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I wasn’t a fan of her role in Bly manor, but her performances in Gerald’s game, Hill House and House of Usher were freaking gold. I hope mike casts her in his adaptation (hopefully) of the dark tower.
Yes. She's so good in this. She plays not only Verna, but all those component parts she breaks off to interact with the Ushers. She's sinister, she's sexy, she's surprisingly warm and compassionate - it's a tour de force performance, and if she's not at least nominated, I'll be very upset.
Concerning 11:30..."What was the point of her checking their morality?" She gave all of them a chance for a peaceful death. She even mentioned that during Camilles and Fredericks deaths. All of them were responsible for their own cruel endings.
yeah, she said that Fred could have died of a heart attack, and with Tammy that she could just lay down and have one final moment of peace-implying she'd just die in her sleep.
They died horrific painful deaths instead of peaceful in sleep. Who wouldn’t want that over being horrified and in great pain?? She gave them all a chance for peace
Not only died peacefully, but also a chance to redeem themselves and solve their unresolved affairs before dying, such as Tamerleine's desire to ask her husband to forgive her for hurting him and forcing him into those sexual scenarios he felt very uncomfortable with. She clearly felt guilty about it, but as an Usher, she had been raised to take and take and never apologize, so she couldn't.
Yeah, they all could have had Lenor's death - painless, instanteous, with the comforting words of how they made the world around them better with their choices... if only they'd made those better choices.
@@edisonlima4647 Raised is perhaps not the best word, since they were of age when they met their father. Annabelle Lee had custody of her and Rodericks children until they came of age, which is when they sought Roderick out. But each time they came back to their mother, they had less and less of them within themselves. Roderick sucked all kindness and generosity Annabelle Lee had installed in them out and replaced it with nothing. Taught is perhaps a better word. Sorry i'm the guy that is arguing semantics. These characters are just so fascinating.
I don't know what's more fucked up, Roderick making a deal so fast with his kids lives or bringing more kids so carelessly to this world knowing what that means.
Yeah, Madeline was evil but his eagerness to take that deal gave even her a big pause and she IMMEDIATELY went out and got a sterilization, while Roderick couldn't care less.
Roderick condemned his children to die with him. But Verna gave them all a choice as to *how* they'd die. Had they chosen a more moral and kinder path, they might've died like Lenore. Peacefully, in their beds. But they all chose to act the same way they had their whole lives, thus making their deaths so much worse.
I actually think she was going to let Tammy just go to sleep bc she’d grown more in that one episode than the rest of the Ushers combined, she kept telling her to just lie down and relax while she could, that she was only going to end up hurting herself.
@@jaimelowe4246Yeah, Verna was 100% straight and honest when she told her that, even though she might not believe her, all she had to do was to NOT react and relax. After so many days not sleeping, Tamerleine could have easily relaxed and died in her sleep, plus had she listened to Verna, answered her phone and asked her husband for forgiveness for mistreating him so much and forcing him into those sexual scenarios he was clearly uncomfortable with she could have left with a clean conscience, leaving love after her. The same would have happened with Napoleon if he were honest towards his fiancé and/or asked for help. His lifestyle could have easily ended up in dying while sleeping.
That's the hole Roderick dug for them. By choosing to give them a lavish life, he condemned them to be corrupted by riches and every single one of his children became a horrible piece of shit when, in their original lives, they probably would've been decent people without the money. And of course, they would've outlived him as well.
The thing that kind of sucks is, if he hadn’t made the deal- the 4 bastard children would most likely have never been born, which is why they weren’t told what they could have been in their past lives.. so it’s like- damn, die from a deal your father made with the devil or never exist.
@@Arcannabis What’s worse is that he took their choice away from them before they even existed (the bastards, I mean). They were never asked if they’d have rather been rich and short-lived or financially precarious but alive for longer. Maybe some would’ve preferred the former, but they never knew. They never got that choice. Their end was written before their beginning.
Two things I love that Flanagan did for the final episode that I think are vitally important to showcase the soul of this production: 1. Verna is never confirmed to be anything but the Raven. She could be a god of Death, the Grim Reaper, or a sympathetic Devil. But leaving confirmation on this undone is perfect horror. 2. Roderick always knew the cost and still had so many children. Roderick Usher was often portrayed as someone you should feel sorry for, but he was always a piece of crap.
Meanwhile his sister who always seemed very cold and calculative and was almost portrayed as the the one who corrupted Roderick made sure to not have children so nobody had to die because of her.
Was he someone who you should feel sorry for? Setting aside him knowing that he'd condemned his children to death, he NEVER accepted responsibility for what the drug HE PUSHED did. He spends the entire show trying to say it's not his fault that things turned out this way but it 100% is. Even at the very end
21:45 I like that they all thought Juno was a gold digger but she was actually the good one. She thought he loved her and she turned all that pain and blood money into good
The moment she said the bloodline, I'm like fuck that includes the Grand Daughter too. All the others had it coming but hers hurt the most. At least Verna gave ger some comfort.
Just giving a shout out to Katie Parker. She always does a great job, but people don't often recognize her. Annabel Lee here, Perdita in Bly Manor and freaking Poppy Hill in Hill House. Quite a run.
Even with recency bias in mind, this might be Flanagan’s most impressive adaptation, maybe not the best outright, but in terms of taking source material and innovating on it, I’ve never seen anything done like House of Usher. It’s amazing to see all Poe’s works come together into one story that’s still satisfying by itself
Yeah! For as good as Hill House and Bly were, neither was ANYWHERE as faithful to their source materials as Usher was to the maaaaany short stories and poems used. The sheer number of stories Flannagan managed to interwoven in House of Usher is a HUGE feat!
The fact that all along it seemed Madeline was in control (and she was) and guided her brother but in the end he confesses that he always knew that deal was real, whereas she didn’t, was interesting to me.
I love how Madeline legit tried to loophole death, though it wasnt a bad shot. I wonder what would have happened if she had used a means that Verna couldnt stop, like taking Rod's head off. I also love how the deal made with Verna can be seen as a metaphor for an older generation literally f*cking over a younger and yet to be generation for their own greed and irresponsibility .
Damn…that adds yet another layer to the show that I hadn’t really thought about. 🤯 I mean, I recognized it within the show itself, but didn’t apply the theme to how one generation of humans knowingly does that to another in the real world. The proverbial kicking the can down the road - enjoy whatever you can now, and screw the consequences, because the consequences will belong to someone else.
I think the closest we'll get of an explanation of who she is, was explained by Carla Gugino herself in an interview. She explains that Verna is a manifestation of destiny and karma. When I think about the role of the raven on the poem or on the mythology, the Ravens are NOT death, they're messengers of death, but not death itself. I see her as this. When she offers a choice to Roderick''s children, I think she's offering a chance to go in peace instead of going the horrible and traumatizing ways they did. All of their final moments expose their worst to the public. There's a chance to do justice and come clean before dying and dying as decent people, but none of them take it, except Lenore, who is actually a good person. Also, I don't know if you got it, but all the stuff with Rufus Griselwald and his demise was actually an adaptation of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". Including his Harlequin costume. At the penultimate episode I gathered things together... The Harlequin costume and the brick wall...
That scene between lenore and verna broke my heart 😔 such a considerate and loving child who did no wrong, taken because of a twisted deal her grandfather and great aunt made. I'm so glad she was taken peacefully and told the impact her selfless actions would make in the future
The Usher children were going to die anyway due to the terms of the deal. But how they die would be determined by their choices. That's what Verna provided them at the end. A choice between a peaceful death guided by goodness or a horrific death driven by selfishness. RIP Lenore. The saddest death in the series. She was the best of the Usher family. At least Verna gave her a peaceful death. Fitting fates for Rodrick and Madeline. Good on you, Auggie. Overall, an incredible finale to Mike Flanagan's run on Netflix. I can't wait to see his take on The Dark Tower on Amazon Prime.
Was I the only one who was PRAYING that Lenore would turn out to have a different father so she would be safe? I know that had to be the ultimate consequence but I was crossing my fingers til the end
Right? Even when Verna was in her bed and said she was going to tell a story about her mother, I was hoping she was going to say something like "Morella was a young single mother that was taken into the family, and Frederick adopted you..." like whyyyy
2:25 that jumpscare was so rude 🤣🤣 One popular theory I've been seeing about Verna's identity is that she is the Morrigan, the Celtic goddess of war, destiny, and death who's represented by the crow or raven and can shapeshift. I think the reason for Verna constantly giving the kids a second chance was to merely give them a chance to die peacefully (like Lenore. LENOREEEE 😭) instead of so brutally. Iirc she mentions so to Camille, that Camille could've gone out peacefully in bed instead of choosing to break into Vic's test facility and get mauled.
Lenore was never given a choice. Vernagave choices to the other Usherscox they were bad people. They were selfish and entitled. Vwrna gave them a chance to do some good so that they coild die peacefully but none of them wanted to mend their ways. On the other hand Lenore was always a good soul to begin with. Therefore Verna said that she was not at all happy to take her life. She hates it when she has to take the life of a good person (in this case Lenore). As Lenore was always a kond hearted person she was not fiven a choice.
She says it to Frederick, too: she could have had him overdose or get hit by a bus, but because of his cruelty to Morella, she chose to make sure he went out painfully. She gave each of them a chance to turn back, but none of them were willing or able to do that, so she let them go out in the worst ways possible.
11:32 the point of verna's choices for the children were of peaceful departures; with dignity intact, legacy secured, and ease of mind. which were proven to be luxuries only lenore could afford.
Flanagan's treatment of Poe's works was indeed masterful. Gorgeous, rich, clever, and incredibly well-done. It's my favorite of the three I've seen. It was a joy watching the series with you. I loved watching as the pieces all clicked together.
