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The Haunting of Bly Manor Episode 1: The Great Good Place
30 Plays3 months ago
Welcome back! Here we are finally at season 3 of Fans o'Flanagan, reviewing The Haunting of Bly Manor. Listen along as we get started on this absolute gem of a show, and wonder why it didn't get the accolades it deserves? Let's go!
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Transcript
00:00:24
Speaker
Guys, welcome back to Fans of Flanagan. I'm Laura. And I'm Noah. And we are so excited to be jumping into the next season of our show. This is actually season two from Haunting of Hill House, so the haunting. So this is a Haunting of Blind Manor, very different. But before we jump into this, we probably have a couple of life updates.
00:00:52
Speaker
do we? I mean, you've moved, you've gone through like one and a half hurricanes. but
00:01:00
Speaker
No, we moved to Tampa a couple months ago. um And I guess some perfect time because we got sort of affect like barely affected by one hurricane and then we had a second one come and that one directly hit us um thankfully our apartment is a lot more north of where all the the really bad stuff happened um because i'm I'm away from the bay sort of and and higher up in elevation like not very much because it's it's still Florida but I'm still higher up a little bit in elevation so it didn't really affect us um just a lot of wind a lot of rain we didn't even lose power which I was surprised about but I won't complain about it yeah um but the little creek or
00:01:54
Speaker
little swamp that's behind us. um Normally, you can barely tell that there's water back there, and that's the biggest thing that I was worried about because the flooding can get can't get pretty crazy during hurricanes, and it it rose quite quite a bit, and it was maybe about 15, 20 feet from our screen because um the back of our apartment looks towards the that area. So and what was scary is I was a periodically going out of the apartment just just to kind of look at the water, see where it was, to see how the storm was. um And then the wife said, you're not doing that anymore because that makes me nervous. and So obviously, I have to listen. So I stopped going out. Yeah.
00:02:43
Speaker
But then it got really dark, and I couldn't see the water. And I was like, OK, I'm kind of nervous. I want to know where this water is just to have enough time to prepare for whatever I need to do. And so I had no idea where it was. Went out the next morning, and it was really close. I'm like, oh, that could have been really bad. But no, we're good. We're good. I'm glad you're OK. That seems like the best possible outcome. Mm-hmm.
00:03:15
Speaker
We had lots of friends who lost power. Um, a couple of family members who had roof damage, but again, nothing crazy. So we're yeah we're very thankful. That's awesome. I have a ah brother that lives on the east part of the state and I think that's all that happened was.
00:03:33
Speaker
They lost some power and he said someone parked a taco truck down the street, so they were good. That's a very smart business decision, honestly. That's what I said. Like that guy's thinking. Yeah. oh Well, things are never slow over here. You know, you have four kids and there's always something.
00:03:57
Speaker
We had our first big medical scare with my son. He had appendicitis. I won't go into like all the details, but that's kind of one of those things that I'm like, it's scary if you miss it. Right. I mean, it's scary overall, but that's one of the things you don't want to delay a diagnosis of, but we got him into the doctor in time. It was diagnosed in time. Some fantastic medical providers took care of him from the urgent care to the ER.
00:04:24
Speaker
to the surgery team and a week later, he's completely back to normal. So now it's been about two and a half weeks post-op, completely a hundred percent back to normal. He's doing great. But that was, that was an experience for sure. Yeah, I can imagine. Um, and then I haven't talked about this before, but sometimes I'll take background acting jobs and I did one at the end of 2022, and it was supposed to have been released at the end of twenty like the Christmas season of last year, and it didn't come out. And so I have no i' have not seen any update. I don't know when it's coming out. Can't even like say the title. They kept us like, you know don't talk about it until it's released, which I'm like, really?
00:05:14
Speaker
It's not that big of a budget of a movie, but okay. Not knocking small-budget movies because it's like the Hallmark-style Christmas feel-good movie. Those that love them love them, and I'm not trying to um not trying to knock it. It's just not for me, but it's a fun time, you know, getting paid to just be on a movie site. It's mostly boring, but, you know, it's easy. Anyway, um in July,
00:05:43
Speaker
I did another one and that just released on Great American Family Network. And so I can talk about this one. And it's called, it looks really, really cute. It's called Christmas Reads and Ribbons on Great American Family. And I made it in the trailer. Wow. Look at you. know You're making it big. Hey, can I get an autograph?
00:06:13
Speaker
I'll send it in the mail. And then like 10 years from now, when you're an A-list celebrity, I can sell it. for Nope. I'm not consuming anything other than just like an easy paycheck.
00:06:29
Speaker
Um, so anyway, there's that. And then I'm going to be on set in a week for another one. Probably the same production company because it's the same lady that's doing the casting and That one will be fun, too So yeah, that's about it for me that's awesome that's so much fun. Yeah I'm glad now to do that Thanks. They do a lot of filming in this state like a lot So when I see a casting call as long as it's not anything
00:07:07
Speaker
I'm so lazy. When it's like submit a picture to this email, I'm like done. Got it. I don't have to audition. I don't have to have a speaking role. I'm in. And sometimes they like let you go super early, but you still get paid the same amount, which is perfect for me. Awesome.
00:07:29
Speaker
I'm very happy just being kind of a blur in the background. I'm not looking to get a lot of screen time. It's just fun to be there. You make new friends. It's a fun experience. And the one that I can't talk about yet, I ended up, I don't know if they're going to use it in the film and I hope they don't, but I ended up in full frame in a reception scene where we are all dancing and I am not a dancer. In fact, I'm very, very bad.
00:07:58
Speaker
i then And I realized I was on camera a second too late to be able to cut and run. So I just kind of leaned into the awkward. So if that ever comes out, we can talk about it then. But really hoping i' that I'm gonna have to watch it. I'm gonna have to.
00:08:20
Speaker
I'm really, really hoping that doesn't make it in the final cut. Well, good news is if it does, then all six of our viewers know about it. So. Yeah. And my two trusted friends that I talked to about this. This is the first time I've ever posted on on my stories about any kind of background work.
