When you rewatch this, notice the Dudley's are both together in the finale, before that you only see one of them at a time. When one is at the house, the other is home watching Abigail! Except for when she snuck out that last night. She probably snuck to the house to see Luke at other times.
Episode 9 was showing how you as the audience, just like Luke's family - never believed him. He told everyone Abigail was real. It was a masterful way of showing us how we also betrayed Luke's trust and sent him on the wrong path. Little children's words, worries, and concerns are too easily dismissed by adults. If nothing else I hope this show teaches us to listen to our children in a deeper and more compassionate way.
@@k-popbiased1058 When he kept on with the nobody believing him to the supposed ghost I truly trusted him. I've been that child, so it could just be my bias. It would be better to say that the question was whether she was alive or dead, because either way she was real. I just bounced between dead or alive constantly. When the show kept bouncing her around I got my answer. She was alive but definitely going to die at some point, so it became a waiting game. It was too good of a show to have Abigail be dead the whole time. That's been done before.
There are so many great things to take away from this show, especially concerning family, but for me one of the most important ones was that you should truly listen to your kids, talk to them honestly and take the time to explain to them whatever they are going through. If you have a solid foundation of trust with your kids then they will come to you with their problems instead of turning to the wrong people/things/substances because they think they won't be believed or taken seriously.
In the same vein as Theo who all but saw through the house's facade as soon as she entered, feeling the cold and even the weird smell that no one else noticed. Fitting that she is the only one that believes Luke when he has that encounter in the secret basement.
You can't really blame Hugh, and he didn't actually bail on Livy. She did try to kill her kids and Hugh's first priority was to get them to safety. He did come back for her later as soon as he could but unfortunately that was too late.
super late to this, but he was really forced to choose between Livy and the children and he didn’t even hesitate which you know is exactly what Olivia in her right mind would’ve wanted him to do.
@@moonriverinc7896 So true, that's what any sensible parent or even a person should have done. That's why I don't really get it why people blame Hugh sometimes. In this case, he actually did try his best.
@@Whotfasked69 I think everyone who has watched the show agrees that those were really ghosts and not just "ghosts" and we do not have a control over the supernatural. Moreover, when he burst into the red room he literally saw his wife kill a child and was about to kill their own children as well, so it's not weird to think that he felt scared for his children's safety. Therefore it would be more strange if he decides to take her alongside those very children (fearing for their safety). As for the cops thing, who knows, maybe that didn't cross his brain at the time. He was in a haunted house and just realised that the wife he loves has probably killed someone. A ghost convinced Livy to kill her children so that she could be with them forever. How does it become Hugo's fault in the middle of all this?
The fact that Hugh didn't sell the house and ordered that the Dudleys be kept on so they could be with their daughter was so tragically kind. Their reaction that night -- no anger, no blame, just resigned heartbreak -- always stands out to me. And that ending with Mr. Dudley carrying her through the woods so she could die at Hill House and be with her babies forever gets me every time. They're both so devoutly religious, but they chose to stay behind in Hill House for the rest of time so they could "walk together".
11:20 I've always assumed Liv sees Poppy in her prime, while we see her old rotting ghost to enforce the idea she is being tricked. Just like the Red Room, Poppy is twisted and rotting, but appears as Liv wishes her to be as a solution to her fears.
yup i saw it as a manipulation, the old ghost is what she really looked like but poppy makes herself young in olivias eyes just to show how she is manipulating her in other ways
Exactly, Clara said earlier that she knew Poppy when she was "just as crazy, but older". Poppy is putting on a face for Liv but we get to see her true face there.
Completely. Even the shots of the house while in the red room (unknowingly) are warmer and brighter, while the rest of the house always looks cold and old. Everything seem dreamy, like the house want it to be.
The lady who takes Abigail by the hand and walks away with her after she dies is Abigail's paternal grandmother! If you remember, he said his mom used to work for the Hills, and well, that's her. If I remember well, I think her and William Hill had an affair, hence why she would be out in the woods at night "giggling like a schoolgirl in love". Willim walled himself in in the basement in part out of shame (but also, he was clinically insane). I believe there were other details but I can't seem to recall them at the moment.
No, I believe the woman who took her hand was the younger version of Mrs Dudley. Remember time has no meaning in the house. So her younger dead self showed up there to take care of dead Abigail before she Mrs D even died. That's why she's holding a baby at the end. Her first child died as a baby. Then Abigail died. Then she died in the house so she was able to be with both of her kids.
@@MavenCree Not its not. Younger Clara is at the end holding the baby. The woman who takes Abigail's hand right after she dies is Mrs Dudley Sr, its confirmed. She's also literally dressed like she's from the 40;s or 50's, and Clara would not have been an adult at that time.
The acting by little Nell when she’s in the bed talking to her mom about dying is amazing acting, especially for a girl that age and considering the subject matter. It’s crazy how good she was. Little Luke too.
”fun” fact here, in the end, when they’re all celebrating luke’s sobriety, flanagan had actually planned to have the red room window in the background, symbolizing that they never actually got out of there, but changed it just last minute because he thought it was gonna be too depressing and soul crushing. imagine that !! im so happy he changed it, or i probably never would’ve recovered lol. anyways, loved this reaction as much as all the previous ones, wish it wasn’t over yet but really enjoyed watching it with you guys !!! hope you get to bly manor at some point too :)
One of my favorite parts in the final episode is Hugh and Olivia's "reunion". Hugh is more of a blunt, to-the-point kind of guy while Olivia is more poetic and uses quotes and metaphors. But during that conversation, Hugh talked like her. He used her own words and way of speaking to reach Olivia and it was so heartbreaking to me. Him calling the kids "Our babies" like she did, just hits hard.
One thing that always blows my mind is watching reactors to this series being mad at the father for leaving his wife. But put yourself in his shoes -- he's just found her after she killed a little girl and tried to kill your two youngest. Your instinct as a father will tell you to get your five kids OUT of there, away from a wife who's turned psychotic, to a place of safety. Only then would you go back to help -- in his case, too late. It's an impossible situation to be in.
The visions that she was having was not her subconscious was the house and the ghost manipulating her perceptions, they were giving her visions and saying those things using the kids as tools until she eventually broke down
I've always known that she had special abilities like Theo and Nellie had. Theo felt through touch, Nellie was haunted by her own death her entire life and Olivia saw visions of the future. Poppy and the house used it as a manipulation tactic to get her to "stop" the visions from coming true. But everything she did ultimately did lead to them becoming true.
The Dudleys' ending always leave me bawling. They're such an interesting inverse of the "mysterious domestic help tied to the sinister old house" trope that happens in so many of these stories, where the workers are usually not only knowledgeable but complicit in the evil going on. Instead we get Mr. Dudley trying his best to warn Hugh, even though he knows Hugh hasn't seen enough to believe him, on how to protect Olivia, making himself vulnerable by opening up about some emotionally devastating topics like the stillbirth. And Mrs. Dudley also trying her best with Olivia, even though she inadvertently says the exact wrong thing, because of course she has no way of knowing exactly how the house is influencing her. I'm happy they got to have what is probably closest to a "happy ending" as was possible given the circumstances. They'll both no doubt live on with their daughters in the house, as well as Mr. Dudley's mother (implied to be the woman who took ghost!Abigail's hand when she first died) While the house itself is evil, not all the ghosts are malicious. William and Poppy were both known to have mental illness in life, and Olivia was "corrupted" by Poppy/the house (likely aided by her natural sensitivity to the supernatural) Maybe if it's filled with enough good/neutral ghosts like Hugh and the Dudleys, eventually the love that motivates their actions/staying in the house will eventually cleanse it from it's "born evil" status.
I don't know that I believe that the house is evil, at least no more than a pitcher plant is evil. I think the house is an entity that feeds on people, but it doesn't make them do terrible things or actively try to make them crazy. Like you said, not all the ghosts are malicious, and I think it's because they were sane when they died, unlike Poppy, who is really the only ghost that we see actively trying to hurt anyone.
@@maddwitch The house may not be evil, but it's certainly dangerous, slowly driving its inhabitants to madness. Like a dangerous animal would not be called evil, but it's still going to feed on you if it's hungrey enough and gets the chance. I do love the fact that almost all the ghosts in the show turn out to be rather harmless, except the few that were already mad in life. Great subversion of your typical ghost story tropes.
Nell's 'confetti' speech really put some weight on those jump scares earlier on. Like she was trying to tell them, by frightening the hell out of them 'shut the f up, stop yelling past each other and listen'. After her death she knew that communication was the key that would save them. Love her. Such a sweet, sad soul...but she knew what was up. Anything Nellie-related messed me up. But there was wisdom there. ❤
A little moment that gets overlooked often (because it's in between so many amazing ones) but that always hits hard for me is Shirleys " I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone" and Nellie says " But you did. So many times." Because not being able to help or say goodbye is such a heavy burden on top of grief. We don't always get to do that, but put so much weight on that. We think back on the last words we did get to say to them, and what we wish they should've been instead, or feel guilt that we weren't there- but a lot of the time, you just can't know it's going to be the last call or talk. And Nellie's response has eased a lot of pain for me regarding that. You did pick up, so many times. You can grieve you lost that chance, but don't blame yourself for it. You were there every other time. It wouldn't have changed anything.
It’s crazy. I started out genuinely frightened and by the end I was ugly crying like I had lost a loved one. This was so well written and so fantastically acted I was blown away. Thank y’all for taking us on the ride with you. I look forward to the next show and the next movie. Y’all really are quite great.
Nell's monolog always makes me cry. Despite all the mental health problems in the family, the important part was that they truly loved one another and that was never questioned; even when mom was trying to kill them, they only remembered the good parts about her
When I first watched this, I loved how it ended. Because this overall theme of HOHH is/was grief. The ending was just the acceptance of it all, the acceptance of the hurt and the penance that each sibling had to confront in order for them to move on. Nell was the key to ensuring her siblings safety, even though she was the youngest one. Grief is so messy and unpredictable but then there comes the acceptance and there's no pomp or circumstance, it's quiet and somber with a hint of hope.
The original endings had the red room window behind the siblings to make you wonder if they ever got out. But they thought it would be too cruel of an ending. I’m glad they let them have a “happy” ending. This show is heartbreaking enough
Olivia's episode breaks my heart. Watching the house steal her light and life, using her love against her, only leaving fear behind. She could no longer tell what was real or a dream (Nellie getting lost the day of the storm, the kids "telling her" to wake them up), her desperation to "wake up" herself. Nellie's reunion with her siblings is the most beautiful love letter and resolution to all that guilt, all those years of miscommunication, and, despite the bittersweetness of it all, a chance at a new beginning where she will be part of them without the weight of regret. I loved the Hill House journey with you guys!
I always thought that Poppy's transformation was to show that the house puts out an image you are comfortable with. Note how Poppy's appearance changed to old and decaying (her true image) when Liv turned her back to her but when she turned around again Poppy is back to being young and beautiful. Similar to the house itself. Also notice how Hazel (the old woman from the bed) keeps her honest true form when she reveals herself to them (Luke in like ep 4 and Liv) and says "She lies" when she's talking about Poppy
You gotta do Midnight Mass now. And you’re not wrong to think Abigail is a ghost. We are supposed to think she’s not real and then be horrified when Liv kills her. It’s a great twist. The show is really good at making the audience feel confused too so we really get what Liv is dealing with.