Remember when Verna/the Raven told Camille that it could have happened at home in her bed if she had just turned around and not insisted she get let in the lab? I think the choice she was giving the children was to go out in a peaceful way. Either way they were going to die, but it could have been peaceful like Lenore. Instead their entitlement, vindictiveness, pride, etc. gave them all pretty horrific, gruesome deaths. This show was so brilliantly done - Mike Flanagan does it again! Great reaction!
One of my favorite things about this episode was extremely subtle but if you listen to Rufus' dialogue as he's chained up in the wall, you can pinpoint the exact moments when he goes through all 5 stages of grief.
I didn't realize this when I first watched the finale, but seeing how Madeline and Roderick's death mirrored the deaths of their mom and the guy she killed makes me wonder if those two also made some kind of deal with Verna in their lives.
Longfellow, maybe. I don't think their mother made such a deal, mostly since she doesn't seem to have gotten a lot of prosperity or even health in life. Also, it would be a bit out of character for a devout believer to accept what sounds so much like a deal with the devil. Admittedly, she did have an affair with her boss too, but given Longfellow's character and the time period, it's doubtful how much of a choice she had, sadly.
I think had the kids been better people, Verna would have taken them like she took Lenore. Peaceful, giving them comfort that even though their journey ends here, they mattered. She gave all the kids the chance to turn back, to choose kindness in their last moments. But they chose not to do that. But at the same time, I can't entirely blame the kids for their choice because they grew up thinking consequences were not a thing, that they could just buy themselves out of consequences. They believed they were untouchable, because they were raised that way or had that given to them (in the case of 'the bastards') without working for it. They threw their morals out of the window the moment money came into the mix. Annabel even said she couldn't compete with the money, and I believe the kids would have been infinitely better people had they stayed with her. The kids chose to be horrific people and thus chose their demise (play stupid game win stupid prizes, I guess). But Lenore was a good person, she was kind, she cared, and she was not bent and twisted to only care about protecting the material wealth of the family. She was a truly good person, and that's why Verna hated what she had to do, and she made sure Lenore got to go out peacefully, without pain or suffering, and knowing that echoes of her choices in life would far outlive her. All of this to say that I think Verna is consequence.
Yeah, Verna told Napoleon and Tamerlaine they could just ask their husbands for forgiveness and leave a loving memory behind, and told Frederik that, even if none of it excused what they did, she understood that they were destroyed by the lack of love and a father who pitch one against the other all their lives, forcing a kind of social Darwinisn that made them what they became.
Yeah, she would still honor the deal. That's the thing, she's not death, nor a demon, well I guess you can call her a demon if you want but she's clearly more of an ancient entity that has been there since humanity. And deals are incredibly important for characters like these. The best she could've given the Ushers were peaceful deaths, Roderick made their beds a long time ago, and that's the tragic part.
I had the same question about the kids dying anyway. & I guess it’s about how they died. Like when it came to the son that was abusing the wife & she told him he could have went easier but he just had to bring her home.
This is correct. They were always going to die, but Verna got to choose how. If they were decent, they could have died in their sleep or quickly without pain.
And also, the way they died, they left revealing their worst side to anyone they cared about. Everyone ended up finding out Percy was just as shallow as they thought, Cam died trying to harm her sister, Victorine had all her work be for naught, Tamerleine ended up publically losing all self control etc. Napoleon and Tamerlaine could have been honest and asked their husbands for forgiveness and left a good footprint and love after them, for instance, rather than be publically revealed as out of control of drug and emotions, a facade they cared very much about.
This was such a great show! I think she gave each child a choice to see what they would do and if they made the right choice they would been given a peaceful death like Lenore instead of the gruesome death they received for choosing wrong. You left out one of my favorite parts where she said "Like I said to one of my clients, when I'm done, you can stand in the middle of 5th Ave and shoot somebody, and it won't cost you a thing." to which Arthur replies "Is his tab coming due anytime soon? Even I've got my limits." I laughed out loud at that. 😆
One small detail I love is when Verna and Arthur are chatting, Verna says "...you can either ride the phoenix out of Fortunato's ashes or you can watch it fly away from a federal prison cell." and in the end Juno creates the Phoenix Foundation after Fortunato Pharmaceuticals is dissolved.
It was so good, from start to finish, I never felt let down. I am so used to shows like AHS starting strong and fizzling out, I was pleasantly surprised to see a strong finish to this series
Crazy how we saw the jester costume, the wine called amontillado, and heard the jingling behind the wall several times and still didn’t put together the connections to the Cask of Amontillado lol
I fooled myself by thinking that Verna was giving all of them a chance to live. Choose the moral path and you will be okay. So when she was talking to Lenore and I realized that she was going to kill her too, it felt so unfair. I started bawling. 😭 At least she got a peaceful death and knowledge that she helped a lot of people.
I love Verna's response to the idea that she is a "broker" of suffering. More of a "witness," she says. These people are going to die; that's inevitable. People choose to be cruel, and human choices can lead to equally cruel ends. The only time she really intervenes that we definitively see is Frederick, because what he did to his wife is the first thing that we see that makes her OPENLY angry.
When Roderick told of Prym discovering ancient elders living deep under the surface, at first I thought why is Flanagan referencing Lovecraft? But now I think Verna is an ancient being that came topside after being attracted to interesting people's fates. I like to think she is Fate.
For me Haunting of Hill House is still cemented as Flannigan’s best Netflix show but this definitely skyrockets up there to second right next to Blu Manor for me. I mean this show and it’s connections to Poe’s works is so brilliant.
I first want to thank you for getting these out so quickly! I’ve been pining so much for reactions to this series ever since I finished it over the weekend so your quick turnaround with reactions have been a welcome treat! as for my thoughts on the series as a whole, before this one I would have said that Midnight Mass was my favorite Flanagan series but I now feel like Fall of the House of Usher is tied with Midnight Mass. there is something about everyone coming back for this, all of our favorite cast members reuniting for a Poe tribute of all things, that speaks to me like nothing else could. also! are you familiar with the Poe work The Cask of Amontillado? because how they took out Rufus was essentially a recreation of that short story. I knew when I heard that Flanagan was doing this series that Poe and Flanagan was gonna be amazing together but I couldn’t have prepared myself for how seamlessly Mike Flanagan would be able to weave together so many Poe works into one cohesive, well-told story. if this is the last Flanagan series we get, I’m happy that it’s this one. talk about going out with a bang! 😃
The twins are definitely the bad guys in this, but IMO Madeline was initially the ultimate villain because she was calculated and cold hearted 💙 even as a young girl, and she ultimately led Rod down this path. He was extremely naive but at least he was decent, loving and compassionate. The part where he exceeded her evilness was taking the deal knowing his small children would pay the price. Even Maddy was like, “that’s a sweet deal but I ain’t the one with kids”. Then proceeds to go on rest of his life banging random women with no pull-out game, unnecessarily subjecting more to the same fate. Doesn’t even treat them well. Absent entire childhood, they probably decent people only to pop up when they’re adults and,corrupt them with his money which ironically did not make them happier.
The one learning which I took away from this series is that we always have the choice to be good or bad. Yes, Madeline and Roderick were the main villains who were responsible for everyone's death but the Usher children could have chosen to be different from their father. They could have chosen to be good. Lenore too was an Usher. Considering her father was the heir to the Fortunato company she could have been a bratty kid. The fact that despite having riches Lenore was a kind soul goes to show that the rest of the Ushers were just entitled morons who were so stuck up in their ways and felt so privileged that they were not ready to change their ways for thr gpod even when offered a chance to do so.
@AmbiguousHero Yeah, he just wasn't as smart and calculative as Maddie, but he always happily went with her plans and he was the one who happily played Auguste (and even his wife) since the beginning. I don't think he ever made an actually morally good decision. Owning up to his bastards might be the closest he came to it.
43:00 I mean they did put cyanide in the Amontillado. Madeline made mention of that. Rufus was probably unconscious if not already dead by the time they seated the last brick.
That's a reference to the ending of the short story The Cask of Amontillado, in which the one burying his colleague alive gets annoyed that he couldn't actually gloat at the end because the person fell silent mid way through the wall building, robbing them of the pleasure of watching them squirm.
I remember another story that used this method, and a reviewer used the term “they cask-of-amontillado’d him” and ever since I’ve had that in my vocabulary ever since. It’s surprising how often it comes up
Yeah, one thing about this was Mark Hammill as Arthur Pym. He bloody kills it. I was waiting for him to get a chance to shine and it was not wasted. I love that he was this seedy, in the shadows enforcer/lawyer of the family, but taken face to face with an entity that will give him the same dark deals she gave the others, he surprisingly declines and is a very touching moment that shows that while he gets his hand dirty, he's not incredibly evil.
Everyone talking about Lenore but let's talk about Pym. Because his meeting with Verna showcases so much about her. She offers him a deal but he not only declines he does so with RESPECT. And as such... she respectfully walks away. Yes, he will die in a prison cell... but he will most likely die a peaceful death. Never worrying what is going to come. And you can tell she is actually surprised and delighted by that. Perhaps the first human ever to have enough honor to say, "No thanks" when she offered the world.
I think She is the Morrigan, Irish myth.. The name is Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, and it has been translated as "great queen" or "phantom queen". The Morrígan is mainly associated with war and fate, especially with foretelling doom, death, or victory in battle. In this role she often appears as a crow. Her name in the series is Verna (Raven)
After bingeing the show (might I say, one day before you lol) I faced the same realizations and the same red eyes as you. It is truly so gratifying to have someone like you posting these videos both as entertainment and catharsis for the other viewers
I don't think she was checking their morality but rather she was giving them a chance to choose a path where they could have a peaceful way out ( like Leanor's) but they all refused because they didn't understand what she was really offering.
