S01.E06: Two Storms

[TexasGal]

Quote

It's a reunion for all the wrong reasons when Hugh flies in for the funeral, coming face to face with his estranged children on a dark, stormy night.

All the visions of Nell as bent-neck lady...<shudder>  

Luke and Dad came so close to giving us information!

[krankydoodle]

This episode was impressive on a technical level, but finally getting the whole family together also made for really compelling tv. And to close it out with another gut punch of an ending with little Nell in the past crying about how she had been in the room with her family unable to see her while present-day Nell in the form of bent-neck lady can only watch as her family walks away from her coffin...oof, that got me teary-eyed.

[Whimsy]

3 hours ago, krankydoodle said:

This episode was impressive on a technical level...

Agreed. The work they put into that to make the several one-shots- very impressive.  I knew it wasn't all ONE-shot based on the location change, but it was pretty cool.  

https://www.radiotimes.com/news/2018-10-12/how-the-jaw-dropping-one-shot-episode-in-the-haunting-of-hill-house-was-almost-a-complete-disaster/ 

[jcin617]

The one shots were so well done; but also all the background stuff that was happening:  ghostly figures appearing cross shot, statues heads turning between camera passes...  and on top of it all an emotional roller coaster.

[Whimsy]

7 hours ago, jcin617 said:

The one shots were so well done; but also all the background stuff that was happening:  ghostly figures appearing cross shot, statues heads turning between camera passes...  and on top of it all an emotional roller coaster.

I just kept thinking about what must be happening in the parts that were off-screen with new actors jumping in the coffin, etc.  But, that didn't distract me from the episode.  I just thought it was so well done.  I did think the actors were a bit "off" in the beginning of the episode.  But, they finally settled into it and didn't seem so "stagy". 

[BeeBop88]

Wow, that really got me with little Nell saying I was right here and no one saw me. And so sad that never changed for Nell. I expected more of a reaction from Shirley when her husband folded like a wet blanket and admitted he had taken money from Steven, She was upset sure, but to me it was rather muted. Shirley seemed more upset with sister Theo taking Steven's money, screaming at her to get out of their house. 

[Cheezwiz]

I felt so sad again for Nell this episode. And holy hell, there are even MORE spooks in the house! So we have floating Magritte man, zombie thing in the basement, the old lady in the bed, and now spooky wheelchair kid. Am I missing any? I wonder if we'll see the big dog all the children saw in this episode. 

I felt like I was probably missing stuff in the background or edges of the frame as everyone roamed the house with flashlights, and am tempted to watch again. 

I understand how all the siblings are pissed off at Steve for writing a book that exploited their shared trauma, and got many of the details wrong, but I feel they were foolish not to take the money he offered. They at least had the option of doing something positive with the earnings. Theo called Shirley sanctimonious, and that was a pretty accurate description. In no way did they all agree not to take Steve's money. Shirley loudly declared she wouldn't and assumed everyone had followed her lead.

Why has Theo been living rent-free at Shirley's the whole time, when she is presumably making a decent living with her practice? I actually thought she was contributing to the household in exchange for her suite. Another mystery!

**Oh yeah! and who is the handsome fellow Shirley keeps having visions of? - he's always raising a glass whenever she sees him**

Edited October 18, 2018 by Cheezwiz

[bilgistic]

There are apparently far more ghosts than we "know"; they hide in the shadows. Google "hidden ghosts of The Haunting of Hill House" and several articles come up.

This episode was rough for a few reasons. The first third or so was a bit slow, but once they got into it, the actors did a good job playing a family with years of pent-up disappointment, hurt, anger, fear and exasperation. It was like some of the worst family arguments I've been through and made me feel dreadful. Utter exhaustion. When Nell's casket fell, I yelled, "Oh my god!" It was so unexpected but effective to snap everyone out of their bullshit.

I assume that Nell can/could somehow cross between the worlds (the veil?) of the living and the dead. We've seen her do it as a child during the storm at the house and at the end of her life at the house. I don't think she does it consciously, though. I don't know why Luke doesn't have the same ability nor why he couldn't feel her presence as a child during the storm nor as an adult next to her body. He seemed to just want to stay with her body. He seems to be able to sense that she's unwell, but not that she's physically near him. Her spirit was aching to be seen, but only her dad saw her...right?