I love how, while the hidden ghosts have been there since episode 1, all the ghosts in the house become so much more obvious in Episode 9, and all seem to be converging on Olivia. If you notice, they all seem to watch her or follow her or take notice of her in some way, in a way that they don’t with the others; such as the man with the handlebar moustache. She doesn’t see him as she passes him on the stairs (or perhaps she does, but she’s just too used to it by then), but he watches her all the way down. Olivia is definitely not a monster or crazy; she was just the most psychic and ‘sensitive’, so the house had much greater and easier access to her, to manipulate her to do what it wanted. Kind of like, the more psychic you are, the more ‘open’ you are, so the more vulnerable you are to the house and it’s forces. You can pretty much see the pattern of ‘sensitiveness’ through the family, with Olivia being the most sensitive, then Nell, then Luke, then Theo, then Shirley, then Steve, then the dad. The dad was the ‘safest’ one in the house, because he was the least sensitive, so he was the most closed off to experiencing any of the house’s tricks, whereas Olivia was the most open, so it could make her see or feel or experience whatever it wanted her to. It helps to think of it kind of like a radio; Being psychic or ‘sensitive’ means that you can pick up certain channels and frequencies. If you’re more ‘closed off’, it’s like you’ve got something blocking the signal to those channels and frequencies, so you either can’t hear it at all, or you can’t hear it clearly, so long as you’ve got that block in the way. The channels are always playing and the frequencies are always there, but it’s a question of whether you tune in to listen, and whether you’ve got something blocking the signal. Olivia could hear every word the radio was saying, whereas the dad could only hear static (until the last night). It’s just that the radio was lying to her; distorting her view of reality, convincing her that what was real was a dream and what was a lie was true, and preying on her worst fears to wear her down and then push her over the edge, and she couldn’t turn it off. Could also possibly explain why the house invited everyone into the Red Room at some point, except the dad. As he wouldn’t have been as open to the illusion as the others. The trick wouldn’t have worked on him, as he wouldn’t have been able to see it…
I always thought that the dad didn't need a red room, because he was so enmeshed and absorbed with the project of the house as whole between renovations and then, when they were getting closer to being done, the overwhelming mold that he didn't notice Olivia had spiraled so far.. it kept him quiet and focused, just like the tailored red room did for the others. Your comment explains Liv's susceptibility perfectly!
@@amandam.4841Yeah, for me, the entire house itself was his Red Room. Notice how the house kept getting damaged in ways it shouldn't be - especially the water damage in a basement three floors down? I feel like the house recognized Hugh as the least susceptible to its influence - especially since Steven must have gotten his skepticism from Hugh - so it derailed and prolonged the family's stay by 'breaking' itself in weird ways, forcing the Crains to be there longer and give the house more time to affect the more susceptible members.
The house did everything it could to make them stay, it gave them good things like individual rooms that matched what they were needing the most at the moment as a way to keep them in its stomach ("the red room") taking from them everything they could. But also the black mold that came from nowhere and didn't let them sell it and move away, it kept coming back, trapping them inside of it. Olivia being sensitive to supernatural things and her immense love for her children made her just more vulnerable to Poppy's manipulations, and in trying to save her kids from the horrible visions, she just sealed their future and her own. At the end, it was not her anymore that stayed in the house, but just a mad and lost fragment of what she once was, a tool for the house to try to keep them one last time.
I lost a friend in 2019, i saw Haunting of Hill House not so long after, this series help me to deal with grief, with the feel of loss and absence of that friend. But gotta say, this episode has my favorite exchange of the whole series: LUke: I don't know how to do this without you Nellie: I learned a secret,, there's not without, i am not gone, i'm scattered into so many pieces, sprinkles on your life like new snow. That one and the one from episode 6 "Nobody could see me" hit me the hardest
"I learned a secret,, there's not without, i am not gone, i'm scattered into so many pieces, sprinkles on your life like new snow." This ties really well with the dying monologue of Erin Greene (which was interpreted by Kate Siegel) in Midnight Mass. I think Flanagan has this vision of death where we get scattered, we become the whole universe as we lose this brain that is trapping us in this ego illusion. We become whole and eternal because time is a illusion too, a fabrication of our brains so we can do stuff. The monologue is also very poetic and beautiful. But yeah, its a very enlightened way of seeing life and death. I subscribe to the same paradigm because if you mess with psychodelics and psychoactive substances you can get a glimpse of the tricks and phastamagoria that is our own mind. It's interesting that separation of things, the idea that everything is separated is just an trick created by a part of our left hemisphere. Some people who had strokes in that brain's hemisphere suddenly lose the ability of language but also to distinguish their own skin from the atoms of the air, and the air of their room with the atmosphere of the planet, and that too from the empty void of the space. It's all a big bittersweet illusion.
I'm not a parent, but I like how this show metaphorically shows the horror of parenthood. The mom was entirely motivated to do what she did to protect her children from the horrors of the world like addiction and depression. She wanted to bring them back to the house and kill them so that they can be safe from experiencing trauma. And while that's very extreme, most parents never want to see their children get eaten alive by the terrible things that they may be subject to once they grow up and become independent. The mother states that she wanted the kids to stay in the red room because "nothing bad will ever touch them." Thing is that most parents can't maintain control forever and continuing to inflict control prohibits kids from experiencing the goodness in the world. As the dad responds, "nothing good will either." It's just a very subtle theme that I noticed play out since Shirley's episode with the kittens. "Kittens can't survive without their mommys." This is also seen with housekeepers and their daughter Abigail as they also attempted to keep her safe from the world. The one time she chooses to take a step outside of her safe house, she ends up getting killed by Olivia.
Crain siblings and 5 stages of grief Luke - depression / depends on others Shirley - anger/ seeks to control or blame others Steve - denial/dismiss others Theo - bargaining/ live vicariously through others Nell - acceptance
I am so happy that you guys (a) watched this, (b) appreciated and enjoyed it so much, and (c) were so thoughtful in giving your commentary to us in the RUclips-averse. I personally got to the end and was blown away by this. Even viewing others’ reactions, it’s amazing how much went into this and the details I can still get from re-watches and/or others’ observations. As you observed at least a couple times through the series, the jump scares weren’t really the *point* of the thing. They were there, but they fit into the larger purpose. For instance, that big scare with Nellie in the car happened because she was trying to break up her sisters’ fight. And the true ghosts- the real ghosts- were, as Steven’s dialogue explained at the end, a secret in a marriage, walls built up from fear, or guilt, or sorrow, or an attempt to protect your children from the world, when all that really does is block out the good along with the bad. You can’t keep yourself or anyone else from feeling anything bad without also preventing a feeling of anything good. As with Theo- you have to let it all in, even if it doesn’t feel good all the time. But good can come, connection can come- and I do love that the writing left much to interpretation. It’s a thinker, and I love the story for that. Anyway- my 2 cents. Thanks for your efforts!!
This show is simply sublime. Not only do they give you the best jump scare in episode 8, you have the two huge twists (who the bent-neck lady is and what the Red Room really is) that play off so well. Add to that the cinematography of episode 6. But even if you throw out those big moments, all of the little things add up to so much too. This is such a perfectly paced and told story.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is a completely different story, with some of the actors from Hill House playing different roles. It's brilliant and beautiful too, I highly recommend it.
It's interesting that many of us doubted that Abigail was real. The show established the idea that no one ever believes Luke (even as a kid) and we spend some time thinking we're different but in the end we doubted what he said too.
Ok, now that it's finished, I'd like to say one of the reasons i loved this series: "...the five kids represent the 5 stages of grief. denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. As to who each of those stages applies, think of it as descending order of the Crains, from oldest to youngest: Steven is denial, Shirley is anger, Theo is bargaining, Luke is depression, and Nell is acceptance". Makes more sense of their characters now right? And the all the allegories were mind blowing imo. Along with your LOTR and Harry Potter reactions, Haunting Hill is one of my fav reactions you've done guys. What a journey!!!!!!
@user-hn4pi2gc9h I'll try explain how I've understood it and from what I've read about it. She attempts to negotiate/"bargain" with her trauma which in this case is her mums death. She doesn't want to face it or her ability (telepathy) and she keeps living her life thinking she doesn't need to feel and she doesn't have to connect, that's why she wears gloves, like a shield and she cuts herself out, making only one night stands. Until the end when she touched Nell and felt nothing, she realized that all she ever needed really, was connection to someone or something.
@@vickyzou.2 I also see it as bargaining because theo hates her power, and uses her gloves to protect herself from it. But she is still willing to bargain with it and use it to help kids even when she hates doing it. there is not complete closure and not complete acceptance, there is a give and take a bargain.
" And those who walk there, walk together." Sooo good. This was a masterpiece! Hill House is the place we all have inside of us...we can either yield to it or fight it. Loved it! Great reaction as always
I really appreciated the Oak's thoughts on the emotional themes of this show - the family's lack of communication is what tears them apart after a tragedy. Their eventual willingness to push through and finally communicate is what sets them free and allows them to be a real family again. This show has come to mean so much to me because it's such an unexpectedly hopeful message - sometimes horrible, traumatic shit happens, and there's no good reason for it, and you may even lose relationships because of it, but at the end of the day, if you just open yourself up and communicate, you can push through and come back together. At the end of the show, the family is stronger than they ever were. They're missing a few members, because life can be cruel, but they're a whole unit connected by love. As other commenters have probably said, Mike Flanagan intended to have the Red Room window in the background of Luke's 2 years sober party, indicating that they never made it out of the house, but he changed it in post to a mirror because he just couldn't give the family such a sad ending. I honestly think that that choice is what gave the show its longevity and cult following. If this was just a case study of trauma with a desolate ending, I don't think people would come back to it as often as they do. I know I wouldn't. As a viewer, you have to get through the crushing sadness of the majority of the show to reach the catharsis and joy of the ending - and isn't that what working through trauma is all about?
This whole show also revolves around childhood traumas that adults carry their whole life. You might call it being haunted, in this case of hill house. But in real life, our personalities, fears, worries, all that psychological struggle stay with us and we carry them our whole life if we dont find answers or fix them sooner. Be gentle with your kids and other kids around you, cause whatever they go through will shape the adult person they will be. Like they say ""It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.""
That house did everything it could to manipulate the family, especially the mom and Nell. And after all this time, I'm honestly not over how tragic it was for them. GOD the Dudleys at the end gets me every time 😭
I think the hidden ghosts were a clever psychological addition to the atmosphere. I don't think we were necessarily meant to notice them consciously, but they played on the subconscious to add to the atmosphere of the house. They were there, but not to be viewed directly to distract from the main human characters.