I viewed Verna not as Death or the devil but as _Fortune_ , which can mean luck (either good or bad) and also *fate* or *destiny* . "Fortunata" is the feminine form of the word, a nice tie in to the name of the company and also to the fact that luck is often personified as a lady who is sometimes fickle. ETA: Initially I thought Lenore would be spared, but that's because I hadn't listened closely enough. I heard Verna said to let the next generation pay for Roderick and Madeline's misdeeds and I took that to mean Roderick's children only, the loophole being that Lenore as his granddaughter is technically the second generation from him. Then I went back to listen again, and Verna actually did say that his entire bloodline would die just before he would die. Goes to show how shitty the man was that he not only struck the deal already having two children but then proceeded to have another four knowing they would die too!
The name of the company “fortunato” comes from Poe’s short story “the Cask of Amontillado” in which a man named Fortunato is bricked in behind a wall by the narrator of the story.
Interesting theory but if Verna was luck (which is fickle) then she would have not given befittinf ends to all the Usher children. If anythinf Verna was always fair. Her punishments befitted the actions of each of the Usher siblings. She always gave everyone a choice (barring Lenore of course cause she was a kind hearted soul) to mend their ways and do something good atleast so that they can have peaceful deaths.
I watched an interview w/Carla Gugino yesterday on RUclips about her character Verna/Raven, & how her character was described to her by Mike Flanagan. She said she's not Death/a devil, but more like Fate & Karma. I like to think of her as Fortune & whether/not people that come across her want to be monetarily rich/morally rich. That's why I always thought it funny that the company, even before Roderick took over, was called Fortunato. When Madeleine & Roderick came upon her, they were already morally corrupt because they had taken a human life, so she worked the angle of how about becoming monetarily rich beyond compare, but there's a catch. "When u die, your bloodline dies w/u." I think when Verna suggested an out to Usher's children it wasn't too save their lives. But more so, if they chose to heed her advice, then they would have a better death. She knew what was coming. I believe Verna/Raven is one of those ethereal beings that live on that island @ the top of the world called "something" Thull supposedly discovered by that Transatlantic Expedition that Arthur Pym took part. I enjoyed this series, but had difficulty getting into it. It took until the 3rd episode before I decided I liked it. It felt a bit disjointed in the beginning, but came together in the middle to the end, @ least for me. I really enjoyed your reactions & indepth commentaries in this series.😊👍
In ep 6 Rodrick is explaining (to Auggie) how Arthur Pym was on the global expedition, and he says that Pym would tell the Kids storied about how the earth was hollow. How there was an island at the top of the world that was a realm of beings that lived outside of time and space. The implication is Verna is one of them, considering she says "She had to come topside to watch them go by." She also mentions they are sitting outside time and space when in the bar striking the deal with young Madeline and Rodrick. She is Fate.
The Lenor scene really got me! I remembered the Lenor-bot at the exact same time you did, lol. Loved your reaction to this! I'm not a horror fan, per say, but I have seen my fair share over the decades, plus I like Poe, but wasn't familiar with all of the stories. I might try out Flanagan's other works. 😊
I think the choice Verna gave each one would have changed their death...she said to Camille that it didn't have to be this way, she could go in her sleep of a heart attack. Verna said something similar to Tamerlane, telling her it wasnt too late, she could call Billt, etc. The whole series was SO good and everything-the writing, acting, music, cinematography, everything was on point. I may have to go back and watch The Midnight Club. I loved Juno, and would like to see more of Ruth Codd. Thanks for reacting to this series!
Honstely the kids make me so sad, they were bad people but most of them didnt eserve what they got, they deserved something but no chance to learn? just one cryptic 'leave now' and theyre meant to know? and the saddest part is not only were they condemned to die by their father, they were condemned to be the awful people they became because of him and his treatment of them too, Camille says it herself A little detail I love is that as soon as Camille dies, the articles and press goes from postivie spins on the deaths to telling for what they really are (say what you want about her but she was damned good at her job)
I don't think the kids could have saved themselves, but they didn't have to go out the way they did. They all could have gone out more like Lanore. She even told Camille that she could have gone peacefully in her sleep instead of the way she did
I would like Audible to have Carla Gugino read the works of Edgar Allan Poe! She has that smooth voice that can have a hint of danger, insanity, or terror that is needed. DID YOU HEAR THAT AUDIBLE BOOKS!!?! Did you hear how smart Maddy was? She said she bought an IUD and Rodrick wouldn’t wear a condom. She made sure she had no bloodline coming from her. It didn’t help her with “the twins-have-to-die-together” thing but, not all problems have a solution. Thanks for your insight and reactions! You are cool and cute as hell! I hope you checkout “Penny Dreadful”! Remember, I’ll pay for it!😊
the ending is a wonderful adaption of the end of the Usher short story. The friend that comes to visit (Auguste) helps Rod put his sister in the basement and even thinks she looks to flushed to be dead and when she inevitable comes back to life and kills her sibling he runs out of the house only to see it sink into the lake it sits by. In the show, his slight involvement in the deaths via the fact informant fills him helping entomb Rod's sister metaphorically, and then he witnesses the death and destruction of the house. I loved this show, and am sad it might be the last Mike Flanagan show we get for awhile.
She checked their morality to decided how they died, if they were being nice or made amends they would have died peacefully, if they choose to still do bad things their death becomes more vile.
i liked how there were just enough ends tied to make it satisfying. not all questions were answered, but the ones that were and weren't made the story so much more interesting.
They never confirm what Verna is, but there’s a big hint in Goldbug. When Rodrick is explaining Pym’s past, the trip around the world, he says Arthur told his daughter that there was an island at the top of the world. “It was the realm of beings that live *beneath* us out of time and space.” Which is also what Verna says to them in the bar. The moment of her deal is outside time and space.
everyone keeps saying roderick having more kids was a bad thing which sure but keep in mind it says in the show they forgot the bar scene was real. it became a blurry dream to them
🙋🏾♀️👩🏾💻 I love all the series Magic, but the thing that stood out the most (for me) was there were only 2 people in the world who knew the head of this Beast called The House of Usher: (1)Mads (sister) (2)Rufus (enemy/friend) One tried to kill him and the other took his last confession and it is insane to me the #'s that go next to each action in the above sentence!! Thank You Omn1 for reacting to the series I really enjoyed watching this with you, I'd also like to Thank ya'll that left comments too. Because we're all different we see situations differently and I love when people can show me a different way; or an additional way of looking at things. I hope Everyone had a great Thanksgiving and have Happy up coming Holidays!!🙋🏾♀️🙋🏾♀️💜💜
I agreee with others here that Verna is something more akin to fate. A possible interpretation is the Celtic entity known as the Morrigan, associated with war and fate and symbolized as a crow. But she speaks a lot about egypt so I'm guessing she's an amalgamation of many different religious concepts and entities.
Most of the Usher kids' deaths weren't just the consequence of their moral decisions. Perry chose to hook the sprinklers up to tanks of toxic waste, Leo took mass quantities of drugs over a long period of time until drug-induced psychosis was almost a given; Camille broke into the testing lab full of agitated chimps, etc.
At the same time, if Prospero had given up from his scheme to blackmail people and ended the event before the "rain", nobody would have died and if Napoléon had come clean to his husband and confessed about the cat, he might have died in his sleep or of a sudden heart attack for all his past drug abuse, but without being tortured.
Its pretty interesting though. Madeline never had kids so she actually never let the other generation suffer, while Rodrick had so many and so many out of selfishness and so many of them had to suffer.
When I saw Annabelle's head first, I thought Roderick killed her or something, but then I realized she was so depressed about her children leaving and forgetting her that her last resource was to commit suic*ide.
Good analysis of this story - it does leave room for great discussion - I still cry when Lenore dies.. Can't wait to see what happens when Flanagan goes to Amazon.
I like to think that even still today this modern times there's entities like Verna roaming the Earth and the Cosmos making deals and ease their boredom.
Very good storytelling encompassing all the Poe work so beautifully! Every episode giving you clues and making you want more. As soon as they said bloodline, your heart sinks knowing that sweet Lenore was not going to make it. Fantastic show!
This was my favorite of Mike Flanagan’s works so far! Absolutely loved it! Verna was such an interesting character but she was not evil, nor was she the devil - she was an observer of what the “interesting” people would do. Everyone in the story made their own choices &, as she said in the Mask of the Red Death, everything has consequences. People have choice to do good or evil, which has a ripple effect in the world. Roderick’s choice to “buy” his children caused them to become what he was - empty shells of self-gratification, selfishness, & sociopathy. He “made the deal” to SACRIFICE his children (2 of which were already alive) for money/power. Is this not done all the time in our world? Verna was at least a 4 dimensional being because she could move through time & see all possibilities for them all. She saw possibilities but was present for the reality, which happened when they made choices. As you noted, she warned each of them that there were other options but it didn’t matter - each stayed the course of a violent ending. “It didn’t need to be this way” - “You didn’t need to be here”. She was karma. Lenore was the saddest because she was truly collateral damage BUT EVEN SO, she had a legacy of good in the world. That gives me hope! There is so much about this series that can be unpacked & we are reminded of a basic truth… we always have choice. Thank-you for your reactions - it was fun to re-watch the series through your eyes. 🙂
... this actually topped Hill House for me ( just because I love Poe so much ) and was giddy at the way Flanagan reworked his tales into this new story ... it reminded me of the old Vincent Price/Boris Karloff, Hammer adaptations that I grew up with ... and I *finally* got The Cask of Amontillado as well as the "Nevermore"
I didn’t think of this when I first watched the episode but it occurred to me as I’m watching your reaction, I wonder if Roderick doomed his bastard kids by accepting them as his own? I know either way they are his blood, but I wonder if he hadn’t taken them in and hadn’t given them the privileges they enjoyed, the way his father abandoned him, would they have still been in bloodline? They wouldn’t have inherited the Usher name or its fortune, and I wonder if that would’ve made a difference on the deal.