And her spirit put the buttons over her body's eyes... *shudder*

Edited October 18, 2018 by bilgistic

[Dobian]

That is one effed up family.

Steve is such a whining bitch I wanted to punch him in the face every time he opened his mouth.

Clever camera work with the wide angle shots revealing things amiss in the background, like bent kneck ladies and such.  Very Stanley Kubrick.

Very creepy and effective the way the dad rounded the corner from the funeral parlor into Hill House.

Timothy Hutton was great.

I really like how the episode moved fluidly between timelines, much more effective than the usual abrupt transition from the present to the past and back again.

It feels more like a real supernatural power is at work now, and not just a group of people with assorted issues and mental illness.

Edited October 19, 2018 by Dobian

[Anela]

On 10/15/2018 at 12:00 PM, krankydoodle said:

This episode was impressive on a technical level, but finally getting the whole family together also made for really compelling tv. And to close it out with another gut punch of an ending with little Nell in the past crying about how she had been in the room with her family unable to see her while present-day Nell in the form of bent-neck lady can only watch as her family walks away from her coffin...oof, that got me teary-eyed.

I didn't know that it was mostly a one-shot episode. 

Poor Nell. Even at her funeral, it becomes about their issues, instead of about what really happened to her. 

I don't blame them for being annoyed at Steve, for writing a book about something he didn't believe in - even when he saw the dog, and knew what his siblings went through, he chose not to believe them. To humour them. "The wrong parent died." Awful. I want to know why he thinks that, though. It seemed like they were a loving family, until we saw that one flashback that Theo picked up when her dad grabbed her arm, on that last night. Trying to get her out of the house. 

On 10/16/2018 at 12:46 AM, jcin617 said:

The one shots were so well done; but also all the background stuff that was happening:  ghostly figures appearing cross shot, statues heads turning between camera passes...  and on top of it all an emotional roller coaster.

I missed things like statue's heads turning, only saw the man raise his glass, and the person in bed, and the wheelchair. I need to watch this when the sun isn't up. 

I'm glad this doesn't appear to be all down to mental illness. I don't know why Steve puts everything down to that, given what Theo can do. She doesn't imagine those things.

[DangerousMinds]

What flashback did she see when her dad grabbed her arm?

[Anela]

1 hour ago, DangerousMinds said:

What flashback did she see when her dad grabbed her arm?

It looked like her dad had hold of her mum's arm, and threw her against the wall. Her mum's head hits the wall. I think that's what happened.

[patty1h]

I was annoyed by the disagreement about who took money from the sale of Steve's book. The story wanted to make it this big lifelong morality issue among the siblings but I just thought it was a whole lot of yelling about nothing.  Theo (and Nell?) should have just smoked a cigarette and got over it.  Your brother is a hypocrite - go on with your own lives.  I'd have taken the damn money.

[Anela]

5 hours ago, patty1h said:

I was annoyed by the disagreement about who took money from the sale of Steve's book. The story wanted to make it this big lifelong morality issue among the siblings but I just thought it was a whole lot of yelling about nothing.  Theo (and Nell?) should have just smoked a cigarette and got over it.  Your brother is a hypocrite - go on with your own lives.  I'd have taken the damn money.

Shirley. They can be difficult to tell apart, at times. I thought Theo was Shirley, at one point.

[Cardie]

3 hours ago, Anela said:

I thought Theo was Shirley, at one point.

They are especially hard to tell apart in the night scenes at their residence because they look alike in the dark and the show is slow to spell out that Theo lives in Shirley's guest house.

[OoogleEyes]

So. Has anyone here ever been to a viewing that served hard liquor in the back?

[Pondlass1]

I know it looks  dramatic when a character empties a bottle of pills down the toilet, but don’t ever do this in real life.  Take unused medications to the pharmacist to be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

[bilgistic]

On 10/21/2018 at 2:43 PM, Pondlass1 said:

I know it looks  dramatic when a character empties a bottle of pills down the toilet, but don’t ever do this in real life.  Take unused medications to the pharmacist to be disposed of in an environmentally safe manner.

My local police department has a depository that takes unused or expired meds.

