M. Night Shyamalan’s Apple TV+ horror/thriller series Servant continues its second season today with the third episode, “Pizza.”
Check out our review below.
(Note: this review contains spoilers! Jump down to the Bottom Line for the spoiler-free take.)
In episode 3, the Turners target their search on Leanne instead of Jericho. Thanks to Dorothy’s TV plea, they’ve got tips rolling in from people trying to find the missing teen. After plenty of false IDs, they find a house.
No, that’s an understatement. They find a giant gated supermansion that no one seems to go in or out of. Except for delivery trucks, that is.
So what’s a desperate family to do but design a religious-coded pizza menu, distribute delivery menus to the entire neighborhood, and start accepting pizza orders from everyone BUT the one house they actually want to get into?
Yes, it’s as ridiculous as it sounds. In fact, this episode is probably the funniest of the series so far. It’s a borderline farce as Julian, Sean, and Dorothy argue about what the pizza menu for their fake company should look like.
“What if they don’t even order?” worries Dorothy.
“THESE ARE GOOD PIES AT COMPETITIVE PRICES!” roars Sean. “THEY’LL ORDER!”
When the right house finally places an order, Julian shows up in a tux, derailing their delivery plans. (Because pizzas do not get delivered by a man wearing tails and a bow tie.) Which is how poor Tobe ends up playing pizza delivery boy and candid camera man. It’s truly a ride from start to finish. I haven’t seen such a darkly funny yet thrilling TV episode about pizza delivery since The X-Files did “Bad Blood.”
I also want to praise the inventive camera work in Servant. The series has always used technology to show the characters (literally) through a different lens. On video calls, through a nanny-cam, on TV. That framing escalates in “Pizza” as a significant portion of the episode is delivered via hidden camera. It gives the drama a more intense, claustrophobic feel – perfect for the story.
I also love the depth Dorothy has this season. In the first season of Servant, the uninformed viewer could brush her off as naive, desperate, or just plain crazy. Season 2 tells those viewers they should have known better. Dorothy is smart, tricky, and ruthless. She’s throwing all the curveballs in season 2, and I’m here for it. I can’t wait to see what she does next.
Servant S2E3: The Bottom Line
This episode of Servant had moments so intense I literally gasped out loud. It’s also the funniest episode of the entire series so far. If you told me “pizza delivery” was going to serve as the plot device for the best episode of Servant yet, I wouldn’t have believed you. But here we are.
Rating: 10/10