I don’t think it would have made a difference. The terms were stated “all of your BLOODLINE”, not only of the name. It’s also quite clear that this isn’t meant to be a fair deal for the next generation, so why would them even knowing about their parentage matter in the end? Even if you don’t know your parents, you still carry on their bloodline, their genetics. The deal was that all that would die with Roderick and Madeline. I think that the best outcome any of them could have hoped for was a peaceful and quick death, and I lean towards thinking Verna would have given them the same choice anyway - but they might have made a different choice if they hadn’t been corrupted. Impossible to know. The big difference would have been that it would just have looked like a freak accident/sudden, unexplained death, and nobody would have connected it to the Ushers. That’s just what I think though. :)
@@JekyViews if it is bloodline regardless of whether you were part of the family, it makes you wonder if other kids of his who didn’t know he was their father were also killed, just offscreen. The kids mentioned that some of them were 16 to 18 when they found out they were Usher’s and Madeline implies he may have other kids out there they don’t know about it, so I wonder. I kind of like it better if him trying to be a better father than his by accepting all his kids regardless of who their mother was, doomed them to die with him. I’m a big fan of that kind of irony, we initially think he’s helping the kids by providing for them, but really he’s shortening their lives.
verna giving morality checks before she do the deeds possibly just make their deaths less you know tragically horrifying, lenore basically goes away painless but every other Ushers died horrifically from acid bath, chimp mauling, etc every time she laments "it could have been different" maybe the end is sealed- death, but how it carries out isn't and she's not much of a sadist so she offers a chance to turn back and at least goes away peacefully
And also their legacies and dignity. Everyone other than Lenore has their legacy destroyed before their eyes before dying in a not only gruesome but also humiliating/scandalous way.
The Raven from Poe's original story is just as mysterious and undefined as Verna is in this. The story revolves around a narrator that is visited by a Raven, when asked what it's name is it simply replies "nevermore", when asked if it will leave like everyone else has left the man it replies the same. The man assumes the raven is like a parrot and can only repeat that one line, then in his sorrow for his lost Lenore asks if he'll ever be free from his painful memories, only to get a negative response. He gets angry at the bird and asks if he'll see Lenore in paradise, only to get the same reply. He demands the bird leave him be only to be told "nevermore". The man believes the bird can only respond with nevermore and keeps asking questions for which that answer will only torture him, participating in his own suffering. In the end we don't know whether the Raven is a demon sent to torture him, a simple parrot he's using to torture himself, or perhaps a representation of his own thoughts and doubts.
Leaving aside the film Oculus, this is far and away my favorite Mike Flanagan outing to date. I agree that The Haunting of Hill House is brilliantly executed and arguably his best work to date, but my personal faves are Oculus and Usher so far (they hit my sensibility best). Its been a blast to watch your reactions, Omn1 - as always. Thank you for what you do here.
This series is definitely up there with Haunting of Hill House! I don't know if I like one more than the other. I will likely watch them both again. I hope this isn't Flanagan's last one. These are the best shows on Netflix! Bly Manor would be my next favorite, then Midnight Club, and Midnight Mass last.
He’s moving to another streaming service. I think it’s Amazon? I can’t quite remember. I don’t care as long as he keeps making similar material as his Netflix shows
Ultimately I loved this one better, because while I loved Hill House, I hated that, in the ending, they pulled an American Horror Story season one by showing people wanting to go and die in Hill House purposefully, to turn into ghosts, when the whole show portrayed being a ghost there as nothing but eternal torture. Also, Usher was extremely faithful to its dozen and a half short stories and poems, while Hill House begins by quoting the book, in which "whatever walks there, walks alone", but end with the house crawling with ghosts, unlike the original, that makes a point that the house STILL stands alone, all the ghosts in all likelihood illusions created by an evil house, rather than actual ghosts.
While I am not 100% sure exactly who Verna is do supposed to be...maybe due to all the Egtyian stuff, she could be Nephthys, a goddess of funeral rites often depicted as a raven. Verna gave people some degree of agency ,she went easy on Lenoresince she was the most innocent of the Ushers and she respected Pym for not taking her deal. Anyways. I loved this show. A true masterpiece from Mike Flanagan.
Actually Pym had nothing he cared for. Verna's deals always were a barter (fortune/riches/fame for something the other person loved or cared about). Whrn she offers to protect Pym from having to go to jail Arthur says that he has no wife and children or any person per se whom he cares for. Arthur had nothing to give in exchange. Considering the fact that Arthur had learnt from the fall of the Usher fanily that deals with Verna never ended right he made the rught choice to face the consequences of his actions rather than make a dirty deal with Verna which will always end up being a bad deal.
The Raven" follows an unnamed narrator on a dreary night in December who sits reading "forgotten lore" by a dying fire as a way to forget the death of his beloved Lenore😢. A "tapping at his chamber door" I cried SO much 😢after this last episode. Poor sweet Lenore!!!!! 😭😭😭😭 She did not deserve to die. It broke my heart 💔 notice that Verna did not offer Lenore a choice? Because Lenore was innocent and she had a painless and peaceful death. Verna is not the devil she is noting more than death. Yes, she offers them deals more like she tempts people. But in the end they make their choice. It was their greed that is their downfall. But they also could of used that success to do good, but they didn't. Rodricks pain was Lenore's death, that rapping at his chamber door was not so much The Raven but a reminder that she had died.. Her text reminding him that Lenore was "Nevermore." If Verna was the devil, she wouldn't care how they died or have giving them a choice how to take them out. She actually tried to prevent them a painful deaths. No she is the angel of death. Verna cried when she took Lenore. She even told her she hated this part of her job. She put her into a deep sleep. 😢😢 Mike was brilliant and again managed to break my heart again!! Great show... It wasn't Verna's fault. Rodrick took that deal and did terrible things that he would lose his kids and bloodline. Verna is Karma..
A little late to this party, but man I am conflicted about Leo. While it wasn't great about trying to cover up when he thought he killed pluto, he struck me as a more or less "decent' Usher child. He clearly loved his siblings. He was willing to sacrifice his inheritance to not tow the family line.Also, his choice from Verna was not as clear to me. Regardless, this was an outstanding commentary. I am glad I cam across your reaction videos for this. I loved the Flanniverse on Netlfix. Still tough for me to decide between Hill House and this. You got a follower.
Yeah a lot of people instantly default Verna to death, and I did too, and people can't be faulted for it, especially with how death is so closely tied with Poe's works. But yeah, she seems more like a whole other ancient entity, not demonic, I think her dismissing souls is a way to say how she is not of a "godly myth/heaven or hell" nature. She was still gonna follow through with her deal, but death wouldn't care if the kids were evil or not, but Verna gives them a choice to do good before sending them on. She is also empathetic, death wouldn't have cared that Frederick did all that, but she was specifically miffed by it enough to actively participate in his death.
I think my personal ranking is Hill House Fall of the House of Usher Midnight Mass Bly Manor Midnight Club (but even this is like an 7-8/10) I have a big Poe bias and I think that what he did with this was insanely impressive but Hill House will always have a special place in my heart.
@@AlessaParker you should, it’s really good. It sucks that it was cancelled before they could finish the story but I really enjoyed the first season (and Flanagan posted what would’ve happened if the show wasn’t cancelled)
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Give Carla Gugino every Emmy there ever was or will be.
After this series I'd pay good money for an audiobook of her just reciting Poe.
I wasn’t a fan of her role in Bly manor, but her performances in Gerald’s game, Hill House and House of Usher were freaking gold. I hope mike casts her in his adaptation (hopefully) of the dark tower.
If she isn’t nominated…
Yes. She's so good in this. She plays not only Verna, but all those component parts she breaks off to interact with the Ushers. She's sinister, she's sexy, she's surprisingly warm and compassionate - it's a tour de force performance, and if she's not at least nominated, I'll be very upset.
She needs an emmy, i really hope they give it to her.
Concerning 11:30..."What was the point of her checking their morality?" She gave all of them a chance for a peaceful death. She even mentioned that during Camilles and Fredericks deaths. All of them were responsible for their own cruel endings.
yeah, she said that Fred could have died of a heart attack, and with Tammy that she could just lay down and have one final moment of peace-implying she'd just die in her sleep.
They died horrific painful deaths instead of peaceful in sleep. Who wouldn’t want that over being horrified and in great pain?? She gave them all a chance for peace
Not only died peacefully, but also a chance to redeem themselves and solve their unresolved affairs before dying, such as Tamerleine's desire to ask her husband to forgive her for hurting him and forcing him into those sexual scenarios he felt very uncomfortable with. She clearly felt guilty about it, but as an Usher, she had been raised to take and take and never apologize, so she couldn't.
Yeah, they all could have had Lenor's death - painless, instanteous, with the comforting words of how they made the world around them better with their choices... if only they'd made those better choices.
@@edisonlima4647 Raised is perhaps not the best word, since they were of age when they met their father. Annabelle Lee had custody of her and Rodericks children until they came of age, which is when they sought Roderick out. But each time they came back to their mother, they had less and less of them within themselves. Roderick sucked all kindness and generosity Annabelle Lee had installed in them out and replaced it with nothing. Taught is perhaps a better word.
Sorry i'm the guy that is arguing semantics. These characters are just so fascinating.
I don't know what's more fucked up, Roderick making a deal so fast with his kids lives or bringing more kids so carelessly to this world knowing what that means.
Yeah, Madeline was evil but his eagerness to take that deal gave even her a big pause and she IMMEDIATELY went out and got a sterilization, while Roderick couldn't care less.
@@edisonlima4647yup, and i kind of have this idea that he did that to put more bodies between him and death, but honestly it might be a reach of mine
I chuckled when she said “well, I believed it was real enough to get an IUD.”