00:08:45
Speaker
OK, do you have any show recommendations, movies? ah
00:08:54
Speaker
Honestly, I can't really think of anything outstanding that I've been watching lately, ah except for one show. And I am like 99 percent sure that I've mentioned it already. Have I already talked about Love is Blind? I know of it, but I don't know if we've actually talked about it. I know that they dropped a new season, but tell me.
00:09:22
Speaker
I am normally not a reality TV person at all. I find it stupid and dumb. um on The scale of reality shows from like the coolest to the most stupidest and dumb. I think this one is kind of like.
00:09:40
Speaker
Absolutely. there's not
00:09:44
Speaker
It's it's one of the shows where you can you put on in the background and you just kind of like half watch it and you do whatever else you want to do I guess while you're watching it but It does provide for some entertainment. I'm not gonna lie. There's there's something about seeing toxic people in relationships. That's just so much fun in a way that like it angers you but it's not like you don't know these people so it's fine. You just forget it a second later. h But it's it's fun to just kind of
00:10:18
Speaker
judge these people on the sidelines. Absolutely. I did watch the first season and then the last one that dropped I didn't watch any of the yeah between ones and the amount that I got invested in the drama was not healthy. It's top but it's so much fun. I agree. Yeah. But it I think it also provides some good talking points with your spouse. So.
00:10:45
Speaker
I know it's weird, but like we've we've had several instances where we'll pause the show to talk about something. um I honestly can't give you any specific examples right now because my brain never works. But it's just it's a it's fun and entertaining when you just kind of want to have something in the background and just just kind of mindlessly watch something and judge others. so okay That's the only real thing.
00:11:13
Speaker
I don't know if I said it, but I've it's been a while since I finished three body problem. I think I told you about it. I told you about it. and I know. I just didn't know. I don't know if you told me that you watched it and finished it. What did you think? I need a second season right now. Seriously, right? That that's a there's some crazy stuff that happened in the first season.
00:11:41
Speaker
But it was interesting and I enjoyed it. It's a book. susan So I'm going to read it or just wait for like see if they're going to do any more episodes. They had to translate it to English because it was written. Oh, I don't want to say the wrong one.
00:12:05
Speaker
It was not written in English and they had they had translated it for I guess the English audiences. And I think there's three books that I saw because I go to the bookstore all the time because it's a it's a trap. And I think I think we saw ah at least three of the books that were there. So.
00:12:29
Speaker
Yeah. Um, yeah, that's a good series and I really, really hope they continue it because they kind of have a habit of canceling the best shows out there. Like, did you hear it? They canceled chaos. I did. show in this show that I know.
00:12:46
Speaker
i know I don't even know if I want to watch the first season. Well, at this point, there's no ah simply there's no. That's what I was going to ask you, like, if since they canceled it, is it even worth watching the first season? I want to say yes, because it is entertaining and it's it's a good show, I thought anyway. But it left off on a. Sort of a cliffhanger.
00:13:23
Speaker
So I don't even know if I recommend watching it because of that, because itite it just drops you. Yeah. So. It's kind of like the OA that had two seasons and it was. The story was written to be told in five seasons and they canceled it after season two. So. I mean, I've watched it a few times, but I don't know if I want to recommend it because it just stops at the best part.
00:13:54
Speaker
Yeah. And it's just done. Cancel. Gone. And there was like a whole petition for them to keep it going, and they never did.
00:14:04
Speaker
There is a movie that I want to sit down and watch. It's on Netflix. It's called It's What's Inside, and I've heard that you don't even watch a trailer. You don't you read a description. You just go in blind, and that's the best way to watch it. So I'm going to try to do that. Maybe I will too. Yeah.
00:14:26
Speaker
Let me know when you watch it and maybe I can watch it at the same time.
00:14:34
Speaker
Okay. Uh, moving on. Unless you have any other news, recommendations, business. Great. I don't, I don't, I don't have you recommended anything that you've been watching? um There's nothing really that I'm watching.
00:14:52
Speaker
Um, you know, the network shows are kind of coming back. Um, I really like watching 911 and then the Texas version of 911. Oh, there's a new medical show on TV and I am so sorry. I wanted to like it. I really did. Cause it's, um, what's his name? Joshua Jackson.
00:15:20
Speaker
I love him. He was on Dawson's Creek way back in the before time. um If you watched any of the seasons of Dr. Death, he played one of the doctors in one of those seasons. Those are based on podcasts, which are of course based on true stories. But the premise is he's a doctor on a cruise ship.
00:15:40
Speaker
And he has a couple of either nurse practitioners or, um, I know one of them's a nurse practitioner and one of them's like, uh, a PA a or an RN, I don't know. So it's like a crew of three that are the medical professionals on a cruise ship. I need to look up and say, I think it's called Odyssey and his name is Dr. Odyssey. Oh, oh, yeah. Yeah. Okay. I've seen the advertisements for that everywhere. ah Okay. Yeah.
00:16:08
Speaker
It's so dumb. I'm so sorry. I love a medical drama. I do. I liked The Good Doctor. The accuracy of how the medical system works in that show was completely wrong, and that drove me nuts, but I still kind of watched it for the stories, right? um This is beyond ridiculous. It is so... It is so dumb. I'm sorry.
00:16:40
Speaker
So don't watch it. Oh, watch it. Just knowing it's going to be completely ridiculous. Yeah. Yeah. but I don't want to spend any more time on it because it's really it's not only completely unrealistic, it's not even fun in a good way. It's just like, what? Yeah. If you like it, you like it. I'm not going to judge you for it. ah I don't like it.
00:17:10
Speaker
And in terms of ah bad slash trashy shows, there was one I forgot to mention. i I don't anticipate you watching this at all. But have you seen the the big Hulu show that's going around right now?
00:17:29
Speaker
yeah You have to give me a title. The Secret Lives. ah Oh, absolutely not. No, I don't even watch I don't even watch Housewives.