[tennisgurl]

Another scary, tragic episode. The theme of the season seems to be "poor, poor Nell", haunted as a child, and now a broken ghost after her death. I guess she put the buttons on her own eyes to get their attention? Or maybe she was just a big Coraline fan? That whole argument was brutal, and it felt so real, I felt like I had to look away a few times. Especially the stuff between Theo and Shirley, those seemed like seriously low blows, but I could understand both of their perspectives. All the dynamics were so interesting, with the family going from happy memories, to shouting between Theo, Steve, and Shirley, the dad trying to keep the peace until the end, and Luke in the background just looking uncomfortable and miserable. 

That house is chalk full of ghosts apparently! They're freaking everywhere! You know, I cant blame Kevin or Theo for taking the money to get their career started/keep their business afloat, but I also cant blame everyone for being pissed at Steve for writing the book. He not only took their childhood trauma and made money off of it, but he clearly believes that the rest of his family is unstable, and he has a pretty condescending attitude towards them, and is basically making all his money on selling this ghost story, while telling his family that they're all crazy for believing that ghosts were involved. And its so sad to see back when they were a very close, loving family, as opposed to now. 

[Rap541]

On ‎10‎/‎21‎/‎2018 at 11:06 AM, OoogleEyes said:

So. Has anyone here ever been to a viewing that served hard liquor in the back?

I assumed a bit of leniency in that the viewing was held in the funeral home that was owned by the next of kin. 

I honestly would go to more viewings if alcohol was served. 

3 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

I guess she put the buttons on her own eyes to get their attention? Or maybe she was just a big Coraline fan?

Probably but it was established in an earlier episode that young Nell was a button collector. I actually went to the Simpsons episode where Lennie was in a movie where "Baby Button Eyes" was killing everyone and replacing their eyes with buttons....

[Baby Button Eyes]

^ I just saw my name and had to say hi... and those buttons eyes were creepy. They used to do that in the old days but I forget why.

Edited October 25, 2018 by Baby Button Eyes

[buttercupia]

12 hours ago, Baby Button Eyes said:

^ I just saw my name and had to say hi... and those buttons eyes were creepy. They used to do that in the old days but I forget why.

I believe it was to cover the eyes, which shrink into the head. I did notice a box shirley had that was labeled "eyes" when she was working on a corpse.

[Bobcatkitten]

I liked some of the shots but overall the family drama was a bit too high for me in this one. 

[JenE4]

On 10/18/2018 at 2:10 AM, Cheezwiz said:

 

**Oh yeah! and who is the handsome fellow Shirley keeps having visions of? - he's always raising a glass whenever she sees him**

 

I assumed that was the same guy who was eyeing up Theo in da club before she hooked up with that girl. (Which really made no sense—he was a ghost after all?) He also kind of looked like Steve. IF so, does that mean Steve is next to die? I’m TERRIBLE with faces. (You know that insurance commercial where people call THEMSELVES as the insurance rep? It took me until at least a half dozen into the series thinking these people sort of look alike before I figured out it’s the same person...which means it has always been the same person, lol.) Otherwise, I don’t recall seeing him before. When else did Shirley see him?

But... Wow. wow. Wow. I think this was one of the most powerful and masterfully filmed  pieces of cinematography i’ve ever seen. At first it was just the little things like the dad seeing them as kids, and then broken neck Nell standing behind them with the lighting flash coming across her in case you didn’t see her there. And then it JUST KEPT BUILDING AND F*CKING BUIDING. By the time Nell’s casket fell over and Little Nell voicing over that no one saw her, I just lost my goddamned mind!

The dad muttering to himself—he’s talking to the ghost of his wife, right? And he saw Nell. He knows she’s the Broken Neck Lady. I’m not sure whether Steve saw the ghost when he turned around and said “get it together.” He MAY have just been looking toward the casket. But since that was the first sighting of Nell this episode, it may have been to set up the ending that why don’t they see her there. Even if he did see her, he’s ignoring her. Dad’s the only one who SEES her there, acknowledges she’s there. Luke has also pieced together she’s been the Broken Neck Lady all along.