Roderick condemned his children to die with him. But Verna gave them all a choice as to *how* they'd die. Had they chosen a more moral and kinder path, they might've died like Lenore. Peacefully, in their beds. But they all chose to act the same way they had their whole lives, thus making their deaths so much worse.
I actually think she was going to let Tammy just go to sleep bc she’d grown more in that one episode than the rest of the Ushers combined, she kept telling her to just lie down and relax while she could, that she was only going to end up hurting herself.
@@jaimelowe4246Yeah, Verna was 100% straight and honest when she told her that, even though she might not believe her, all she had to do was to NOT react and relax.
After so many days not sleeping, Tamerleine could have easily relaxed and died in her sleep, plus had she listened to Verna, answered her phone and asked her husband for forgiveness for mistreating him so much and forcing him into those sexual scenarios he was clearly uncomfortable with she could have left with a clean conscience, leaving love after her.
The same would have happened with Napoleon if he were honest towards his fiancé and/or asked for help. His lifestyle could have easily ended up in dying while sleeping.
That's the hole Roderick dug for them. By choosing to give them a lavish life, he condemned them to be corrupted by riches and every single one of his children became a horrible piece of shit when, in their original lives, they probably would've been decent people without the money. And of course, they would've outlived him as well.
The thing that kind of sucks is, if he hadn’t made the deal- the 4 bastard children would most likely have never been born, which is why they weren’t told what they could have been in their past lives.. so it’s like- damn, die from a deal your father made with the devil or never exist.
@@Arcannabis What’s worse is that he took their choice away from them before they even existed (the bastards, I mean). They were never asked if they’d have rather been rich and short-lived or financially precarious but alive for longer. Maybe some would’ve preferred the former, but they never knew. They never got that choice. Their end was written before their beginning.
Two things I love that Flanagan did for the final episode that I think are vitally important to showcase the soul of this production:
1. Verna is never confirmed to be anything but the Raven. She could be a god of Death, the Grim Reaper, or a sympathetic Devil. But leaving confirmation on this undone is perfect horror.
2. Roderick always knew the cost and still had so many children. Roderick Usher was often portrayed as someone you should feel sorry for, but he was always a piece of crap.
Meanwhile his sister who always seemed very cold and calculative and was almost portrayed as the the one who corrupted Roderick made sure to not have children so nobody had to die because of her.
Was he someone who you should feel sorry for? Setting aside him knowing that he'd condemned his children to death, he NEVER accepted responsibility for what the drug HE PUSHED did. He spends the entire show trying to say it's not his fault that things turned out this way but it 100% is. Even at the very end
21:45 I like that they all thought Juno was a gold digger but she was actually the good one. She thought he loved her and she turned all that pain and blood money into good
The moment she said the bloodline, I'm like fuck that includes the Grand Daughter too. All the others had it coming but hers hurt the most. At least Verna gave ger some comfort.
Just giving a shout out to Katie Parker. She always does a great job, but people don't often recognize her. Annabel Lee here, Perdita in Bly Manor and freaking Poppy Hill in Hill House. Quite a run.
She’s also one of the cult members in The Midnight Club, I think? I haven’t seen it in a while but I swear I can see her bald in my head.
@@jaimelowe4246 that i don't remember. Will check imdb.
Yes shout out Katie
She's also the lead in Mike Flanagan's first film Absentia.
Doctor Sleep also
Even with recency bias in mind, this might be Flanagan’s most impressive adaptation, maybe not the best outright, but in terms of taking source material and innovating on it, I’ve never seen anything done like House of Usher. It’s amazing to see all Poe’s works come together into one story that’s still satisfying by itself
Completely agree, i love his approach to adaptation. Obviously as well as his original content too!
Yeah!
For as good as Hill House and Bly were, neither was ANYWHERE as faithful to their source materials as Usher was to the maaaaany short stories and poems used.
The sheer number of stories Flannagan managed to interwoven in House of Usher is a HUGE feat!
In the moment I hear “all the bloodline have to die” I said oh no no. She is innocent… I cry when Lenore died.
The fact that all along it seemed Madeline was in control (and she was) and guided her brother but in the end he confesses that he always knew that deal was real, whereas she didn’t, was interesting to me.
I will admit I too teared up when Lenore died. She was so kind and innocent. Such a fantastic miniseries!
She’s a great actress too in doctor sleep
I love how Madeline legit tried to loophole death, though it wasnt a bad shot. I wonder what would have happened if she had used a means that Verna couldnt stop, like taking Rod's head off. I also love how the deal made with Verna can be seen as a metaphor for an older generation literally f*cking over a younger and yet to be generation for their own greed and irresponsibility .
And it all started just before Reagan got elected in 1980.
Damn…that adds yet another layer to the show that I hadn’t really thought about. 🤯 I mean, I recognized it within the show itself, but didn’t apply the theme to how one generation of humans knowingly does that to another in the real world. The proverbial kicking the can down the road - enjoy whatever you can now, and screw the consequences, because the consequences will belong to someone else.
Wow that's a really good point
Had she tried to cut his head, she would have probably damaged the parking lot's pillar bringing Fortunato over their heads, still fulfilling it.
@@aimeem Whoa, that's right. They even mentioned Reagan. This makes me think this really was part of the message.
I think the closest we'll get of an explanation of who she is, was explained by Carla Gugino herself in an interview. She explains that Verna is a manifestation of destiny and karma. When I think about the role of the raven on the poem or on the mythology, the Ravens are NOT death, they're messengers of death, but not death itself. I see her as this.
When she offers a choice to Roderick''s children, I think she's offering a chance to go in peace instead of going the horrible and traumatizing ways they did. All of their final moments expose their worst to the public. There's a chance to do justice and come clean before dying and dying as decent people, but none of them take it, except Lenore, who is actually a good person.
Also, I don't know if you got it, but all the stuff with Rufus Griselwald and his demise was actually an adaptation of Poe's "The Cask of Amontillado". Including his Harlequin costume. At the penultimate episode I gathered things together... The Harlequin costume and the brick wall...
That scene between lenore and verna broke my heart 😔 such a considerate and loving child who did no wrong, taken because of a twisted deal her grandfather and great aunt made. I'm so glad she was taken peacefully and told the impact her selfless actions would make in the future
The Cask of Amontillado, what a finish.
That was the first Edgar Allen Poe story I've ever read, and that was six years ago. Amazing way to finish the show
Well. Fall of the house of Usher was the ending
The Usher children were going to die anyway due to the terms of the deal. But how they die would be determined by their choices. That's what Verna provided them at the end. A choice between a peaceful death guided by goodness or a horrific death driven by selfishness.
RIP Lenore. The saddest death in the series. She was the best of the Usher family. At least Verna gave her a peaceful death.
Fitting fates for Rodrick and Madeline. Good on you, Auggie.
Overall, an incredible finale to Mike Flanagan's run on Netflix. I can't wait to see his take on The Dark Tower on Amazon Prime.
Was I the only one who was PRAYING that Lenore would turn out to have a different father so she would be safe? I know that had to be the ultimate consequence but I was crossing my fingers til the end
I was really sitting there like “mom coulda cheated before”… and then Verna was on the bed 😭😭😭😭
I was also hoping the same. But😢
I had tears in my eyes, when she told Madeline what will happen to her mother in the future, and that Madeline saved her.
Right? Even when Verna was in her bed and said she was going to tell a story about her mother, I was hoping she was going to say something like "Morella was a young single mother that was taken into the family, and Frederick adopted you..." like whyyyy
2:25 that jumpscare was so rude 🤣🤣
One popular theory I've been seeing about Verna's identity is that she is the Morrigan, the Celtic goddess of war, destiny, and death who's represented by the crow or raven and can shapeshift. I think the reason for Verna constantly giving the kids a second chance was to merely give them a chance to die peacefully (like Lenore. LENOREEEE 😭) instead of so brutally. Iirc she mentions so to Camille, that Camille could've gone out peacefully in bed instead of choosing to break into Vic's test facility and get mauled.
Lenore was never given a choice. Vernagave choices to the other Usherscox they were bad people. They were selfish and entitled. Vwrna gave them a chance to do some good so that they coild die peacefully but none of them wanted to mend their ways. On the other hand Lenore was always a good soul to begin with. Therefore Verna said that she was not at all happy to take her life. She hates it when she has to take the life of a good person (in this case Lenore). As Lenore was always a kond hearted person she was not fiven a choice.
@@seemonjena659 I wasn't saying Lenore was given a chance. I meant they could've died peacefully like Lenore did....
She says it to Frederick, too: she could have had him overdose or get hit by a bus, but because of his cruelty to Morella, she chose to make sure he went out painfully. She gave each of them a chance to turn back, but none of them were willing or able to do that, so she let them go out in the worst ways possible.
I think Tamerlane would have died in her sleep to if she had just calmed down and said sorry to her husband
@@angxlpeach Given what Verna said about this being "your one chance to be perfectly still", I think you're on to something.
11:32 the point of verna's choices for the children were of peaceful departures; with dignity intact, legacy secured, and ease of mind. which were proven to be luxuries only lenore could afford.
Flanagan's treatment of Poe's works was indeed masterful. Gorgeous, rich, clever, and incredibly well-done. It's my favorite of the three I've seen.
It was a joy watching the series with you. I loved watching as the pieces all clicked together.
Remember when Verna/the Raven told Camille that it could have happened at home in her bed if she had just turned around and not insisted she get let in the lab? I think the choice she was giving the children was to go out in a peaceful way. Either way they were going to die, but it could have been peaceful like Lenore. Instead their entitlement, vindictiveness, pride, etc. gave them all pretty horrific, gruesome deaths. This show was so brilliantly done - Mike Flanagan does it again! Great reaction!