00:17:39
Speaker
the Real Housewives series, or like however many spinoffs they have of that. No, why am I gonna watch another one that's actually insulting millions and millions of people? Yeah, i that's what I best i thought. That's disgusting. It's terrible. I was too intrigued to not watch it if that makes sense yeah is it as bad as i'm assuming oh absolutely yeah it is okay anyway that that's what i i'm sure you heard about it i of course i did i pushed that so hard
00:18:32
Speaker
It's like these TikTok momfluencers that are just the worst of the worst, regardless of like whatever religion they claim to have. They're just bad people. And then they get a Hulu show. I mean, good for you and your hustle, but no, thank you. there was a Before the show came out, there was a huge scandal that involved some of those members. I don't know if you knew what it was. Uh-huh. Yeah, that's why they got the show, because they got all that attention from their scandals. Ridiculous. That's terrible behavior.
00:19:03
Speaker
And one of the moms is that one mom on TikTok that did it, that was like doing the video dance. while her baby was hospitalized for RSV, not even just in the yeah ER, admitted into a room, which that's how severe it was. I've had babies with RSV. We've never had it as bad to be hospitalized. So it was really bad. And she's doing a trendy tick tock dance talking about her baby. Very tasteless. I'm not laughing at i don't think it may threaten her dancing. Yeah, it was bad dancing. But I'm not like saying she's a bad parent because of it. But like, she was very tone deaf in that moment. And she kind of
00:19:41
Speaker
got the expected backlash. well she is That's one of the of the women on that show. She's considered the by almost everyone who watches it, the villain of that of the show, like but the bad one.
00:20:00
Speaker
so
00:20:04
Speaker
Give me a reality show where it ends up good for everybody involved. It doesn't exist.
00:20:14
Speaker
There you go. Then that becomes fantasy. I'm not talking about like the competition ones, like the biggest loser or dancing, excuse me, dancing with the stars. I'm talking about the ones like, um, that just follows somebody's like supposed normal everyday life or whatever. So, um, what was the one that just popped in my head? It's gone now, but, Oh, the, um, sister wives. Oh yeah. I don't know if it did anything good for them except for paying them.
00:20:43
Speaker
John and Kate plus eight. That's a disaster. And we consume it and consume it and consume it. Anyway, this is not a platform for that. That's a discussion for another time. On a different show.
00:21:03
Speaker
Okay, what was I doing? I was looking up trivia. for Haunting of Fly Manor, because that's what we are talking about today. We are going to discuss episode one, The Great Good Place. I really enjoyed this whole series. It's not as impactful as Haunting of Hill House. But it's still an enjoyable show. It's still spooky. It's still scary. I didn't even really count jump scares because I don't think the show is going to be about that. It's a little slower paced.
00:21:36
Speaker
But I think in a very good way, and all the buildup, everything that, you know what, I don't even know where I was going with that sentence. It's a good show. Well, I am very happy to be back and in this in this show. I forgot how it made me feel while watching it. um And I love spooky things. I love scary movies, scary shows. Hence why we're doing this whole podcast. Yeah, right, please. But again, I like it when things have substance, which this show obviously does. But I really like it when I can get immersed in an environment and just at the feel everything, the atmosphere is there. And this show for me does that.
00:22:29
Speaker
i I love the way we have the narration in this show. I think it sets the tone perfectly. It's it's like cozying up with a book. if You're being told a story. And I just kind of like that artistic choice, in my opinion.
00:22:46
Speaker
It it works very well for me. um And then obviously you had all the core or scary elements. And I'm just I'm i'm there. I'm here. And the love story that happens. But we'll we'll talk about it later. i'll get that laterm I'm here. I'm here. But there's this there's this fun dichotomy of the show where you're right. It is comforting. It feels beautiful, but it still has. The scary element to it.
00:23:17
Speaker
and haunting is just the perfect word for how to describe this show because, but it's, I don't know of another word to describe it because it's pretty, it's comforting, but it's just the right level of that along with being scary. And they kind of compliment each other throughout the thing, throughout the series. um So these episodes,
00:23:45
Speaker
So the whole story from start to end is based on Henry James' work, his novella, The Turn of the Screw. And each episode is kind of based on another short story by him. So the first one is called The Great Good Place. And I was going to be like productive and read it and be able to have input on that, but I didn't. We might have to incorporate it somewhere else because it's not, it's not today.
00:24:14
Speaker
Maybe a wrap-up episode. Yeah, but that would be a lot of books, but I think each one, I was looking at them on Audible, like an hour, two hours, maybe three. I can't remember what I saw, but I'll have to check out my library and see if they have any any copies there.
00:24:41
Speaker
There was one piece of trivia. It said with one of the characters, I think it was the Alpere. I can't remember her name until I get back to my notes. Danny. That in every scene that Danny is in, where it's her point of view, there are ghosts in the background, according to a trivia effect on IMDB. Sometimes a full ghost or a head or hands or a face. I couldn't see any other than the obvious one. But I'm going to have to look this is gonna make no sense and it's probably gonna sound like i'm talking on my butt uh but i felt i felt it you know like i just like i i felt some of those in the background um like with the scene of her in the kitchen at night
00:25:36
Speaker
she she walks away to go look at the noise i guess that happened and the lighting in the background is just perfect to where it settles on it was probably like a cabinet or this big wooden piece of furniture. And it just it was perfect to where it looked like, oh, that could be a shoulder. That could be like and a ghost or something right there. um But I felt it consistently throughout this episode. And again, maybe I'm just I'm I'm not being true forever. But that's just really what I what I felt. Yeah, that just is a nod to how well done the show is.
00:26:23
Speaker
So another piece of trivia, the the room at the hostel Danny stays at is room 217. This is apparently a nod to Stephen King's novel, The Shining, where the scary things happen in room 217. Now, when I read The Shining a very long time ago, I was, I had traveled to DC for work and my apartment was apartment 217.
