna's pain having to take Lenore too
@@looseflyingtoughts exactly and how Verna actually got her hands dirty on Lenore’s father for what he did to her mother.
@@Mcherri oooh i loved that scene. When she said that part about him torturing his wife like "you had to do that" i celebrated because i was mad af at him
Roderick didnt die despite being overdosed, which explains why Madeline also didnt die from her "burial" because the contract is that they both should die together. So yeah, Madeline wasnt just a walking corpse. She was 100% alive which makes it even more disturbing
But was the poison meant to kill her? I assumed it was the same poison they gave man in the wall which made him pass out at first and then he wakes up later
@@blackoffee I think he did meant to kill her rather than just drunk her. He did say that he "sent her off like a goddess" and literally took off her eyes. That would be so messed up if he did it despite knowing shes alive. He just didnt realize she cant die because: the rule is they should die together
@@emj3199he meant to kill her, as he was surprised to see her later, he expected her to be dead, but he remembered how even their mom refused to die
He did mean to kill her, but it seems he also didn’t expect her to die. He had with him in the basement Madeline’s collection of ancient Egyptian embalming tools. One of those tools was the long hook that was meant to remove the brain. It seems like his intent was to send her to the afterlife, but he wasn’t sure any of it would actually work. By the end it seems like he wasn’t sure if Madeline was a ghost, like his children, or if she was still alive.
@@brandy4530 i dunno? It seems that Dupin saw Madeline as well rather than just Roderick's delusions. So seems to be "alive" thanks to the deal.
I don't know if anyone has already mentioned this, but for as cold and cruel Mads was, she was smart for not having children. Whether by sacrifice or she genuinely never wanted children, she made sure nobody would directly die because of her when the bill came due. In fact when making the deal, she even looked to Roderick and mentioned his children he already had. While Roderick on the other hand, knew his children would all die when he did and STILL proceeded to father child after child. So yeah Mads seemed like the crueler one, but was she really..?
This. I thought she seemed like the more evil sibling, when all she did was be honest about what she wanted..while Roderick lied about his motives, potentially to himself as well, all the while sacrificing his children and turning them into monsters.
Exactly. Might be cruel, but I can atleast respect someone that owns up to who they are, rather than lie to others and themself.
So for me she did come across as more evil of the two. I think her not having children was one of few kindnesses she ever did. In the end she used her brother as the catalyst for her own success, and then talked him into taking pills as a way to avoid her own death. Even when it came to her brothers children, even though it seemed like she cared for the granddaughter (Lorna?), she was simply utilizing her for the whole “uploaded consciousness” algorithm to pitch to the board. Just the way o saw it play out
Madeline was also more hesitant to “seal the deal” with Verna. She looks worried and pauses before shooting the drink. She’s cunning and ruthless, but I think she has a louder conscious than Rod.
She mentioned this to Rodrick, she got an IUD purposely and he just kept sleeping around.
I love how mike Flanagan brings back actors - it’s make me happy and makes it even more fun to watch
Like American horror story, BUT BETTER
@@AngelicaDiallo A trillion times better.
@@AngelicaDialloof recent seasons sure, but AHS has some gems.
So much better because I actually watched the full season of this versus the other show. @@AngelicaDiallo
EXACTLY!!!!@@ReadLoveListen
It hits me, Verna's speech about how she has to explain the word bloodline. I kept thinking that Lenore will be spared. Thinking that maybe it is only Roderick's children who will be killed. I cried when she died. She is innocent and the only bad luck she has is that she is born in the Usher family.
Yeah that’s what I don’t get yes she said the next generation bloodline which means his children Lenore comes from the generation after that so she shouldn’t have payed for her family’s sin that should’ve been a loophole.
@@Mcherrishe also said that after Roderick died so his bloodline
i cried tooo
I was hoping the mom cheated and lied about her being his kid 😭
I made that mistake too, thought the deal only included the next generation
I’m obsessed with the cast. They’ve all been an excellent horror, movies or series or mini series and they’re acting as top-tier.
Same!! Sometimes i feel like its an easter egg hunt to see if i can identify the characters from the past series
❤🥰😘😘😘will watch it 🇬🇧🇧🇩👍
This is probably a very unpopular opinion. But Madelines speech at the very end of the series really got to me. She wasn't right but she wasn't totally wrong either. The world being a messed up place dosn't excuse what they did, but I don't think they were the only guilty ones. It was a spiderweb of human greed that caused all those deaths.
Verna talking about money fixing the world .
I cant quote what she actually said but that stuck with me
I felt her speech was hypocritical she killed the original CEO for his misdeeds just for her and her brother to repeat the same things he did if not worst, instead of breaking the toxic cycles they repeated it and instead of simply taking the responsibility or apologizing they simply say, welp everyone does it so why can't we ion know that's just how I took it 🤷
@elizabethclarke4981 i mean they killed the ceo for entirely selfish reasons it wasnt altruistic and they didnt really hide that.. they just wanted his job and their "birthright"
@@catbear305 which proves my point even more lol
@elizabethclarke4981 except not really they killed him for being an asshole who stood in their way you werent saying that
Verna is from the island of "Ultima Thule" and here is why.
In episode 6, Rod talks about how special Pym is, and how much he had seen throughout his life. The expedition that Arthur went on when he was 25. He said Arthur told his kids that the earth was hollow, and that there is an island on the top of world called "Ultima Thule", and "it was the realm of beings who lived beneath us, out of time, and out of space".
