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24: The Housemaid Part One - Character Analysis
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In this episode of Book Watch, we’re diving into the Character Analysis of The Housemaid and its 2024 adaptation (The Housemaid). How well did the film capture the heart of the book? What changes worked—and which ones missed the mark?
In Part 1, we explore:
- Character portrayals & motivations
- Casting choices and performances
- How internal tension translates on screen
- Power dynamics between Millie, Nina, and Andrew
- Which characters were reimagined—and why
From unreliable narrators to glamorous façades and carefully curated charm, we break down what makes these characters so addictive and how the adaptation shifts our sympathies, suspicions, and expectations along the way.
Recommended
Transcript
Sequel Announcement
00:00:00
Speaker
Hey book watchers, since the time of this recording, they have announced that the sequel to A Housemaid has been picked up for adaptation. So throughout the episode, we'll reference the potential of that happening. So just know that we recorded that before this news came to light.
Introduction and Episode Focus
00:00:18
Speaker
Hi, welcome to Book Watch. Today we're watching The Housemaid by Frieda McFadden, published in 2022, and it's 2025 adaptation, The Housemaid, directed by Paul Feig.
00:00:34
Speaker
Today we're doing the brief introduction to the book's plot, talking about the actors' portrayals and the film, how those actors sold the story or didn't. All that after these ads.
About the Book Watch Podcast
00:00:53
Speaker
Welcome to Book Watch, the podcast where pages meet screens. Each week, we dive into the world of adaptations, comparing beloved books with their cinematic counterparts. From faithful retellings to bold reimaginings, we'll break down what worked, what didn't, and what made each adaptation unforgettable. Whether you're a bookworm, a movie buff, or both, grab your bookmark, grab your popcorn, and let's watch some books.
00:01:18
Speaker
Hello! Excited this Are though?
00:01:23
Speaker
son in sun and frida mcfadden and the audio book was narrated by lauren alman i'm your host chris and i'm joined as always by sarah day and jordan going guys hello cited for this one are you though No, I was going to say, Chris, Chris, do you want to admit
Chris's Reading Experience
00:01:46
Speaker
to our listeners? So for this one, I did not finish this reading the book. I did go see the movie, but I could not get through that book. And I'm still still imbibing from last night's viewing of the of the film. it's It's a bit of a rough one. I've got my most cider here and with a little bit of cinnamon whiskey in it, potentially. And it should get us through this here. OK, allegedly, allegedly there's whiskey. Yeah, it is tough. I mean, i think when we were all reading and talking about it, I was like, this first half of the book, I am struggling, slogging through it. It's very, like, I'm just gonna say it it's boring, and it's poorly written. And so I was really struggling to get through it. um So I don't blame you for not finishing it, Chris. I think
00:02:35
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, there was a point where we were all like, okay, do we even want to cover this one um We had it. You and I, Jordan, hadn't gotten to the twist yet. um But we were like, let's just do it. Maybe this is the first time where we're like, okay, the movie's better than the book. um We knew there was going to be a lot of hype around it. Sydney Sweeney's a big name. Amanda's a big name. So we were like, let's just...
00:02:56
Speaker
Let's just do it. You finished it before I did. And then I finished it. And then, yeah, Chris, we decided for me to go see the movie first. And so that's what I did. i didn't get a chance to because of the Christmas holiday here until a little bit after here, literally last night when we're filming this. um And honestly, I mean, from what you guys were saying, the movie was better.
Book vs. Movie Twist
00:03:16
Speaker
And you guys were both pleasantly surprised by the twist and the way that the characters were portrayed. So we'll get into that more next week. But as far as the actual which is overall review, i i mean, I agree that I thought that the and the twist and everything at the end was ah came out came up pretty good in the end. And some of the action scenes were definitely interesting enough to keep me engaged once I got there.
00:03:42
Speaker
Yeah, I mean, the action scene at the end, just like, you know as always, full spoilers for this new movie, since we're talking about the whole thing. The action scene at the end where they're like being chased around the house, like that doesn't happen in the book. That was an addition that they made for the movie. And I think that was probably a good choice to add that in there just to like...
