Now, the last of the Usher children must meet their end. But is it really the last child? I wonder if Lenore counts as one of the Usher kids. If I recall correctly, I haven’t seen her in Roderick’s visions yet.
Frederick is still left, and in hindsight, he’s not only the biggest fool in the family but possibly the worst. By now, we’ve learned what he did to his suffering wife. Interestingly, in the German version, he has the same voice actor as Alan Harper (Jon Cryer) from Two and a Half Men. For me, this little detail makes Frederick seem even more foolish. He’s such a wannabe, and this connection amplifies it even further. This impression is underlined by his behavior at the construction site just before the building gets demolished.
I wonder if the creators took some inspiration from the SAW movies. I seem to recall that the method by which Frederick is sent to the afterlife is also a medieval torture technique. But the scene from SAW immediately came to mind.
When he dies, he pays a hefty price, as Verna doesn’t let him go as easily as the others. She prolongs his suffering significantly. Here, it feels like she’s not only collecting a debt from the Usher siblings, but also acting as an avenging angel. Unless, of course, she really is an avenging angel—because it’s getting a bit frustrating not knowing what actually happened on New Year’s Eve.
1979 marks the big turning point! In the recent episodes, we’ve seen how Auguste and Roderick were preparing to betray Griswold. At first, Roderick’s wife is shocked, but shortly after, Madeline explains the grim plan to her. That was a shocking moment for me! Even though the plan makes sense, and I was already wondering what could have happened to turn Auguste and Roderick into enemies, I didn’t expect it to happen this way.
Juno also has to face a tough blow. After talking to Roderick and telling him that she wants to stop taking Ligodone, he reveals to her that he’s only with her because her high tolerance for the drug is excellent publicity. At the same time, he lists all the side effects that await her if she stops taking it and explains that it would take about three years for them to subside. A tough pill for Juno to swallow, and as a viewer, you’re left wondering if she’s strong enough to get through it.
There are no more Usher children left; all of them have been wiped out by Verna, or with her help. One of the siblings almost met their end, too, as Madeline manages to convince Roderick to take an overdose of Ligodone and end his life. But Verna prevents it, as Madeline wanted to break the pact with Verna. Naturally, she doesn’t allow this and brings Roderick back to life.
Madeline will stop at nothing, even if it means sacrificing her own family. If it wasn’t clear by now, with all the flashbacks and events leading up to this point, it’s undeniable now—she has no scruples.
The “boredom” I mentioned earlier has completely dissipated, as this episode ties many threads together and gives the story more substance, even though the children are all gone. Roderick’s distorted visions aside.
I have a feeling that quotes from Edgar Allan Poe’s short stories are becoming more frequent. Often, the characters slip into quoting something during their conversations, even if it sounds like their own words. I suspect that these might be taken from the short stories. I’ll have to listen to the English version again because I’ve been watching the series in German, and I’m not sure how the translation handles this.
Now, nearing the end, I’m really hyped! I’ve already seen that they’ve given the final episode a bit more runtime.
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