ETA: Also, Nell(?) puts buttons over her eyes after Shirley talks about “2 of us. There used to be 7 but now there’s 5.” Nell counted the 7 buttons as her coping mechanism after seeing the Broken Neck Lady. She even did it with sugar packets at the hotel before she went to Hill House. The buttons on the eyes were to show the two of them—Mom and Nell—were still there. She also did it to get them to stop fighting. When they started fighting again—kick it up a notch to get their attention by knocking over the casket.

Edited October 26, 2018 by JenE4

[Lady Calypso]

That was a powerful episode, for sure. A lot of use with the one takes, when it abruptly ended when Nell's coffin broke. It was like all the tension and anger was filling up until that happened. There were a lot of good scenes with the arguments. I'm surprised they didn't have anyone hit below the belt with Luke's drug addiction, and I appreciate that they didn't. The anger stayed between Theo, Shirley, Steve, and their father. But then again, Luke wasn't even in a real fighting mood until he asked Hugh what happened with their mother that night. 

I figure Hugh sees his wife and we know he now sees Nell. It seems like he's not as oblivious to the ghosts as initially thought. Whatever happened with Olivia the night that she died, it clearly affected him. My best guess is that he had to kill her once she was possessed or whatever and that's what he can't tell the other kids. Only Nell saw him when he had blood all over him (probably not paint like he told Nell) so I figure he may have always seen Olivia. Now, whether or not she's been a ghost attached to him or if that's more of a mental break, I haven't decided yet. We know that Luke now knows who the Bent-Neck Lady is, and we know Hugh knows. It's uncertain whether Theo saw Nell as the Bent-Neck Lady when she touched her. And I THINK that Steve saw dead Nell at the beginning of the episode, hence why he started drinking more? He lives in denial about the house and the supernatural going ons. It feels now that he's more trying to convince himself that it's not real, rather than  really believing it...at least anymore. 

Poor little Nell at the end. Also, did nobody in that house notice that little Luke disappeared in the scene where the kids were screaming and Nell reappearing? Where did he go? 

Yeah, Steve IS an ass for writing those books and capitalizing on his siblings' pain. I remember in the pilot that one of the sisters was yelling at him for writing the book when he didn't see 99% of what happened, so I guess the thing with the dog is the 1% that he did see. However, I also think that Theo and Kevin taking the money is perfectly fine, as they need to survive too and being sanctimonious and condescending isn't a good way to live either. 

So, Shirley's seeing some random guy in a suit and drunk Theo looked like she was trying to kiss Kevin while he was pushing away, but I'm not too certain about that.

Overall, a pretty good episode. I think bringing the family together was long overdue. 

[PWHCHCH]

I really like young Steven ,  but not a fan of old Steve.

 

to the poster above, I too notice that young Luke wasn’t in that scene.  Wonder if it was intentional or not. The fact that they shot in one long take may be the reason he wasn’t seen and it was just simply unintentional.  

 

This episode deserves a lot of praise for pulling off those single long shots.  Amazing .

[JBC344]

In addition to what everyone else has said, the revelation for me was Olivia whispering to Nell that she sees the ghosts too and they are all around but won't hurt them.  Now we have confirmation that Olivia is aware of everything in the house and is "playing" the role of the doubtful parent.

[Peanut6711]

On 10/18/2018 at 2:10 AM, Cheezwiz said:

I understand how all the siblings are pissed off at Steve for writing a book that exploited their shared trauma, and got many of the details wrong, but I feel they were foolish not to take the money he offered. They at least had the option of doing something positive with the earnings. Theo called Shirley sanctimonious, and that was a pretty accurate description. In no way did they all agree not to take Steve's money. Shirley loudly declared she wouldn't and assumed everyone had followed her lead.

Agree! They have a right to be upset about him capitalizing on their childhood trauma but nothing is wrong with taking the money if it's being used for a good purpose like Theo's education or Shirley's charity cases in the funeral business. 

On 10/21/2018 at 2:06 PM, OoogleEyes said:

So. Has anyone here ever been to a viewing that served hard liquor in the back?

Given all their family issues and the fact that one member has addiction issues, you'd think they'd have kept the booze locked up.  Who was watching Shriley's kids during the family viewing?

[Rap541]

7 hours ago, Peanut6711 said:

Given all their family issues and the fact that one member has addiction issues, you'd think they'd have kept the booze locked up.  Who was watching Shriley's kids during the family viewing?

