I feel like I’m watching a dollhouse play session between God and the Devil. Partly that’s because of the voyeuristic shots that litter each episode. In part, it’s also because this story feels huge. Much bigger than the inside of the Turner’s brownstone and the little fragments of the outside we’ve seen. The story started so small. The story of a family’s grief and the mysterious girl who brought their son back to life has turned into what appears to be a battle for the fate of the world. Servant Season 4 Episode 5 marks the beginning of the end. The gloves are off. Everyone’s cards are on the table and there’s no going back now.
There’s a new sheriff in town. Try as Leanne might; she cannot stop Dorothy. Dorothy has her groove and her man back. When she receives a note asking for “their wayward flower back,” she thinks it’s the perfect way to cut Leanne out of their lives. It’s hard to believe that a year ago, Dorothy would have done just about anything to protect Leanne. Now she’s willing to work with the devil if it means getting her life and her family back.
Lauren Ambrose’s Dorothy, who has always been so much fun to watch with her ridiculous affected airs and ignorant attitude, is more grounded. She is war-tested and road-weary. She worries about things like becoming a monster when her only concern was whether others thought she was a monster. Despite the great danger and her worries, Sean and Dorothy set a trap. They invite all the new neighbors on Spruce Street to a party. The plan is to use the party as an excuse to grill everyone with questions until someone slips up and reveals himself to be a cult member. They can then push Leanne in their path, and whatever happens, happens.
Julian, of course, tries to reason with them as he sleeps with the enemy and knows that they have failed every time they have tried to get her out. Sean and Julian have a close bond that was strengthened the day Dorothy and Sean lost their baby. Julian may be a petulant man-child who chides Sean for not remembering the bro code, but at the end of the day, he’s Team Dorothy and always will be.
When Sean invites the youngest couple over, he notices they have a whole bag of Campbell’s Tomato Soup, just like Leanne used to eat religiously. They claim they went to Costco and have Kirkland branded items to prove it, but who needs that much soup?
Although an elegant affair with great food and drink, the dinner party is a hilarious disaster. Sean and Dorothy are terrible hosts who spend their time asking the strangest questions and abruptly stop conversations when they exclude people.
Leanne is completely unhinged. She threatens Sean with kitchen knives and teaches her park people how to manifest their destinies. It’s chilling stuff made all the more terrifying by Nell Tiger Free’s unabashed performance. Leanne has gone completely crazy and Free is having the time of her life camping in front of the camera. It wouldn’t be nearly as terrifying if Free wasn’t so committed to her insane performance. She is Carrie’s Sissy Spacek, misunderstood, scared and very angry.
They can try anything they want, but Leanne is completely out of control and won’t be denied. She considers the Turners her family and won’t let them go. While the Turners question their poor guests, Leanne’s park folks search the neighbors’ houses for evidence of them being at church. Finally, they get into trouble when they find a creepy picture of two women with gouged eyes and the words “Wash my sins with blood.” Anoint me with your spirit.”
What is especially interesting is that the image contains beetles and bees. Given all the insect activity Leanne seems to have monitored so far, I’m curious if anyone else in the church has similar abilities. Servant Season 4 Episode 5 ties up loose ends and calls back to previous seasons. It reminds us where we come from and how uncertain our grip is on friend and foe.
Dorothy thinks she has a church member she lures into the courtyard with Leanne, but the man is just a pervert. Dorothy saves Leanne from the man, and Leanne is genuinely moved until Dorothy explains she didn’t do it to help her. Subsequently, Sean’s power went out, spawning glow lights and an attack. Appealing to the neon-saturated weirdness of Suspiria mixed with an old-fashioned haunted house, this is easily the most fun part of Servant Season 4 Episode 5. It’s a beautifully conceived segment that is suspenseful and beautiful to watch.
Just before Leanne is attacked, she overhears Sean and Dorothy discussing their plan to betray her. Before she has time to act, she is hooded, restrained and groped. However, it will take more to bring her down. When a struggle ensues, the Turner’s house nearly tears apart and Jericho cries. Sean is nearly crushed under the huge chandelier that decorates their living room, but he just stops. as everyone watches, shocked at what happened, Leanne reminds Julian, Dorothy and Sean that ‘we’re family. What do you need to understand that?” A huge sinkhole has formed on the street right in front of their house. Hell has opened up and threatens to swallow them whole. Find all our Servant coverage here.
stray straw:
- I wonder if the park people will develop powers like Leanne. Is she able to grant powers? If so, that’s a game changer. How can anyone beat her?
- Jericho in the Bible was cursed after it was rebuilt when God destroyed it. Given all the wall destruction in the Turner house, I wonder if Jericho is both the kid and the house in Servant?
- In the photo in the neighbor’s house, there is a scarlet yarn used to tie the couple together. Rahab the harlot in the bible hid Israelite spies and was told to put a scarlet yarn on her window when the invasion came. The yarn meant she was an ally, and she was spared. Is it possible that Dorothy should be the one to perform the ritual on Leanne, restoring her life and her home? Will the trauma of Leanne’s murder trigger her memory of Jericho?
- At least one couple is a spy for the Church. How many others are there, and are Bobbie and Bev more than they seem?
- I still don’t understand how Julian and Sean think they can get rid of Leanne and keep Jericho. They know when she’s leaving, so does he. Do they hope Jericho stays with them when she dies instead of being banished?
- Have they forgotten that Uncle George made questionable comments about Jericho 2.0 in season one? They will probably want to keep the child, assuming he lives at all.
- Is this whole thing really about sadness? If everyone admits their part in Jericho’s death and mourns, will it all be over?
- Is Leanne a fallen archangel like Lucifer? It would explain why she is able to resurrect creatures and give commands and why the church wants her so badly. Perhaps this is a case of an angel being on Earth too long. The longer they are here, the more they lose their goodness. This is why the church kept her under such tight control and why, now that she has no boundaries, she is losing control. With great power comes great responsibility, and Leanne doesn’t seem to understand that.
As editor-in-chief of Signal Horizon, I enjoy watching and writing about genre entertainment. I grew up on old fashioned slashers, but my real passion is television and all weird and ambiguous stuff. My work can be found here and Travel Weird, where I am the editor-in-chief.
Support us on Patreon for members-only content!
