‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’ Recap: ‘The Pupil’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the second episode of 'The Haunting of Bly Manor'.
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For the most part, stories that revolve around trauma and loss and the fallout those events cause us emotionally, and the road to recovery we endure after experiencing them, stick to a pretty standard formula. One that we all know by heart since they always involve a good-natured person who finds themselves at a low point after losing someone important to them. And it takes the kindness of a close friend or an equally good-natured stranger to help them to recover from their pain. Which of course they always do in an inspiring and beautiful manner that brings a tear to our eyes, and that’s not necessarily a bad thing by any means. Because formula works and if you’re watching or reading a story that features this rough part of everyday life, you’re eager to be inspired or to feel good once the story comes to an end.

But the fact of the matter is, that particular formula is a best-case scenario for people who are going through such a difficult time. Because sometimes, we face this terrifying prospect alone and have to figure our own way out of the darkness. Or the support we receive isn’t quality or the pain is so great that we are forced to refuse it, because we aren’t ready to face the harsh reality that someone, we love isn’t coming back to us, and quite frankly it is a shame we don’t see these aspects of healing enough in storytelling. Because uncomfortable or not, these are important elements to recovery and they are issues that we need to better understand so that we can better support those grieving in these unique and painful ways and that’s why The Haunting of Bly Manor continues to be quite the special horror series, since it put these particular issues at the forefront of its next episode.

Something that ‘The Pupil’ accomplished by filling in the blanks when it comes to Miles Wingrave. Because this young man was quite erratic and downright scary in this tale, and has been since the premiere, and it turns out that his dark and twisted behavior is a direct result of everything we’ve just discussed. Because he is broken and shattered inside over the loss of his parents and his former au pair. And that has motivated him to act out in a unique manner and cause harm as he tries to make sense of everything that’s happened and therein lies the problem, in that, he’s simply on his own. For the advice he got at boarding school on how to handle loss was quite frankly, fluffy and immaterial and cliché, since he was basically told to suck it up. Plus, his uncle is nowhere to be found at a time when he should be stepping it up, so they can all grieve and heal, together.

So, it makes total sense that poor Miles would act out in the manner that he does as his unrestrained and unprocessed emotions run wild and it also helps us to understand why he went the extra mile to be near Flora. Because he’s smart enough to know she’s all he has left in the world and really, this ended up being quite the harrowing and powerful exploration of how grief as a result of trauma and loss, can impact us in a negative manner, and how important it is to genuinely support those going through such a tough time. Because this poor kid is at his absolute lowest right now, and it is a wonderful thing that Dani is working so hard to reach him and make him feel valued, since that is a magnificent way in which to start the healing process. And it should be interesting to see where this exploration into grief and healing takes us as the season rolls along, and whether or not Dani will be able to reach him. Since the negativity flowing through Miles motivated some setbacks for him in this particular tale. 

But while that makes it sound as though this episode was purely grounded in real world notions and explorations, make no mistake about it… there are still some ghostly elements to be found in this tale. Because the spirit that Dani keeps seeing around the house made its presence known in this tale, to the point where she got a good look at him, and that made for some intense and terrifying and downright unexpected moments. For this little twist was basically shoehorned into the ending and will likely be explored in the next tale. So, in the here and the now, it’s best we celebrate another unique chapter in this horror story, one that tossed convention for both drama and horror aside to tell a more intimate and heartbreaking tale, something that signals the fact that we should expect the unexpected going forward. For Bly Manor is clearly going to tell its story on its own terms and that likely means we are in for more refreshing and unique moments as the secrets of this house continue to reveal themselves to us. Until next time.

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