![]() Known across the pond as The Great British Bake-Off, the appeal of the wildly popular reality TV series-most seasons of which are now available on Netflix-is its refusal to go in for dramatic contrivances. Lacy Baugher MilasĬreators: Love Productions Stars: Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood, Prue Leith, Mel Giedroyc, Sue Perkins, Sandi Toksvig, Noel Fielding, Matt Lucas Genre: Cooking competition Maybe the Ushers are always fated to be doomed in every story, but Flanagan’s take on their fall is one that at least tries to ask who they might have been if they weren’t. A story of the long tail impact of trauma, it is a darkly funny and emotionally rich tragedy that grounds itself in our universal longing for love and human connection. ![]() ![]() ![]() (Likely because it’s paying homage to the man who created many of the tropes we still associate with this genre today.) But, although the series features no shortage of blood and gore-and several very disturbing animal deaths viewers who are sensitive to such things should watch out for-it is, much like his other works, about so much more than simple jump scares or overt violence. The Fall of the House of Usher is a horror story, and it’s one that feels a bit crueler and more traditional than some of Flanagan’s more recent efforts. Nothing about Usher works if you don’t believe in the unbreakable bond between Roderick and Madeline, or the pair’s bone-deep commitment to one another, for better or worse, and in betrayal or triumph. But it is the fierce chemistry between Greenwood and McDonnell that grounds the story’s propulsive emotional center. One part horror-tinged Succession knockoff and one part modern day morality play, The Fall of the House of Usher is both a darkly comedic excoriation of the uber-rich and a slow-moving emotional car crash that explores the dysfunction at the heart of a family that’s losing its members one by one. They have lied, schemed, betrayed those who cared about them, and even done murder, all to earn their place together as heads of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, a gambit that has made them successful beyond their wildest dreams. They have survived a traumatic childhood, an abusive spell in the foster system, poverty, humiliation, and despair. Here, however, the Ushers are a pair of ride-or-die siblings who have done almost everything together throughout their lives. The Fall of the House of Usher technically follows the story of twins Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline (Mary McDonnell). Episodes are freely littered with Poe references large and small, from character names to full-on poetry recitations-that this show is probably going to introduce so many people to “The City in the Sea” is a particular delight-and the series’ larger story reflects the author’s lifelong fascination with themes of guilt, death, paranoia, obsession and delusion. Happily, if this really is the end for Mike Flanagan at Netflix, he’s certainly going out with a bang, bringing back upwards of 20 of the actors who have appeared in properties ranging from The Haunting of Hill House to Gerald’s Game, for a big, splashy and often completely unhinged ode to OG horror maestro Edgar Allan Poe. Years: 2023 Creator: Mike Flanagan Stars: Carla Gugino, Bruce Greenwood, Mary McDonnell, Carl Lumbly, Mark Hamill, Henry Thomas Genre: Horror, drama Rating: TV-MA Here are the entries for October 16, 2023, of the five most popular TV shows and five most popular movies on Netflix. The list of Netflix’s daily Top 10 Most Popular indicates an omnivorous appetite among the Netflix faithful, from reality shows to prestige TV, animated kids shows to docu-series of every stripe. With the advent of the Netflix Top 10, though, we can now get at least one little peek behind the curtain. Even directors and showrunners have had a hard time gauging if what they’d put out into the world was reaching its intended audience. Netflix has been notoriously stingy with its data.
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