One of my favorite things about this episode was extremely subtle but if you listen to Rufus' dialogue as he's chained up in the wall, you can pinpoint the exact moments when he goes through all 5 stages of grief.
Not too subtle, since Madelaine points out the first two. Even mocking him for getting stuck on disbelief so long.
I didn't realize this when I first watched the finale, but seeing how Madeline and Roderick's death mirrored the deaths of their mom and the guy she killed makes me wonder if those two also made some kind of deal with Verna in their lives.
Longfellow, maybe. I don't think their mother made such a deal, mostly since she doesn't seem to have gotten a lot of prosperity or even health in life.
Also, it would be a bit out of character for a devout believer to accept what sounds so much like a deal with the devil. Admittedly, she did have an affair with her boss too, but given Longfellow's character and the time period, it's doubtful how much of a choice she had, sadly.
I think had the kids been better people, Verna would have taken them like she took Lenore. Peaceful, giving them comfort that even though their journey ends here, they mattered. She gave all the kids the chance to turn back, to choose kindness in their last moments. But they chose not to do that. But at the same time, I can't entirely blame the kids for their choice because they grew up thinking consequences were not a thing, that they could just buy themselves out of consequences. They believed they were untouchable, because they were raised that way or had that given to them (in the case of 'the bastards') without working for it. They threw their morals out of the window the moment money came into the mix. Annabel even said she couldn't compete with the money, and I believe the kids would have been infinitely better people had they stayed with her. The kids chose to be horrific people and thus chose their demise (play stupid game win stupid prizes, I guess). But Lenore was a good person, she was kind, she cared, and she was not bent and twisted to only care about protecting the material wealth of the family. She was a truly good person, and that's why Verna hated what she had to do, and she made sure Lenore got to go out peacefully, without pain or suffering, and knowing that echoes of her choices in life would far outlive her. All of this to say that I think Verna is consequence.
Yes, she even told Frederick you could have died of a heart attack, but you had to bring her home.
Yeah, Verna told Napoleon and Tamerlaine they could just ask their husbands for forgiveness and leave a loving memory behind, and told Frederik that, even if none of it excused what they did, she understood that they were destroyed by the lack of love and a father who pitch one against the other all their lives, forcing a kind of social Darwinisn that made them what they became.
Yeah, she would still honor the deal. That's the thing, she's not death, nor a demon, well I guess you can call her a demon if you want but she's clearly more of an ancient entity that has been there since humanity.
And deals are incredibly important for characters like these.
The best she could've given the Ushers were peaceful deaths, Roderick made their beds a long time ago, and that's the tragic part.
I had the same question about the kids dying anyway. & I guess it’s about how they died. Like when it came to the son that was abusing the wife & she told him he could have went easier but he just had to bring her home.
This is correct. They were always going to die, but Verna got to choose how. If they were decent, they could have died in their sleep or quickly without pain.
And also, the way they died, they left revealing their worst side to anyone they cared about.
Everyone ended up finding out Percy was just as shallow as they thought, Cam died trying to harm her sister, Victorine had all her work be for naught, Tamerleine ended up publically losing all self control etc.
Napoleon and Tamerlaine could have been honest and asked their husbands for forgiveness and left a good footprint and love after them, for instance, rather than be publically revealed as out of control of drug and emotions, a facade they cared very much about.
This was such a great show! I think she gave each child a choice to see what they would do and if they made the right choice they would been given a peaceful death like Lenore instead of the gruesome death they received for choosing wrong. You left out one of my favorite parts where she said "Like I said to one of my clients, when I'm done, you can stand in the middle of 5th Ave and shoot somebody, and it won't cost you a thing." to which Arthur replies "Is his tab coming due anytime soon? Even I've got my limits." I laughed out loud at that. 😆
One small detail I love is when Verna and Arthur are chatting, Verna says "...you can either ride the phoenix out of Fortunato's ashes or you can watch it fly away from a federal prison cell." and in the end Juno creates the Phoenix Foundation after Fortunato Pharmaceuticals is dissolved.
It was so good, from start to finish, I never felt let down. I am so used to shows like AHS starting strong and fizzling out, I was pleasantly surprised to see a strong finish to this series
right?! when this finished i thought, "ryan murphy could NEVER!"
Crazy how we saw the jester costume, the wine called amontillado, and heard the jingling behind the wall several times and still didn’t put together the connections to the Cask of Amontillado lol
RIGHT?! God, I was kicking myself after!
Plus the company being called Fortunado
i had a hunch as soon as i saw the wall, I KNOW that Poe's has a thing for burying people in walls.
I fooled myself by thinking that Verna was giving all of them a chance to live. Choose the moral path and you will be okay. So when she was talking to Lenore and I realized that she was going to kill her too, it felt so unfair. I started bawling. 😭
At least she got a peaceful death and knowledge that she helped a lot of people.
I love Verna's response to the idea that she is a "broker" of suffering. More of a "witness," she says. These people are going to die; that's inevitable. People choose to be cruel, and human choices can lead to equally cruel ends. The only time she really intervenes that we definitively see is Frederick, because what he did to his wife is the first thing that we see that makes her OPENLY angry.
When Roderick told of Prym discovering ancient elders living deep under the surface, at first I thought why is Flanagan referencing Lovecraft? But now I think Verna is an ancient being that came topside after being attracted to interesting people's fates. I like to think she is Fate.
For me Haunting of Hill House is still cemented as Flannigan’s best Netflix show but this definitely skyrockets up there to second right next to Blu Manor for me. I mean this show and it’s connections to Poe’s works is so brilliant.
I first want to thank you for getting these out so quickly! I’ve been pining so much for reactions to this series ever since I finished it over the weekend so your quick turnaround with reactions have been a welcome treat! as for my thoughts on the series as a whole, before this one I would have said that Midnight Mass was my favorite Flanagan series but I now feel like Fall of the House of Usher is tied with Midnight Mass. there is something about everyone coming back for this, all of our favorite cast members reuniting for a Poe tribute of all things, that speaks to me like nothing else could. also! are you familiar with the Poe work The Cask of Amontillado? because how they took out Rufus was essentially a recreation of that short story. I knew when I heard that Flanagan was doing this series that Poe and Flanagan was gonna be amazing together but I couldn’t have prepared myself for how seamlessly Mike Flanagan would be able to weave together so many Poe works into one cohesive, well-told story. if this is the last Flanagan series we get, I’m happy that it’s this one. talk about going out with a bang! 😃
One of my fav thing about Flanagan's series, is that little glimpse of hope, at the very end.
The twins are definitely the bad guys in this, but IMO Madeline was initially the ultimate villain because she was calculated and cold hearted 💙 even as a young girl, and she ultimately led Rod down this path. He was extremely naive but at least he was decent, loving and compassionate.
The part where he exceeded her evilness was taking the deal knowing his small children would pay the price. Even Maddy was like, “that’s a sweet deal but I ain’t the one with kids”. Then proceeds to go on rest of his life banging random women with no pull-out game, unnecessarily subjecting more to the same fate.
Doesn’t even treat them well. Absent entire childhood, they probably decent people only to pop up when they’re adults and,corrupt them with his money which ironically did not make them happier.
The one learning which I took away from this series is that we always have the choice to be good or bad. Yes, Madeline and Roderick were the main villains who were responsible for everyone's death but the Usher children could have chosen to be different from their father. They could have chosen to be good. Lenore too was an Usher. Considering her father was the heir to the Fortunato company she could have been a bratty kid. The fact that despite having riches Lenore was a kind soul goes to show that the rest of the Ushers were just entitled morons who were so stuck up in their ways and felt so privileged that they were not ready to change their ways for thr gpod even when offered a chance to do so.
@AmbiguousHero Yeah, he just wasn't as smart and calculative as Maddie, but he always happily went with her plans and he was the one who happily played Auguste (and even his wife) since the beginning. I don't think he ever made an actually morally good decision. Owning up to his bastards might be the closest he came to it.
Love how Flanagan always puts heart into his horror stories
43:00 I mean they did put cyanide in the Amontillado. Madeline made mention of that. Rufus was probably unconscious if not already dead by the time they seated the last brick.
That's a reference to the ending of the short story The Cask of Amontillado, in which the one burying his colleague alive gets annoyed that he couldn't actually gloat at the end because the person fell silent mid way through the wall building, robbing them of the pleasure of watching them squirm.
I remember another story that used this method, and a reviewer used the term “they cask-of-amontillado’d him” and ever since I’ve had that in my vocabulary ever since.
It’s surprising how often it comes up
Yeah, one thing about this was Mark Hammill as Arthur Pym. He bloody kills it. I was waiting for him to get a chance to shine and it was not wasted.
I love that he was this seedy, in the shadows enforcer/lawyer of the family, but taken face to face with an entity that will give him the same dark deals she gave the others, he surprisingly declines and is a very touching moment that shows that while he gets his hand dirty, he's not incredibly evil.
Everyone talking about Lenore but let's talk about Pym. Because his meeting with Verna showcases so much about her. She offers him a deal but he not only declines he does so with RESPECT. And as such... she respectfully walks away. Yes, he will die in a prison cell... but he will most likely die a peaceful death. Never worrying what is going to come. And you can tell she is actually surprised and delighted by that. Perhaps the first human ever to have enough honor to say, "No thanks" when she offered the world.
I think this may be my favourite Flanagan show, really and truly. It's so encompassing. It's about Legacy. It's great.
I think She is the Morrigan, Irish myth.. The name is Mór-Ríoghain in Modern Irish, and it has been translated as "great queen" or "phantom queen".
