‘Servant’ Recap: ‘Loveshack’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 208 of ‘Servant’.

​When we first started our collective journey through the AppleTV+ series, Servant, it truly seemed as though this series was going to focus heavily on the power of trauma and the steps needed to recover from it. Which means we expected to see the characters confront their painful past at some point as part of that recovery plan, whilst facing some kind of sinister roadblock to making that happen and well… it certainly didn’t go that way in the slightest and that’s okay. Because instead, we were treated to a fascinating horror/thriller story, one filled to the brim with mystery and intrigue and mystical moments that have kept us engaged and guessing. 

But while that has made for a magnificent viewing experience, one that has kept us talking about the show with fellow fans for days on end, it is becoming apparent that our initial hope for this series is slowly coming to life. Because not only has the show started to provide us with some answers in regard to what exactly is going on in the Turner household, but the past is starting to be confronted by its characters. For last week’s episode saw Dorothy Turner finally face a smidgen of her past and be confronted over how she’s been ignorant to her mistake and her pain. And while that didn’t exactly engender change, it was an important first step to growing her character at last and well… it turns out that such a move was more than mere  fan service. 

For there are others outside of Dorothy that need to grow beyond their current quagmire, such as Julian, and well… it just so happens that the time for him to reflect upon his journey came about in the next episode and that made ‘Loveshack’ quite the somber affair. Because Julian took the time to hide from his family and genuinely ponder upon what happened in this household and his role in where Dorothy is today and that allowed for Julian, to really feel something for a change and own up to the horror of everything that’s brought him to this point. Plus, it also allowed for him to bond with Leanne, to the point where their relationship has become something more. But what matters most, is that at long last… someone in this household openly accepted their trauma in order to heal from it and it will be quite interesting to see where Julian’s decision to face his pain and will take us in the days to come.
 
However, while it was nice to finally see some emotional growth take place in this tale, this is still a horror/thriller and it would be nothing without some creepy and strange moments and all of those came forth courtesy of Uncle George. Because he was planning something awful in this tale, something so vile in fact… that he needed silent preparation time and that motivated him to bring Roscoe back into the mix so he could distract Dorothy and Sean whilst he went through his strange rituals. The kind that were basically psyching him up to murder Leanne in cold blood for going back on her mission. An act that he was unable to go through with, because he feared her and her strength and for his own failure, he paid quite the price. Since he was run over by a car in the closing moments of this tale, a move that once again… brings forth some important questions.

Such as whether or not Leanne’s powers extend beyond kindness and that can in fact engender great pain and suffering. Something that the show has hinted at in the past since she punished Sean for letting bad things happen to her in his house. But this really seemed to imply that there is a genuine darker side to her powers and that those who cross her will pay the ultimate price and well… that definitely puts an ominous cloud over this particular tale. Because George might have been right, and the Turners may have opened themselves up to horrors untold, and really in the end, all of these elements made for one quality tale. One that genuinely gave the audience what it wanted and featured some stunning performances to boot. Since Rupert Grint and Nell Tiger Free put on an acting clinic in this tale and well… now that this wild chapter has come to a close, it’s back to counting down the minutes until next week’s tale, so that we can see what will happen now that Leanne is beginning to tap into powers untold.

‘Servant’ is available to stream right now on AppleTV+.

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