M. Night Shyamalan’s dramatic thriller Servant wraps up season 2 on Apple TV+ with “Josephine.”
Check out our review below. (Note: this review contains spoilers! Jump down to the Bottom Line for the spoiler-free take.)
The last episode of Servant implied a Big Bad was on her way. And the show doesn’t make you wait for her: Aunt Josephine arrives, and she’s the most dangerous of Leanne’s culty non-relatives yet.
And when Leanne begs Sean not to leave her alone with the woman, you know things are going to get intense. (Sean definitely leaves her alone with Aunt Josephine. Which is pretty cold, considering he’s supposed to be the one who feels bad Leanne’s been locked up in their attic.)
Like Uncle George, Aunt Josephine is pissed Leanne went rogue and took up life with the Turners.
But unlike Uncle George, she’s actually going to do something about it.
What’s she going to do, you ask? Oh, only blind, slice up, and burn Leanne’s body in a ritual sacrifice to God. Yeah, this one means business.
(Side note: The plan for how to ritualistically murder someone presented in the form of an instructional VHS? Incredible. It’s basically the epitome of Servant – dark and creepy, but edged with humor. What a great touch!)
This episode has a real cat-and-mouse feel, as Josephine wreaks havoc on the members of the Turner house, psychologically tormenting Dorothy, then locking her and Sean in separate parts of the house. The situations are tense and keep you on the edge of your seat.
When Dorothy comes to Leanne’s rescue, knocking out Josephine before she can get to sacrificin’, we see something shift in Leanne. All she really wants is a family that actually cares about her. And she sees Dorothy’s act as proof of her love.
(Are you thinking about how bad Leanne’s life has been that this wins her over? Because I sure am. I mean sure, Leanne didn’t want to be murdered. But Dorothy also drugged, kidnapped, and almost killed her pretty recently.)
With Dorothy’s demonstration of caring, Leanne promises to get Jericho back for her. When she disappears from the house, Sean’s sure this whole thing has finally come to an end. But as he prepares to force Dorothy to remember the truth about their son, the baby monitor goes off. And guess who’s back again?
I think the bizarre, ominous family Servant creates gives the show an interesting new dynamic. But honestly, I am a little worn out on the back-and-forth with Jericho. I hope moving forward the series commits to the implications of keeping and raising this baby-that-shouldn’t-exist. Because if he disappears again, I’m going to have to pull a Dorothy and break out the shovel.
Servant S2 Finale: The Bottom Line
The Servant season 2 finale was full of thrills, falling back on its best formula of mixing creepiness with dark humor. It kept me engaged throughout, and eager to see what Leanne does next. (I am kind of over the back-and-forth with Jericho though.)
Rating: 9/10