In the last episode, when we see the deal between Verna, and Rod & Mad Usher, she said "You feel it. Both of you. In the air. We're sitting outside time and space." When she meets Arthur, she says "you really don't remember me? I was so impressed with you lot. The Transglobe Expedition.". As you said, she had to go "Topside". Because she is one of the "beings who lived beneath us, out of time, and out of space".
I felt the same thing... She also said he saw her there.. In the North Pole..
I agree. Here’s an excerpt from Poe’s “Dream-Land”:
“I have reached these lands but newly
From an ultimate dim Thule -
From a wild weird clime that lieth, sublime
Out of SPACE - out of TIME.”
Very reminiscent of Verna’s original deal with Roderick and Madeline at the bar.
Thank I was confused on what she was
I thought she was the devil out to get more souls like making a deal with the devil
I love how all their partners were all good people. Morella was tempted once but she wasn't really that bad. The rest of the partners were with the Ushers because they truly loved them. So it's nice that they all got out, with the exception of poor Ali.
I think that the reason why out of all partners Ali was the only one to die was bc she did something bad, she was killing the chimps with Vic. So she wasn’t entirely a good person. And Morelos was offered a chance to leave but as the saying goes “curiosity killed the cat”
True, all of their downfalls/deaths began after they ditch their partners. The obvious one is morella as she notices freddie taking all the drug but she can’t do nothing
I felt bad for Napoleon. I feel like he was the least evil of his siblings. He was the only one upset when his siblings died and was supportive of them. He seemingly didn’t abuse his fortune like his siblings, just running a video game company. He didn’t even kill the cat. The worst things he did was cheat on his boyfriend and hide the dead cat.
How did the cat die?
@@hcap08 it didn’t die it just ran away for a few days. We see it walk over Napoleon’s body while wearing its Gucci collar. He was tricked by Raven
@@pikebasss oh right!! I totally forgot lol
@@Bitesss-sd1sf that was a hallucination caused by Raven/Verna to drive him crazy
@@Bitesss-sd1sf that was a hallucination caused by Raven/Verna to drive him crazy
I love how Mike Flanagan waves multiple of Edgar Allan Poe's works into the series! Chainin Griswold behind the well in homage to The Cask of Amontillado and having Verna dressed as the Red Death at the nightclub are just my favorites!
In Hill House he "hid" ghosts, in Usher he "hid" Poe references. I like those fun little games within a series, like trying spot all the concealed ghosts or figure out all the references. I think it's pretty clever and can get multiple re-watches out of the material that feel somewhat different each time since the viewer's attention is place somewhere difference each time.
don't forget "Berenice" when Frederick tore Morrie's teeth out
There should be a Poe TH-camr somewhere that is currently dissecting the series to make an "Explained" video
Yeah this and a webtoon comic personify the stories... including 😬 black cat story
@@gino7lord Yes!! im so glad someone got the Berenice references, one of my all time favs
Lenore's death was very emotional and really hard for me to digest.
Dude she got taped on the head, that’s it
@@premiumaccount4166Isn't it funny how that works? I went the entire season watching multiple people die gruesome deaths, but the only one that actually bothered me was a simple tap on the head. It's more so 'who died' rather than how she died.
@emena_marese what do mean she ok
@emena_marese ok just curious thanks
@@BasedBillI totally understand, similar feeling.
Verna would have let Lenora die in her sleep but she wanted her to know the impact she made by saving her mother and defying her father (and Usher family).
She also warned all the other children. She kept saying that their deaths didnt have to be so violent if they would have just listened!!
I watched the entire season at once. I couldn't stop. I haven't been taken in by a show like this since Game of Thrones. It was absolutely brilliant.
This better than Thrones and there current day mess they got going this is pure poetry and a master class of writing on screen it told the struggles of women, men, trauma poverty, and wealth and it wrapped it up with a great message you maybe rich bitch but your grave is 6ft like everyone else’s
Same here. And absolutely agree. I was completely hooked.
Indeed, as I am a Poe fan
Me too
It was good to see Edgar Allan Poe's work be given cinematic justice.
“I don’t give a shit bEeEth” is going down as one of my favourite lines in any Flanagan series ty so much for showing it
It helps to have familiarity with Poe's work but this was a got damn masterpiece. This is my #1 in the Flani-verse! Very well executed with just enough scares.
Also, each Usher kid had a designated color, made more apparent during their death scenes. I believe they each aligned with a deadly sin. For example, Perry, bathed in red is lust. Camille, often in white, was envy because she was jealous of Vic, who was able to hide who she really was and was almost praised for being "a good one" (which could go even deeper). The Vic, bathed in orange was pride. She could not admit her studies were failing. Fred was wrath because he was going to make his wife pay for going to Perry's party. Tammy was sloth, green, because she was to lazy to have sex with her husband herself and Leo was gluttony, yellow because he indulged in everything to the extreme. Rodrick, the father and the seventh, was greed. He even said he knew he had to climb over bodies to reach the mountain top. I cannot wait for more breakdowns. Fall of thr House of Usher was pure genius
Love this interpretation, but I never thought she was too lazy to sleep with her husband... I thought she just got something out of watching him with these women and hearing the version of her they played validated and appreciated.
I agree. That's why I was surprised to read a negative review. I don't know how they saw it so differently than I did. I loved it.
Yes... I actually looked up every possible reference. Some I was already familiar with and some I just found out in this series, e.g.: Dupin, Pym, Rue Morgue
All the episodes titles referenced Poe's works and how the kids are going to die
This no masterpiece 😭. Exposition from beginning. No suspense and too predictable. Perfectly watchable show but not a masterpiece, not even great show.