The Morrígan is mainly associated with war and fate, especially with foretelling doom, death, or victory in battle. In this role she often appears as a crow. Her name in the series is Verna (Raven)
After bingeing the show (might I say, one day before you lol) I faced the same realizations and the same red eyes as you. It is truly so gratifying to have someone like you posting these videos both as entertainment and catharsis for the other viewers
I don't think she was checking their morality but rather she was giving them a chance to choose a path where they could have a peaceful way out ( like Leanor's) but they all refused because they didn't understand what she was really offering.
I agree - it was test of sorts on how grisly they die. Frederick being the worst had a vicious way of dying…Lenore was peaceful.
I viewed Verna not as Death or the devil but as _Fortune_ , which can mean luck (either good or bad) and also *fate* or *destiny* . "Fortunata" is the feminine form of the word, a nice tie in to the name of the company and also to the fact that luck is often personified as a lady who is sometimes fickle.
ETA: Initially I thought Lenore would be spared, but that's because I hadn't listened closely enough. I heard Verna said to let the next generation pay for Roderick and Madeline's misdeeds and I took that to mean Roderick's children only, the loophole being that Lenore as his granddaughter is technically the second generation from him. Then I went back to listen again, and Verna actually did say that his entire bloodline would die just before he would die. Goes to show how shitty the man was that he not only struck the deal already having two children but then proceeded to have another four knowing they would die too!
The name of the company “fortunato” comes from Poe’s short story “the Cask of Amontillado” in which a man named Fortunato is bricked in behind a wall by the narrator of the story.
Interesting theory but if Verna was luck (which is fickle) then she would have not given befittinf ends to all the Usher children. If anythinf Verna was always fair. Her punishments befitted the actions of each of the Usher siblings. She always gave everyone a choice (barring Lenore of course cause she was a kind hearted soul) to mend their ways and do something good atleast so that they can have peaceful deaths.
I watched an interview w/Carla Gugino yesterday on RUclips about her character Verna/Raven, & how her character was described to her by Mike Flanagan. She said she's not Death/a devil, but more like Fate & Karma. I like to think of her as Fortune & whether/not people that come across her want to be monetarily rich/morally rich. That's why I always thought it funny that the company, even before Roderick took over, was called Fortunato. When Madeleine & Roderick came upon her, they were already morally corrupt because they had taken a human life, so she worked the angle of how about becoming monetarily rich beyond compare, but there's a catch. "When u die, your bloodline dies w/u." I think when Verna suggested an out to Usher's children it wasn't too save their lives. But more so, if they chose to heed her advice, then they would have a better death. She knew what was coming. I believe Verna/Raven is one of those ethereal beings that live on that island @ the top of the world called "something" Thull supposedly discovered by that Transatlantic Expedition that Arthur Pym took part. I enjoyed this series, but had difficulty getting into it. It took until the 3rd episode before I decided I liked it. It felt a bit disjointed in the beginning, but came together in the middle to the end, @ least for me. I really enjoyed your reactions & indepth commentaries in this series.😊👍
In ep 6 Rodrick is explaining (to Auggie) how Arthur Pym was on the global expedition, and he says that Pym would tell the Kids storied about how the earth was hollow. How there was an island at the top of the world that was a realm of beings that lived outside of time and space. The implication is Verna is one of them, considering she says "She had to come topside to watch them go by." She also mentions they are sitting outside time and space when in the bar striking the deal with young Madeline and Rodrick. She is Fate.
The Lenor scene really got me! I remembered the Lenor-bot at the exact same time you did, lol. Loved your reaction to this! I'm not a horror fan, per say, but I have seen my fair share over the decades, plus I like Poe, but wasn't familiar with all of the stories. I might try out Flanagan's other works. 😊
I love that they used Cask of Amontillado because that was my favorite work of Poe’s when I was younger.
I think the choice Verna gave each one would have changed their death...she said to Camille that it didn't have to be this way, she could go in her sleep of a heart attack. Verna said something similar to Tamerlane, telling her it wasnt too late, she could call Billt, etc. The whole series was SO good and everything-the writing, acting, music, cinematography, everything was on point. I may have to go back and watch The Midnight Club. I loved Juno, and would like to see more of Ruth Codd. Thanks for reacting to this series!
Honstely the kids make me so sad, they were bad people but most of them didnt eserve what they got, they deserved something but no chance to learn? just one cryptic 'leave now' and theyre meant to know? and the saddest part is not only were they condemned to die by their father, they were condemned to be the awful people they became because of him and his treatment of them too, Camille says it herself
A little detail I love is that as soon as Camille dies, the articles and press goes from postivie spins on the deaths to telling for what they really are (say what you want about her but she was damned good at her job)
I don't think the kids could have saved themselves, but they didn't have to go out the way they did. They all could have gone out more like Lanore. She even told Camille that she could have gone peacefully in her sleep instead of the way she did
I would like Audible to have Carla Gugino read the works of Edgar Allan Poe! She has that smooth voice that can have a hint of danger, insanity, or terror that is needed. DID YOU HEAR THAT AUDIBLE BOOKS!!?!
Did you hear how smart Maddy was? She said she bought an IUD and Rodrick wouldn’t wear a condom. She made sure she had no bloodline coming from her. It didn’t help her with “the twins-have-to-die-together” thing but, not all problems have a solution.
Thanks for your insight and reactions! You are cool and cute as hell!
I hope you checkout “Penny Dreadful”! Remember, I’ll pay for it!😊
the ending is a wonderful adaption of the end of the Usher short story. The friend that comes to visit (Auguste) helps Rod put his sister in the basement and even thinks she looks to flushed to be dead and when she inevitable comes back to life and kills her sibling he runs out of the house only to see it sink into the lake it sits by. In the show, his slight involvement in the deaths via the fact informant fills him helping entomb Rod's sister metaphorically, and then he witnesses the death and destruction of the house. I loved this show, and am sad it might be the last Mike Flanagan show we get for awhile.
The sobs that left me when she took Lenore (which rhymes with Nevermore) 😪 Mike Flanagan strikes again, amazing series 👏
This is easily my favorite Mike Flanagan show by a long shot.
This show was brilliant, the acting, writing direction and cinematography were all top notch. Thank you for your reaction 👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾☺️😎
She checked their morality to decided how they died, if they were being nice or made amends they would have died peacefully, if they choose to still do bad things their death becomes more vile.
i liked how there were just enough ends tied to make it satisfying. not all questions were answered, but the ones that were and weren't made the story so much more interesting.
They never confirm what Verna is, but there’s a big hint in Goldbug. When Rodrick is explaining Pym’s past, the trip around the world, he says Arthur told his daughter that there was an island at the top of the world. “It was the realm of beings that live *beneath* us out of time and space.” Which is also what Verna says to them in the bar. The moment of her deal is outside time and space.
everyone keeps saying roderick having more kids was a bad thing which sure but keep in mind it says in the show they forgot the bar scene was real. it became a blurry dream to them
Yes
This is my favorite out of them all. 👏👏👏👏👏💗 Fabulous reaction!! Your introspection was awesome.
🙋🏾♀️👩🏾💻 I love all the series Magic,
but the thing that stood out the most (for me)
was there were only 2 people in the world who knew the head of this
Beast called The House of Usher:
(1)Mads (sister)
(2)Rufus (enemy/friend)
One tried to kill him and the other took his last confession and it
is insane to me the #'s that go next to each action in the above
sentence!!
Thank You Omn1 for reacting to the series I really enjoyed
watching this with you, I'd also like to Thank ya'll that left comments
too. Because we're all different we see situations differently and
I love when people can show me a different way; or an additional
way of looking at things.
I hope Everyone had a great Thanksgiving and have Happy up
coming Holidays!!🙋🏾♀️🙋🏾♀️💜💜
Once again I was put thru one heck of a rollercoaster. And it also fun trying to piece and and see all the Poe references.
This series and your daily reactions helped me through a rough week, subject matter notwithstanding 😅 Thanks!
I agreee with others here that Verna is something more akin to fate. A possible interpretation is the Celtic entity known as the Morrigan, associated with war and fate and symbolized as a crow. But she speaks a lot about egypt so I'm guessing she's an amalgamation of many different religious concepts and entities.
Most of the Usher kids' deaths weren't just the consequence of their moral decisions. Perry chose to hook the sprinklers up to tanks of toxic waste, Leo took mass quantities of drugs over a long period of time until drug-induced psychosis was almost a given; Camille broke into the testing lab full of agitated chimps, etc.
At the same time, if Prospero had given up from his scheme to blackmail people and ended the event before the "rain", nobody would have died and if Napoléon had come clean to his husband and confessed about the cat, he might have died in his sleep or of a sudden heart attack for all his past drug abuse, but without being tortured.
Its pretty interesting though. Madeline never had kids so she actually never let the other generation suffer, while Rodrick had so many and so many out of selfishness and so many of them had to suffer.
When I saw Annabelle's head first, I thought Roderick killed her or something, but then I realized she was so depressed about her children leaving and forgetting her that her last resource was to commit suic*ide.
Good analysis of this story - it does leave room for great discussion - I still cry when Lenore dies.. Can't wait to see what happens when Flanagan goes to Amazon.
I like to think that even still today this modern times there's entities like Verna roaming the Earth and the Cosmos making deals and ease their boredom.
Very good storytelling encompassing all the Poe work so beautifully! Every episode giving you clues and making you want more. As soon as they said bloodline, your heart sinks knowing that sweet Lenore was not going to make it. Fantastic show!