Probably some babysitter who finds out that the creepy guy calling her is CALLING FROM INSIDE THE HOUSE!!! Dun dun DUNNNNN! :)

More seriously, the boy was what, 12-13? Can't he be left alone in the house with the younger sister for a few hours, or is that now child abuse?

[DangerousMinds]

Heck, I was babysitting kids from our other families when I was 13.

[Cardie]

3 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

Heck, I was babysitting kids from our other families when I was 13.

I started at 11, although only in our neighborhood when my parents were home. This was the 1960s.

[Rap541]

12-13 for me in the mid 1980s and my older sister just about shit herself in rage at the idea of the almost 13 year old niece being left alone for a few hours in the house. I was routinely locking up the house in the morning an getting on the school bus with my own house key at 7. Times change.

[bilgistic]

I was a latchkey kid at six (1980-81), staying home by myself after school for however long until Mom left work, picked up my younger sisters from daycare and got home, so maybe three hours a day. At nine, I was keeping both sisters (aged five and six) after school until Mom came home from her second job after 9pm. I don't recommend people doing that to their kids. It had lasting repercussions (but then, so did my father's near-total absence from my life). Twelve is old enough to be alone for a few hours a day. Six...is not.

[Proclone]

On 11/1/2018 at 5:43 PM, Peanut6711 said:

Agree! They have a right to be upset about him capitalizing on their childhood trauma but nothing is wrong with taking the money if it's being used for a good purpose like Theo's education or Shirley's charity cases in the funeral business. 

Given all their family issues and the fact that one member has addiction issues, you'd think they'd have kept the booze locked up.  Who was watching Shriley's kids during the family viewing?

I can see where Shirley is coming from and I think it's kind of crappy on her husband's part to take the money knowing how she felt about it.  I wouldn't take money from a sibling that I thought was not only exploiting our childhoods but also my mother's mental illness and suicide.  That being said, she did widely overreact and no matter how she personally felt about taking the money she shouldn't project that on her siblings.  If Theo was ok with taking the money, I can understand Shirley not being enthused about it, but she was acting if Theo had personally attacked her or something.

They did actually bring up whether having the booze out around Luke was appropriate.  Shirley's husband asks if Luke is going to be ok with the alcohol being around and Shirley says something to the effect that he'll have to suck it up because the rest of them need to drink.  Also, Shirley's home is attached to the funeral home.  There's a business side and a personal side to the building.  The kids aren't toddlers they don't need an adult watching them every second.  The adults were on the business side, the older brother could have kept an eye out for the younger one (who was probably in bed by the time Hugh and Luke showed up).  If there was some kind of emergency their parents are literally on the other side of the building.

[Paloma]

On 10/27/2018 at 11:25 AM, Lady Calypso said:

And I THINK that Steve saw dead Nell at the beginning of the episode, hence why he started drinking more? He lives in denial about the house and the supernatural going ons. It feels now that he's more trying to convince himself that it's not real, rather than  really believing it...at least anymore. 

At first I thought he saw his dead mother standing by the casket, because I couldn't see the face clearly and she seemed to be standing straight (no bent neck). But I guess it makes more sense that it was Nell, because she was wearing what looked like the same dress or nightgown that she was wearing when she died. OTOH, the dress/nightgown she was wearing was the one her dead mom (or whatever spirit was inhabiting her mom's body) told her to get from mom's dresser--so it still could have been mom wearing that dress/nightgown that Steve saw.

I agree that Steve has lived in denial, which is understandable especially if he didn't actually see that much as a child. It's also a coping mechanism to deal with his mother's suicide and the resulting family trauma. And he also has always had the role of the "stable" one--the rational oldest brother--even if his siblings as adults get angry with him for that. I think his sanity depends on his continuing to convince himself that none of the ghost stuff is real and that mental illness and addiction in the rest of the family are the only problems. Unfortunately for him, it is going to be hard to continue to be in denial.

[Paloma]

On 10/31/2018 at 1:22 AM, JBC344 said:

In addition to what everyone else has said, the revelation for me was Olivia whispering to Nell that she sees the ghosts too and they are all around but won't hurt them.  Now we have confirmation that Olivia is aware of everything in the house and is "playing" the role of the doubtful parent.