00:04:04
Speaker
Add some intensity and like that fear factor into it. Because otherwise it's kind of a boring ending, kind of anticlimactic. So I think they made the right choice adding that a thrill moment.
00:04:18
Speaker
I think all of the changes the film made I liked except for the one that I think we'll talk tonight when we get into the characters.
Character Changes Teaser
00:04:26
Speaker
But when it comes to the plot changes, I think the movie made a lot of sense and we'll get into that next week. I'm excited to talk about those. But I i do have a question about a certain character that we'll talk about tonight and the changes to
Plagiarism Allegations
00:04:39
Speaker
his arc. Sounds good.
00:04:41
Speaker
yeah So around this film, i mean, or around this author, there is some controversy that we've been back and forth, whether we even wanted to mention it, but she, hurt a lot of her books have a element of familiarity to other books and people have questioned whether they are pulling a little bit of plagiarism. There's been some speculation around that. How did you guys feel? i don't know that one of you, ah Jordan, you're reading one of the books that this one was supposed to be somewhat similar to.
00:05:11
Speaker
Do you feel like it's something that we people need to be concerned about? Is it something that is relevant to the conversation at this point?
00:05:19
Speaker
Yeah, for sure. I mean, it so I did not finish the book that this that the housemaid supposedly copies. um And so far, the beginning is different enough where if you're just reading it, you're like, okay, I can see how it's kind of similar. But kind of researching how the ending up. So the other book is The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine. And just like reading the plot summary for that book, the way that it ends, like it's pretty spot on with how The Housemaid goes. And so, yeah, if you...
00:05:59
Speaker
you know, if if you're reading this and you're like, this is really familiar, you're not crazy. And so I think if you, it kind of depends on where you stand, like morally, i guess, if it's like a really big deal for you and like that kind of integrity is you know, something that you take really seriously. Like
Significance of Alleged Plagiarism
00:06:19
Speaker
I would read the Liv Constantine books, the original ones, like The Last Mrs. Parish, that that's another trilogy. i would read those and skip Frieda McFadden's because hers came second. um But if you like don't really care or you kind of like – some people I've heard online, like they kind of like the guessing game of reading a Frieden McFadden book and be like, okay, which book is she ripping off of? like So if you kind of want to lean more into that, you can read both. um i
00:06:48
Speaker
Again, I didn't finish The Last Mrs. Parrish, but I feel like The Housemaid is kind of like the Walmart version of it. like It's a similar kind of plot. The T-mo version. Yeah, the T-Mu version, basically. like It's basically the same, but just like not as good. like Certainly not as well written. i think a little bit less interesting. like the The main character, like the Millie character, is more interesting in The Last Mrs. Parrish.
00:07:14
Speaker
So, yeah. it's The House Major is just not that good of a book, unfortunately. so if you want like ah a better written book, read The Last Mrs. Parrish. If you just want some kind of... like easy quote unquote like quick read to get through that like you don't have to take that seriously you don't to think that deeply about then the housemate is fine like it it serves that purpose do you think that she was trying to homage these stories or do you think that they were just harsh you know out of them I mean, and i I haven't read The
Inspiration vs. Copying Debate
00:07:46
Speaker
Mrs. Parrish, but from what I understand online and listeners, you can go down so many rabbit holes on this. TikToks, Reels, Reddit, if you want to learn more, but almost every single one of her books can be compared to another one. um
00:08:02
Speaker
It is important to note that like, I don't believe as far as I've seen any legal action has been taken against her. so somehow, either they're not pressing charges, the other authors, or it's not enough for her to get in trouble. But, you know, the court of public opinion has some thoughts. Definitely. just know what you think. We're definitely interested to see, have this conversation on on our Facebook and different areas, what you think. if you've read other books by her, where we'd be interested to hear what you think, too.