00:26:56
Speaker
Love that for you. And that was the time period where I was reading The Shining. Oh, I hated it. I was not okay.
00:27:10
Speaker
But let's get into this episode. So when I was taking charge in our first season, our first baby brand new season where we discussed, um, midnight club, I was watching and writing out notes, writing on the pause and write my notes and pause and write my notes. And then when I started figuring out like, okay, got to sit down, got to take notes, sometimes being lazy.
00:27:39
Speaker
has some benefits. Because I realized I have a notes app on my phone. I have a speech to text feature on my phone.
00:27:55
Speaker
So I watched it first with my husband. And then when we were getting closer to our recording date, and I needed to actually, you know, write down things.
00:28:07
Speaker
I finally did the smart, lazy thing and used the speech to text. And my life was so much easier.
00:28:18
Speaker
So here we go. In our opening scene, there's a creepy figure emerging from a dark lake with a narrator saying, we
00:28:32
Speaker
we lay my love and I beneath the weeping willow but now alone I lie and we be beside the tree singing a willow wally by the tree that weeps with me singing a willow wally till my lover returned to me and then I was gonna like look up what that song is and I think I forgot but what a good opening I thought that was great
00:29:03
Speaker
So it's spoken, but it's actually a song.
00:29:09
Speaker
Next, during this narration, a woman wakes up and it looks like she's in a hotel room. She goes to the bathroom and looks at her reflection in the water. And then it cuts to a scene with a rehearsal dinner with a bride and a groom, a lot of guests at the table on a patio.
00:29:24
Speaker
And the woman from the room comes and joins the party. And this is the same actress that played Liv in Haunting of Hill House. So there's a lot of familiar faces that we're going to see. I don't know if we're going to catch every single one, but I think I'll try where we can. One thing, ah talk about the foreshadowing that we immediately get.
00:29:45
Speaker
Yes. Like from frame one. Yes. I was like, oh, they they told us right there. They told us and we didn't see it. Such a good opening.
00:30:02
Speaker
OK. A man is giving a speech or a toast, but it's kind of awkward. We switch. Sorry.
00:30:14
Speaker
I didn't catch all of the spelling or the word errors in my mouth. That's the problem you run into into. I thought I was doing a good job catching them as they happened. But instead of saying, we switched to another scene that says biscuits to another scene. And I was like, that's not right.
00:30:39
Speaker
Okay, so it switches to another scene inside a manor or a house where the same people are gathered, kind of conversing at the end of the day. They're talking about how the house seems haunted and they love ghost stories but don't want to stay in a ghost story. The lady, this is the lady that we see in the hotel room that we see come to the dinner party. Which, by the way, she, quick joke, sorry. She left her hotel room door open.
00:31:09
Speaker
Why would you do anyway? I know we learned why she does it later, but really, come on, even catch that. Yeah. So the lady starts to tell a story. She remarks that it is a ghost story, but it is not her story. And she even mentions the phrase, the turn of the screw. And I was like, Oh, got it.
00:31:35
Speaker
Her story begins with a woman in London in the 80s, and this character is played by... I think I should have been more prepared had ready with the Yeah, she was Nell. Nell, thank you very much. She plays Nell. ah Did you watch you?
00:32:06
Speaker
Um, no, I need to, I've been told many times, but I've heard she's good in that, in She is in, I think the second and third season of you. Fantastic. I don't know if that show is for everybody. I tried and then I just, I don't know. It never bras on gets better. I think the second season and on, it'll be better for you. Um,
00:32:38
Speaker
So we see a woman in London says it's in the 80s and in one scene where she's talking she mentions a great good place. The woman walking into the women's end walking into the street across the street and a car passes by her and she sees her own reflection in the car window and behind her is kind of a ghastly apparition with shiny reflective glasses and I think like a hat.
00:33:06
Speaker
oh Corey said it looks like that one figure in the movie Sin City. I don't know if you've seen Sin City, but it's kind of the same. You know, you haven't. That's a different kind of a movie. That's been a long time since I've watched that one. It was, I liked it. I remember liking it.
00:33:26
Speaker
I've I've heard it's interesting. I know it's a it's what a DC comic movie. and Even though it's not a superhero movie, it's DC Comics owns the rights to it. Oh, I think I could be totally, totally wrong. um Yeah, it's like in black and white. Right. It's like very noir. Yeah. Yeah. It's very different. I liked it.
00:33:56
Speaker
Okay, moving on. So then it switches to a scene where she's in a job interview to be an Alper. The interview is very awkward and it seems like she's really not going to get the job.
00:34:11
Speaker
And the actor that plays the man interviewing her is um young Hugh Crane from Haunting of Hill House. And I don't know about Hugh, but I was not impressed with his accent.
00:34:27
Speaker
I didn't catch anything. Oh, if you ever go watch that scene again, I was like... I'll have to pay attention.
00:34:38
Speaker
His name is Henry Thomas, by the way. Henry Thomas, thank you. Saving the day. I have i have a Google page pulled up.
00:34:51
Speaker
So he pours some tea and she mentions how she can never get the tea right even though she's been in London for a while. She just can't seem to make tea correctly. He pours a little bit of Irish sauce in his own tea. I love that Irish sauce.
00:35:15
Speaker
Well, thanks, Ireland. We love you. And he mentions in some of his lines, a great good place again. I don't know if you should do like a counter for how many times they mentioned the title of whatever book each episode is based on, but this is like the second time they've mentioned a great good place, or maybe the third, I think two.
00:35:39
Speaker
Then we cut to the next scene. It's at a pub. Well, there's a couple of details I probably skipped over. So the job is to be an au pair for two orphaned children. The man is their uncle. They live in a big house right now. They live with a housekeeper and a chef and a gardener.
00:35:58
Speaker
And they lost their parents, I think, the year before. So I move on. I didn't catch the timeline. Yeah.