This show is insane. It has been so many years, and I am still not over it. I have cried, laughed, screamed, and lost nights of sleep because of it, and I think I still haven't unpacked all the little details in it. It has made me question mental health things, guilt, pain, and all of that.
i feel like they wanted people to watch Abigail die and be like "but she's a ghost right, she was already dead right" so that then it just feels like a punch to the stomach when you finally realize she's actually the Dudleys' daughter
the showrunner said the plan was initially to have the window of the red room in the finale scene with the cake and the family. meaning this was a lie and they all died in the red room. the morning of the final shoot, he realized that would be incredibly cruel and changed his mind. but that would have been something. i like that he changed his mind
This is one of my favourite series ever. It's brilliantly written and executed. I don't cry often, but this made me bawl my eyes out. The tragedy followed by those happy bittersweet moments were perfect. And lastly I love that it's a horror show, yet it's not relying on those elements and instead focuses on the characters and their stories.
One BIG lesson i got from this is how some parents are being "Overly protective" over their kids that they actually harm them thinking they are keeping them safe from the outside. Just like the mother who was trying to wake them up from this bad dream which is Life, by killing them... I can relate to that cause my dad is a little over protective sometimes that he used to not allow me do a lot of things when i was younger or go to a lot of places, and it came from a good heart and good intentions, but it's not always right to keep your kids trapped at home just to be safe.. as parents you need to teach your kids how to face life rather than hide them from it. And Quinn kept saying the mom was an evil monster, well she thought she was protecting them. Her intentions were good but she was blinded and haunted by the ghosts of hill house, so she wasn't totally evil, It is a tragedy.. Nelly's death was so sad i cant get over it. The way she told her mother she had a dream her mom would kill her leaving her heart into halves feeling nothing but darkness.. it came true. Never thought i would call a horror show beautiful, but this one is indeed sad yet a beautiful show. The more you watch it the more hidden lessons you see. One of the best ever.
“Journeys end in lovers meeting. I have spent an all but sleepless night. I have told lies and made a fool of myself. And the very air tastes like wine.” The best part
I don't know if anyone said this or not, but I believe the woman that takes Abigail's hand is her grandmother (Mr. Dudley's mother) who went crazy because she stayed there at night and it drove her mad. That is why the Dudley's refuse to stay overnight. That and the fact that his wife (Clara) started to have the same tendencies and miscarried due to the stress. Edit: I always cry at the end with The Dudley's and Steve's monologue. He opens the episode with the end of his first book: ..and everyone in hill house, walks alone" and then switches it in the finale with "..everyone walks together." so fucking good.
One of the things that stayed with me from the last ep was while dad embraced them in the red room, Nellie's gaze kept within them, her new forever company, but Olivia's was still on Steve, even as the red door closed, kinda like she still waited for him and the rest of them to "wake up" and stay with them!
Honestly I never expected to cry as much as I did at the end. Not having the best relationship with my dad definitely hit different seeing the dad died. Been an honor watching these with you lads
Man same. And being a father while watching this for the first also just made me feel bad because I know my dad would have liked to see me more but between alcohol work and me being willing to go to his apartment being heated by a stove it broke my heart knowing as a single father that luckily has 50/50 custody my dad had to pay 1200 a month on child support so he didn’t have money and I always judged him but now that I’m older he doesn’t have to pay child support on me or my half brother he has a nice house and drives a Cadillac so knowing he wasn’t living in these places because he was a dead beat it was because that’s all he had available. And I feel like this show really demonstrates that just because you don’t see what’s going on doesn’t mean someone is evil.
@@dianasaur2442 same man it was def a combo of the dad still trying to protect Steve from the tall man even after Steve told him the wrong parent died and the dad saying how proud he was to be his dad
I have loved going on this journey again with you guys! This is one of the greatest shows ever, in my top 3 favorites ever. I never get tired of this series. Loved your reactions! I really hope you do Bly Manor next, a lot of the same cast such as Olivia, Nelly, Luke, Theo and Hugh only they were playing completely different characters based on the classic spooky book, The Turning of the Screw by Henry James. Both of these shows are the absolute best adaptations of the books out of all the different movies and remakes. The writing and acting in both shows is absolutely fantastic and Emmy deserving 👏🏼
Here's some fun facts about the show & some answers to your questions! : - Poppy Hill appears to Olivia as polished and beautiful because she's manipulating her, but the moment where we see her behind Olivia and she looks older and disfigured is her true form. The house has been manipulating these people since the very moment they moved in. - Each of the siblings is wearing something red when they're trapped in the Red Room before Nellie rescues them. Steve's cardigan is red, Luke's converse are red, the lingerie in Theo's dream is red, Shirley's blouse is red. Olivia is also seen in red when she's a manifestation of the house, as opposed to how Hugh sees her, which is usually in blue. - The visions that they see in the Red Room are their hopes and dreams and regrets: Theo longing for connection but being unable to be herself, Steve longing to reconnect with his wife, Luke wanting to save his friend, Shirley wishing she had said no. - Nell telling Luke "Go!" and "Don't!" are the same things she said to him in the third episode and sixth episode, further proving that time isn't linear for Nell. - In one version of the ending, Mike Flanagan originally had planned on having the window behind Luke when they're celebrating his sobriety, to symbolize that they never left the house, but he thought it was too upsetting. But the cake is red. - The number 7 is very important in this show. There's 7 Crain's at the start, then three die. But at the end, at Luke's sobriety party, there are seven people around the cake. - The kids all represent different phases of grief. Steven is denial, Shirley is anger, Theo is bargaining, Luke is depression, Nell is acceptance.
No matter how many times I see the ending, the ending line, "...and those who walk there, walk together." Gets me. It's the same line that opens the series, but Steve says, "...walk alone." The change essentially marks his acceptance that keeping people out wasn't going to heal, rather, it's letting people in aka together. The thinly veiled themes of depression and family trauma are universal. Also, much of Steve's voice over are directly from Shirley Jackson's fantastic work. The character of Shirley was also included in this version as a nod to the author as well.
Oak's absolute obsession with trying to force every single possible thing they watch to fit into an "It was all a dream!" Ending is stunning. He must find it to be the height of all types of endings, based on how often he brings it up lol
The monster was Poppy. Olivia’s “color storms” aka migraines were caused by Poppy getting in her head. She made Olivia think she was going crazy. She caused the hallucinations that Olivia saw, exactly the same as she caused the hallucinations Nell saw when she went back to Hill House and heard everything she wanted to hear from her family and husband and danced with him in the actually dilapidated house. Olivia only had visions that Poppy made her see. When Nell and Luke as kids were talking about putting drugs in his body and being so sad she has to d1e, that was all Poppy.
I was deeply invested in Luke's character; I was on the edge of my seat the whole series, afraid of what would happen to him. It was such an amazing relief and happy surprise that he's okay at the end. This show is such a journey but so worth it.
I was so excited to see you guys react to the finale! My roommate and I watched this show when it first came on Netflix. We didn't expect much but by the end we were floored by how amazing this show was. I lived with him for 4 years and this was the only time I saw him cry. Both he and I were messes at the end of this. Incredible Acting, writing, cinematography, just overall one of the best shows/miniseries I had ever seen. Soooo many feelings and not at all a typical "horror" show!
this is one of the best shows netflix has ever, EVER had; it’s a beautifully done work about a mother’s fear and grief in letting her kids grow up in the world and experience life by themselves. olivia tried so hard to fight poppy’s influence and it broke my heart when she couldn’t do it anymore. the finale was so satisfyingly done and, despite the heavy layer of sadness over what went down, the kids truly ended up better in the end because of it. what i love about mike flanagan’s release order of his shows is that it’s a spectrum; hill house is on the horror side (and the emotional side of course), bly manor is more emotional than horror, and midnight mass is by far the least horror and most emotional. i LOVE all three works, but this is truly the best for me.
my favorite thing about people reacting to this is everyone misunderstands mr. dudley’s conversation with hugh; people think he says “our little girl’s first cry” as in they didn’t have any children. what he said is “our FIRST little girl’s cry”. that one sentence being overlooked when it comes to abigail always tickles me.
My take on Poppy going back and forth from her young and old/decrepit ghost form is to reinforce the idea that Poppy (and the house) is putting on a front to disguise the horrors within. Loved these reactions! I hope y’all continue with Flanagan’s work, he’s fantastic, and not just in shows! Absentia, Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald’s Game, Hush, Before I Wake, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass are all fantastic. The Midnight Club is good too, but it’s definitely the weakest, and it’s very, very rough to get through since it deals with kids.
My favorite episode still is episode 6 from the longs shots to every detail in acting. That last scene from Nell saying "nobody can see me" and how much that relates to depression is unbeatable for me. This is the horror i like to watch... They explored so much stuff such as depression, grief, traumas, mental illness, all this psychological themes that are way more scarier then simply ghosts. When you make something that affects people by its realness and not by its visual effects, jump scares... that's what makes a good show and The Haunting Of Hill House will remain forever as a refference when we talk about horror shows
That ending of ep 9 made me bawl, can't imagine how terrified Liv must have been just slowly descending into madness from the house and unable to do anything about it. And I just have to give major props to the actress they cast as Poppy! She nailed that role!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 K starting the finale now. ❤💔
11:10 They probably showed Poppy as an old lady to show that the ghost of her (or the house itself) is trying to show a prettier image of her to convince Olivia to kill her kids and stay in the house forever. Doubt Olivia would be as open to speak and listen to her if she was a zombie-like old lady. We also saw something similar with the house presenting the version of the family and his dead husband to Nell and Olivia giving her thenecklace, which was a rope to hang herself. Seems like the house wants to convince them to stay
This show was so well done you don't want to see more? Mike Flannigan's series just keeps getting better and better. Glad to see via thumbnail you guys continues that journey. As someone born in October (kinda what led me here), it's exciting to see Bad Medicine tackle this series. I agree with you all. The strategy to against the tropes of jumps cares to make a horror, really made this series. Focused more in the writing, than your typical horror has set this apart from others and makes it memorable. It kept you so enthralled, you couldn't stop. That's been my experience with each season, and makes it so Binge worthy. Like a good book, you just can't stop at the end of one chapter. What I'm most impressed with, in this season, how they play their formula. Perspective. Taking what a spectator may perceive of the family from the outside, topics of mental illness, addiction, and the horror theme. They really took the genre in a new and intriguing way. Slow, or fat paced, you're just invested in the story. Looking forward to you guys reacting to the rest of the series. Promise you won't be disappointed. Thank you for your reaction. Gives a refreshing kind of life to the series, seeing others enjoying/reaching to it.
Yes! Been waiting for this sense episode one! People had mixed reactions to the end of the he series but I think the ending they went for makes this series as rewachable as it is. Which only contributes to how great a work of art it is. Beautiful. ♡
The point of showing Poppy as the old version of her before transitioning back to her younger self is exactly what you guys said minutes before when you said she was the most "normal" and "welcoming" looking ghost so far. Poppy is using her beauty to manipulate Olivia, obviously you wouldn't want to trust the old, rotting version of what Poppy looked like when she died. lol
Another interesting lesson from Steve's story is how sometimes the truth in front of you but you dont realize it until you hear other people's perspective of it. Like how his whole life he didn't believe in ghosts and thought they were all mental or crazy, but they did actually see some sort of paranormal activities or visions. when dad reveals the clock guy was a ghost and they never had a tree house, the RED ROOM was the tree house. Mind blowing.