00:08:33
Speaker
Jordan, were saying something? because there's definitely something to be said. Like, a lot of I think a lot of authors kind of borrow ideas from other authors. Like there's so many like fantasy books that you're like, oh, that's just like the Lord of the Rings or that's just like Star Wars or that's just like Harry Potter or whatever. Like I understand like there's an, especially a book that's set in the real world. Like there's only so much you can do without like magic and like things like that. um But this is like too close to be a coincidence in my opinion, for sure. Like there's definitely, can't,
00:09:07
Speaker
And if she would come out and say like, yeah, I was really inspired Liv Constantine, that sister duo who wrote The Last Mrs. Parrish and like I wanted to put my own twist on it.
00:09:18
Speaker
I think that would go a long way towards making me respect her. Like she's acknowledging that she is like borrowing this idea from somebody else or and like putting her own twist on it. but so at least, you know, to my knowledge, she hasn't done that. And so she's just like, yeah, this was my idea and I came up with this all on my own. It's like, but you going to say from what I have seen, I believe she has denied it completely.
00:09:43
Speaker
Which is crazy because, like again, i'm I'm only like 30% through The Last Mrs. Parrish and I can tell like how similar they are. like it's not It's not right for her to be like just saying that she came up with this idea totally on her own with no influence from anywhere else. like There's no way.
Upcoming Adaptation of 'The Last Mrs. Parrish'
00:10:04
Speaker
I do want to bring up the fact that The Last Miss Parish is getting an adaptation as well with J-Lo and Nicolaj Coster-Waldo, who is in Game of Thrones. um And it's not coming out until next year. It's in post-production. and' I'm going to be interested in the discourse when that movie comes out, if everybody's going to compare it to the Housemaid movie. And then maybe the conversation about this plagiarism might be,
00:10:34
Speaker
a bigger conversation at that time and we'll see how well this one does because I believe this one you said Chris it's streaming on Netflix think so I i don't think they've fully yeah got all the details out but we'll we'll update as we get closer and keep ah an eye eye on the Instagram I'm sure we'll be posting about it when it gets closer Yeah. I mean, I think initially, like for people who don't know, they'll be like, oh my gosh, I can't believe they ripped off the housemate. Like, that's so lame. And then it's like, well, if you did right two two seconds worth of research, you'd find out that actually the housemate copied this. And so then I think it'll be interesting. Once that kind of comes out, how many, like what Freedia McFadden's reaction will be at that point once like it's more widely known that
00:11:20
Speaker
she's got these allegations and it's not just like a smaller, community of people who know about it like once they become movies and they're widely available to the public I think you know they're hopefully she gives some sort of reaction and acknowledgement that like she took somebody else's IP and yeah made it her own it's different like I said it's different enough but like it's too similar for her to be able to legitimately say that she did it on her own right and we'll see what the you know
00:11:51
Speaker
the court of public opinion thinks. I mean, it's going to be tough since she's the second, this will be the second one coming out and not the first one. It's people are a lot bigger movie goers sometimes than book readers in this sort of, that's where the area of the popularity online. So we'll see what people are saying at the time. um I've found that the book is I've never I've not found a used copy of it yet. I go to the thrift shops a lot looking for these kind of haunted copies and I have not found any freedom McFadden books anywhere, which is weird to me because I figured I would see some, you know, somebody that didn't like the book, but they're wildly popular with my wife's friends with a lot of people that I've seen.
00:12:28
Speaker
and apparently people keep them or I guess maybe throw them away instead of donating them. So nobody else has to deal with it. Could go either way, I guess. they're also They're also free with Kindle Unlimited. So I think maybe a lot of people are doing the e-book instead of buying a physical copy. Because like, especially after reading it I would never spend money on on this book. Like, it was not good enough. And with all the other allegations, like, I don't want to give Freedom of Fat in my money. Right. um And then like, even the movie, like, I don't want her to have my money. And like, but like I have a Regal Cinemas, like ah like, VIP pass or whatever. So like, all my movies are free. So it's like,
00:13:04
Speaker
I don't feel that bad about it. um But yeah, I think ah probably a lot of people are getting it on ebook, i would make at least initially. And then if they really like it, they'll buy a copy and keep it. know Costco had a big deal on all of them where they were pretty cheap for the movie adaptation version and all those. So people who do want it, that seems like a good place to pick it up. But I don't think I'll be picking any of them up.
