‘Servant’ Recap: ‘Commitment’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 309 of ‘Servant’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.
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There are few things more frustrating in life, than watching a person that needs to be put in their place and humbled… run rampant and do as they please. Because when they have that kind of freedom, they are prone to lash out with anger and cruelty and that frustrates us, because it’s wrong, and it’s just as awful that someone is enabling this behavior and refuses to put a stop to it. For that is, equally as cruel as the acts that the entitled are committing. But thankfully, the universe tends to be a just place, where balance is key and eventually… those types of folks get their comeuppance and that is top of mind today, because this type of person… had their reckoning in the next episode of Servant on Apple TV+.
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In fact, it was Dorothy Turner that the universe bestowed this gift upon, and well, let’s be honest, this was long overdue. For while she does indeed mean well and has genuine kindness in her soul… she can be a bit much sometimes, mainly when she doesn’t get her way and when we catch up with her in ‘Commitment’, she’s up to her usual shenanigans. In that, she’s still spitting venom at Leanne at every turn and Sean is also dealing with her ire and cruelty… and well… that is obviously not the reckoning we hoped for. Which means that Dorothy really had to earn the universe’s wrath and she most certainly did when she realized a potential path to getting Leanne out of the house.

Because if she could convince a doctor that Leanne was a danger to her family and herself, then perhaps she could have Leanne committed to a mental health facility. Giving Dorothy what she ultimately wants, as always, and she quickly set out to make this happen. In part by snooping about Leanne’s room to find dirt upon her. Which she did. Since she came to discover evidence that Leanne used to flog herself to atone for her sins, and of course… those scars were still there, and she got photographs of all of that and eventually got her father to arrange for a doctor to come to the house to talk to Leanne and make the magic happen at last. And at first glance, it really appeared as though there would be no justice from the universe in this tale.

For the good doctor talked to Leanne first, and he was armed with every red flag Dorothy could provide him with and well… that’s when this episode took quite the turn. Because shortly after that little chat with the doctor, Dorothy’s father turned up, as did the rest of the family. Simply because, Frank actually used Dorothy’s plan against her, and had the doctor evaluate her instead of Leanne and what he found… was concerning. In that, she was exhibiting troubling behavior. The kind grounded in paranoia and terror and unhealthy attachment issues and anger, and he wanted her to be committed instead so that she could be properly treated. A move that everyone in the family outside of Frank disagreed with, because… enablers. But their pleas did end up saving Dorothy from a seventy-hour hold at minimum.

Which means that for now, she will stay home and take the drugs that the doctor has prescribed, and well… that was quite the satisfying end to this story. Because at long last, Dorothy Turner was put in her place and faced a reckoning for her garbage behavior, and now she has to abide by the doctor’s orders if she wants to be near her son. And this was just wonderful to see since she has needed a wakeup call for a long time and well… this really does open up all kinds of possibilities storytelling wise. In that, this either means that Dorothy is finally going to get the treatment she needs or she’s going to use this downtime to scheme and lash out in a vindictive manner, and it will be quite interesting to see which path Dorothy takes in the season three finale. Until next time.  

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