Television Mike Flanagan's "The Fall of the House of Usher" (Netflix, 12 October 2023) - Official Trailer

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, Kal-El814 said:

I've got 2 episodes left.

 

I like it so far, but it's no Midnight Mass or even The Hauntings.

 

The individual episode vibes are good as expected, but I don't think this one is coalescing. I appreciate that the family here is dysfunctional and that's the point but nothing is really gelling. Leo seemed really close to Prospero, but when Camille died it barely came up? And Tamerlane can't move her MLM launch despite 4 of her siblings dying in what... the last week? I get everyone is either on drugs, mentally ill, or both, but this isn't really working for me as an actual show instead of a series of episodes.

 

Also as someone who spent almost 20 years in the clinical trials industry, I find it just endlessly funny that Roderick, who would absolutely know how these things work, just goes to Vic and is like, "we finished monkey studies yesterday, we're in human trials tomorrow, right?" And when Vic says "yea sure pops" he's just relieved as opposed to wondering how she pulled off 18 months worth of work in 15 minutes, doesn't think the company should do a press release, isn't asking what sites are participating in the trial, is somehow completely unaware or uninterested in the FDA and IRB approval process, etc. Also the way Vic consented Verna into the clinical trial is almost as bad as the training videos they give at investigator meetings about how NOT to do that. Not a complaint at all, just makes me laugh since it was related to my job for most of my adult life. It'd be like if one of them worked in a garage, was looking under the hood at Madeline's car, and said, "yeah this car needs more carburetor and you've got a V6 setup but there's only five valves," or something.  

 

Yeah - I'd probably rank his TV show work: 

 

1. The Haunting of Bly Manor - 8.5/10

2. The Haunting of Hill House - 8/10

3. Midnight Mass - 8/10

4. The Midnight Club - 7.5/10

5. The Fall of the House of Usher - 7/10

 

The show really does work best as individual episodes approached in an anthology-type way rather than a cohesive whole that comes together at the end like his other shows. As for Vic's heart mesh, it is silly but:

 

Spoiler

Roderick is rushing Vic for personal reasons - I don't think he cares about mass marketing it, he wants to use it for his own heart because of his vascular dementia - so long as Vic gets it working with a human Roderick himself will then personally use it. I don't think he's thinking of the FDA, etc.

 

[Kal-El814]

On 10/23/2023 at 1:21 PM, Greatoneshere said:

The show really does work best as individual episodes approached in an anthology-type way rather than a cohesive whole that comes together at the end like his other shows. As for Vic's heart mesh, it is silly but:

 

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Roderick is rushing Vic for personal reasons - I don't think he cares about mass marketing it, he wants to use it for his own heart because of his vascular dementia - so long as Vic gets it working with a human Roderick himself will then personally use it. I don't think he's thinking of the FDA, etc.

 

 

I mean yes, that seems to be the vibe. He’s just not asking the right questions even with that in mind. Again, this is not any kind of real complaint since it’s absolutely not in the interest of the show to represent the clinical trial / medical device world accurately. The Venn diagram of people who are watching the show and would know enough about it to be aware of how specifically wrong it is... is basically just me.

[Greatoneshere]

12 minutes ago, Kal-El814 said:

 

I mean yes, that seems to be the vibe. He’s just not asking the right questions even with that in mind. Again, this is not any kind of real complaint since it’s absolutely not in the interest of the show to represent the clinical trial / medical device world accurately. The Venn diagram of people who are watching the show and would know enough about it to be aware of how specifically is wrong is basically just me.

 

Yeah, he's definitely raising suspicions with Vic every time he brings it up which does throw her off but I think she goes: "we do shady shit all the time, this must be more of that" though she definitely is weirded out with why suddenly she needs to rush things. And yeah I didn't take it as a deep criticism or anything, indeed the pharma stuff is way off throughout the show.  

[Chadatog]

On 10/23/2023 at 1:56 PM, Greatoneshere said:

 

Yeah, he's definitely raising suspicions with Vic every time he brings it up which does throw her off but I think she goes: "we do shady shit all the time, this must be more of that" though she definitely is weirded out with why suddenly she needs to rush things. And yeah I didn't take it as a deep criticism or anything, indeed the pharma stuff is way off throughout the show.  

Also as we have seen with many people in power, a life bereft of legal consequence leads to many stupid actions.

[cusideabelincoln]

 

On 10/23/2023 at 2:25 AM, Moa said:

In classic Flanagan fashion, he manages to stick the landing. It still wasn't my favorite of his series, but I liked it well enough.

 

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Among the many things I like about Flanagan's work, he understands that endings should be built up to. It's far worse to have a twist that betrays the story than to have a predicable but good ending.

 

Pym deserved better.

 

 

This was such a faithful interpretation. Brick laying is analogous to Poe's method of writing; you don't build a wall just to break it down in the end.

[Kal-El814]

I finished this and liked it. I think the individual episodes worked well. It's a fine Poe homage. I don't think it really works as a cohesive series at all The vibes are on point but the "hook" between Verna and the Usher twins is weird.