00:36:09
Speaker
Um, the next scene, that she's at a pub, she's kind of circling jobs in a newspaper, the classified section. The uncle enters and he sits at the other end of the bar, doesn't notice her. The woman who's called Danny approaches him and she's like, just tell me why the interview was so bad. Like what the heck? Um, there, a conversation this time is a lot less formal, very laid back.
00:36:35
Speaker
And she asks him to be honest about what the catch is for this position they can't seem to fill. Because in the interview, he asked her, like what's the catch? like Why do you want this job? And she explains that she had been a teacher, so she had to take care of 20-odd students. And so the idea of living in a beautiful place and taking care of just two kids signed me up, right?
00:36:59
Speaker
um So she asks him the same question, like, what's the catch? Why can't you seem to keep somebody on staff? And he explains to her that the last au pair died on the grounds of an apparent suicide. And the two children are orphans. And she shares with him that she got really burned out being a teacher. So next scene, she's in her hostel room. Her luggage is kind of all over the place. And the mirrors are all covered by sheets.
00:37:32
Speaker
She makes a phone call that we can assume is back home to the states explaining that she's going to be staying in England for longer. We still don't know why she's in London and why she's staying away from her home. She packs up her room, uncovers the mirrors, but doesn't look at them until she almost leaves the room. And when she does, we see that same dark shadow of an apparition with the shiny glasses and the hat. Very scary, super creepy.
00:37:57
Speaker
I remember the first time watching that, like being really unsettled by that in the mirror. I was, I was, yeah, unsettled and also very intrigued. Yeah. I love the mystery aspect, to just starting out in the show. Excuse me.
00:38:16
Speaker
which Why did she listen? He he lifts off all of these stories that happen, all all the ah this these events that happened at the house at the manor. And he says, yeah, no one's taking the job because they're telling all these stories about it. Everyone's telling all these stories about it.
00:38:42
Speaker
Why, why isn't she listening? he I mean, I get it. It's a really nice job. It's a living position. Taking care of two kids probably pays pretty handsomely, but come on now. So that would have turned you away. You would have cut and run at that news.
00:39:02
Speaker
I mean, in in this world, I don't know, maybe. But I just I just think it's a funny trope in the the horror genre. Yeah, where. The history of a place is mentioned to somebody and they're like, yeah, that's fine. I'll go stay there for a while. That doesn't bother me. I don't believe in all that every time it doesn't go well for them. So.
00:39:31
Speaker
Well, hindsight is 20-20, I suppose.
00:39:36
Speaker
We also have this arrogance as people to assume that's not going to happen to me. Right. We think we're better or smarter or whatever. I mean, but I am, you know. Not going to argue that. You totally are.
00:39:57
Speaker
Plus, if, you know, the uncle says that the previous Alpere died of suicide, you know, and you have no plans to do that yourself. So why would you think that that applies to you? So like, to me, I didn't hear anything that would have made me run away.
00:40:20
Speaker
Gotcha. I probably would have taken the job. I'm that person in the horror movie that does the dumping.
00:40:30
Speaker
So, her ride picks her up and takes her out to the countryside where the manor is in Bly. The driver that picks her up is actually the house chef. I can't remember what his name was. His name is Owen. Owen, thank you. I probably have that written down somewhere else.
00:40:51
Speaker
So they come around the corner, they see the manner she asks to walk the rest of the way as she's approaching the house on foot. she comes across a little girl by the pond singing the song. And that song, I think, was the same one from the beginning of the episode that was being narrated. I kind of caught the same words with the willow. um So she goes up and she's talking to the little girl and she says, this is a beautiful little lake. And she says, oh, it's a nasty old pond, and stay away from it. And as they walk away,
00:41:27
Speaker
The little girl leaves a little token behind. It's a little figure made of stick and string. The little girl called Flora leads her to a well where her brother is and Mrs. Gross, the housekeeper. And I noticed this time that Mrs. Gross is like intently, intently staring down the well. Not anything to think of first watch around.
00:41:52
Speaker
But if you know, you know, and it's a very cool detail to see her just like so focused on looking down the well that she doesn't even see Flora and Danny walk up. That in the fact that Flora is immediately trying to keep Danny away from the lake. Immediately trying to get to her. She did take her hand and walk away from it. And yeah, anyway.
00:42:21
Speaker
Yeah. And called it gross and nasty or whatever her words were. Okay. How cute are the kids though? So she is adorable. She's just thinking this little kid he is weird and creepy. Has a little bit of a suspicious vibe, but I think the actor did a good job portraying him.
00:42:51
Speaker
ah Their performances were great. um Both of them were cast very well. I i think so too. And the the little accents are just... absolutely Perfectly splendid. Yes. They go inside the house and it's beautiful.
00:43:14
Speaker
It's all wood paneling on the walls, which if there's anything you want to understand about the 80s is everything was wood. Everything was wood. Most of the time it wasn't real wood, but in this house it is. Like this is very brown, but it's beautiful. It's very intricate. It's gorgeous. I wouldn't change a thing.
00:43:41
Speaker
And of course, Cory was like, I want to live there. I was like, same. Flora, the little girl, says the phrase perfectly splendid lots of times throughout the tour of the home. They see the kitchen, the classroom, Danny's bedroom. Flora is very chatty and very sweet. They see the parents' section of the house, and they remark that it's closed and all the things are covered in desk sheets.
00:44:09
Speaker
The brothers Miles he hangs back at the door to welcome her again so she's so they leave Danny in her room to get settled in. And then miles kind of comes back he's peeking through the door she's about to change her clothes very inappropriate very again, setting up kind of a creepy vibe for him.
00:44:27
Speaker
but And he's kind of shows I tend not to trust the obvious, right? They want you to think he's creepy. So now I'm like, I don't think he's going to be the creepy one because it's just a little too, too obvious. Yeah. I mean, yeah. But again, still in that, in that situation, it is like a dude, why are you peeking indoors? Right. Absolutely inappropriate. Yeah.