This was my favorite of Mike Flanagan’s works so far! Absolutely loved it! Verna was such an interesting character but she was not evil, nor was she the devil - she was an observer of what the “interesting” people would do. Everyone in the story made their own choices &, as she said in the Mask of the Red Death, everything has consequences. People have choice to do good or evil, which has a ripple effect in the world. Roderick’s choice to “buy” his children caused them to become what he was - empty shells of self-gratification, selfishness, & sociopathy. He “made the deal” to SACRIFICE his children (2 of which were already alive) for money/power. Is this not done all the time in our world? Verna was at least a 4 dimensional being because she could move through time & see all possibilities for them all. She saw possibilities but was present for the reality, which happened when they made choices. As you noted, she warned each of them that there were other options but it didn’t matter - each stayed the course of a violent ending. “It didn’t need to be this way” - “You didn’t need to be here”. She was karma. Lenore was the saddest because she was truly collateral damage BUT EVEN SO, she had a legacy of good in the world. That gives me hope! There is so much about this series that can be unpacked & we are reminded of a basic truth… we always have choice. Thank-you for your reactions - it was fun to re-watch the series through your eyes. 🙂
It means the difference between dying calm in your bed, without pain or die like they did, brutally.
Roderick sister was also in scream the tv series, she looks so different now of course!
The score for this show was great.
... this actually topped Hill House for me ( just because I love Poe so much ) and was giddy at the way Flanagan reworked his tales into this new story ... it reminded me of the old Vincent Price/Boris Karloff, Hammer adaptations that I grew up with ... and I *finally* got The Cask of Amontillado as well as the "Nevermore"
Lenore is the ONE DEATH he was FORCED TO SEE UP CLOSE and PERSONAL!!!
I didn’t think of this when I first watched the episode but it occurred to me as I’m watching your reaction, I wonder if Roderick doomed his bastard kids by accepting them as his own? I know either way they are his blood, but I wonder if he hadn’t taken them in and hadn’t given them the privileges they enjoyed, the way his father abandoned him, would they have still been in bloodline? They wouldn’t have inherited the Usher name or its fortune, and I wonder if that would’ve made a difference on the deal.
I don’t think it would have made a difference. The terms were stated “all of your BLOODLINE”, not only of the name. It’s also quite clear that this isn’t meant to be a fair deal for the next generation, so why would them even knowing about their parentage matter in the end? Even if you don’t know your parents, you still carry on their bloodline, their genetics. The deal was that all that would die with Roderick and Madeline.
I think that the best outcome any of them could have hoped for was a peaceful and quick death, and I lean towards thinking Verna would have given them the same choice anyway - but they might have made a different choice if they hadn’t been corrupted. Impossible to know. The big difference would have been that it would just have looked like a freak accident/sudden, unexplained death, and nobody would have connected it to the Ushers.
That’s just what I think though. :)
@@JekyViews if it is bloodline regardless of whether you were part of the family, it makes you wonder if other kids of his who didn’t know he was their father were also killed, just offscreen. The kids mentioned that some of them were 16 to 18 when they found out they were Usher’s and Madeline implies he may have other kids out there they don’t know about it, so I wonder.
I kind of like it better if him trying to be a better father than his by accepting all his kids regardless of who their mother was, doomed them to die with him. I’m a big fan of that kind of irony, we initially think he’s helping the kids by providing for them, but really he’s shortening their lives.
now that i think about it, the first choice Roderick made was screwing over Auggie so it makes sense that Verna wanted him there in the end
verna giving morality checks before she do the deeds possibly just make their deaths less you know tragically horrifying, lenore basically goes away painless but every other Ushers died horrifically from acid bath, chimp mauling, etc every time she laments "it could have been different" maybe the end is sealed- death, but how it carries out isn't and she's not much of a sadist so she offers a chance to turn back and at least goes away peacefully
And also their legacies and dignity.
Everyone other than Lenore has their legacy destroyed before their eyes before dying in a not only gruesome but also humiliating/scandalous way.
Well, now I want to reread all of Poe’s work. Time to Amazon or library depending on my funds.
The Raven from Poe's original story is just as mysterious and undefined as Verna is in this. The story revolves around a narrator that is visited by a Raven, when asked what it's name is it simply replies "nevermore", when asked if it will leave like everyone else has left the man it replies the same. The man assumes the raven is like a parrot and can only repeat that one line, then in his sorrow for his lost Lenore asks if he'll ever be free from his painful memories, only to get a negative response. He gets angry at the bird and asks if he'll see Lenore in paradise, only to get the same reply. He demands the bird leave him be only to be told "nevermore". The man believes the bird can only respond with nevermore and keeps asking questions for which that answer will only torture him, participating in his own suffering.
In the end we don't know whether the Raven is a demon sent to torture him, a simple parrot he's using to torture himself, or perhaps a representation of his own thoughts and doubts.
My favorite show of his yet
Thanks so much for your reactions to this show and all the episodes, loved every one!
Leaving aside the film Oculus, this is far and away my favorite Mike Flanagan outing to date.
I agree that The Haunting of Hill House is brilliantly executed and arguably his best work to date, but my personal faves are Oculus and Usher so far (they hit my sensibility best).
Its been a blast to watch your reactions, Omn1 - as always.
Thank you for what you do here.
This series is definitely up there with Haunting of Hill House! I don't know if I like one more than the other. I will likely watch them both again. I hope this isn't Flanagan's last one. These are the best shows on Netflix! Bly Manor would be my next favorite, then Midnight Club, and Midnight Mass last.
He’s moving to another streaming service. I think it’s Amazon? I can’t quite remember. I don’t care as long as he keeps making similar material as his Netflix shows
Ultimately I loved this one better, because while I loved Hill House, I hated that, in the ending, they pulled an American Horror Story season one by showing people wanting to go and die in Hill House purposefully, to turn into ghosts, when the whole show portrayed being a ghost there as nothing but eternal torture.
Also, Usher was extremely faithful to its dozen and a half short stories and poems, while Hill House begins by quoting the book, in which "whatever walks there, walks alone", but end with the house crawling with ghosts, unlike the original, that makes a point that the house STILL stands alone, all the ghosts in all likelihood illusions created by an evil house, rather than actual ghosts.
While I am not 100% sure exactly who Verna is do supposed to be...maybe due to all the Egtyian stuff, she could be Nephthys, a goddess of funeral rites often depicted as a raven.
Verna gave people some degree of agency ,she went easy on Lenoresince she was the most innocent of the Ushers and she respected Pym for not taking her deal.
Anyways.
I loved this show.
A true masterpiece from Mike Flanagan.
Actually Pym had nothing he cared for. Verna's deals always were a barter (fortune/riches/fame for something the other person loved or cared about). Whrn she offers to protect Pym from having to go to jail Arthur says that he has no wife and children or any person per se whom he cares for. Arthur had nothing to give in exchange. Considering the fact that Arthur had learnt from the fall of the Usher fanily that deals with Verna never ended right he made the rught choice to face the consequences of his actions rather than make a dirty deal with Verna which will always end up being a bad deal.
The Raven" follows an unnamed narrator on a dreary night in December who sits reading "forgotten lore" by a dying fire as a way to forget the death of his beloved Lenore😢. A "tapping at his chamber door"
I cried SO much 😢after this last episode. Poor sweet Lenore!!!!! 😭😭😭😭 She did not deserve to die. It broke my heart 💔 notice that Verna did not offer Lenore a choice? Because Lenore was innocent and she had a painless and peaceful death.
Verna is not the devil she is noting more than death. Yes, she offers them deals more like she tempts people. But in the end they make their choice. It was their greed that is their downfall. But they also could of used that success to do good, but they didn't.
Rodricks pain was Lenore's death, that rapping at his chamber door was not so much The Raven but a reminder that she had died.. Her text reminding him that Lenore was "Nevermore." If Verna was the devil, she wouldn't care how they died or have giving them a choice how to take them out. She actually tried to prevent them a painful deaths. No she is the angel of death.
Verna cried when she took Lenore. She even told her she hated this part of her job. She put her into a deep sleep. 😢😢 Mike was brilliant and again managed to break my heart again!! Great show...
It wasn't Verna's fault. Rodrick took that deal and did terrible things that he would lose his kids and bloodline. Verna is Karma..
As for him burying Madeleine alive, he simply didn't care if she was dead or alive, he only cared about giving her the Egyptian funeral he wanted to.
I went back a second time and watched certain Episodes and saw things I didn't see or understand the first time I watched.
My boy Arthur mad efficient. Buckled shorty up in a jiffy lmao
A little late to this party, but man I am conflicted about Leo. While it wasn't great about trying to cover up when he thought he killed pluto, he struck me as a more or less "decent' Usher child. He clearly loved his siblings. He was willing to sacrifice his inheritance to not tow the family line.Also, his choice from Verna was not as clear to me. Regardless, this was an outstanding commentary. I am glad I cam across your reaction videos for this. I loved the Flanniverse on Netlfix. Still tough for me to decide between Hill House and this. You got a follower.
Of all the deities, I believe that Verna is closest to Fortuna and Fate
like, I mean, it's right there..Fortunato :)
well and Justice probably
Yeah a lot of people instantly default Verna to death, and I did too, and people can't be faulted for it, especially with how death is so closely tied with Poe's works.
But yeah, she seems more like a whole other ancient entity, not demonic, I think her dismissing souls is a way to say how she is not of a "godly myth/heaven or hell" nature.
She was still gonna follow through with her deal, but death wouldn't care if the kids were evil or not, but Verna gives them a choice to do good before sending them on. She is also empathetic, death wouldn't have cared that Frederick did all that, but she was specifically miffed by it enough to actively participate in his death.
I think my personal ranking is
Hill House
Fall of the House of Usher
Midnight Mass
Bly Manor
Midnight Club (but even this is like an 7-8/10)
I have a big Poe bias and I think that what he did with this was insanely impressive but Hill House will always have a special place in my heart.
this is my personal ranking too (except I haven't watched Midnight Club)
same ranking for me too
@@AlessaParker you should, it’s really good. It sucks that it was cancelled before they could finish the story but I really enjoyed the first season (and Flanagan posted what would’ve happened if the show wasn’t cancelled)
The "Jester" was the guy buried in the Wall.