‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’ Recap – ‘Part 1: Black Fire Orchid’

8/5/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Tilda Cobham-Hervey and Alyla Browne as Agnes Hart and Young Alice Hart in Episode 101 of ‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’ - ‘Part 1: Black Fire Orchid’. (Photo Courtesy of Hugh Stewart/Prime Video.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist. This article also contains discussions revolving around domestic violence and child abuse, which may be triggering to some individuals.

For the most part, stories that revolve around the power of childhood trauma and its impact upon one’s psyche, tend to gloss over the trauma in question. Sure, we see it in brief flashbacks and sure… we collectively know that it harms people greatly, but that really is as far as these stories go and they instead focus… on the way forward. Of those tough days where the pain is confronted, and the healing begins and well… that’s both healthy and problematic. On the plus side, it does inform us that we are not defined by our trauma and that we can rise above with work and dedication. But on the downside… it glosses over a reality that we don’t acknowledge enough.

In that, childhood trauma and abuse are alive and well in our world, and if we want to really address the core of trauma and ensure that it no longer impacts people in adulthood and stunts them, we must begin to have the tough conversations around this problem. Starting by acknowledging the fact that it happens and that it is a real problem, and we must recognize that it badly injures the mental health of the children that suffer from it, regardless of how resilient they might be. Not to mention, we need to see and understand how it shapes lives and how we think and function in adulthood. For by seeing the complete picture and its impact, will we finally be ready to just… put our foot down and fight to end this and one way we can start that conversation is through storytelling.

Because stories touch our souls in ways, we never thought possible, and they open our eyes to so much in this life since they can explore the facets of what concerns us, and it just so happens that a new series on Prime Video is eager to finally start this conversation. Which is a feat that The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart intends to accomplish, by holding nothing back. For ‘Part 1: Black Fire Orchid’ really does showcase the horrors of child abuse and how and why we let it persist, courtesy of an introduction to young Alice Hart, who seemingly has… the perfect life. After all, she and her mother and father live in a wonderful home away from the hustle and bustle of society, and there is a connection between them all, seemingly a deep one born out of love and care. But that is nothing more than a façade.

Sigourney Weaver as June Hart in Episode 101 of ‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’ - ‘Part 1: Black Fire Orchid’. (Photo Courtesy of Prime Video.)

For we quickly come to learn in this story, it is born out of fear and control. For her father, expects his wife and child to obey his every wish and every command, and he will punish them physically if they do not comply. Not to mention, they live in isolation in essence so he can maintain that control and it isn’t until Alice wanders into town to explore life and the world, that concern begins to grow. But all are helpless to do anything but watch and observe as Alice and her mother suffers and well, it takes a mistake to free her of such horrors. One involving fire and destruction, and sadly more loss. Since that accident will likely bring forth the death of Alice’s unborn sibling, and even the bright light at the end of the tunnel of this nightmarish journey… is of concern. Since Alice is sent to live with her grandmother June, on her father’s side… and sadly… that household is clearly filled with unsettling secrets.

But what makes this episode so powerful is that unabashed look at childhood trauma and abuse. And it does showcase what causes it, since we learn that there is some generational trauma at play here and of course… those deep scars enable rotten old dad to conduct what he conducts. But while that alone could have carried this episode, the fact that we see the places that Alice must go mentally, to cope with this pain, and see the fear in her and her mother’s hearts that exists, because they worry that dad will harm them at the drop of the hat… really hammers home the ugliness of this and other elements explore how… society lets it persist. Partly because, so many feel it’s not their business, but also because… our refusal to acknowledge its reality means zero proper protections and detections under the letter of the law.

But in the here and the now, that isn’t the case, and this is reality, and it is sobering to see on screen, and this is… only the first leg of the journey, which is equally as incredible. Because it really does mean, that we are going to truly see the impact trauma and abuse has on a child and how it forms our future and that is going to make for a stunning journey. One that will undoubtedly give us the same pause as this premiere and hopefully… start the conversations that need to be had. For this kind of visceral and unsettled life should not be endured by anyone. And if this series can make a difference and push people to look for the signs and step in, in all the right ways, and/or work to break generational trauma in their own life to ensure such horrors are stopped in their tracks, then every single second of this journey will be worthy of the discomfort it produces. Until next time.

Watch ‘The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart’

0 Comments