Great acting from Victoria Pedretti
Holy twist, batman!
What a powerful episode. I was moved so much by Nell and Arthur too. What a beautiful couple. Their union was so weighted with us as the viewer knowing their fates. Brilliant as always.
That was an insane episode! Clearly the best of the season. The conclusion for the "Bent-Neck Lady" freaked me the hell out. Caught me totally off guard. Fricking shocking revelation. Awesome.
Poor Nellie. Poor sweet Nellie. The spooky train is barreling down the tracks at full speed in this one as we learn more about Nellie's childhood experiences at Hill House and the mixed results of her adulthood. I was rooting for her and her husband, so that particular tragedy was a real bummer. But the way that they took her long-term nightmare and turned it in on itself was impressive, and both the young and adult Nellie actors did a terrific job. Also, this outing did a great job of revisiting various scenes and bits of dialogue that we were first exposed to in previous episodes, giving us a chance to see them from a new perspective. By far the strongest outing so far, both in terms of the fear factor and just the humanity of it. Again, poor sweet Nellie. At least the suffering and the nightmares are over. Now we just have to find out what really happened to her in that final scene since she was hardly a reliable narrator type at that point.
why does this show make me want to cry more than it scares me
I think history has been mad in the episode, it was marvelous! This episode has a complete profile of everything needed, writing, directing, acting, …etc.
A great amount of effort has been made in the editing of this show, Netflix put a target on front of their eyes to make a masterpiece, and they did it.
On the other hand, that was one of the saddest, heartbreaking episode I have ever saw :( You will get freaked out, you will cry...
Though, I've never expected that surprise at the end :(
I found the episode dedicated to Nell the best and the saddest, the explanation leaves you open-mouthed
Wow, that was trippy! The loop and everything! Loved it!
damn, was she haunting herself the whole time?
Fuck me. Here I was, thinking how good it was that at least poor Nell had had a moment of true happiness instead of agony before tragically passing... And I knew it was eerie for the mom to have remarked about the bodies hanging.
i always get chills during the final scene
[7.6/10] This is a tough episode to grade, because the beginning is stellar, the big middle is okay but nothing spectacular, and the ending is striking all get out. That leaves this as one big McDLT of an episode, where it’s not quite clear how the thing tastes as a whole.
Still, I think my favorite part of the episode is the beginning segment. There’s such great on-screen chemistry between Nellie and Aaron. There’s an Up like quality to that opening set of scenes, where you see the instant rapport between the two of them, are steadily moved through the major and lovely events of their lives that are as heartwarming as they are full of affection. And then you see it all crashing down, in a way that’s horrifying because you feel what’s been taken away from Aaron. You see the beauty that she was given a taste of, the peace she was be able to find at last, and feel the devastation of how it is suddenly and horrifically ripped from her.
But then we roll into the aftermath for thirty minutes or more, and it’s pretty dull. There is more color given to Nellie’s relationship with Luke and the bond they share as twins. There’s hints as to her past and the reasons her siblings have beef and trouble with her. There’s a corny confrontation between her and Steven that gives The Haunting of Hill House yet another over the top monologue. And there’s a few more scares. It’s all mostly okay, but just not nearly as compelling as what comes before or after.
There is some interesting exploration of whether Nell’s visions and frights are the result of a genuine haunting or whether they’re part of some combination of a psychotic break from trauma and of her sleep paralysis. We get a little more detail as to what happened on the fateful night when the kids’ mom died, and you can see how after that experience, symbols like the locket or the pocket watch could be momentous but also unmooring for her.
And hey! Russ Tamblyn as her psychiatrist. When I see that, I can’t help but think of Twin Peaks, and a character portrayed by the same actor counseling another very troubled young woman. But one of the best details of Twin Peaks was how its spirits and demons rarely played by any particular rules. They were inscruitble, unknowable, and the scenes where our heroes encountered them were as likely to be bewildering and they were illuminating.
The same’s true for the powerhouse closing sequence of “The Bent-Neck Lady.” There is something beautiful and sad about the spiritual reunion that Nell feels as she is lured back to the Hill House at the (misconstrued) suggestion of that psychiatrist. The fact that she’s able to return to her childhood home and see her siblings as kids, where they all apologize to her, that she recreates her wedding, where Luke is healthy and well and everyone says they’re sorry for disbelieving or doubting or not listening to her, where her husband and her mother are alive again, ready to give her comfort and warmth, is made poignant because we know it’s a lie. Those images are made haunitng by the brief flits of cold reality amid her warm, brightly-lit dance through the house, and the spectres of (presumably the Hill family) swirling behind her as she’s twirled through the bones of this place.
Then it ends in one final curse, one final ruse, where the locket her mother promised her, the source of safety and protection, is unwittingly her noose, and she becomes the titular bent-neck lady, haunting herself as she drifts backward through time in one last horror. There’s power in poetry in that, one that feels as unraveled and temporally stripped as many of Twin Peaks impressionistic sequences. While it’s not quite so avante garde, the end sequence is bold and haunting as hell.
Overall, this was a strong episode at both ends, which makes up for the ways in which it was a little weak in the middle.
Oh Nellie, poor dear Nellie :(
WTF just happened??
The Bent-Neck Lady was Nell all of this time?? That was crazy!!
Poor thing, she was dealing with too much.
All of the family needs help. They are a total mess.
Not gonna lie, that ending had me pretty confused. This episode was definitely freaky though.