00:13:29
Speaker
yeah read it read Read it first, and then if you really like it, then go spend money. But read it on Kindle Unlimited first. Hopefully we're not offending anybody that really liked this book. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, plead your case if you did. Change my mind if you did really like it. And tell us if the next books are better. I mean, if they do the adaptations, I'm sure we'll follow up here. But we need to know if it's worth actually going it. And Sydney Sweeney did say, like, she's open to doing sequels. Well, she likes that money, so.
00:14:01
Speaker
She needs a job.
00:14:05
Speaker
And it, like, the movie left off in an interesting place where, like, I kind of, I was interested in the idea of a continuation. Like, this, you know, housemate who comes in and just kills abusive husbands to protect the their wives. Like, I'm kind of into that, like, female vigilante justice kind of thing. Like.
00:14:25
Speaker
So I would be interested in seeing more of that nature, but I don't know if I could stomach reading more of the books. So maybe, maybe I'll pull a Chris and just watch the movie. tv no Yeah. I've definitely got some thoughts about the ending that we'll get into next episode, but
Thriller Genre Preferences
00:14:41
Speaker
yeah. um As far as these mystery thriller genre, do you guys read much of this? Is this a something you're interested in it at all? I mean, this might be new to kind of all of us as far as this direction, I think.
00:14:56
Speaker
I've read a handful of thrillers, but I'm definitely a scaredy cat, so I can't go to horror. couldn't do any Stephen King thrillers, but I've read a handful. I did The Girl in the Train. did one about sisters in a cult that was interesting. always love a good twist, and you don't really get twists in romance every once in a while in a fantasy book. um but yeah I kind of across all genres when it comes to books I like to go into books blind if somebody recommends it I don't read the back of the cover I just go in blind and I like it great that's a scary way to go in world that's the best choice for you whether the book's even you know something you want to read right even good or not usually if it's being recommended like I've got good friends that aren't gonna recommend bad books if somebody recommends it I'm like no I'm out
00:15:53
Speaker
I don't want to read a popular book. I want to read something that's indie and nobody's reading. Right. Indie authors. Yeah. Yeah. i I think I've said it before, but like I'm very much a fantasy reader. like Romance or no romance, like if it's not dragons and magic and swords, like I'm not really interested. So I think this is I've had some friends recommend me some thrillers and I have read them and they like I'm like, no it was whatever. But like, it doesn't capture my interest and make me like super excited to read it the way that fantasy books do. So
00:16:29
Speaker
Yeah, but that's that's truly just like my personal like taste and preference. So nothing against mystery books and thrillers. Like I love me some Sherlock Holmes, but like that's pretty much i think the extent of my experience with the genre. Yeah.
00:16:45
Speaker
Right. And it's also like the historical aspect of it. Like it kind of feels more like fiction because it's a world that I don't live in. That's mostly my my thing is like I don't like reading stories that happen in the modern day and age because i I already live in this world. Like why do I want to read more books about this world? Like take me somewhere else, you know? like historical fiction because it's about the past that I didn't live in. But anything based modern I really can struggle with sometimes unless they have that fantasy element. Exactly. So let's see if we script doctor this a little bit, if we threw in a few dragons and made this the story still, that would
Fantasy Elements in 'The Housemaid'
00:17:20
Speaker
interest you. Or if we took it back in time and made it like a, like a vigilante witch doctor or something that's given the women the thing to yeah get rid of their abusive. Oh, I'm, I'm so into that. Yeah. Do you take it back to like Salem and it's like a witch who like infiltrates? I'm so into that or take it and make it like, you know, the scullery made in a castle who you know infiltrates and does this i'm very much into that it's just like you're gonna get into you're gonna get into your lexus and have your cell phone like i don't care i don't care yeah for sure all right um anything else to add there about the cultural impact or anything like that
00:18:02
Speaker
I don't think so. I don't think this is going to be something that is like looked back on as like, oh, this was a classic in the genre like that. Like it's, you know, it's pretty mindless, both the movie and the book. Like I'm, I liked the movie enough. So I'm like, yeah, sure. It was, you know, worth the two and a half hours of my life to see it. am I ever going to rewatch it? Probably not. Yeah.