Love the reference to the 7 deadly sins
madeline's speech at the end was an absolute gem
also feel terribly sorry for lenore, she was definitely the purest out of all ushers :c
was hoping she turn out to be not dickward's daughter
I realized she’s part of the bloodline too late and she was almost like a saint/angel
Yeah I love Maddie’s Speech towards the end
it was hamfisted
even more so it was deflection of her wrongdoings never admitting she was wrong out of pure pride
Honestly I thought they would use the obvious spin of her being adopted given both parents were white and she was black. So I’m not sure how she even has true bloodline ties unless we were supposed to just ignore her race. Great show either way
How he put SO much information in such a well concise and perfect way is impressive. Excellent TV series!
Yeah!
There are dozens of short stories and poems crammed into 8 episodes. I've never seen that done so competently.
It was a FAR more faithful adaptation of Poe's works than his previous shows were of their respective books, too.
I loved Mark Hamill in this and would like to see him do more work going forward..Midnight Mass is still probably my favorite Mike Flanagan series.
Roderick didn’t take in his other kids because he knew his line was ending, it was because it was the opposite of what his own father did. He says as much to Auggie, in the first episode I think. His father abandoning him and his sister meant that he would never abandon his own kids, regardless of who their mother was.
I have to disagree with you on the reason the door is open to all his kids,I don't think it was to do with his own father not being there. He knew all his kids were going to die just before he dies and they were going to have a great comfortable life. Accept they didn't really make a good life for themselves.
@@_Jem_dude he LITERALLY said he didnt wanna be lile his dad, and thats why he took in his children
@@Lulu-rh2xm He couldn't be trusted with the truth, remember he was telling a story. If Roderrick said about what happens to his line of his blood family then it would of been over pretty quick. He took them in because he knew what was going to happen.
Exactly
@@_Jem_ yah no. He wanted to be opposite from his dad. Im sure some deep part of him knew the curse was real, but he didn't actually consciously take them in because of the curse.
Carla Gugino explained what her character is in an interview. This video is really far off the mark. She's more of an ancient entity who is older than humanity. The statements about demons that she made were a warning about how things would end for the twins if she accepted her deal. Remember when she has a conversation with Pym, she tells him that she showed herself to him when he was on his North Pole journey. She was also around in ancient Egypt as well, and older than the concept of cities, which she called adorable. Also, she doesn't believe in souls, which is another sign she isn't a demon. If she were a demon, she would have tried to corrupt Lenore, who she ended up being very kind to. Also, she seems to have a moral code against cruelty, which is why she made Lenore die painlessly, and the other Ushers died horrifically due to their choices.
Wow, you are absolutely right! From the very first moment, I thought Verna was the devil in disguise, seeking for deals, and I never questioned my belief. Until you pointed out her not believing in souls. I'd love to believe she is just consequence, "eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth", which makes sense when you realize how important eyes and teeth are in this series.
she's Odin raven ~~
She’s Laverna goddess of thieves, tricks, and the underworld
Yes, she seems less like a demon and more like an ancient deity of some sort. Her whole motivation for making these deals with humans is very much like a god; because it's amusing for her.
She feels like some kind of god or "god" the kind that doesnt know what to do with their existence and do this kind of this for entertainement.
Fact1 she always leave the choices to all characters
Fact2 she is neither good or evil
Fact3 she made the deal to "see how the twins would chqnge the world" again leaving the power in their hands
But Camille had been warned few times not to be in that test lab and Verna also told her it does not have to be this way,she could just go in her sleep.I did not understand why she showed her this mercy .
She gave everyone a chance. A small and minor chance, but a chance.
@@Airahar they never stood à chance. They were doomed even before their birth. She just gave them the choice to die peacefully or in a gruesome way. She offered the choice to almost all of them except to Frederick.
@@ediapiAt Fredericks death she did say that he could've died in a car accident or something else, but as she said "But you just had to grab the pliers" So he did kind of have a choice, and he made the wrong one
@@ediapithat's obviously what the comment meant by giving them a chance🙄. A chance to not suffer, not a chance to live.
As Airahar said, she offered all of them a chance, not to survive, but to earn a peaceful death and leave some sort of legacy behind.
Prospero could have stopped his plans for blackmailing his guests and he wouldn't fry.
Camille could have gone to sleep and die peacefully.
Victorine could have stopped hurting animals, not tried to perform human experiments or even let her wife go or try to save her (she got, by far, the greatest amount of chances to get a peaceful death, but refused them all).
Napoleon could have told his husband what he did, asked for forgiveness and leave behind a better memory than going insane and violent in front of him.
Tamerleine could have asked her husband to forgive her for abusing and tormenting him and go with a clean conscience.
Frederick... well, as she said, could have died instantly on a car accident, but "he had to take those pliers".
Lenore gets a peaceful death and a legacy to last for ages because she defied her family and saved her mom.
I don't think Verna is malevolent. She mentions multiple times she doesn't necessarily want the Usher's to suffer.
She says to Prospero he could simply stop the party (saving every guest) and she takes the staff out to protect them.
She says to Camille she could have died her in her sleep.
She mentions that she never intereferes as strongly as she did with Frederick but she had to because of how he treated his wife
And in the end she makes sure Lenore knows of all the could her actions would have and made sure she died peacefully.
Well not really malevolent, but she did however enable 40-50 years of suffering to the unseen people affected by the Ushers,.... because it was entertaining. Well, tbf, she find both human sufering and joy, depravity and triumphs, amusing.
Also, she seems genuinely pleased when Pym turns down her offer. She strokes his cheek, smiles, and says it was "her pleasure."
