The Haunting Of Bly Manor is the second season of the incredibly well-received, loved, and love-to-cry-about horror disguised as heartbreak anthology series. Fans are fresh out of 1987 and they can't get enough of Bly Manor.
There's the performances, the execution, the cinematography, and the suffocating twist reveals, not to mention each episode's ability to remove the viewers from reality, only to return them with their thoughts still fixed on what they just witnessed. It dwells on the mind, and a dwelling mind is a mind in need of expression.
It's A No From Me
The finger. The finger can't be ignored. The residents of Bly Manor love their mealtimes, and so do the audience members. It's a time where most of the characters come together, which means they aren't scattered around the grounds of the manor by themselves.
In Owen's quest to find what his cake batter needs more of - lemon or strawberry - he takes it to the people. But honestly, a clean spoon or fork or another spatula, or really anything would be better than septuple dipping.
A Shared Confusion
It was no doubt one of the best reveals of the season. "The Altar Of The Dead" simultaneously destroyed and excited viewers. Here is an episode devoted to Hannah and her journey in Bly Manor: her strength, her mystery, her relationships, her gorgeous outfits.
But it was all wrong. It was both everything the viewers wanted to see and everything they didn't want to admit. And what an ending. An ending that stayed in the mind, even hours later.
Quite The Narrator
In many ways, the wedding party listening to the story told by an older Jamie is a representation of the viewers watching the show. They would have been just as enthralled and confused - just as haunted and impacted - except, they didn't have any time to process the events of each episode.
The wedding party didn't have the stunning and seamless transitions and visuals that the viewers were fortunate enough to have. One thing's for sure, though. Jamie would have had to have been a great narrator, and based on the times she narrated the episodes, it's safe to say she was.
Stuck With No Place To Go
Once viewers watched the "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes," their unease toward the ghosts of Bly Manor was replaced with understanding. These were the unfortunate souls who died in Bly Manor, either by circumstance or because they crossed the path of the sleeping, waking, walking Viola: the little boy, the plague doctor, the soldier, and countless others trapped on the property.
And maybe if they hadn't yet forgotten themselves, they would have wondered about the current souls living in Bly Manor and what would become of them.
Everyone Loves A Reference
https://benhargrieves.tumblr.com/post/631714663596457984/hannah-and-the-rest-well-its-all-just
The beauty of an anthology series is that one doesn't have to watch the first season to watch the second. It also means easter eggs and common themes can be hidden for fans of previous seasons while leaving a new viewer's experience uninterrupted.
Something viewers of Hill House enjoyed about Bly Manor was the continuation of the search for hidden ghosts. Another more subtle reference was Hannah Grose never finishing her sentence before she faded, but viewers knew it ended along the lines of "confetti," a link to Nellie Crain's character in Hill House.
The Gravity Of The Situation
Viola Willoughby was a stubborn, seething, haunted soul. After she refused to submit to death and after she refused to be drawn to the call of a world beyond the material plane, her self-made purgatory became the purgatory of not only her soul, but of Bly Manor.
Her constant denial to greet death eventually led to a poisonous gravity that meant all the souls who died on the grounds could never leave - only forget, only fade.
Who Doesn't Love Owen?
Every character stole the show. Every character was complex. And then there are the ones who deserved better, the ones who are genuinely loved by viewers not only because of their incredible acting but because they made the terrifying less so.
Owen Sharma was the one who escaped with his life, but lost his love to the manor. He was a funny, kind, quirky, and warm presence and was brought to life by the talented Rahul Kohli, who played just as lovable of a character on the series iZombie.
Luke Crain > Peter Quint
The Haunting Of Bly Manor pulled it off. It took most of the same actors as The Haunting Of Hill House and gave viewers an entirely new experience. Luke Crain remains undisturbed by the creation of Peter Quint.
One character had viewers in tears of sorrow, while the other had viewers horrified. Seeing Peter Quint's face outside the window at night - possessing Miles, murdering Rebecca, and shoving Hannah into a well - definitely doesn't spark joy, as seen in this Tumblr meme by @bisexy-legend.
Support From The Family You Choose
None of the characters had an easy time either during or by the end of the series, whether they died or not. But Dani's wise words emulated in tragic times: a family you choose. The people who support you by choice and who love you always.
Rebecca saved the children and the children tried their best to protect the adults. Owen chose Hannah to confide in and spend time with. She was the person he wanted to escape with, the person he came back for. And even though Hannah discovered she was gone, she went back to warn Owen and to save him. Dani and Jamie were there for each other until the very end. Their selfless sacrifice for one another guided them through tragedy and spared future souls from Viola. Henry returned to Bly Manor, fighting his guilt, fear, and alter ego because he could no longer stay away.
They're Not Tears Of Fear
The Haunting Of Bly Manor and The Haunting Of Hill House both share mysterious haunted circumstances and tragedy. The lasting feeling that remains in the hearts and minds of viewers is not one of fear, rather it is one of despair. To watch this anthology series with the expectation of frightful nights awake truly depends on what is more frightful to each audience member.
It is a love story and a ghost story. What makes this series so complex is that each moment carries with it depth beyond simply being scared of a few ghosts. It's haunting in more ways than one.