I saw a bit of that coming, but not the twist at the very end. Where'd the second locket come from though? Who found Nell's body so soon after it happened? Now we know why Luke's neck hurt and why his body felt so stiff. And why all her siblings woke up grabbing their necks. Was Arthur's death really just a random aneurysm having nothing to do with the rest? I don't need the answers right now, though I do hope they'll be answered later on. But I do love a show that keeps you guessing, and this one sure does.
Wow. That ending. Just wow. Just bring a lot of previous clues together in a great sequence, in a very original way. But not only that, this episode was a perfect combo of horror sequence, story, character building, and story progression.
Like Luke's addiction, Nell's sleep paralysis can explain her visions (and it also works for when she was a kid, unlike him). Also brings this huge powerlessness feeling that is terrifying, not only as a kid, but also as an adult, notably in [spoiler]her husband's death[/spoiler] scene, which ironically seems a terrible show of the bent neck lady ghost's powers and malicious intentions, even years later and outside the house, [spoiler]but is probably just a very normal death after seeing the ending[/spoiler]. Very well played.
The [spoiler]Come home[/spoiler] message on the wall, resonates with the mother's ghost's words to Luke, starting to paint a picture of what's happening.
Again, someone (here Nell) speaks of a room that other people (here Mrs Dudley) don't seem to recognize. It's clear now that each of them have their own mystery room. Either there are a lot of extra hidden room in the house, or they're all the same room, and that would then logically be the red room.
Like the others, her relationships with her siblings are complex and varied, and the chosen moments seem more intense that the previous ones. She knows Theo's power, while clearly Shirley nor Steve does. Very hard moments when she tries to make her use it where her husband died. Another excruciating moment when she buys heroin for Luke. And her violent confrontation of Steve in front of his public. And waiting the whole night, to see [spoiler]her father, covered in blood, get taken away by the cops[/spoiler]...
Then comes the house scene. Dream like, clearly [spoiler]the house, or its inhabitants, showing her what she most desires[/spoiler]. Follows one of the greatest sequence I've ever seen. [/spoiler]Her happiness when her mom gives her the necklace she was promises as a kid, then the slow realization that something feels wrong, turning to horror at the noose around her neck. Basically her mom killing her with a kiss. And the instant turn from the warm colors and music of the old house, to the darkness and chirping crickets at night in the decrepit present for the fall and brutal death.[/spoiler]. Time to wake up, sweetheart. Such a powerful and masterfully presented moment. But it's not finished ! A close up now reveals [spoiler]that at the moment of her death, Nell is the bent neck lady.[/spoiler] And still not finished!
During the episode we see all the appearances of the bent neck lady along Nell's life (well, there aren't that many actually), they are terrifying. Now we see them all again, [spoiler]in reverse, at the moment of Nell's death, as she slowly realizes what's happening and that she's been her all along[/spoiler], explaining her reactions during these encounters. The no no no no no, and her final scream of terror as she understands. Curtains.
The whole episode was great, but these last two minutes ? EPIC!
The actress's performance is stellar here. She makes it work perfectly.
Now we've been through the five children, and the five episodes basically ended around the same time in the time line, at the moment they discover her death or not too long after. What will come next ? Another round of episodes centered on each, further in time, maybe one on the mother and father ?
An absolute masterpiece of television, a whole new par that I believe will be hard to surpass for a long time. Deeply horrifying, disturbing, heartbreaking, yet kind of liberating too. Incredible writing, acting, editing, directing, everything is spot on and every effective. Hats off to the creators of this perfect piece of drama that kept me numb for a few days after watching it.
How/why tf do I have tears in my eyes
The drop in the motel hallway freaked me the f out.
But there's a more pressing issue. Why the hell was Steven's wife in the house hallucinations? Doesn't make any sense. Shirley's husband wasn't there. So why would she be?
Really liked this one... since her death that I kinda felt this was like a 12 monkeys thing!
The Nell stuff is good, the twist is great, it’s all good enough to climb back to an 8, what holds it back from a 9 or even 10 is that, having watched Bly Manor, it’s hard to ignore the black love interest getting killed off in each for the development and angst of another character. At least T’Nia Miller got a bit more interiority and depth, but I’m sorry, it’s not an ideal pattern and it does hamper this episode and show for me.
This episode, oh my God!
10/10
All Gold
Holy-Shit now that's
what I'm talking about
had to watch this baby
twice back2back
because it was so
Frickin Awesome.
now that's how you
tell a compelling story.
This is definitely the best
episode of this entire show,
God knows how you'd top
this. Somebody give
Adult Nell an Emmy
already because her performance in this was
Outstanding.
Loved the
Timey Wimey
that alone knock it
clean out the Ball Park,
then that last 15mins
Well that was some
absolute quality
Writing right there.
This episode
Blow my mind
Wow, the Writing of it
was off the charts
and with that I'm definitely
All In-hook line and sinker,
(You Got Me)
Hella Yeah!
Nonsensical time travel in a ghost story. Ugh.
I’d prefer Steven dying over Nell.
Superb episode this show is getting better and better!
omg the last scene very scary !!!
This was/is intense! In one word: AWESOME!
As soon as I saw this episode's title I immediately thought nope nope nope nope nope nope NOPE. I still watched the whole thing, though. Worst decision of my life.
Shout by KhawlahVIP BlockedParentSpoilers2018-10-28T18:07:14Z
Damn. That last scene literally sent goosebumps through my entire body. Holy shit! It definitely stays with you. What a beautiful, hauntingly heart wrenching episode. All of them were really, really good so far, but this was exceptional.