@@VandalAudi I wouldn't say "amusing." I think Verna give people choices. She enforces the deals. But she doesn't want them to make the bad choices. She just gives them the choice. And then follows through as required by "the deal." She certainly is interested in human behavior (and it is strongly suggested that is her prime motivation), but I don't think she wants people to make bad choices and cause suffering. It is there choice. When Pym declined her "offer," she was genuinely pleased. When it came time to end the Usher bloodline, per the agreement, she was genuinely saddened for Lenore. She was fascinated by humanity, but not "entertained" by human suffering ... at least in my interpretation of the series.
@@dashx1103 well obviously not by the suffering itself, or she'd do cruel things to Lenore as well... but she finds what humaans do with the choices, what they are capable of (cruelty and kindness), and the consequences entertaining.
@@VandalAudi Disagree with the idea that she finds it "entertaining." You are projecting that onto her.
As far as a horror story I agree with you that it falls just behind Hill House & Midnight Mass. But as far as creativity, writing, acting, and production, I think this is his best piece of work so far. Though some might criticize his message as being somewhat heavy-handed, I appreciate his creative synthesis of Poe’s works into a modern setting addressing this world’s twisted values. Thank you, Mike Flanagan for elevating the horror genre from cheap scares to meaningful morality plays. Great reaction video, BTW. Really enjoy your choices & synopses.
I did not mind it but you can clearly see (hear) when it (writing) gets heavy handed with some of the writing. I know it for sure turn some off.
Midnight mass isnt that good…
@@jamesberkeley390 thx for sharing
@@jcaashby3 im just saying bro, hill house and midnight mass aren’t in the same tier
Idk i still like Midnight Mass more than this one but its a clooose second
Mark Hamill was so good he deserved to be shouted out in the intro as the pym reaper . He became unrecognizable very quickly...which is so hard for him to do as an actor .
I didn’t know that was Mark at all TBH he was so damn good in this all I know is this better be an Emmy winner 2024
I knew I recognized him but I couldn’t figure out it was him! So different from anything he’s ever done, he killed the role so hard he disappeared into it 🙌🏻
Could not agree more.such a great character and performance.
everyones performances was great! But Mark Hamills performance was amazing. Never seen him do that serious acting before and he played it so well
Verna is a being outside of time and space. Not really hell... In "The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket" by Edgar Allan Poe there was a reference to the hollow earth theory, and I think this is where Verna is from
Yup they said that in the show
7:54 She's not. She's death itself. The show makes it explicitly clear that the idea of Heaven and Hell and souls aren't a factor. In the original Mask of the Red Death story a group of affluent elites attempt to avoid a deadly plague that's ravaging the land by locking themselves in their estate when a mysterious figure in a red cloak and a skull mask appears. The figure is, of course, revealed to be death. They felt like they were above death and mocked death as they locked themselves away thinking they were safe, so he appeared to prove that not even they were beyond him. And, of course, the Raven represents death. Death personified or represented in a tangible way was a reoccurring theme in Edgar Allan Poe's stories.
I thought she was death at first as well, but I think there is more to her. She told Prospero that she was consequence and tonight she was consequential. Her attitude and behavior are more in line with a Greek goddess. She was both benevolent and malevolent entirely. She didn’t pressure anyone to enter into a contract with her. She let everyone choose for themselves and respected Pym’s decision not to strike a deal. She is both fortune and death.
Yes I believe she was more then just death because she was able to make deal with them and she just come for the person who was sick which was rodrick she took out all the family with. Him death is suppose to collect that one soul who is dying… the fact that she killed the whole family at once and the fact that she killed a teenage who wasn’t at all sick.. it was made know that rodrick had a incurable illness but no one else but every one died let’s you know it was more to the lady but I think this is what Flanagan wanted he wanted us to debate who she was with each other and also that what made the whole situation more terrifying is that we still don’t know exactly what she was, it freaky
@@heatheryfeathery1 i also interpreted her as being the personification of death and consequence and fortune and so much more. She said herself to consider her a witness in all this and when you think of it makes sense. Roderick and Madeline made no pact more than they already did killing that man, one brick at a time. They couldnt resist that offer because they couldnt resist their own nature. Verna is a natural agent of things. The House of Usher is about how greed and pride are the true causes of the fall of people.
Except, ya know, souls clearly do exist, seeing as Roderick could literally see their spirits when they died. I assume Flanagan is an atheist the way he aways feels the need to write off the possibility of an afterlife in his works, but if so, he contradicts himself by having ghosts exist. It would be one thing if they were depicted as echoes, but they're shown being conscious beings aware of everything going on around them. Those kind of ghosts couldn't exist if souls didn't. And why would souls exist if there's no afterlife?
@englishatheart I think you misunderstood me. And understandably so because I didn't really do a good job of explaining that particular point. It's clear in all of Mike Flanigan's Netflix shows that there is some activity after death. Except maybe Midnight Mass. However, I don't think it works in the standard way people usually think of when they think about souls and the afterlife.
I think the best explanation of how it works comes from The Haunting of Hill House. And even though these are two entirely separate shows, I do believe it works the same way. When Nell's ghost ghost is speaking to the rest of the siblings in the final episode, she describes it as being broken into a million pieces and Scattered across every point of all their lives.
It's a little bit unclear what exactly she means by this. As it should be. But essentially, I think the long and short of it is that the boundaries between the living and the dead are erased upon death.
OMG! We have the same Top 3 rank! 1) The Haunting of Hill House 2) Midnight Mass 3) The Fall of the House of Usher
Same for me!