Usually I love the beginning of horror movies/shows because when things are revealed at the end it's either so underwhelming or just bad. But this show definitely has one of the best reveals ever.
That last speech from Nellie kills me, “There’s no without, I am not gone. I’m scattered into so many pieces, sprinkled on your life like new snow.” I just lost my sister, and it’s such a great analogy when she’s in every thought and everything reminds me of her, like new snow sprinkled on everything I do. I strongly encourage you guys to do Bly Manor for the channel! Some of the actors are the same, but it’s a totally different animal that you’re going to love just as much as Hill House but in a totally different way. Yes, it takes place in a big house again but otherwise it’s a totally different journey with some incredibly clever writing. I’m trying to decide which I liked more and I honestly can’t choose. One more thought, you mention different theories… one very popular theory (debunked by the writers themselves) was that during that last scene with everyone together, cutting the cake, that they were all still in the Red Room after all and hadn’t escaped. Mike Flannigan did end up saying this is not true, that they all did make it out and get their happy endings. Another show that blew me away that I’d LOVE to see you guys do is Chernobyl. It was SO well done, and they really did their research to stay as accurate as possible, trying to only take liberties on the more inconsequential things. I haven’t seen many people do reactions to it, but my mind was totally blown by it. I love how deep you guys really get into what you watch and take it seriously, whether it’s your cup of tea or not, so I can’t wait for the next series!
I am still so amazed at how good this was written. Everything tied together so perfectly, what a masterpiece! It's the best I've ever seen and I'm kind of sad because now I feel like this show raised the bar so high for me that nothing might live up to the standard :') How about Midnight Mass next? Another great show directed by Mike Flanagan. And to comment on what the Oak said about the mom seeing her kids' future being a curve ball, I think that was essential for the mom to totally lose it and finally decide that she'll push through with what she did. I think she wanted to take the twins with her because they're so young and innocent, untouched by all the evils of the world and she wants them to stay that way forever. Love you guys' attention to detail throughout the series btw, you guys caught on a lot and I realized I didn't catch anything on my first watch, like...at all haha!
Awesome finish! What an epic season this was. Very well done! 1:29:00 is the ghost we missed reaction and it was a lot. Did you catch all of them the first time? Early Drops & Full Reactions on Patreon: www.patreon.com/baddmedicine Backup channel Subscribe here ruclips.net/channel/UC1CLUwA27dz-94o3FR0o3xg
Not sure if you guys caught this but just some revelations. William Hill (tall man) is Mr. Dudley's father. Mr. Dudley is a Hill. When he recounts the story of his mom, of her feeling scattered like a school girl in love. She was having an affair with William Hill. William bordered himself up in the wall out of fear and guilt (the two sisters in Theo's nightmare). Fear of Poppy in betraying her and guilt of fathering Hugh. Also the woman who comes to take Abigail to the afterlife when Liv kills her is Mr. Dudley's mother, Abigail's grandmother. Really loved your reactions. Please cover season 2.
I have to say, some of those ghosts looked more like normal shadows to me. Also, Bly Manor has a very different feel compared to Hill House so please don't begin the watch expecting similar themes, atmosphere and writing. If you feel like you want a break from houses yet wish to stay on the Flanagan-train, why not watch Midnight Mass? I love Hill House and Bly Manor equally and Midnight Mass falls below simply because I enjoy the themes and writing of Hill House and Bly Manor better. Hope you'll have fun watching whatever series you pick next.
the episode 7 ghost in the basement by Hugh when he was uncovering William Hill's body was my first hidden ghost. after that, I just started seeing them all the time lol and then, of course, when watching the show again I saw them all the time. I think the reason a lot of people didn't actually point out the hidden ghosts is because they wanted you to focus on the show and discover them if you happened to. a lot of times, reactors will focus so much on trying to find the hidden ghosts that they will miss important plot points. I'm so glad that all the commenters were kind to you guys and allowed you to discover your first hidden ghost on your own; and it was a doozy! haha ❤
There are a few videos outlining all the background ghosts in each episode. You should do a reaction to that, because realizing in hindsight that all those ghosts were “watching” you without you knowing is just as scary/creepy as the actual show itself. 😱 👻
I was SO excited for you guys to finish it! I had to go and rewatch the last two episodes after your last reaction. This is SUCH a great series. Thanks for your timely uploads! When I watched this show, I saw each Crain child as representing a stage of grief. Steve was denial. Shirley was anger. Theo was acceptance. Luke was bargaining (with drugs, he was so insecure, only Nell believed him, and so he just wanted to escape). And Nell was depression. But each child was also coping, even Theo.. who arguably took what happened and was a child psychologist, accepted the money from the book to get her PhD.. she just had her boundary up as you guys said, with her gloves. I think a lot of the dreams the kids had showed them their biggest fear and how it could be used against them, and when they got out of the house, they yielded to their fear but in the healthiest way. Like Steve and having children. Or Theo opening herself up to feel everything. I think one can very easily argue that Nell was acceptance though. As she always believes everyone, and is able to calmly save all her siblings, and she ends up consumed by the house. I come from her having depression because what the “little her” said to the mom in episode 9, Screaming Meemies about never being able to feel happiness. Aside from that, also love how Nell came back in the end and saved everyone.
CONTINUATION: And on the other side, it would also fit the chronological order of the kids with the stages of grief as Nell and Luke being depression or acceptance each as they were the two youngest. The kids I’m the MOST confident on as Steve as denial and Shirley as anger.
But I googled it, and a lot are saying that Theo was bargining and Nell was acceptance. But when Theo touched Nell, she felt a sense of no connection and that’s why she got into excess drinking and trying something with Shirley’s husband. But what do people with depression fell? A sense of never truly feeling connected with those around them. Nell could LOVE them, but it’s also little to no understanding that’s hard to put into words; and while they may have not “believed her” she never expressed that the way Luke did.
To me, this series is about family and the permanence of family. Even when our loved ones are gone, they've never fully left us. Hugh carries Liv with him for the rest of his life, the Twin thing with Nell and Luke, and even the Dudley's. I agree wholeheartedly with Oak's interpretation about walls as well. It never helps to separate yourself from the people who care the most about you.
This is honestly not just one of the best horror shows but one of the best pieces of fiction I've ever seen. Yea it's based on a novel but the way Mike Flanagan created this story for television, the dialogue, the suspense, the characters, the way it's shot... everything about this is nearly perfect.
This is a show about a family dealing with grief that uses a haunted house as a plot device. That is why each of the 5 children represented the 5 stages of grief. Steve (denial) Shirley (anger) Theo (bargaining) Luke (depression) Nell (acceptance)
This show is definitely worth a second watch, not only to try and spot all the creepy ghost hidden in the shots throughout the series but also to notice the Red Room. If you pay attention, you can spot when it's the Red Room because of the very peculiar vertical narrow window. It's the only window like that in the entire series. When you see a room with that window, you know it's the Red Room playing with their mind.
I just finished watching The Haunting of Bly Manor last week, you won't be disappointed! Cant wait for your reaction to it too. It's not some random story writings for the sake of Netflix, these 2 shows are based on books. The former is based on Shriley Jackson's 1959 novel and latter on Henry James' 1989 The Turn of the Screw. And although they share the theme of a "Haunted house" but they still are unique in their own stories. I liked them both, cant tell which one was better frankly.
In an interview with the show's creators, they mentioned in a previous cut of the final episode, there was a major change. In Luke's party, there is a mirror behind his head and it was originally a window, insinuating that they were all in "the red room". I forget why they said they changed it, but I imagine it would ruin the overall feeling of the end. In any case, great series!
The second season is definitely worth watching. To assuage your fears, it doesn't feel at all like they went "hey, Netflix gave us money for another season so I guess we'll have to come up with something". It's another great story with its own distinct flavor, maybe a little less horror and more of a slow burn (at least, in the first two or three episodes), and I loved it just as much as the first one. By the way, congratulations for missing all those ghosts! They're a cool eastern egg if you spot them, but I've watched some reactors become so obsessed with spotting every single one of them, that they got distracted and missed some important stuff.
You were SUPPOSED to think Abigail was a ghost until she's in the bed and then goes to the tea party.
When you rewatch this, notice the Dudley's are both together in the finale, before that you only see one of them at a time. When one is at the house, the other is home watching Abigail! Except for when she snuck out that last night. She probably snuck to the house to see Luke at other times.
Yeah that was a crazy plot twist. Everyone thought she was a ghost that Luke saw, only to find out she was real this whole time.
My favorite tv twist, like the opposite of the The Sixth Sense. They knew the audience wouldn’t question the assumption that she was a ghost.
“You guys go on without me”
“How could we”
This really shows the family’s downfall after the moms death because of the house
oof yeah... i love this line, it hurts a lot lmao
im crying everytime i watch that scene
Episode 9 was showing how you as the audience, just like Luke's family - never believed him. He told everyone Abigail was real. It was a masterful way of showing us how we also betrayed Luke's trust and sent him on the wrong path. Little children's words, worries, and concerns are too easily dismissed by adults. If nothing else I hope this show teaches us to listen to our children in a deeper and more compassionate way.
Yes, I really don't see this talked about enough! We judge the family for not believing Luke, but we don't believe Luke, either.
@@k-popbiased1058 When he kept on with the nobody believing him to the supposed ghost I truly trusted him. I've been that child, so it could just be my bias. It would be better to say that the question was whether she was alive or dead, because either way she was real. I just bounced between dead or alive constantly. When the show kept bouncing her around I got my answer. She was alive but definitely going to die at some point, so it became a waiting game. It was too good of a show to have Abigail be dead the whole time. That's been done before.
There are so many great things to take away from this show, especially concerning family, but for me one of the most important ones was that you should truly listen to your kids, talk to them honestly and take the time to explain to them whatever they are going through. If you have a solid foundation of trust with your kids then they will come to you with their problems instead of turning to the wrong people/things/substances because they think they won't be believed or taken seriously.
wow i never made this connection, how absolutely heartbreaking. thank you for sharing, clearly i need to go watch the show again!!
In the same vein as Theo who all but saw through the house's facade as soon as she entered, feeling the cold and even the weird smell that no one else noticed. Fitting that she is the only one that believes Luke when he has that encounter in the secret basement.
I stand by Hugh’s decision to get his kids out of there and try to come back for his wife later
100%
You can't really blame Hugh, and he didn't actually bail on Livy. She did try to kill her kids and Hugh's first priority was to get them to safety. He did come back for her later as soon as he could but unfortunately that was too late.
super late to this, but he was really forced to choose between Livy and the children and he didn’t even hesitate which you know is exactly what Olivia in her right mind would’ve wanted him to do.
@@moonriverinc7896 So true, that's what any sensible parent or even a person should have done. That's why I don't really get it why people blame Hugh sometimes. In this case, he actually did try his best.