00:44:56
Speaker
So he comes in and he says, oh, I just wanted to welcome you. And he gives her a butterfly hair clip. A little bit later in the kitchen, Danny is making tea. She's mentioned a few times that she hasn't got the hang of making tea yet. And you see her add milk to the hot water.
00:45:20
Speaker
I don't make tea. I know that that's wrong.
00:45:26
Speaker
I love watching um Hannah or Miss Gross as the kids call her. She takes a sip and she's like, no, maybe later. And you see the other kids try it and he's like, oh.
00:45:45
Speaker
So Owen, the cook, serves dinner and leads to tend to his mother. They talk a little bit about how he leaves earlier and earlier nowadays to go and take care of his mother. The next scene is Danny giving Flora a bath and there's lots of bubbles and Flora notices the butterfly clip that Danny is wearing and it makes her very upset. And Danny's apologizing. Flora gazes off into the distance and as Danny is apologizing, she looks back at Danny and says, actually,
00:46:15
Speaker
It's okay. You can have it. Something along those lines. At that point, that's when you quit your job and you leave because the kids are looking off right across your shoulder and then just changing their minds. All right. It's time to go. Cause there's something else happening.
00:46:35
Speaker
right Creepy kids is like the first, first sign.
00:46:44
Speaker
So then we learn it used to belong to the previous governess or Alpere. After the bath, Flora asks if she can play with her dolls. Danny says yes. Catches her own reflection again in the mirror and we see the shadowy figure with the glasses again. Instead of turning away, she wipes the mirror and the figure disappears.
00:47:05
Speaker
Now it's bedtime. She's tucking in miles, and they chit-chat for a minute. And the other room floor is playing with little dolls and figurines with an impressive, ginormous dollhouse. That six-year-old me was very jealous of. um Has little lights in there and all the little furniture. Each doll and figurines seem very mismatched or even homemade. They definitely were not sold as a set, and they don't go together. There's a doll with a white face.
00:47:35
Speaker
and she finds it under, that Danny finds it under the dresser, picks her up, and Flora tells her very sternly to put it back under the dresser. Flora tells Danny that she could stay in her bed, that she should, excuse me, stay in her bed all night and promise that you're not going to get up, and basically demands that she does not leave her bed. And Danny says, okay, I promise, but just for tonight. Regardless, despite the haunted little girls,
00:48:03
Speaker
pleadings. Tani gets up and the narrator says that she feels compelled almost to go and explore the house, which me? Nope. Not at night. Big new space. Night time. No thanks.
00:48:24
Speaker
I would stay in bed.
00:48:28
Speaker
So she decides to wander the house a little bit after dark and goes into the kitchen to make some tea. She says that funny little thing. Yeah, she's like, I like it. It's not that bad.
00:48:45
Speaker
While waiting for her tea water to boil, she hears something and goes to look, doesn't see anything, and comes back to the whistle of the kettle, drinks her tea and has a cookie, or as they call it, a biscuit, and goes back to her room. Some dark figure turns and watches her walk away. What are you showing me? That's what I wrote. well Oh, heck no.
00:49:15
Speaker
ah Agreed.
00:49:19
Speaker
It's the next day. She's walking outside with the children. They're exploring the gardens. Flora is upset with her for leaving her room. She said the lady in the lake will see her and she doesn't want her to see Danny. Miles tries to scare Danny with a spider.
00:49:35
Speaker
and then denies that he was trying to scare her. But since she's been a teacher for such a long time, it really doesn't bother her. And she holds the spider for a little bit. And Miles insisted, I really wasn't trying to scare you. Also.
00:49:50
Speaker
I said to Corey, I wonder if they had somebody else come in and hold the spider. Cause you never see her face and the hands in the same shot holding the spider. And so I'm like, yup. If that were me, I'd be like, you don't have to pay me $10,000 more for this episode or get somebody else to come in. and Yeah. Yep.
00:50:12
Speaker
yep Walking back to the house, Danny sees a man on the parapet. And did you ever know what a parapet was before this? No, I did not. Nope. Same. Some fancy British word. For a porch. For a porch. On the second floor. Yeah, for a balcony. For a balcony. It's beautiful. I want to use the word parapet in a sentence now.
00:50:35
Speaker
She sees a man on the parapet, and she waves, but he does not wave back. The man disappears. Inside the dining area later, it's lunch. The housekeeper and the cook are eating with the children. The phone rings, and it seems to be a wrong number. They mentioned that that happens a lot. The gardener, Jamie, comes in, and it's a young woman in overalls, and she seems to kind of ignore Danny. Danny mentions she saw a man on the parapet. And all the other.
00:51:02
Speaker
Adults tell her that's impossible for a person to be there without going through the whole house. Owen reminds the children, do not go into the old wing and Mrs. Gross tells Danny she must have imagined the man on the parapet. Of course, the next thing that happens is Danny is exploring the old wing where the children's parents rooms are. Danny goes out onto the parapet and looks at the gardens from there. She finds one of Flora's little talismans made of sticks and strings and picks it up.
00:51:31
Speaker
From there, she can see the church on the grounds, which how cool to have a church on your property. Yes, please. Yeah, how much do you have to be? Quite. Quite.
00:51:48
Speaker
So as she sees that there's light coming from the church window, it looks like somebody is inside. She heads straight to the church and finds Mrs. Gross. Danny apologizes for interrupting and mentions that she found the little talisman and asks about it. She explains that Flora puts them around the property as a protection and it makes sense based on all the hardships they've had with their parents dying and the last governess that died. Mrs. Gross explains that the previous governor had her heart broken by a man who ended up being a thief. She reveals that they found Rebecca's body lying in the water.
00:52:24
Speaker
Rebecca being the last governess or Alpere, and that it was Flora that found her, which is like trauma on trauma. I'm traumatized. How are these kids? Right. Quite. So Danny asks what the lit candles are for that are in the church. And Mrs. Gross says they are for the dead.
00:52:49
Speaker
I noticed that it looks like maybe four candles are lit, but there's only been mention of the three people dying. I wrote that down too. yeah Who is it? Also, I don't i don't i don't know if it mattered.