I think most people have the same Top 3. Of course there are exceptions, but if you took a poll, I think that's the order that the majority of people would pick. And it's funny because "Usher" was SO GOOD, but it's competing with two of the best series that I think I've ever seen. In my opinion, "The Haunting of Hill House" is perfection. I don't think Flanagan will ever top it. I hope he does, that would be awesome, but I think it was too good to beat.
For me, midnight mass was the BEST.
@@ryanp9441
Midnight Mass is great.
But it gets a little...monologue-y...in many parts.
I agree with 1 and 3 but as I am not a Christian I couldn't relate much with Midnight Mass but yeah definitely a great series nevertheless.
1. The show didn't just imply she made deals with the ppl in the photos but also that she made a deal with Trump.
2. The guy hit with friendly fire wasn't the Inuit. The inuit was a woman and she implied the inuit woman was assaulted
3. The cannibalistic act wasn't confessed by Pym but speculated by Roderick to August
I was going to say the same thing, thank you.
For me this show was far above Hill, Mass, or Bly. I absolutely loved every episode. I’m in the middle of watching the whole thing again, which is something I rarely do so soon after a first viewing.
I'm also considering watching it again and I just finished yesterday
Hill house is till my no 1, midnight mass, then bly, then this, and last is midnight club, midclub didnt even leave a single iconic scene in my memory.😅
@okisantana4916 Not even the "What happens when we die?" scene?
@okisantana4916 The Asian girls story was quite memorable in my opinion
Midnight Mass was just as good. Just different. 😊
All I can say is that Netflix should give Mike Flanagan ALL the money! An apex and talented storyteller 🙌🏻
Has anyone pointed out how each of Roderick's children represented 6 of the 7 deadly sins? Prospero = Lust. Camille = Anger (Verna literally asks her why she's always so angry) Leo = Sloth (just laying around playing video games and drinking) Victoria = pride (She refused to admit her heart sleeve didn't work) Tamerlane = Envy (She was so jealous of Verna) Fredrick= Gluttony (He kept putting more and more drugs into his body) & finally Roderick himself represented Greed. This show was so well done!
This show was perfect. I enjoyed every episode.
Verna, while probably having many aspects, is most like the Celtic goddess The Morrigan. Death and Ravens, for example, are common associations. Many gods meet the criteria, but she's best, of course whose to say she hasn't also been Artemis, Odin, Bast, Demeter...Lilith. That last especially would also fit.
I thought she was the devil because of the pacts xD
@@melaniebiberger2191 You'd think the devil would be more evil and she denies souls as a thing, more interested in bodies. I think the story works your way too, absolutely, but my analysis wouldn't be The Satan. I don't think Verna's true identity affects the story one way or the other though, which is nice.
@@jasonsaddison or the demon like in Faust, Mephistopheles
@@melaniebiberger2191 Sure. I disagree, but again, doesn't change the story.
shes Death this is a Poe adaptation and he personifies death in a few of his works nost notably the red mask of death which is our first real introduction to her in the series
As a die-hard Hill House fan I have to acknowledge that this is Flanagan‘s best work so far. Everything about this is brilliant.
And Carla Gugino as Verna (in my opinion the personification of death) is phenomenal.
This definitely isn't as good as Hill House. I hate how he's now decided to resort to using nudity and sex tropes that far too many people feel the need to add to things. I always appreciated the fact that most of Flanagan's works don't feature that. It just feels like he doesn't have enough confidence in this to not feature those. Also, the cat part was definitely too much. No need to show the poor baby stabbed of eyes gouged out. I know the cat dies in the story it was based on, but he didn't need to have it be that graphic.
@@englishatheart I don't see any problems with the sex and nudity. It served a purpose. The Usher children has been met with virtually zero consequences for their actions, no matter how bad, all their lives, and this degeneracy is what they devolved into. Also, you didn't have a problem with the drugs? or the murder? Just nudity? weird.
Also, the cat whose eyes were gouged out did not die. At the end of the episode the cat was shown to be alive, and might actually just Verna shapeshifting.
Its not a real cat. Its ok. Lol
@@caielesr Have to agree. I'm not the biggest fan of sexual content, and I was surprised to see it in this show, but it wasn't used for shock value. The only time sex and nutidy were a thing was during Perry's focal episode. Considering that that's what he's about, it makes total sense. While I was watching the episode, I was wondering if Flanagan was going the American Horror Story route (please no). After finishing the series, I'm fine with what he did, as it wasn't there just to be there. It was tied heavily to one of the characters. When that character died, the sex and nudity kind of died with him.
@@englishatheart I wouldn't say it "resort[ed] to using nudity and sex tropes." It fit the story. This story. Wouldn't have fit with Hill House or Midnight Mass. But it reflected who these people were, and the lives they lived. It wasn't done just for the sake of doing it. It was good storytelling. Not sure why anyone gets offended by stuff like that, to be honest.
Another interesting hint is when Arthur is leaving to catch Verna and Madeleine says "i want her eyes", and that's exactly what her brothers ends up doing to her.
dude being bricked up was a nice nod to the Casque of Amontilado
Pym did monstruous actions but in the end, he accepted his fate and went out on his terms. He didn't make a shady deal with a supernatural being and that is honorable in his own way.
He also had no collateral, so there was no deal to make.
I feel like Madeline definitely hesitated when excepting the deal you just see it in her face, she doesn’t drink immediately she drinks whilst closing her eyes.
I think Madeleine was even surprised Roderick would give up his bloodline
She admitted that's why she never had children
Yeah, I was surprised too because from both, Madeline was the one we would think would sign on the spot. She said yes only because her brother agreed.