But why would Olivia think the ghosts won't hurt them? If she can see the ghosts and also is aware that they haunt the kids and that the kids (not just Nell) are scared by what is happening in the house, why wouldn't she talk to all the kids to validate what they are experiencing and to reassure them that they won't be hurt? Since she only said this to Nell, I wonder if Olivia was already possessed by the evil ghost at that point and was playing "good mom" so that Nell would trust her both as a child and eventually as an adult returning to the house (to make Nell believe that she was being given the locket she had been promised instead of putting a noose around her neck).

On 10/27/2018 at 11:25 AM, Lady Calypso said:

So, Shirley's seeing some random guy in a suit and drunk Theo looked like she was trying to kiss Kevin while he was pushing away, but I'm not too certain about that.

I thought random guy in a suit was the ghost of the funeral director who took her to see her mother's "fixed-up" body in the casket when Shirley was a child. But maybe not--the random guy in a suit didn't seem to have as much facial hair as the funeral director, though I'd have to look at the scene again to be sure.

I thought Theo and Kevin were mutually making out, but I would have to look at the scene again to see if he was pushing her away.

[Paloma]

On 10/18/2018 at 2:10 AM, Cheezwiz said:

So we have floating Magritte man, zombie thing in the basement, the old lady in the bed, and now spooky wheelchair kid. Am I missing any?

I think I saw a young woman dressed as a flapper or other early 1900s dress, standing next to the Magritte man when Nell was imagining the happy family reunion. That young woman may have been the same one that was in a photograph that the housekeeper showed Nell, and that young woman eventually became the old lady in the bed (I think). 

[willco]

Great episode, but pretty hard to stomach. I think, and I would assume the writers are going for this also, that at least half the "horror" in this tale is the fractured family. I know that seems like an obvious thing to say, but it stood out to me this time more than any other episode so far. And I can relate. For reasons that I don't need to go into, everyone in my family ( including me, but not as bad as some others) were pretty pissed at my Dad after my Mom died. And it does bleed over into other relationships-- some rotten things were said when one person has a different opinion on how things should go. It was a long time ago & things got better, but at the time, it was awful.

 

Pretty sad that a funeral turns into a free-for-all. And, yeah, the  whiskey probably was a bad idea !

 

I thought it was weird that no one besides the family was there. Was it set up that way, was the first viewing just for them ? Nell had lots of people at her wedding, surely some of them would want to be there. If it was just for immediate family at first, and I missed them saying that, I withdraw the question.

 

I'm gonna be sad when this is over ; I've enjoyed the series more than I thought I would. I had hoped it would be good, but was bracing for disappointment. Luckily, it just seems to be getting better. But that ending isn't far off & that's a bit sad.

[EarlGreyTea]

On 10/18/2018 at 1:10 AM, Cheezwiz said:

I understand how all the siblings are pissed off at Steve for writing a book that exploited their shared trauma, and got many of the details wrong, but I feel they were foolish not to take the money he offered. They at least had the option of doing something positive with the earnings. Theo called Shirley sanctimonious, and that was a pretty accurate description. In no way did they all agree not to take Steve's money. Shirley loudly declared she wouldn't and assumed everyone had followed her lead.
 

 

Shirley is the most sanctimonious, insufferable character on the show for me. I'm sure Liz Reaser is a lovely woman, but she always seems (to me, at least) to add a layer of self-righteousness to every role I've seen her in. I groaned inwardly when I saw she was cast.  Having said that, I don't think she's given much to work with here. All of the other siblings have interesting backstories. Someone has to be the straight man, and that's where Shirley fits in. She's the the least interesting and the most stolid sibling. Although I do love that scream princess Lulu Wilson was cast as her younger counterpart. That was some solid work on the part of the casting director.

Every single sibling ragging on Steve has had the opposite effect on me. I like him.

Edited January 16, 2019 by EarlGreyTea

[Bruinsfan]

On 10/27/2018 at 10:25 AM, Lady Calypso said:

Poor little Nell at the end. Also, did nobody in that house notice that little Luke disappeared in the scene where the kids were screaming and Nell reappearing? Where did he go? 

He was clutching Olivia and largely hidden by her skirt in that scene.