00:53:07
Speaker
But I noticed three of them were kind of small, weak, flickering back and forth. and It was hard toru up we gonna have to I don't know if that means anything or not. I really don't. Yeah. It was just it was one of those details. so Noted. OK, we'll have to keep that in mind. See if that ends up meaning anything. So later on, it's bedtime. Miles is very serious and is staring out the window.
00:53:35
Speaker
Flora calls over and says, stop being weird, Miles.
00:53:41
Speaker
Danny tucks in Flora and shows her the towels she found and praises her imagination and basically gives it to her to say, you know, like, let's protect you. You don't have to protect us. Let's protect you. The doll with the white face is standing up in the middle of the room. That was the one that was found under the dresser before, but all of a sudden it's standing up in the room. Oh, I didn't see that is Danny's walking around. Oh, she knocks it over with her foot. I didn't notice that until I watched it the second time. Because the first time I just thought she was lying on the floor, but she is up right.
00:54:20
Speaker
i'm I'm going back right now and I'm finding it so continue on. So Flora all of a sudden so she was laying down Flora all of a sudden is sitting straight up in bed and is now very serious. Miles comes in and asks for an electric fan in Flora's closet. So Dani knocks over the little doll she picks it up Dani or Flora is sitting up and all of a sudden Miles comes in and says Hey, I need this fan. I can't sleep without it. Please go get this fan. And it says it's in Flora's closet. So when Danny goes in there to look, the children lock her in the closet and don't let her out. What? You have a face. I just noticed it. Yeah. I don't know how I didn't see it before.
00:55:11
Speaker
Yeah. I didn't watch it. I didn't excuse me. I didn't notice it on the first rewatch, but when I watched it again, when I was taking my notes, I was like, oh, that doll is standing. Yeah. So Danny's now locked in the closet, and the children are not letting her out. They say we're trying, but she's like, this is ridiculous. Let me out, because how can you lock me in and not be able to unlock the door? Then she has a very reasonable meltdown in the closet, because same.
00:55:43
Speaker
They say, again, we can't unlock the door. In the closet, there's a very tall mirror, and the dark figure is in there in the reflection. She tries to cover it, but in her panic, she can't really cover it very well.
00:56:00
Speaker
It seems like a lot of time has passed, because when it cuts back to her, she's fallen asleep on the floor in the back of the closet.
00:56:12
Speaker
After they're able to let her out, they say it was an accident and she's quite angry and sends them straight to bed. The white face doll is under the dresser again. As Dani walks to her room, she sees a lot of very dirty footsteps going down the hall and follows them outside. Why is she following the footsteps? But okay, follows them outside. Dani looks around the garden, doesn't see anything, but turns back to look at the house and each child is looking down from their windows at her at the end. Yep. Yep. Oh, my gosh. The tone just sets for the rest of the series. So are you staying at that job after everything that just happened? Yes. Would you stay? The curiosity, the ah the mystery behind it or?
00:57:12
Speaker
The, the beautiful house, the children, the house, the end, like not anticipating that anything else is going to happen. It's just kind of, this was weird. This was weird. Not understanding it's all connected, not understanding there's actual danger because you don't expect.
00:57:36
Speaker
things like this to be real or to happen or something paranormal to be that dangerous that we find out later. It is quite dangerous. me i would I would stay. That's not enough for me to cut and run yet.
00:57:57
Speaker
And if she's a burned out teacher, you know you've seen <unk>ve been through harder things than just a couple of creepy kids.
00:58:06
Speaker
Right. Yeah. OK, that's fair. I don't know, maybe it's just being a parent for 16 years, you go through your tolerance. Nothing could scare you. No, not really. The lady of the late comes out and you're like, just like just go back in. I i don't want to do it right now. three a m I'm sleeping.
00:58:36
Speaker
You leave me alone. I'll leave you alone. So, yeah, definitely some creepy stuff happening. Definitely some some.
00:58:48
Speaker
Red herrings, I guess, when it comes to who's actually creepy and who's not and who's good you bad. um So it's interesting. It does. This episode is what a lot of first episodes are do, which it needs to is just setting up the world, setting up the story that we're in and
00:59:07
Speaker
I just love where it takes us. But everything that's done in this episode isn't really out of the normal in terms of storytelling. um But the way they do it, the how technical they are, how like they focus on some of these details and just. That's that's why my plan again is one of the one of the best. so Yeah, absolutely. I think Haunting the Pillow House set this expectation for people that everything is going to be as big, and that show was more, it was bigger, it was flashier, it was more conventional horror in some ways, and this was quieter, it was slower, it was, the horror kind of seeps in a little bit more instead of being, other than the the the shadowy figure, nothing else is really quite obvious yet. right So it's kind of a slower buildup, but the payoff at the end
01:00:07
Speaker
the explanation, the story, it all made sense. It was very well told, which is kind of why I like this one just this much more than Hill House that isn't fair to say, you know, just just this much more. Yeah, it's a little bit. Yeah. But I still love Hill House, especially, you know, watching it again and really going over all the little things.
01:00:35
Speaker
really a groundbreaking show. So the audience response to this one, they hated it. People did not respond very well to this series, which makes me sad, but also I understand that that can happen, especially after the impact of Hill House and attaching the haunting name and making this a season two out of that. I bet if they could do it again, they wouldn't make it an official season two of the haunting.
01:01:07
Speaker
But that's just an assumption. I mean, it's tricky because. They're going off of the success of hunting a pillow house. And i so, yeah, it was it is this huge marketing thing, be like, hey, there's this other show that's coming out. um It's got the same name, so you should watch it. And so I think maybe people are going in expecting connections or something or it to be pretty similar and it in it ah in its way it is, but it's a completely different type of story. Different vibe. Yeah. Different story. Different way that it needs to be told. Yeah. um it I mean, it still has good scores like on. Rotten Tomatoes, it's got an 88 percent for for critics and then obviously a lower 68 percent for audiences. So it's not like audiences hated hated this.