The scene showed that unlike the appearances, Roderick was the most dangerous/greedy of the 2. He was just hiding behind his sister.
@@ediapi Madeline's much smarter than Roderick too.
@@ediapiBut then, again, Madeleine was also the one that would be less likely to enjoy giving away control over her future to someone else, so it kinda makes sense.
It does seem like she was expecting him to make the deal and then profit from having a fabulously rich brother she could easily control, until Verna/Raven informed her it was either both of them or neither.
Flanagan has a knack for making jaw dropping moments that deliver this sort of punch to the gut. The moment when Victorine threw the object and hit her girlfriend. The acid scene. I think I might be traumatized!
The Fall, and The Haunting, are my favourites on the "Flanaverse" (I don't precisely like the term, but it applies).
Carla Gugino is a Force Of Nature on each, and such a talented actress.
Is cool how Flanagan usually collaborate with the same troupe of actors, I love that, and certainly Carla and Henry are so versatile. Love them!
As for "Verna", She do indeed declare is "not demonic" or a "Satan minion", on the chat they have with Rod and Maddie when they decide on the pact
She do indeed say something in the matter like it is a construction, when Rod mentions "it will cost or souls or what", she reply "not such thing, for one.Even if there was you already sold it one brick at the time" (if I recall the line as is) ending with "no, nothing so silly as that"
I think more of a fairy, in the line of a Morrigan. And that's my theory. Specially because Maddie says about "fairytales" on that same scene.
Like the Morrigan, She is Death, and comes to collect that, in the matter of the ones who will die, she doesn't choose (well, except for Frederick) and let that be a reflect of their choices.
That's why She left the icons that let that choices led to (tragic) deaths, with the exception of Lenore, who did good, hence the feather and the white flower.
Pop
@@dianatorres7107 What?
Which haunting? House or Manor?
@@Noa...... House
Great video, I do have one additional observation. I believe regarding the misread of Arthur Pym during his transglobe journey, It wasn’t a cannibalistic act he wouldn’t partake in, I believe it was implied r*ape of an inupiaq woman.
I don’t think “Verna” can shape-shift, but rather create illusions and/or control beings.
I loved the show! It fits right in with Flanagan’s other creations, yet has its own distinct vibe. I didn’t particularly appreciate the gory touch, but kudos for creativity for those deaths.
Great video, though I disagree Verna is malevolent. She's a force of fortune and fate, of justice and judgement. That doesn't make her evil or malevolent. She is an ancient being, beyond our binary constructs of good and evil. If she was Satan's minion, she would have taken pleasure in killing the grand-daughter, but she didn't. It was a sad thing for her. She's not evil. Mythology in general is full of morally grey divine beings and deities. We need to stop projecting ridiculous Judeo-Christian notions of God and Devil onto things. Poe's fantasy was not Christian in nature.
You're right. She even stated that she's a creature of symmetry. Neither good nor bad
@@BecomePneuma11235 I love that... "a creature of symmetry" 😍
No one truly knows exactly what God or other omnipotent beings are like, if they exist. No reason to call the Christian version "ridiculous." I'm an agnostic who's mostly Pagan when it comes to spirituality, but I don't find it necessary to call their notions on God and the Devil "ridiculous." You're being no better than those who talk shit on other beliefs outside of Christianity.
@@englishatheart I understand what you're saying, but I was a fundamental born-again Christian for the first two decades of my life. I had to go through conversion therapy, and my religious upbringing was very harmful, as it was for many of my friends who also left the church. So I'm both tired of pretending the whole thing isn't crazy, and quite confident in my experience-based frustration with religious thinking :)
I agree. She offers to some to pull out of what they are doing, possibly to have a more peaceful death, the compassion to Lenore: it really broke my heart: I was hoping she would be spared, but that's fate - evildoing sometimes claims payment from innocents. Verna never tried to trick anyone into wrongful doings. What Verna tells Lenore about what her mother would do and the countless lives that would be saved is not something an evil entity would do. The only thing that somewhat is bugging me is what would have happened if Roderick and Madeline somehow pulled back and tried to atone for the murder of Rufus. Plus: the deal. It was on Roderick- he knowingly condemned his children to death and he paid by watching all them die one after the other. Madeline...she didn't suffer as much, although somehow I think she was the evil mastermind without whom Roderick could have acted much differently.
I cant agree more with your kine up. This was so well done all around. The story telling of each episode was on point.
The last time I watched all episodes in a row like that was in Hill House by Flanagan. I'm really speechless how this was a masterpiece. Love it and loving even more as I found the layers
As an addict I rooted for Juno. It's nice to see some good representation.
The only thing i hated about this show was older Madeline’s wig lol. Why is it sitting like that? Other than that, loved this show. Watching for the second time as we speak
Yes lol!
@@cmcc8836 lol i was so befuddled the entire time.
My thoughts exactly! 😂
She took off the bang wig, just to have another wig under it 😭 I didn’t like that.
I honestly didn’t understand that either, what was the point of the clip in bangs lol
The moment I realized Verna was an anagram of raven I started seeing the Edgar Allen Poe references especially when one of the episodes is called Tell-tale heart
All the episodes were referenced to Poe’s work
The Casque of Amontillado is a Poe story about one nobleman chaining another nobleman named Fortunato to a recess in a wall, then bricked it shut. All because of a perceived slight. The story takes place during an annual Carnival, and in some art works Fortunato is dressed like a jester.