@@Whotfasked69 I think everyone who has watched the show agrees that those were really ghosts and not just "ghosts" and we do not have a control over the supernatural. Moreover, when he burst into the red room he literally saw his wife kill a child and was about to kill their own children as well, so it's not weird to think that he felt scared for his children's safety. Therefore it would be more strange if he decides to take her alongside those very children (fearing for their safety). As for the cops thing, who knows, maybe that didn't cross his brain at the time. He was in a haunted house and just realised that the wife he loves has probably killed someone. A ghost convinced Livy to kill her children so that she could be with them forever. How does it become Hugo's fault in the middle of all this?
The fact that Hugh didn't sell the house and ordered that the Dudleys be kept on so they could be with their daughter was so tragically kind. Their reaction that night -- no anger, no blame, just resigned heartbreak -- always stands out to me. And that ending with Mr. Dudley carrying her through the woods so she could die at Hill House and be with her babies forever gets me every time. They're both so devoutly religious, but they chose to stay behind in Hill House for the rest of time so they could "walk together".
11:20 I've always assumed Liv sees Poppy in her prime, while we see her old rotting ghost to enforce the idea she is being tricked. Just like the Red Room, Poppy is twisted and rotting, but appears as Liv wishes her to be as a solution to her fears.
yup i saw it as a manipulation, the old ghost is what she really looked like but poppy makes herself young in olivias eyes just to show how she is manipulating her in other ways
Exactly, Clara said earlier that she knew Poppy when she was "just as crazy, but older". Poppy is putting on a face for Liv but we get to see her true face there.
Completely. Even the shots of the house while in the red room (unknowingly) are warmer and brighter, while the rest of the house always looks cold and old. Everything seem dreamy, like the house want it to be.
@@MariGzLz the scene in Shirl's room with the kittens (not the red room) was pretty warm lit
The lady who takes Abigail by the hand and walks away with her after she dies is Abigail's paternal grandmother! If you remember, he said his mom used to work for the Hills, and well, that's her. If I remember well, I think her and William Hill had an affair, hence why she would be out in the woods at night "giggling like a schoolgirl in love". Willim walled himself in in the basement in part out of shame (but also, he was clinically insane). I believe there were other details but I can't seem to recall them at the moment.
I think so, too, because poppy says to Olivia in (ep 9) red room, that she's red like tomato and Willie is going to love it. Something like that.
No, I believe the woman who took her hand was the younger version of Mrs Dudley. Remember time has no meaning in the house. So her younger dead self showed up there to take care of dead Abigail before she Mrs D even died. That's why she's holding a baby at the end. Her first child died as a baby. Then Abigail died. Then she died in the house so she was able to be with both of her kids.
@@MavenCree It’s not Clara, if that’s who you’re referring to.
@@MavenCree no it’s not Clara, it’s Abigail’s grandma but she appears as her younger self.
@@MavenCree Not its not. Younger Clara is at the end holding the baby. The woman who takes Abigail's hand right after she dies is Mrs Dudley Sr, its confirmed. She's also literally dressed like she's from the 40;s or 50's, and Clara would not have been an adult at that time.
The acting by little Nell when she’s in the bed talking to her mom about dying is amazing acting, especially for a girl that age and considering the subject matter. It’s crazy how good she was. Little Luke too.
”fun” fact here, in the end, when they’re all celebrating luke’s sobriety, flanagan had actually planned to have the red room window in the background, symbolizing that they never actually got out of there, but changed it just last minute because he thought it was gonna be too depressing and soul crushing. imagine that !! im so happy he changed it, or i probably never would’ve recovered lol. anyways, loved this reaction as much as all the previous ones, wish it wasn’t over yet but really enjoyed watching it with you guys !!! hope you get to bly manor at some point too :)
That would've been too much. Glad they changed it.
One of my favorite parts in the final episode is Hugh and Olivia's "reunion". Hugh is more of a blunt, to-the-point kind of guy while Olivia is more poetic and uses quotes and metaphors. But during that conversation, Hugh talked like her. He used her own words and way of speaking to reach Olivia and it was so heartbreaking to me. Him calling the kids "Our babies" like she did, just hits hard.
One thing that always blows my mind is watching reactors to this series being mad at the father for leaving his wife. But put yourself in his shoes -- he's just found her after she killed a little girl and tried to kill your two youngest. Your instinct as a father will tell you to get your five kids OUT of there, away from a wife who's turned psychotic, to a place of safety. Only then would you go back to help -- in his case, too late. It's an impossible situation to be in.
I feel like olivia wouldve tried to derail the car if they took her with them lmao no way im putting my kids in danger like that
The visions that she was having was not her subconscious was the house and the ghost manipulating her perceptions, they were giving her visions and saying those things using the kids as tools until she eventually broke down
I've always known that she had special abilities like Theo and Nellie had. Theo felt through touch, Nellie was haunted by her own death her entire life and Olivia saw visions of the future. Poppy and the house used it as a manipulation tactic to get her to "stop" the visions from coming true. But everything she did ultimately did lead to them becoming true.
This show is such a gut punch!!! One of the best series of television from the past decade imo
For me, it's right up there with Chernobyl.
@@daytrippera and True Detective first season.
I second Chernobyl and True Detective S01 and gonna add Hannibal
The Dudleys' ending always leave me bawling. They're such an interesting inverse of the "mysterious domestic help tied to the sinister old house" trope that happens in so many of these stories, where the workers are usually not only knowledgeable but complicit in the evil going on. Instead we get Mr. Dudley trying his best to warn Hugh, even though he knows Hugh hasn't seen enough to believe him, on how to protect Olivia, making himself vulnerable by opening up about some emotionally devastating topics like the stillbirth. And Mrs. Dudley also trying her best with Olivia, even though she inadvertently says the exact wrong thing, because of course she has no way of knowing exactly how the house is influencing her. I'm happy they got to have what is probably closest to a "happy ending" as was possible given the circumstances. They'll both no doubt live on with their daughters in the house, as well as Mr. Dudley's mother (implied to be the woman who took ghost!Abigail's hand when she first died) While the house itself is evil, not all the ghosts are malicious. William and Poppy were both known to have mental illness in life, and Olivia was "corrupted" by Poppy/the house (likely aided by her natural sensitivity to the supernatural) Maybe if it's filled with enough good/neutral ghosts like Hugh and the Dudleys, eventually the love that motivates their actions/staying in the house will eventually cleanse it from it's "born evil" status.
The show also avoided the trope of the “religious ones are shady and bad and fanatic”, here we see the Dudleys are just genuine caring people.
I don't know that I believe that the house is evil, at least no more than a pitcher plant is evil. I think the house is an entity that feeds on people, but it doesn't make them do terrible things or actively try to make them crazy. Like you said, not all the ghosts are malicious, and I think it's because they were sane when they died, unlike Poppy, who is really the only ghost that we see actively trying to hurt anyone.
@@maddwitch The house may not be evil, but it's certainly dangerous, slowly driving its inhabitants to madness. Like a dangerous animal would not be called evil, but it's still going to feed on you if it's hungrey enough and gets the chance. I do love the fact that almost all the ghosts in the show turn out to be rather harmless, except the few that were already mad in life. Great subversion of your typical ghost story tropes.
Nell's 'confetti' speech really put some weight on those jump scares earlier on. Like she was trying to tell them, by frightening the hell out of them 'shut the f up, stop yelling past each other and listen'. After her death she knew that communication was the key that would save them. Love her. Such a sweet, sad soul...but she knew what was up. Anything Nellie-related messed me up. But there was wisdom there. ❤
I love the actress who portrays her. Victoria is a phenomenal actress
A little moment that gets overlooked often (because it's in between so many amazing ones) but that always hits hard for me is Shirleys " I'm sorry I didn't answer the phone" and Nellie says " But you did. So many times." Because not being able to help or say goodbye is such a heavy burden on top of grief. We don't always get to do that, but put so much weight on that. We think back on the last words we did get to say to them, and what we wish they should've been instead, or feel guilt that we weren't there- but a lot of the time, you just can't know it's going to be the last call or talk. And Nellie's response has eased a lot of pain for me regarding that. You did pick up, so many times. You can grieve you lost that chance, but don't blame yourself for it. You were there every other time. It wouldn't have changed anything.
It’s crazy. I started out genuinely frightened and by the end I was ugly crying like I had lost a loved one. This was so well written and so fantastically acted I was blown away. Thank y’all for taking us on the ride with you. I look forward to the next show and the next movie. Y’all really are quite great.
Its quite depressing to be honest. To this day im still wondering.... was it really supernatural? Black mold? Or mental illnesses?
The answer I’ve decided is “Yes”
Especially when dad said it was the best thing ever to be their dad!!! I was 😭
Nell's monolog always makes me cry. Despite all the mental health problems in the family, the important part was that they truly loved one another and that was never questioned; even when mom was trying to kill them, they only remembered the good parts about her
The ugly cry came in when she said "the rest is confetti".
When I first watched this, I loved how it ended. Because this overall theme of HOHH is/was grief. The ending was just the acceptance of it all, the acceptance of the hurt and the penance that each sibling had to confront in order for them to move on. Nell was the key to ensuring her siblings safety, even though she was the youngest one. Grief is so messy and unpredictable but then there comes the acceptance and there's no pomp or circumstance, it's quiet and somber with a hint of hope.
The original endings had the red room window behind the siblings to make you wonder if they ever got out. But they thought it would be too cruel of an ending. I’m glad they let them have a “happy” ending. This show is heartbreaking enough
the Cake they are eating is also red, so people still speculate that they didnt get out lol.
I cried so much the first time I saw the end of episode 9 when Olivia says “you guys go on without me” and Hugh responds “how could we”.
One of the most complete TV series ever. It’s absolutely brilliant. And Bly Manor is right up there! Hoping you guys hit that one next.
You mean Bly Manor is perfectly splendid?
@@TheMissjeannette exactly. Lol
@@TheMissjeannette it is perfectly Splendid!
Bly manor can’t hold a candle to this
@@keef5 you can’t really “compare” the two, they are completely different animals. Both brilliantly deep in their own rights.
Olivia's episode breaks my heart. Watching the house steal her light and life, using her love against her, only leaving fear behind. She could no longer tell what was real or a dream (Nellie getting lost the day of the storm, the kids "telling her" to wake them up), her desperation to "wake up" herself. Nellie's reunion with her siblings is the most beautiful love letter and resolution to all that guilt, all those years of miscommunication, and, despite the bittersweetness of it all, a chance at a new beginning where she will be part of them without the weight of regret. I loved the Hill House journey with you guys!
I always thought that Poppy's transformation was to show that the house puts out an image you are comfortable with. Note how Poppy's appearance changed to old and decaying (her true image) when Liv turned her back to her but when she turned around again Poppy is back to being young and beautiful. Similar to the house itself. Also notice how Hazel (the old woman from the bed) keeps her honest true form when she reveals herself to them (Luke in like ep 4 and Liv) and says "She lies" when she's talking about Poppy
You gotta do Midnight Mass now.
And you’re not wrong to think Abigail is a ghost. We are supposed to think she’s not real and then be horrified when Liv kills her. It’s a great twist. The show is really good at making the audience feel confused too so we really get what Liv is dealing with.