01:02:06
Speaker
those ah The response on social media was that they hated it. It did get a 7.4 on IMDB. So the people that cared to leave a rating seemed to like it overall. And I've seen a few people share that they hated Midnight Mask more.
01:02:32
Speaker
That's absolutely ridiculous. I know, your jaw dropped because I was like, what's wrong with you?
01:02:41
Speaker
Are you not smart? That show was perfect.
01:02:50
Speaker
But what I respect, okay. This is, okay. M Night Shyamalan, right? He had the big success with the sixth sense. He also had a bit of big success with signs.
01:03:06
Speaker
Right. And then um the village, I loved the village. I thought that one was great. if you Have you not watched it? Not yet. I haven't seen a lot of hip stuff his stuff. I've seen a fair bit. Yeah. So what I respect about him as a film creator is he kind of just does what he wants, whether the audience likes it or not.
01:03:36
Speaker
And some of his work I really don't like, but I respect that.
01:03:43
Speaker
There's one called Lady in the Water that he did. I thought it was great. Everybody hated it. I understand that they were expecting the same level as Sixth Sense. But the message and the storytelling in Lady in the Water was great. But they, but you know, conventionally, people hated it.
01:04:06
Speaker
So it kind of reminds me of of the Flanagan shows because he's kind of just doing what he wants, but it's good all around. He's a very masterful storyteller. Yeah. Which is why we're doing the podcast about his shows and not, you know, and that catalogvallon it's it's very interesting that kind of relationship where with studios studios and directors is is what I mean when there are some studios or at least some producers that work with the directors that are pretty hands off and no one is there to tell the director no, which is I think what also happens to Ridley Scott with some of his stuff. Like maybe he doesn't have anyone saying no to some of his creative decisions, which you have to have people tell you no, you have to. Yeah.
01:05:00
Speaker
Yeah, which again, if you're going to be a creator, an artist, you're making what you want to make, and that's completely fine. like Everyone's going to have their own opinions about everything. You're never going to have a consensus about any piece of art or media, whatever it is. There's always going to be someone who either hates it or loves it. and so
01:05:27
Speaker
But again, for I guess in terms of like studios and getting money back and all that, there needs to be someone who at some points tells these people no. Right. um but gonna Like you said, it is respectable when you can realize, hey, you made this because you wanted to. Right.
01:05:47
Speaker
where where I get offended with bad pieces of the media is when you clearly just don't care. And you're making things for a cash grab or there's just no passion behind it. Exactly. Yeah, I agree. Which I pulled up his filmography real quick. He had a rough run around that that time period ah like after. What was it after the village?
01:06:19
Speaker
He made Lady in the Water, which you said you liked, but not a lot of people did. But people walking out of the theater were like, this is the dumbest movie I've ever seen. And Corey and I were like, this was a good movie. It's not the most best, impactful, life changing movie. Like Sixth Sense was a whole different thing. Nobody had ever seen anything like that. And so they were expecting the same kind of impact from everything he did. And you just can't do that.
01:06:46
Speaker
But his worst movie came two years later with the happening. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know. That was an experiment that did not have the payoff.
01:07:03
Speaker
Uh, and then two years after the happening, he, Oh, and I'm sorry. This is the worst movie that he ever made was the last airbender, which was atrocious. So ah and just just a little bit of fun since he mentioned him.
01:07:25
Speaker
Yeah. I started to watch the one where the kids are with the grandparents. I can't remember what it's called. The cabin. The visit? Not the cabin. The visit, yeah. I can't watch that by myself. It's not as scary as I think it is, but it like gets creepy enough when I'm like, mm-mm. So I stopped that one pretty early on. I'll watch it again with Corey. He's kind of my safety net.
01:07:50
Speaker
he's the one that's like it's okay just wait a second you'll be fine you're not in danger where i'm like i gotta run away i gotta run away and he's like just wait a minute so but i think people
01:08:10
Speaker
the expectations when something that someone does is really, really big and really good as far as what the masses consider very good. And they expect that same kind of impact for every single thing that happens next. It's just not a reasonable thing. It doesn't mean it's not good. We can't, you know, stop saying good things about midnight mass. But people that loved Hill House hated midnight mass because it's completely different. So
01:08:42
Speaker
it. Yeah, it's hard because like, you like what you like. And 90% of the time you cannot give in someone else to like something that you do. Right. 90% kind of low probably like 99. You can't convince someone.
01:09:00
Speaker
um
01:09:04
Speaker
And I don't know where I was going with that. That's okay. I think we got. I had something. That's okay. It'll come back. It flew away. There it goes.
01:09:19
Speaker
It's not too serious. You know, these are, it's just entertainment. Yeah. Like we continuously say it's to hear ourselves talk. yeah i'm never gonna hide that this is just for us to hear ourselves talk because nobody else wants to sit and hear me go on and on about a show that they don't care i will corner you and i will share all my thoughts just kidding i won't
01:09:58
Speaker
But this has been fun. Any final thoughts on this opening episode? um There are a lot of details, a lot of details. Pay attention to the details. They're everywhere. lot It's a foreshadowing. So yes it tells you what's going to happen within like the first 30 seconds. So just pay attention. Yes.
01:10:24
Speaker
um No, but i'm I'm very excited to be watching this series again. I love the environment that we're in. I know it I said it at the beginning, but I just want to reiterate it. it's It's very comforting, and I have no idea why. I have no idea why I like this, but i just it's very comforting. Very comforting. And you were saying earlier, it's it's haunting, and I think a good way to describe it is hauntingly beautiful. Yes. So. Yeah.
01:10:53
Speaker
Absolutely. And now they're doing yard work, obviously, recording.
01:11:01
Speaker
I think we'll end it there. Thanks for joining us. um Come back when we talk about episode two, which if I can pull that up really quick. Episode two is called The Pupil.
01:11:22
Speaker
oh Interesting. We'll see you then, guys. Thank you. Bye.