Isn’t Verna just Lady Death? Requires sacrifice, can tell what possible life people would lead, she can take violently or peacefully, before humanity, and could keep track of all the deaths caused by Ligodone. Oh and ravens symbolize death, poes works mostly revolve around death--> big circle, Verna is the walking theme of Poe dispersing death across the multiple story lines.
No, she's not death because she makes deals with people and they don't always result in death. They mention twice that Trump is one of her clients and, unfortunately, he's still kicking. That was actually part of the story that I didn't really like/understand. They show her throughout time working with all of these powerful people, many of them who a lot of people would consider to be "bad guys" (to say the least), but I'd like to know what the deal was supposed to be with each of them. Brett Kavanaugh is still young, but things seem to be going fine for him, and Mitch McConnell hasn't paid any price for what he's done. Even if he died tomorrow, he lived 81 years and got away with a lot of bad shit.
And to go back to Trump...What deal did he make? He's an evil POS who seems to be getting away with everything. MAYBE he'll go to prison, but probably not. And he doesn't have that much time left. He'll probably just die of old age and his evil children will live prosperous lives.
Even though it made me laugh, maybe they should have left that out of the story, or at least only included real-life examples of people who suffered from the consequences of their actions. Sadly, in real life, that doesn't seem to happen very often.
@@Kristine_202TDS still going strong 😂
@@Kristine_202there are plenty of stories where people make deals with death or attempt to Flanagan specifically references the Bergman film where men attempt to bargain with death over chess Poes works deal with death as a personified figure who walks amongst the living she was literally introduced to prospero as the red mask of death.. she is Death
@@Kristine_202 I feel the exact same way. The laws of good and evil have become unbalanced. Greed has taken over, and don't see much change in near future.
I don't believe she is "Death." I thought it was clearly implied that she is one of the ancient beings Pym told stories of based on his expedition. "Ultima Thule," the hollow earth, etc.
Fascinating points, one correction: Verna is not malevolent. She does not wish evil upon others. Hell, many times she even offered the Ushers a chance to turn back. She is, however, fascinated by humanity's capacity to BE malevolent. So she decided to test how far are they willing to take it. If anything, she's a scientist.
Thanks for the upload.
I loved it! Hill House and Usher are neck and neck for my favorites, followed by Midnight Mass and then Bly Manor. Can't wait to see what Flannagan does next!
That scene at the bar was brilliant
Even just the mention of the scene where falling bodies that represent how many the opioid epidemic has taken from us makes me break down in sobs. I can't begin to express the anguish in our communities after already losing so many of our family and friends to this massacre. This season is truly the scariest one yet, and I don't really want one that's even more bone-chilling.
Truly, this one is a modern masterpiece
I really appreciated your summary. It was helpful. Thank you!
13:38 I believe Verna was insinuating that the team assaulted an Inuit woman but he didn't participate
Only a true Poe fan will get the references to a vast amount of his work in The Fall of the House of Usher. The Gold Bug, the Black Cat, Lenore, Annabelle, and the many poetic monologues throughout. Also, Verna has to be best representation of the Reaper that I have ever seen. I loved how she gave everyone (except Lenore, because she was collateral damage) a chance to demonstrate humility before carrying out her duty in taking them. I feel like Lenore’s death was meant to be bittersweet for the viewer, but a homage to Poe’s legacy. The Raven being recited in the end was the icing on the cake!
The point, I think, is that Lenore was killed to punish Roderick. She was the ultimate collateral damage, but her death at the hands of Verna had absolutely nothing to do with her self.
The Tell-Tale Heart was particularly well integrated into the storyline. Do people not read anymore? Do schools no longer teach literature? American literature?
@@undisco77I'm a millennial, born 1984 and went to school during the '90s. We never once read Edgar Allan Poe in school.
@@englishatheart Thanks for your response. I went to high (or secondary) school in the 70's and Poe was definitely on the curriculum as well as Steinbeck, Dreiser, Hawthorne, to name a few American authors (Orwell, Huxley, Woolfe, Austen, Wells, Dickens (of course), Waugh, the Brontes, being some of the English authors). I would be curious to know who was on the reading lists of the 90's (although I do have my suspicions). Take care.
@@englishatheartWow. I'm not even from an English speaking country (I'm Brazilian) and my school had us read Black Cat and Amontillado.
Poe codified the very definition of what is and the mechanisms of a short story (short enough to be read in a single seating, few characters, a single main plot, the first paragraph must deliver the tone and theme of the story, only ONE tonal shift allowed, as to not lose the audience etc, so he is part of the curriculum.
Absolutely love, this you completely covered everything for me and explained so much
EXCELLENT ANALYSIS! Thank you!
Flanagan produced another banger! Every set up was delightful paid off! Humor, gore, lore, all of it was a 10/10!
In regards to Verna, I always think of the story that Roderick says about what Pym used to tell the children about what he discovered on his journey. That the earth was hollow and creatures live inside with an island at the arctic, and how Verna tells Pym that she saw him on the ice when she came 'topside'. This may be indicative of hell, but Verna doesn't seem so stereotypically demonic more like an immortal entity that enjoys teasing out the darkest parts of humanity in people like a jjin or witch. It isn't very demonic of her to feel remorse for taking the innocent life of Lenore and killing Lenore's father with added pain due to his treatment of his wife. And if she dos come from inside 'the hollow earth' is there more where sh's from. But the way Verna operates it seems purely for her own understanding and amusement of humans.
IDK I think this ranks in my number 1# so good. I'm not so familiar with Edgar Allens Poe's work but the poetry was used so well and the story was brilliantly weaved.
Ding, ding, ding! This is correct, I believe. "That the earth was hollow and creatures live inside with an island at the arctic, and how Verna tells Pym that she saw him on the ice when she came 'topside'."