00:18:24
Speaker
yeah It's not, it's not anything to call home about and, you know, I think that goes for the themes as well. Like there's not, it's not really anything. It's not telling you anything. I think it's a good movie. It's a good two hours to go of entertainment.
00:18:39
Speaker
And I think I would recommend like, yeah, go see the movie. Like the movie's good. I would not recommend the book. Yeah. Yeah. It's nothing that you're going like think deeply about. It's going to change your life. Women in Cabin 10?
00:18:54
Speaker
It was it's on one of the streaming services now but it was a similar it was an adaptation to but um similar like some of the gaslighting elements of this where you know she was being told that no you're crazy but for thinking these things a little bit of you know somebody fell over the board in the boat is what the story is about. And I watched it with some friends over a long weekend not too long ago and.
00:19:16
Speaker
It kind of felt to me very similar to the idea of this same idea of a psychological thriller a little bit. I think that the story was better and, but I did enjoy enough of this that if it was on Netflix and we were looking for that genre, maybe I would recommend recommend it to my friends.
00:19:31
Speaker
Do you think it's just going to, as far as it's lasting, do you think this is going to hit streaming and just fade? Or do you think we're really going to see the hype stick around for the next, uh, freedom of fat and books to the, uh, the next sequel to this, is it going to be something that sticks in the lexicon?
00:19:50
Speaker
Maybe I think, The fact that Sydney Sweeney mentioned doing the sequels, I think maybe we'll get another one, if not the whole trilogy. um And I believe that Frieda McFadden already has some other novels in the works to be adapted. So I yeah i don't think she's going anywhere. We'll have to see how that goes.
Character Portrayals Discussion
00:20:10
Speaker
You guys want to get into, um think we've already kind of talked about the initial impressions we've had um about the film. you guys want to get into the key characters?
00:20:21
Speaker
Yes, let's do it. I have thoughts. So with all drum roll here, we'll go to Millie being played by Sydney Sweeney as our first one to talk about.
00:20:33
Speaker
What guys think?
00:20:36
Speaker
At first, when we were reading it, I thought maybe I just don't like Millie as a character. And that's why the beginning was so bad for me and like so hard to get through. um But yeah, I think even in the film, like I really don't like her character. I don't like Sydney really as an actress so much. I think it's the same thing as like Dakota Johnson. i I just think they're very bland. I don't think they give a lot of emotion. um So she was fine as Millie because I thought she was boring and I thought her acting was boring. like A character that had been in prison for 10 years and doesn't have any...
00:21:06
Speaker
uh real life experience yeah well and that's when we were reading it i'm like maybe because she's been in prison for so years she is just so juvenile because i thought like she she thought that way and i was just like it was so hard to get through her the first part of the book which is from her perspective um but i thought sydney sweeney did a good job of portraying that kind of naive blandness I guess you can describe it okay yeah I I agree i think it's like I can't tell if the boringness of Millie is due to the poor writing of Frieda McFadden or if that was intentional and she was like purposely trying to do that and right and talk about you know the effects of like being in prison for 10 years I also don't know like What, if any, research she did, like interviewing women who have been in prison and what it was like and how they were different before and after and like what kind of like PTSD they may have and, you know, how that affected them after they come out, like.
00:22:14
Speaker
i don't like I don't know if any of that research was there. And so is that like what Freedom McFadden thinks somebody would be like after coming out of jail for 10 years? Or if that's like legitimate how people might be after being in jail? um Because like in my head, I feel like if you're in jail for 10 years, if anything, you're more mature because you like...
