Mike Flanagan unveils a compelling tapestry with his Netflix miniseries, The Fall of the House of Usher, which premiered today. Drawing inspiration from HBO’s “Succession,” Flanagan brilliantly adapts Edgar Allan Poe’s chilling tale. In the midst of wealth and prominence, the Usher family is torn apart from within. This internal strife gains momentum as the ailing patriarch’s health falters and the government zeroes in on their questionable business practices.
The Usher Family Legacy: Secrets and Suspicion
Unlike HBO’s series where the central question revolves around the next in line for the Waystar Royco throne, Flanagan’s masterpiece uncovers a disturbing mystery surrounding the sudden halt in the Usher’s line of succession. Narrated by the CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, Roderick Usher, played masterfully by Bruce Greenwood, the plot unfolds. It’s filled with haunting figures like women wearing plague doctor masks, a deceased mother navigating the living world, and an eerie jester. On the more earthly plane, viewers get a taste of treachery, a lucrative bounty, discreet agreements, and intense quarrels over a vast inheritance.
At the heart of this enigma is a dire question: Who orchestrated the untimely deaths of Roderick Usher’s children? In the gripping pilot, “A Midnight Dreary,” a chain of grim events unravels. The deaths of Frederick, Tamerlane, Victorine, Napoleon, Camille, and Prospero are initially chalked up to various misfortunes. Yet, in a discussion with Assistant US Attorney Auguste Dupin, Roderick points to a malevolent link binding these tragic incidents. He hauntingly recounts a spectral figure he encounters at three of his children’s funerals – a woman cloaked in a medieval bird mask. But who is she? The episode leaves viewers on the edge, thirsting for answers.
Unearthing the Usher Chronicles
Just as Flanagan’s “The Haunting of Bly Manor” unfolded, The Fall of the House of Usher is skillfully framed through conversations, providing context to its complex narrative. As Roderick unveils the history of the Usher legacy to Dupin, three primary tales emerge, connecting dots that seem unassociated at first glance.
In the first tale, a tragic event from Roderick’s childhood is shared – the demise of his mother. Eliza, the mother, once served Mr. Longfellow, owner of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, shedding light on the Usher’s ties to the pharmaceutical empire. Without diving deep into the nature of their relationship, it is insinuated that both Madeline and Roderick were sired by Mr. Longfellow. In her twilight moments, amidst the children’s desperate plea for assistance, the ruthless Longfellow shuns them. A heart-wrenching scene unfolds as the children secretly lay their mother to rest in their backyard. But in a chilling twist, she returns from the grave, ending her former employer’s life.
The narrative shifts to the days following a court trial, painting a vivid picture of a powerful family in turmoil. Dupin’s revelation of a potential informant within the Usher clan stirs distrust among them. Roderick, in a desperate bid to unveil the mole, presents an enticing $50 million bounty.
Eerie Presences and Cryptic Endings
The narrative takes a turn into the surreal as we see Roderick grappling with haunting visions. After a family dinner, a cryptic discussion with his personal physician drudges up memories of a woman pivotal to the Usher’s fate. This woman, Verna, first encountered on a New Year’s Night many years prior, carries an aura of enigma. Roderick’s association with Verna intertwines with the woman behind the plague doctor mask, stirring questions about her involvement in the string of unfortunate events.
Concluding the first episode, a perplexing scene captures Verna’s foreboding prophecy for the Usher siblings, signaling a turning point in their destiny. In a haunting moment, Roderick spots an eerie jester figure within his car, and in a Poe-esque touch, a raven observes from above, encapsulating the essence of the tale.
The Fall of the House of Usher promises an intricate blend of horror, mystery, and drama. With seven episodes to go, viewers are left with a myriad of questions, eagerly awaiting the unraveling of the Usher family’s dark secrets.