Thank you for this
Another excellent Flanagan experience.
Something that gets me is when Perry dies 70+ people die with him, although she does make sure that the staff are safe.
But Verna goes out of her way to point out how many millions died because of Roderick and how many people live because of Lenore.
I feel taking out all those people at Perrys club isn’t true to her character.
Your videos are always top-tier! Huge Poe fan, huge Flanagan fan, the way he married Poe's works to every part of the series - to the writing, lighting, and even the characters clothes, was masterfully done!
Don't hate me, but you want "your" there.
@@englishatheart lol, not at all 🤣. Thanks!
Excelent review of the series, there were things I didn't realize until you mentioned here.
Roderick casting was perfect. I can't imagine anyone else playing Roderick.
I think it's funny that Mark Hamill was essentially a Sith Lord attorney in this.
I’ve been having a thought about the 7 deadly sins and the 7 members that died in the bloodline first.
Perry - lust (with making sex his entire lifestyle)
Camille - envy (constantly jealous of Vic and anyone who has normal relationships)
Leo - sloth (with him constantly high and low functioning)
Vic - greed (with her medical work)
Tammy - pride (with her never being able to admit her pain or suffering)
Frederick - gluttony (with drugs)
Lenore - wrath (with her father and family)
I feel like each of them suit their sin appropriately but definitely some could be changed around to fit other people
I heard another theory that:
Perry- lust
Camille-envy
Leo-gluttony
Vic-pride
Tammy-sloth
Freddie-wrath
Rod and Mad- greed
Lenore-original sin (pure but paying for the price of others and sacrificing herself to absolve other’s sins)
Love how it’s open to interpretation!
There were plenty of scenes in this show that made me jump, but the one scene that absolutely froze my blood and made my heart drop was Roderick showing Auggie the phone and Lenore’s AI bot incessantly saying nevermore.
as an edgar allan poe fangirl ( i even have a tattoo i got 6 years ago) i was not disappointed! i knew coming from mike flanagan would be amazing. it was SO good and well worth the wait!
It's crazy how this review mentions every obscure reference except the obvious REMAKE SCENE (burying Rufus behind the brick wall) from The Cask of Amontillado also by EGP. Fortunate was the name of the main character❤️🎉
Arthur Pym really deserves its own series
I'd like to see Arthur Pym as a Jedi Master.
Going topside could also be a reference to the underworld of Greco-Roman mythology. Ravens are considered psychopomps, and carry spirits between the realms of the living and the dead.
I love the other Flanagan pieces, but really loved how they took the deaths to a darker place. Creative and a splash of gore.
This mini series was incredible it had me on the end of my seat . The cast was chosen perfectly but I wish the grand daughter didn’t die she wasn’t like the others.
Bruce did amazing couldn't picture anyone else playing that role
I like how you didn’t explained the ending, you just gave a summary of the series.
I love that Mike Flanagan uses the same actors. It creates a sense of nostalgia even though you are watching something for the first time.
at 8:45 you mentionned that the reason he invites them in is because he knows they're going to die,
That is not the case, He mentionned that the deal he made with the Raven was blurry, Forgotten and nothing but a fever dream.
He let them in because he wanted to be the opposite of his father who had a litteral Gate to stop him and his sister to get in his life, thats why he mentions "The Gates are Open, Period."
The raven represents consequence. The price that children pay for the sins of their parents.
I really like that it’s a mix of all of Poes famous stories together
"Beware of episode 5 on Flanaverse" and turns out this time I bawled on last episode 😢
This was an amazing series!!! The Devil's reference and the Edgar Allen Poe references and inspirations!! I loved that most of the cast from Midnight Mass was used in this show. I nearly binged the whole series while flying from here (Seattle) to Boston back a few yrs ago. Carla Gugino (Verna) was perfect!!!
Amazing and entertaining series. Fantastic story telling, top notch creative writing and great story line coupled with stellar performances by all. Just 100% impressive. I was only sad to see it end… now i can only hope for something more!
she is something ancient and long unknown or forgotten. saying she is Satan is too short sighted. she makes deals but she also cares about innocence and life. that is not what the devil does. so she is more and the unknowing makes her more interesting
The past century pictures of verna was SO good !!! Love it !
Mark Hamil killed it on this
loved this more than the Haunted series, very well written and suspensful
this is flanagan's best work
I really loved this series. I loved the fact that they had all the tributes to Edgar Allen Poe throughout the series. If you’ve read Poe, you know the way people died,the references to the names, etc. were all there. My dad used to read me Edgar, Allan Poe For bedtime stories if anyone can believe that!No wonder I turned out the way I did! LOL I have to agree that this is up there with Hillhouse. My opinion anyway.
I watched the new goosebumps show right after this and immediately you can feel the difference in acting skills everybody in this show did an amazing job and comparing the performances from other shows like hill house and midnight mass they feel like completely different people
Goosebumps is cute
But that will never touch Edger Allan Poes work into a show
Hill house was good
It is interesting that Goosebumps and Usher are structurally very similar. Don't know if that was coincidence, or if someone copied someone else.
Lenore truly was a sweet young woman. I hated that she had to share the same fate as everyone else. She definitely did not deserve it.😐
Her grandfather sold his soul to satan and made a deal....satan came and collected. The rules are always laid out clearly and fair, but can hurt the pure. But not without consequence.
Mike Flanagan is a Mastermind and a Legend. I've watched every one of his series and movies. His Casts are amazing and I love that his Actors are in multiple projects and bring a fresh take to every Character they portray. 💯