Yeah, I really need the guys to do Midnight Mass, for sure!
Yes to Midnight Mass! That show is one big existential gut-punch.
Omg yes!!!
Yeah, I'm fine with them skipping Bly's Manor and go straight for Midnight Mass. I know they won't though...
Midnight Mass is as good as this if not better for sure!
I love how, while the hidden ghosts have been there since episode 1, all the ghosts in the house become so much more obvious in Episode 9, and all seem to be converging on Olivia.
If you notice, they all seem to watch her or follow her or take notice of her in some way, in a way that they don’t with the others; such as the man with the handlebar moustache. She doesn’t see him as she passes him on the stairs (or perhaps she does, but she’s just too used to it by then), but he watches her all the way down.
Olivia is definitely not a monster or crazy; she was just the most psychic and ‘sensitive’, so the house had much greater and easier access to her, to manipulate her to do what it wanted. Kind of like, the more psychic you are, the more ‘open’ you are, so the more vulnerable you are to the house and it’s forces.
You can pretty much see the pattern of ‘sensitiveness’ through the family, with Olivia being the most sensitive, then Nell, then Luke, then Theo, then Shirley, then Steve, then the dad.
The dad was the ‘safest’ one in the house, because he was the least sensitive, so he was the most closed off to experiencing any of the house’s tricks, whereas Olivia was the most open, so it could make her see or feel or experience whatever it wanted her to.
It helps to think of it kind of like a radio;
Being psychic or ‘sensitive’ means that you can pick up certain channels and frequencies. If you’re more ‘closed off’, it’s like you’ve got something blocking the signal to those channels and frequencies, so you either can’t hear it at all, or you can’t hear it clearly, so long as you’ve got that block in the way.
The channels are always playing and the frequencies are always there, but it’s a question of whether you tune in to listen, and whether you’ve got something blocking the signal.
Olivia could hear every word the radio was saying, whereas the dad could only hear static (until the last night).
It’s just that the radio was lying to her; distorting her view of reality, convincing her that what was real was a dream and what was a lie was true, and preying on her worst fears to wear her down and then push her over the edge, and she couldn’t turn it off.
Could also possibly explain why the house invited everyone into the Red Room at some point, except the dad. As he wouldn’t have been as open to the illusion as the others. The trick wouldn’t have worked on him, as he wouldn’t have been able to see it…
I always thought that the dad didn't need a red room, because he was so enmeshed and absorbed with the project of the house as whole between renovations and then, when they were getting closer to being done, the overwhelming mold that he didn't notice Olivia had spiraled so far.. it kept him quiet and focused, just like the tailored red room did for the others.
Your comment explains Liv's susceptibility perfectly!
@@amandam.4841Yeah, for me, the entire house itself was his Red Room. Notice how the house kept getting damaged in ways it shouldn't be - especially the water damage in a basement three floors down? I feel like the house recognized Hugh as the least susceptible to its influence - especially since Steven must have gotten his skepticism from Hugh - so it derailed and prolonged the family's stay by 'breaking' itself in weird ways, forcing the Crains to be there longer and give the house more time to affect the more susceptible members.
The house did everything it could to make them stay, it gave them good things like individual rooms that matched what they were needing the most at the moment as a way to keep them in its stomach ("the red room") taking from them everything they could. But also the black mold that came from nowhere and didn't let them sell it and move away, it kept coming back, trapping them inside of it.
Olivia being sensitive to supernatural things and her immense love for her children made her just more vulnerable to Poppy's manipulations, and in trying to save her kids from the horrible visions, she just sealed their future and her own. At the end, it was not her anymore that stayed in the house, but just a mad and lost fragment of what she once was, a tool for the house to try to keep them one last time.
I lost a friend in 2019, i saw Haunting of Hill House not so long after, this series help me to deal with grief, with the feel of loss and absence of that friend. But gotta say, this episode has my favorite exchange of the whole series:
LUke: I don't know how to do this without you
Nellie: I learned a secret,, there's not without, i am not gone, i'm scattered into so many pieces, sprinkles on your life like new snow.
That one and the one from episode 6 "Nobody could see me" hit me the hardest
"I learned a secret,, there's not without, i am not gone, i'm scattered into so many pieces, sprinkles on your life like new snow."
This ties really well with the dying monologue of Erin Greene (which was interpreted by Kate Siegel) in Midnight Mass. I think Flanagan has this vision of death where we get scattered, we become the whole universe as we lose this brain that is trapping us in this ego illusion. We become whole and eternal because time is a illusion too, a fabrication of our brains so we can do stuff.
The monologue is also very poetic and beautiful. But yeah, its a very enlightened way of seeing life and death. I subscribe to the same paradigm because if you mess with psychodelics and psychoactive substances you can get a glimpse of the tricks and phastamagoria that is our own mind.
It's interesting that separation of things, the idea that everything is separated is just an trick created by a part of our left hemisphere. Some people who had strokes in that brain's hemisphere suddenly lose the ability of language but also to distinguish their own skin from the atoms of the air, and the air of their room with the atmosphere of the planet, and that too from the empty void of the space.
It's all a big bittersweet illusion.
I never expected to cry and be so emotionally invested in a “scary” show. One of the best shows I’ve seen in a long time, I loved it.
I'm not a parent, but I like how this show metaphorically shows the horror of parenthood. The mom was entirely motivated to do what she did to protect her children from the horrors of the world like addiction and depression. She wanted to bring them back to the house and kill them so that they can be safe from experiencing trauma. And while that's very extreme, most parents never want to see their children get eaten alive by the terrible things that they may be subject to once they grow up and become independent. The mother states that she wanted the kids to stay in the red room because "nothing bad will ever touch them." Thing is that most parents can't maintain control forever and continuing to inflict control prohibits kids from experiencing the goodness in the world. As the dad responds, "nothing good will either." It's just a very subtle theme that I noticed play out since Shirley's episode with the kittens. "Kittens can't survive without their mommys." This is also seen with housekeepers and their daughter Abigail as they also attempted to keep her safe from the world. The one time she chooses to take a step outside of her safe house, she ends up getting killed by Olivia.
Crain siblings and 5 stages of grief
Luke - depression / depends on others
Shirley - anger/ seeks to control or blame others
Steve - denial/dismiss others
Theo - bargaining/ live vicariously through others
Nell - acceptance
That's deep
the ending still makes me emotional. this show is really amazing
I am so happy that you guys (a) watched this, (b) appreciated and enjoyed it so much, and (c) were so thoughtful in giving your commentary to us in the RUclips-averse. I personally got to the end and was blown away by this. Even viewing others’ reactions, it’s amazing how much went into this and the details I can still get from re-watches and/or others’ observations. As you observed at least a couple times through the series, the jump scares weren’t really the *point* of the thing. They were there, but they fit into the larger purpose. For instance, that big scare with Nellie in the car happened because she was trying to break up her sisters’ fight. And the true ghosts- the real ghosts- were, as Steven’s dialogue explained at the end, a secret in a marriage, walls built up from fear, or guilt, or sorrow, or an attempt to protect your children from the world, when all that really does is block out the good along with the bad. You can’t keep yourself or anyone else from feeling anything bad without also preventing a feeling of anything good. As with Theo- you have to let it all in, even if it doesn’t feel good all the time. But good can come, connection can come- and I do love that the writing left much to interpretation. It’s a thinker, and I love the story for that. Anyway- my 2 cents. Thanks for your efforts!!
This show is simply sublime. Not only do they give you the best jump scare in episode 8, you have the two huge twists (who the bent-neck lady is and what the Red Room really is) that play off so well. Add to that the cinematography of episode 6. But even if you throw out those big moments, all of the little things add up to so much too. This is such a perfectly paced and told story.
The Haunting of Bly Manor is a completely different story, with some of the actors from Hill House playing different roles. It's brilliant and beautiful too, I highly recommend it.
The Dudley's always get me 😭
It's interesting that many of us doubted that Abigail was real. The show established the idea that no one ever believes Luke (even as a kid) and we spend some time thinking we're different but in the end we doubted what he said too.
Ok, now that it's finished, I'd like to say one of the reasons i loved this series: "...the five kids represent the 5 stages of grief. denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. As to who each of those stages applies, think of it as descending order of the Crains, from oldest to youngest: Steven is denial, Shirley is anger, Theo is bargaining, Luke is depression, and Nell is acceptance". Makes more sense of their characters now right? And the all the allegories were mind blowing imo.
Along with your LOTR and Harry Potter reactions, Haunting Hill is one of my fav reactions you've done guys. What a journey!!!!!!
I never understood how Theo represented bargaining.
@user-hn4pi2gc9h I'll try explain how I've understood it and from what I've read about it. She attempts to negotiate/"bargain" with her trauma which in this case is her mums death. She doesn't want to face it or her ability (telepathy) and she keeps living her life thinking she doesn't need to feel and she doesn't have to connect, that's why she wears gloves, like a shield and she cuts herself out, making only one night stands. Until the end when she touched Nell and felt nothing, she realized that all she ever needed really, was connection to someone or something.
@@vickyzou.2 I also see it as bargaining because theo hates her power, and uses her gloves to protect herself from it. But she is still willing to bargain with it and use it to help kids even when she hates doing it. there is not complete closure and not complete acceptance, there is a give and take a bargain.
@@silvsevie exactly dear, I totally agree with you!
yes we all read that explanations from an article review explaining the ending ha!
The confetti speech always breaks my heart, always.
" And those who walk there, walk together." Sooo good. This was a masterpiece! Hill House is the place we all have inside of us...we can either yield to it or fight it. Loved it! Great reaction as always
I really appreciated the Oak's thoughts on the emotional themes of this show - the family's lack of communication is what tears them apart after a tragedy. Their eventual willingness to push through and finally communicate is what sets them free and allows them to be a real family again. This show has come to mean so much to me because it's such an unexpectedly hopeful message - sometimes horrible, traumatic shit happens, and there's no good reason for it, and you may even lose relationships because of it, but at the end of the day, if you just open yourself up and communicate, you can push through and come back together. At the end of the show, the family is stronger than they ever were. They're missing a few members, because life can be cruel, but they're a whole unit connected by love. As other commenters have probably said, Mike Flanagan intended to have the Red Room window in the background of Luke's 2 years sober party, indicating that they never made it out of the house, but he changed it in post to a mirror because he just couldn't give the family such a sad ending. I honestly think that that choice is what gave the show its longevity and cult following. If this was just a case study of trauma with a desolate ending, I don't think people would come back to it as often as they do. I know I wouldn't. As a viewer, you have to get through the crushing sadness of the majority of the show to reach the catharsis and joy of the ending - and isn't that what working through trauma is all about?
Well said. It's why group therapy is used a lot, and why it works.
This show is amazing. So well acted, written and directed! It was a blast watching this again with you guys 💜
Really great series!
This whole show also revolves around childhood traumas that adults carry their whole life. You might call it being haunted, in this case of hill house. But in real life, our personalities, fears, worries, all that psychological struggle stay with us and we carry them our whole life if we dont find answers or fix them sooner. Be gentle with your kids and other kids around you, cause whatever they go through will shape the adult person they will be. Like they say ""It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.""