00:22:36
Speaker
have gone through a traumatic event and you've been living a harder life than like, you know, your average 17 year old. you know, 17 to 27 year old would. um But I don't know. So yeah, I don't want to give Freedia McFadden too much credit because I don't think she's a very good writer. Sorry. um So, but yeah, I mean, based on how Millie was in the book, Sydney Sweeney nailed that in the movie. So like props to her for that. It just, you know, the character is what it is.
00:23:09
Speaker
All right. Yeah. And yeah, I think she, the book would but might have, might've had some more interest if she'd came out and said some of those things and like an aside or at the end or something like, Hey, I did my research on these things. I put the time in, but I feel like she didn't give us any of that, whether how the abusive relationships are handled, how ah that prison time went. So that is a good point that it'd be nice to have a little bit more understanding of what kind of research she did for these books.
00:23:38
Speaker
um Next up, we got Nina Winchester played by Amanda Seyfried. She was great. She really sold the psychotic, in the literal sense, like breaks with reality you know craziness that Nina is supposed to have. and like If I hadn't read the book and I was seeing it, I really would have believed that she was crazy and like hallucinating and like making stuff up and like having psychotic episodes where she's having breaks with reality. like Amanda like really, really sold that for me. um And I really thought she did a ah great job. And then like even when you get to the twist and find out that she's been orchestrating it like her like that hysterical like screaming and crying and then like the laughter that she has that like she's free and she did it yeah was like that was like she nailed that like give her an award or something like the movie doesn't deserve any awards but Amanda deserves an award for that scene alone I was like hype her up and as someone who didn't Yeah, I think Amanda was the best part
Amanda Seyfried's Performance
00:24:41
Speaker
about the film. um And I think Nina was probably my favorite part of the book. um
00:24:48
Speaker
When it switched to her perspective and we got all the backstory, was really interested in what was going to happen and how this all came to a conclusion at the end. And I've always liked Amanda Seyfried, so I don't know if I'm a little biased, but her performance was so good in this film. And I think that's...
00:25:07
Speaker
kind of like the most redeeming part about this journey for us. And as someone who didn't read the book first, going and seeing the film, I was definitely surprised when I got to that point. And it was really, it that change and her, how she handled it all throughout really did ah pull me in a little more. And so, because that's one of the biggest things I struggled with in the book was just the constant gaslighting and like moments of her ah not giving her all the info and then getting mad at her for that. All that stuff was,
00:25:37
Speaker
very off-putting to me that i'm like, I don't really want to read about this for eight to 10 hours or whatever it was for my audio book. And I hope this changes, but I just could not get through some of those moments very well.
00:25:48
Speaker
Yeah. I mean, reading, reading the book all the way through it was so slow when it was millie's point of view and then as soon as it was nina's point of view like you said saraday i was just blowing through it so i was like all right now finally 60 through this book it's something's happening and it's getting good and like i'm interested in finding out like how it's all gonna work itself out like you know to the end um But yeah, I totally understand even the movie, same thing. And not to get too far ahead of ourselves, because know we'll talk about this in the next episode, but I feel like the movie did a better job of doing what I think Frida wanted to do with making the first half more suspenseful. Like, is Nina going to kill Millie? i think the movie did much better job of that than the book did. Because again, I think the but the first half of the book was just so boring that it's like, i don't, yeah like, obviously nothing's going to happen. Like, it's too slow. Like, there's no buildup to Nina killing Millie.
00:26:44
Speaker
Right. All right. So next up, we got Andrew, Andrew Winchester, played by Brandon Sklunar. um I thought he was super charming. I thought that the character at first that you're supposed to love was lovable. And so and then his twist was also very well, um like, scary. I felt I under I.
00:27:06
Speaker
felt what the characters felt of being a little scared of him when you're supposed to be and but he still felt had that a mixture there of you can see it in that smile a little bit of of I'm someone who can totally get you to do whatever I want with everybody but you guys Yeah, I agree. When he was yelling and he was aggressive and he was scary, he was really scary. And then when he flipped that switch and he went back to being like the charming version, i was like, oh, my gosh, I can totally see where, you know, these women would fall for it because he is really charming and he's and he's very handsome and he looks great with his shirt off and, you know, all of that.
