**Disclaimer: this review has spoilers and is based on the first 7 episodes of Season 2.
Grief…denial…creepy dolls impersonating dead babies? Servant season 2 has returned to Apple TV – and we are thrust right back into the action – a.k.a. affluent domesticity becoming a tumultuous madhouse. The horror saga from Tony Basgallop and M. Night Shyamalan delivers another gripping season with its discordant music, peculiar atmosphere, and unanswered mysteries.
At the close of season one, we witnessed Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) make the harrowing discovery that her baby boy, Jericho, has been kidnapped by their ominous, God-fearing nanny named Leanne (Nell Tiger Free). The mere thought would be unimaginable for any parent…except, Jericho had died months prior after being left for days in a sweltering-hot car. Heart-wrenching.
Tragedy Continues…
Servant’s second season opens immediately where the first left off. Leanne has returned to her cult-like community with baby Jericho in hand. The last thing he wants is to involve the police in this “kidnapping.” Especially since Dorothy’s husband, Sean Turner (Toby Kebbell), went along with a twisted plan to replace Jericho with a doll to help his wife overcome the trauma of losing her son in Season one.
He knows Leanne had replaced the squirm-inducing doll with a real infant. But, he has no clue where that little baby boy materialized from. In all likelihood, that child could’ve been kidnapped as well – and the Turner’s were doing nothing to find his “real” home (read: Dorothy still believed this was her son and nothing happened).
A Twisted Plan
Sean, his brother-in-law Julian (Rupert Grint), and their therapist/friend Natalie (Jerrika Hinton) decide to do what any normal family would do…KIDDING. Instead of getting Dorothy proper medical care (i.e. help her face the excruciating pain of losing her child with her own hand), they hatch a rather delusional plan. One to run interference with Dorothy as they investigate what happened behind closed doors.
Dorothy is given the space to continue living within her own perverted reality. Fooled by the facade that she’s in control. And, of course, the journalist in her becomes completely immersed in her own little investigation of where Leanne took Jericho. At this point, the entire crew has dug themselves into such an intricate and deep web of lies that they’re on their own. They can’t ask for help without incriminating themselves. Nor can they just throw in the towel and tap out of this mess.
A Chilling and Suspenseful Sophmore Season
The easy-to-binge second season of Servant is like a tragic car accident that you can’t seem to peel your eyes away from. It exists in this beautifully-written world of dichotomies – cozy, yet claustrophobic, deeply disturbing yet exquisitely gripping. And it’s all tastefully mirrored by Sean’s culinary masterpieces. The detailed preparation, the painstaking intervals of waiting, and then the final reveal of the meal.
The show keeps the audience [and the Turners] in an undefined grey area throughout the season. Replete with unanswered questions, sheer absurdity. And the ominous nature of the “unknown.” It’s a perfect balance between delusion and reality. Especially in how the outside world is kept at arm’s length – only shown through news reports and video calls – to further create this feeling of detachment.
Grade: A-
And somehow, amid all the eeriness, the brains behind the show have found a way to pepper in humor. Between the invention of “Cheesus Crust” and Dorothy’s new “motherly” approach to delivering her lines as a news anchor (both cringeworthy and laughable), Servant season two does a remarkable job of toying with viewers. It’s like a nightmare that you don’t want to end.
Am I dying to see the last few episodes? Yes. March needs to hurry up and get here.
Either typing away on my keyboard or nose-deep in a good book. Say hi to me on Twitter @Kkantro.