Right on time! Got my coffee and I'm ready for the feels.
Nell's speech is breathtaking.
yesss love watching these guys with some coffee in the morning!
That house did everything it could to manipulate the family, especially the mom and Nell. And after all this time, I'm honestly not over how tragic it was for them.
GOD the Dudleys at the end gets me every time 😭
I think the hidden ghosts were a clever psychological addition to the atmosphere. I don't think we were necessarily meant to notice them consciously, but they played on the subconscious to add to the atmosphere of the house. They were there, but not to be viewed directly to distract from the main human characters.
Ep 1: "and those who walk there, walk alone"
Ep10: "and those who walk there, walk together "
This show is insane. It has been so many years, and I am still not over it. I have cried, laughed, screamed, and lost nights of sleep because of it, and I think I still haven't unpacked all the little details in it. It has made me question mental health things, guilt, pain, and all of that.
i feel like they wanted people to watch Abigail die and be like "but she's a ghost right, she was already dead right" so that then it just feels like a punch to the stomach when you finally realize she's actually the Dudleys' daughter
the showrunner said the plan was initially to have the window of the red room in the finale scene with the cake and the family. meaning this was a lie and they all died in the red room. the morning of the final shoot, he realized that would be incredibly cruel and changed his mind. but that would have been something. i like that he changed his mind
The sadness and tragic events in this show make me forget all the scary aspects😂 honestly I cry every time I rewatch it, it has so many layers
This is one of my favourite series ever. It's brilliantly written and executed.
I don't cry often, but this made me bawl my eyes out. The tragedy followed by those happy bittersweet moments were perfect.
And lastly I love that it's a horror show, yet it's not relying on those elements and instead focuses on the characters and their stories.
One BIG lesson i got from this is how some parents are being "Overly protective" over their kids that they actually harm them thinking they are keeping them safe from the outside. Just like the mother who was trying to wake them up from this bad dream which is Life, by killing them... I can relate to that cause my dad is a little over protective sometimes that he used to not allow me do a lot of things when i was younger or go to a lot of places, and it came from a good heart and good intentions, but it's not always right to keep your kids trapped at home just to be safe.. as parents you need to teach your kids how to face life rather than hide them from it. And Quinn kept saying the mom was an evil monster, well she thought she was protecting them. Her intentions were good but she was blinded and haunted by the ghosts of hill house, so she wasn't totally evil, It is a tragedy.. Nelly's death was so sad i cant get over it. The way she told her mother she had a dream her mom would kill her leaving her heart into halves feeling nothing but darkness.. it came true. Never thought i would call a horror show beautiful, but this one is indeed sad yet a beautiful show. The more you watch it the more hidden lessons you see. One of the best ever.
“Journeys end in lovers meeting. I have spent an all but sleepless night. I have told lies and made a fool of myself. And the very air tastes like wine.” The best part
I don't know if anyone said this or not, but I believe the woman that takes Abigail's hand is her grandmother (Mr. Dudley's mother) who went crazy because she stayed there at night and it drove her mad. That is why the Dudley's refuse to stay overnight. That and the fact that his wife (Clara) started to have the same tendencies and miscarried due to the stress.
Edit: I always cry at the end with The Dudley's and Steve's monologue. He opens the episode with the end of his first book: ..and everyone in hill house, walks alone" and then switches it in the finale with "..everyone walks together." so fucking good.
One of the things that stayed with me from the last ep was while dad embraced them in the red room, Nellie's gaze kept within them, her new forever company, but Olivia's was still on Steve, even as the red door closed, kinda like she still waited for him and the rest of them to "wake up" and stay with them!
Honestly I never expected to cry as much as I did at the end. Not having the best relationship with my dad definitely hit different seeing the dad died. Been an honor watching these with you lads
Man same. And being a father while watching this for the first also just made me feel bad because I know my dad would have liked to see me more but between alcohol work and me being willing to go to his apartment being heated by a stove it broke my heart knowing as a single father that luckily has 50/50 custody my dad had to pay 1200 a month on child support so he didn’t have money and I always judged him but now that I’m older he doesn’t have to pay child support on me or my half brother he has a nice house and drives a Cadillac so knowing he wasn’t living in these places because he was a dead beat it was because that’s all he had available. And I feel like this show really demonstrates that just because you don’t see what’s going on doesn’t mean someone is evil.
Can’t wait for them to watch Bly Manor, that ending made me sob 😭
Me too! I was surprised none of them shed a tear and then it hit me maybe that's just my own daddy issues talking.
@@dianasaur2442 same man it was def a combo of the dad still trying to protect Steve from the tall man even after Steve told him the wrong parent died and the dad saying how proud he was to be his dad
I have loved going on this journey again with you guys! This is one of the greatest shows ever, in my top 3 favorites ever. I never get tired of this series. Loved your reactions! I really hope you do Bly Manor next, a lot of the same cast such as Olivia, Nelly, Luke, Theo and Hugh only they were playing completely different characters based on the classic spooky book, The Turning of the Screw by Henry James. Both of these shows are the absolute best adaptations of the books out of all the different movies and remakes. The writing and acting in both shows is absolutely fantastic and Emmy deserving 👏🏼
The "paranormal" is the excuse to talk about the family's dynamics and relationship. 👏👏👏👏👏👏
One of the best series on Netflix, hands down! Can't wait for this great reaction! 💪🏻
Toxic parenting can sometimes come in the form of extreme sheltering. In trying to keep her children safe, Liv smothered them with her love.
It's been so amazing watching this along with you guys. I'm so happy you were as enthralled with the show as I am
Thank you and thanks for spending some of your time with us!
@Badd Medicine it's my pleasure you guys are some of my faves 💜
Here's some fun facts about the show & some answers to your questions! :
- Poppy Hill appears to Olivia as polished and beautiful because she's manipulating her, but the moment where we see her behind Olivia and she looks older and disfigured is her true form. The house has been manipulating these people since the very moment they moved in.
- Each of the siblings is wearing something red when they're trapped in the Red Room before Nellie rescues them. Steve's cardigan is red, Luke's converse are red, the lingerie in Theo's dream is red, Shirley's blouse is red. Olivia is also seen in red when she's a manifestation of the house, as opposed to how Hugh sees her, which is usually in blue.
- The visions that they see in the Red Room are their hopes and dreams and regrets: Theo longing for connection but being unable to be herself, Steve longing to reconnect with his wife, Luke wanting to save his friend, Shirley wishing she had said no.
- Nell telling Luke "Go!" and "Don't!" are the same things she said to him in the third episode and sixth episode, further proving that time isn't linear for Nell.
- In one version of the ending, Mike Flanagan originally had planned on having the window behind Luke when they're celebrating his sobriety, to symbolize that they never left the house, but he thought it was too upsetting. But the cake is red.
- The number 7 is very important in this show. There's 7 Crain's at the start, then three die. But at the end, at Luke's sobriety party, there are seven people around the cake.
- The kids all represent different phases of grief. Steven is denial, Shirley is anger, Theo is bargaining, Luke is depression, Nell is acceptance.
No matter how many times I see the ending, the ending line, "...and those who walk there, walk together." Gets me. It's the same line that opens the series, but Steve says, "...walk alone." The change essentially marks his acceptance that keeping people out wasn't going to heal, rather, it's letting people in aka together. The thinly veiled themes of depression and family trauma are universal. Also, much of Steve's voice over are directly from Shirley Jackson's fantastic work. The character of Shirley was also included in this version as a nod to the author as well.
Oak's absolute obsession with trying to force every single possible thing they watch to fit into an "It was all a dream!" Ending is stunning. He must find it to be the height of all types of endings, based on how often he brings it up lol
The monster was Poppy. Olivia’s “color storms” aka migraines were caused by Poppy getting in her head. She made Olivia think she was going crazy. She caused the hallucinations that Olivia saw, exactly the same as she caused the hallucinations Nell saw when she went back to Hill House and heard everything she wanted to hear from her family and husband and danced with him in the actually dilapidated house. Olivia only had visions that Poppy made her see. When Nell and Luke as kids were talking about putting drugs in his body and being so sad she has to d1e, that was all Poppy.
Citation needed, lol
it was incredible to rewatch this with you! It is a truly amazing series.
I was deeply invested in Luke's character; I was on the edge of my seat the whole series, afraid of what would happen to him. It was such an amazing relief and happy surprise that he's okay at the end. This show is such a journey but so worth it.
I've rewatched this show several times and I never remember to look for ghosts. The story is too good.
I was so excited to see you guys react to the finale! My roommate and I watched this show when it first came on Netflix. We didn't expect much but by the end we were floored by how amazing this show was. I lived with him for 4 years and this was the only time I saw him cry. Both he and I were messes at the end of this. Incredible Acting, writing, cinematography, just overall one of the best shows/miniseries I had ever seen. Soooo many feelings and not at all a typical "horror" show!
this is one of the best shows netflix has ever, EVER had; it’s a beautifully done work about a mother’s fear and grief in letting her kids grow up in the world and experience life by themselves. olivia tried so hard to fight poppy’s influence and it broke my heart when she couldn’t do it anymore. the finale was so satisfyingly done and, despite the heavy layer of sadness over what went down, the kids truly ended up better in the end because of it.
what i love about mike flanagan’s release order of his shows is that it’s a spectrum; hill house is on the horror side (and the emotional side of course), bly manor is more emotional than horror, and midnight mass is by far the least horror and most emotional. i LOVE all three works, but this is truly the best for me.
i could talk all day long about this show and all the little connections i still make despite seeing it *many* times. absolutely stunning series.
my favorite thing about people reacting to this is everyone misunderstands mr. dudley’s conversation with hugh; people think he says “our little girl’s first cry” as in they didn’t have any children. what he said is “our FIRST little girl’s cry”. that one sentence being overlooked when it comes to abigail always tickles me.
My take on Poppy going back and forth from her young and old/decrepit ghost form is to reinforce the idea that Poppy (and the house) is putting on a front to disguise the horrors within. Loved these reactions! I hope y’all continue with Flanagan’s work, he’s fantastic, and not just in shows! Absentia, Oculus, Ouija: Origin of Evil, Gerald’s Game, Hush, Before I Wake, Doctor Sleep, The Haunting of Bly Manor, and Midnight Mass are all fantastic. The Midnight Club is good too, but it’s definitely the weakest, and it’s very, very rough to get through since it deals with kids.
My favorite episode still is episode 6 from the longs shots to every detail in acting. That last scene from Nell saying "nobody can see me" and how much that relates to depression is unbeatable for me. This is the horror i like to watch... They explored so much stuff such as depression, grief, traumas, mental illness, all this psychological themes that are way more scarier then simply ghosts. When you make something that affects people by its realness and not by its visual effects, jump scares... that's what makes a good show and The Haunting Of Hill House will remain forever as a refference when we talk about horror shows
That ending of ep 9 made me bawl, can't imagine how terrified Liv must have been just slowly descending into madness from the house and unable to do anything about it. And I just have to give major props to the actress they cast as Poppy! She nailed that role!👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 K starting the finale now. ❤💔
11:10 They probably showed Poppy as an old lady to show that the ghost of her (or the house itself) is trying to show a prettier image of her to convince Olivia to kill her kids and stay in the house forever. Doubt Olivia would be as open to speak and listen to her if she was a zombie-like old lady. We also saw something similar with the house presenting the version of the family and his dead husband to Nell and Olivia giving her thenecklace, which was a rope to hang herself. Seems like the house wants to convince them to stay
This show was so well done you don't want to see more? Mike Flannigan's series just keeps getting better and better. Glad to see via thumbnail you guys continues that journey. As someone born in October (kinda what led me here), it's exciting to see Bad Medicine tackle this series.