 

Spoiler

Verna seems pretty aware of how things are going to work out, but also gets bizarrely judgmental about Freddy? He's a piece of shit, obviously, but he's presumably like that because... the Ushers took her up on her offer? That she... knew they'd accept and what the outcome would be? But doesn't want to kill Lenore even though... she presumably didn't need to, she just did because she said she would? It's a weird blend of free will vs. fate and I not in an interesting way, it just comes off kinda sloppy. And I don't know that we spend enough time with the kids to know that they're somehow getting what "they deserve." Prospero was an asshole but boiling a hundred people he happens to know with acid feels like a weird fucking way for Verna to start crossing Ushers off her list? And I wouldn't care about the "deserve" bit other than that Verna seems to care about it when it's convenient for whatever conversation she's having in the moment to come off cool. Or the wait staff didn't deserve to get an acid dip but everyone else there did? It's just janky.

 

And obviously Mark Hamill is awesome, but I'm really meant to believe that motherfucking DEATH is impressed by a legal fixer who's a dab hand with a syringe? Come on now.

 

[Mercury33]

Finished it last night and loved it. Really stuck the landing well. I think the only thing that kinda dragged it down is that because Episode 2 is so far and away the best episode it makes it feel like the show falls off a bit in the next two. But by the end I thought it was on a great streak with the final 3 including an excellent finale. 
 

In regards to the kids

Spoiler

If they deserved it. Remember Verna gives every one of a them ample opportunity to get out of thing that eventually kills them. Based on what happens with Lenore they were still destined to die because of the contract but maybe they would have gotten peaceful deaths like her instead of the awful ones? That’s a very small but very effective way of showing where their hearts lie. And I could be wrong but I feel like there’s some mention in Prospero’s episode that all the people on his list are pretty awful people. I think she’s even “worked” with a fair number of them? Or maybe I made that up haha. 

 

[stepee]

I thought this was quite entertaining! I didn’t like it as much as Midnight Mass but it was more fun at least and it stuck the landing at the end imo in a way that makes it work as a cohesive whole for me. But, and I’m not one to brag, my ability to suspend my disbelief is MILES ahead of @Kal-El814

[Greatoneshere]

4 hours ago, Mercury33 said:

Finished it last night and loved it. Really stuck the landing well. I think the only thing that kinda dragged it down is that because Episode 2 is so far and away the best episode it makes it feel like the show falls off a bit in the next two. But by the end I thought it was on a great streak with the final 3 including an excellent finale. 
 

In regards to the kids

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If they deserved it. Remember Verna gives every one of a them ample opportunity to get out of thing that eventually kills them. Based on what happens with Lenore they were still destined to die because of the contract but maybe they would have gotten peaceful deaths like her instead of the awful ones? That’s a very small but very effective way of showing where their hearts lie. And I could be wrong but I feel like there’s some mention in Prospero’s episode that all the people on his list are pretty awful people. I think she’s even “worked” with a fair number of them? Or maybe I made that up haha. 

 

 

In terms of everything that you spoilered, you're right on the money with all your points, that was my understanding as well.

[Kal-El814]

3 hours ago, stepee said:

I thought this was quite entertaining! I didn’t like it as much as Midnight Mass but it was more fun at least and it stuck the landing at the end imo in a way that makes it work as a cohesive whole for me. But, and I’m not one to brag, my ability to suspend my disbelief is MILES ahead of @Kal-El814

 

FWIW I rarely have an issue suspending my disbelief in the moment, it's mainly after I'm thinking about something after the fact that those thoughts come together. Something has to be pretty *something* in the moment to take me out of it. Heavy Rain did it because it was so fucking terrible. Or that moment in Snowpiercer where Curtis seems horrified to learn that they're eating bugs... I don't know why that moment did it for me.   It's not like it has to be BAD, it's some silly arbitrary threshold.

 

So for this, the individual episodes have great vibes and cool shit. But I don't think it comes together well as an overall show. It could be my lapsed Catholic baggage that makes Midnight Mass really work and I think everything comes together in a really cohesive way. 

 

 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Started this tonight. So far so good. 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Holy shit, episode 2. What a brutal ending.

[CitizenVectron]

Finished it, and it was fantastic. Very different than his other shows, but I'd say on the same level. Time may change my opinion, but I'd put it in the top three with Midnight Mass and Hill House. He's always had great stories, but I'm really happy that the performances are improving. Hill House, for example, had a great story and climax, but some of the performances were fairly weak.

[CastlevaniaNut18]

Finished. Really enjoyed this one, but it's not my favorite. Great performances, I love the messaging in Flanagan's works. Can't wait to see what he does with Amazon.

 

My rankings are Bly Manor,  then just below are Hill House and Midnight Mass, followed by House of Usher, then Midnight Club.

[Greatoneshere]

2 hours ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

My rankings are Bly Manor,  then just below are Hill House and Midnight Mass, followed by House of Usher, then Midnight Club.

 

 

Someone else who ranks Bly Manor highest?! Your ranking basically matches mine.

 

[CastlevaniaNut18]

37 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

 

Someone else who ranks Bly Manor highest?! Your ranking basically matches mine.

 

Oh, definitely. The story really resonated with me and stuck with me for a long time after I’d finished. I loved the gothic horror atmosphere. 

[Greatoneshere]

29 minutes ago, CastlevaniaNut18 said:

Oh, definitely. The story really resonated with me and stuck with me for a long time after I’d finished. I loved the gothic horror atmosphere. 

 

Same. Also, I loved the way he portrayed the lady in the lake and the memory slipping over decades. His directing formalism was at its best on that show.