00:27:44
Speaker
um So it's like I totally get like how. you know, how these women kind of got roped in by him, like he is like, and like a spider, like, laying a web trap to reel people in and get them to trust him so that he can take advantage of them and abuse them like that. So the actor, he did a great job playing that because I was charmed. And even knowing what happened, I was like, wow, he's so charming. like He's really selling it. i knew what was going to happen and what he had been doing to Nina. And I still was like, yeah, but he's so nice, though. now Then I was like, whoa, whoa, keep it together.
00:28:23
Speaker
Yeah, yeah. So a great job for the actor. Yeah, I think he was really well cast. I don't think I have much to add to what Jordan just said. All right. Then everyone's favorite character, Enzo.
00:28:36
Speaker
played by Michele Morone. Sorry, Morone? Yeah. Morone? Got to say with the Italian accent. French. Morone.
00:28:47
Speaker
Italian, there you go. This is the character that I wanted to talk about because... Like you had said, Jordan, in our text thread, he he he could have just been cut from the film. There was no reason to have him in the film because they cut so much of his purpose out of the film. So, like, why not just cut the character altogether? There were a few lines that were just kind of thrown in. i felt that...
00:29:13
Speaker
explained his story from the book like that he had the the little line about the sister but it was so fleeting that it didn't really have the same impact as it does in the book so that's unfortunate to see because i think he i think he was well cast as enzo i would have liked to see more of him i would have liked to see scenes of amanda and enzo together when you know they were first plotting i know you have to cut for time um But I think we could have added 10 more minutes to the film to get more of his story. Even 10 more minutes of splitting that time between interactions of him and Nina and him and Millie think would have done a lot because he is the one who first warns Millie. He's speaking Italian to her and he's saying it's dangerous here. And so that's part of what sells the twist is him saying danger, danger. But Nina is always the one around when he's warning her. So she keeps thinking he's talking about Nina and Nina is dangerous because she's having these psychotic episodes and forgetting things and this and that. And so then that like when you're reading it, that makes the twist that much more impactful because he's part the red herring. And when you take that out of the movie and he isn't selling it as much, it doesn't hit
00:30:33
Speaker
quite the same way when the twist is revealed
00:30:39
Speaker
yeah i mentioned to my wife that that he was a character you guys thought might have been better off not being in the film part uh if they were gonna take stuff out and she said that she saw some moments that he could definitely have you know that he was definitely important to the story with some of the you know help he was to her in setting some of this stuff up and things like that but overall i could see what you guys were saying with him being kind of a You know, a piece that they might have add or left in a little too much of or needed to add more. yeah I think they kind of split him and like his role of like warning Millie and like making Nina like really care about Millie and want to go back and help her. They split his role into Cecilia, the daughter in the movie and kind of gave her more to do versus in the book. Like she's just she's a background character and she could be cut and it wouldn't really change anything, um which like, I don't know why.
00:31:34
Speaker
Well, I think that she was – the reason why Nina wanted to get away so bad was to save Cece. And, like, we wouldn't really have the same story if it wasn't for Cece because the whole drowning thing was a huge catalyst in controlling – in Andrew controlling Nina. Which is, like, in the film, Cece is the one who tells Nina, like, you have to go back and help Millie versus in the book, Enzo does that. And so I think even that change would have made Enzo – feel more fleshed out as a character and make him feel like he really does care about Millie and he cares about Nina and like her conscience, like knowing what she's gotten Millie into.
00:32:13
Speaker
So to take that away from the Enzo character and give it to the Cecilia character was like, not my favorite change that they made.