I agree with you all. The strategy to against the tropes of jumps cares to make a horror, really made this series. Focused more in the writing, than your typical horror has set this apart from others and makes it memorable. It kept you so enthralled, you couldn't stop. That's been my experience with each season, and makes it so Binge worthy. Like a good book, you just can't stop at the end of one chapter.
What I'm most impressed with, in this season, how they play their formula. Perspective. Taking what a spectator may perceive of the family from the outside, topics of mental illness, addiction, and the horror theme. They really took the genre in a new and intriguing way. Slow, or fat paced, you're just invested in the story.
Looking forward to you guys reacting to the rest of the series. Promise you won't be disappointed. Thank you for your reaction. Gives a refreshing kind of life to the series, seeing others enjoying/reaching to it.
Yes! Been waiting for this sense episode one! People had mixed reactions to the end of the he series but I think the ending they went for makes this series as rewachable as it is. Which only contributes to how great a work of art it is. Beautiful. ♡
With how much you enjoyed this series, we definitely need Bly Manor and Midnight Mass! Mike Flanagan's work is just something else.
The point of showing Poppy as the old version of her before transitioning back to her younger self is exactly what you guys said minutes before when you said she was the most "normal" and "welcoming" looking ghost so far. Poppy is using her beauty to manipulate Olivia, obviously you wouldn't want to trust the old, rotting version of what Poppy looked like when she died. lol
Wonderful reaction and review. This last episode made me cry like a baby. And everytime I watch a reactor go through these episodes I still cry.
Another interesting lesson from Steve's story is how sometimes the truth in front of you but you dont realize it until you hear other people's perspective of it. Like how his whole life he didn't believe in ghosts and thought they were all mental or crazy, but they did actually see some sort of paranormal activities or visions. when dad reveals the clock guy was a ghost and they never had a tree house, the RED ROOM was the tree house. Mind blowing.
Usually I love the beginning of horror movies/shows because when things are revealed at the end it's either so underwhelming or just bad. But this show definitely has one of the best reveals ever.
That last speech from Nellie kills me, “There’s no without, I am not gone. I’m scattered into so many pieces, sprinkled on your life like new snow.” I just lost my sister, and it’s such a great analogy when she’s in every thought and everything reminds me of her, like new snow sprinkled on everything I do.
I strongly encourage you guys to do Bly Manor for the channel! Some of the actors are the same, but it’s a totally different animal that you’re going to love just as much as Hill House but in a totally different way. Yes, it takes place in a big house again but otherwise it’s a totally different journey with some incredibly clever writing. I’m trying to decide which I liked more and I honestly can’t choose.
One more thought, you mention different theories… one very popular theory (debunked by the writers themselves) was that during that last scene with everyone together, cutting the cake, that they were all still in the Red Room after all and hadn’t escaped. Mike Flannigan did end up saying this is not true, that they all did make it out and get their happy endings.
Another show that blew me away that I’d LOVE to see you guys do is Chernobyl. It was SO well done, and they really did their research to stay as accurate as possible, trying to only take liberties on the more inconsequential things. I haven’t seen many people do reactions to it, but my mind was totally blown by it.
I love how deep you guys really get into what you watch and take it seriously, whether it’s your cup of tea or not, so I can’t wait for the next series!
I am still so amazed at how good this was written. Everything tied together so perfectly, what a masterpiece! It's the best I've ever seen and I'm kind of sad because now I feel like this show raised the bar so high for me that nothing might live up to the standard :') How about Midnight Mass next? Another great show directed by Mike Flanagan.
And to comment on what the Oak said about the mom seeing her kids' future being a curve ball, I think that was essential for the mom to totally lose it and finally decide that she'll push through with what she did. I think she wanted to take the twins with her because they're so young and innocent, untouched by all the evils of the world and she wants them to stay that way forever.
Love you guys' attention to detail throughout the series btw, you guys caught on a lot and I realized I didn't catch anything on my first watch, like...at all haha!
Awesome finish! What an epic season this was. Very well done! 1:29:00 is the ghost we missed reaction and it was a lot. Did you catch all of them the first time?
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Not sure if you guys caught this but just some revelations. William Hill (tall man) is Mr. Dudley's father. Mr. Dudley is a Hill. When he recounts the story of his mom, of her feeling scattered like a school girl in love. She was having an affair with William Hill. William bordered himself up in the wall out of fear and guilt (the two sisters in Theo's nightmare). Fear of Poppy in betraying her and guilt of fathering Hugh. Also the woman who comes to take Abigail to the afterlife when Liv kills her is Mr. Dudley's mother, Abigail's grandmother.
Really loved your reactions. Please cover season 2.
I have to say, some of those ghosts looked more like normal shadows to me.
Also, Bly Manor has a very different feel compared to Hill House so please don't begin the watch expecting similar themes, atmosphere and writing. If you feel like you want a break from houses yet wish to stay on the Flanagan-train, why not watch Midnight Mass? I love Hill House and Bly Manor equally and Midnight Mass falls below simply because I enjoy the themes and writing of Hill House and Bly Manor better. Hope you'll have fun watching whatever series you pick next.
This is the only way I would’ve watched this show 🙈. Also if you enjoyed the mystery of it I recommend Kindred on Hulu.
the episode 7 ghost in the basement by Hugh when he was uncovering William Hill's body was my first hidden ghost. after that, I just started seeing them all the time lol and then, of course, when watching the show again I saw them all the time. I think the reason a lot of people didn't actually point out the hidden ghosts is because they wanted you to focus on the show and discover them if you happened to. a lot of times, reactors will focus so much on trying to find the hidden ghosts that they will miss important plot points. I'm so glad that all the commenters were kind to you guys and allowed you to discover your first hidden ghost on your own; and it was a doozy! haha ❤
There are a few videos outlining all the background ghosts in each episode. You should do a reaction to that, because realizing in hindsight that all those ghosts were “watching” you without you knowing is just as scary/creepy as the actual show itself. 😱 👻
I was SO excited for you guys to finish it! I had to go and rewatch the last two episodes after your last reaction. This is SUCH a great series. Thanks for your timely uploads! When I watched this show, I saw each Crain child as representing a stage of grief. Steve was denial. Shirley was anger. Theo was acceptance. Luke was bargaining (with drugs, he was so insecure, only Nell believed him, and so he just wanted to escape). And Nell was depression. But each child was also coping, even Theo.. who arguably took what happened and was a child psychologist, accepted the money from the book to get her PhD.. she just had her boundary up as you guys said, with her gloves. I think a lot of the dreams the kids had showed them their biggest fear and how it could be used against them, and when they got out of the house, they yielded to their fear but in the healthiest way. Like Steve and having children. Or Theo opening herself up to feel everything. I think one can very easily argue that Nell was acceptance though. As she always believes everyone, and is able to calmly save all her siblings, and she ends up consumed by the house. I come from her having depression because what the “little her” said to the mom in episode 9, Screaming Meemies about never being able to feel happiness. Aside from that, also love how Nell came back in the end and saved everyone.
CONTINUATION: And on the other side, it would also fit the chronological order of the kids with the stages of grief as Nell and Luke being depression or acceptance each as they were the two youngest. The kids I’m the MOST confident on as Steve as denial and Shirley as anger.
But I googled it, and a lot are saying that Theo was bargining and Nell was acceptance. But when Theo touched Nell, she felt a sense of no connection and that’s why she got into excess drinking and trying something with Shirley’s husband. But what do people with depression fell? A sense of never truly feeling connected with those around them. Nell could LOVE them, but it’s also little to no understanding that’s hard to put into words; and while they may have not “believed her” she never expressed that the way Luke did.
She expresses not feeling “Seen”
Nell talking to her siblings in the red room is one of my favourite tv show scenes of all time
can’t wait for bly manor if there’s a reaction to it!
52:57 never noticed he's Nathan from One tree hill
To me, this series is about family and the permanence of family. Even when our loved ones are gone, they've never fully left us. Hugh carries Liv with him for the rest of his life, the Twin thing with Nell and Luke, and even the Dudley's. I agree wholeheartedly with Oak's interpretation about walls as well. It never helps to separate yourself from the people who care the most about you.
Top 3 favorite tv shows.
Midnight mass is fighting for 1st place with this! You guys should definitely watch it too 👏🏽✨
This is honestly not just one of the best horror shows but one of the best pieces of fiction I've ever seen. Yea it's based on a novel but the way Mike Flanagan created this story for television, the dialogue, the suspense, the characters, the way it's shot... everything about this is nearly perfect.
This is a show about a family dealing with grief that uses a haunted house as a plot device. That is why each of the 5 children represented the 5 stages of grief.
Steve (denial)
Shirley (anger)
Theo (bargaining)
Luke (depression)
Nell (acceptance)
This show is definitely worth a second watch, not only to try and spot all the creepy ghost hidden in the shots throughout the series but also to notice the Red Room. If you pay attention, you can spot when it's the Red Room because of the very peculiar vertical narrow window. It's the only window like that in the entire series. When you see a room with that window, you know it's the Red Room playing with their mind.
Abigail snuck out, the Dudley's did NOT know she was at the house until it was too late.
I just finished watching The Haunting of Bly Manor last week, you won't be disappointed! Cant wait for your reaction to it too. It's not some random story writings for the sake of Netflix, these 2 shows are based on books. The former is based on Shriley Jackson's 1959 novel and latter on Henry James' 1989 The Turn of the Screw. And although they share the theme of a "Haunted house" but they still are unique in their own stories. I liked them both, cant tell which one was better frankly.
Was not expecting a happy, hopeful ending in this show.
They never really say who the woman was who took Abigail by the hand but my best guess is it’s Mr. Dudley’s mom, so Abigail’s grandma.
In an interview with the show's creators, they mentioned in a previous cut of the final episode, there was a major change. In Luke's party, there is a mirror behind his head and it was originally a window, insinuating that they were all in "the red room". I forget why they said they changed it, but I imagine it would ruin the overall feeling of the end. In any case, great series!
The second season is definitely worth watching. To assuage your fears, it doesn't feel at all like they went "hey, Netflix gave us money for another season so I guess we'll have to come up with something". It's another great story with its own distinct flavor, maybe a little less horror and more of a slow burn (at least, in the first two or three episodes), and I loved it just as much as the first one.
By the way, congratulations for missing all those ghosts! They're a cool eastern egg if you spot them, but I've watched some reactors become so obsessed with spotting every single one of them, that they got distracted and missed some important stuff.