00:32:24
Speaker
agreed and I felt like uh Cece's moments like it felt like she was almost being groomed into this you know next like next character that was his perfect like victim here almost and so getting her out of house and having that uh be her motivation gave me something that I was I was legitimately afraid the daughter was going to want to stay with him and was uh going to choose him over her um I'll have a lot more thoughts on that in the next episode when we talk about the plot but I think the I think the movie didn't do as well of a job of explaining certain things, but we'll get
Cece's Character Analysis
00:32:59
Speaker
into that. And so she was played tuned listeners played by Indiana L. And I didn't care for her as the like the way she was behaving throughout it, but I think that was the way she was supposed to be. So it was just like you know she was being a little snotty kid that was giving everything she wanted. So I was... Like, okay, I get it, but I don't like you as far as the character goes, but you're doing the job. Yeah. I think the, the actress did a great job because that's how the character is in the book too. She's bratty and snotty and like the worst. Um, so the, the actress, Miss Indiana did a great job portraying that. Um,
00:33:35
Speaker
Yeah, we'll we'll talk about it more next week, but the the difference in the book and the movie is pretty stark for them because the book like explains more why she acts like that. um And so like it makes a lot more sense when you're reading it versus the movie doesn't explain that. And I think that's just a function of it being a movie and not having time to get into all that. um But still, like it sucks because you're like, this kid's just a jerk for like no reason. And that is kind of like tough to to watch
00:34:11
Speaker
definitely and then the last uh on our list here is mrs winchester andrew's mother uh played by elizabeth perkins yeah perfect yes scary the original abuser it felt like.
00:34:25
Speaker
And she actually definitely felt that. Yeah. I mean, that's kind of like the, the last twist in the book is something that she said to Andrew. Andrew says to Millie or Nina earlier in the book. And so you're like, Oh, that's where he got it from. Like, that's why he was using the verbiage that he was when he's torturing Nina and Millie is because he probably was tortured like that by his mom. And, um and so I wish i think we kind of talked about it too like in our in our text messages like I wish they had like explained that part a little bit better because it kind of feels like crammed in to me a little bit in the movie um just to like throw her in there um but the actors did a great job because she was terrifying
00:35:16
Speaker
In the moment with the plates, he comes in and he says, not a ah root showing in your head, you know as far as the color goes. He makes the comment there. And then later we get the moment of her not dying her hair properly at the right time for Nina. And so that for me, I i saw the parallel there. And so all of the his stuff I saw go right back to her. And then she also has that moment at the funeral of the same sort of thing saying about his smile.
00:35:45
Speaker
Yeah. So i I felt the connection, but I didn't read the book side, so I don't know how she how she was in that part. so But from someone without that, I thought she did was an interesting character to have a visual of that line of abuse in there.
00:36:01
Speaker
And then...
00:36:06
Speaker
So I think that kind of... wraps up our, uh, coverage of the character reviews here. Um, we, anything else to add on, um, any side characters you want to talk about anything like that?
00:36:18
Speaker
The one note I think we should make is the cop at the end in the film is the sister of his original fiance. In the book, it's the father okay of his first fiance. um But I think going with if we had to choose a theme, it would be girl power. Having the sister be the cop fits that theme in the film.
00:36:41
Speaker
Yeah, that makes sense. And I was going to mention, i will probably have more to say about that cop in the second part of our episode here next week. So we can discuss that next time.
Episode Conclusion
00:36:52
Speaker
I'll say goodbye for now and we'll see you next week.
00:36:57
Speaker
That's a wrap for this week's episode of Book Watch. We hope you enjoy diving into the world of page to screen adaptations with us. If you love this episode, don't forget to subscribe, leave a rating and review wherever you listen and share it with a fellow book and movie lover.
00:37:11
Speaker
If you prefer to watch along, you can check out the show on YouTube, youtube.com slash at bookwatchpodcast. You can follow the show on Instagram at bookwatchpodcast. And you can follow me, Sarah Day, on Instagram at captain.mcd. That's M-C-D-E-E.
00:37:31
Speaker
And you can follow me, Jordan, on Instagram at JJ Corrito. That's C-A-R-R-I-D-O. And you can follow me, Chris, at cyborgnight404. That's knight with a K. You can also join the conversation in the Bookwatch Lounge on Facebook at facebook.com slash groups slash Bookwatch Lounge.
00:37:51
Speaker
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00:38:12
Speaker
Until next time, keep reading, keep watching, and we will see you next week.