by Mike Hilty, Contributing Writer
Welcome to Cross-Platform Partners! In honor of a new movie release, I have selected a TV show to watch to pair with the movie. Think of it as a way to get hyped for the new movie, a preview of things to come, a means to tide you over if the movie won’t be released where you live for a little while, or a change of pace if you’ve run out of related movies or sequels.
For August, I picked Servant to pair with Trap!
M. Night Shyamalan has had a pretty solid track record of fantastic films. His signature style comprises expert tension and innovative storytelling. The twist has become a hallmark of his work, even if it doesn’t always work. In the late 2010s, Shyamalan has experienced a resurgence with his movies. However, he also ventured into television with a thriller for the ages on Apple TV+.
Servant is about a couple, Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) and Sean Turner (Toby Kebbel), in Philadelphia. They experience a tragedy involving their son Jericho. When Dorothy falls under a deep depression from the incident, they hire Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) as a caretaker and someone who will help around the house. Sean and his brother-in-law Julian (Rupert Grint) begin to realize that Leanne is not who she appears to be, and strange events start to happen within their house and the city as a whole.
Shyamalan and his team have made a name for themselves with some fantastic technical work, and Servant continues to honor that tradition. The music, the camera work, and the set design are all outstanding. The Turners’ house feels like its own beautifully crafted world. It also lends itself to gorgeous cinematography with innovative camera angles and shadows. Plus, the music is creepy and tense, something that Shyamalan is known for with his movies.
As a parent, Servant is a terrifying show. The audience spends most of Season One figuring out what happened to cause the Turners such anguish. Even when you discover the answer, there’s still more to the mystery. Shyamalan does a beautiful job of ensuring that another pops up as soon as one mystery is solved so the audience stays engaged. Everything with Shyamalan matters, which means Servant has little odds and ends sprinkled throughout the series that will come into play at some point. It’s one of the things I appreciate about him the most; not a lot is done without intention or purpose. In Servant, this is most evident in the character development.
Shyamalan has always had interesting characters, and Servant is no exception. The Turners are an intriguing couple. We see their ups and downs as they go through an unspeakable loss as parents. Dorothy is hit the hardest, but Sean explores his grief through his cooking career. I empathized with Sean a lot, and this is the strongest I’ve ever seen Kebbel as a performer. He’s not perfect. His career ambitions, as with Dorothy’s, often get the best of him, and he doesn’t have the best judgment regarding his decision-making. But through and through, Sean cares about his family and wants to move forward.
On the other hand, Dorothy is looking to the past and wants to hold on to Jericho as long as possible. She is the most traumatized and needs the most care. This is a role I didn’t think Ambrose had in her — she is outstanding as Dorothy. Ambrose is a jack of all trades in Servant, as she is portrayed as anything from cutthroat to distant. However, we get glimpses of her humanity that causes us to withhold any judgment. Most of Season One is dedicated to finding out what happened to Jericho. By the middle of Season Two and throughout the rest of the show, the audience wonders when Dorothy will wake up and figure everything out.
We’re in a similar situation with Leanne, but in a different way. She and Dorothy complement one another. Dorothy is the one who greatly needs Leanne’s support when she arrived as Jericho’s nanny. Leanne is perhaps the most humane person of the entire group. She is gentle, calm, and steady, which none of the other characters are. Throughout her life, Leanne was very sheltered and had an extremely religious upbringing. Raised to believe she had the ability to make things right for people, Leanne’s presence with the Turners helps them cope with the unfathomable reality of their situation. In turn, Leanne gets a taste of her abilities, leading her to realize her choices.
The corruption of Leanne is one of the most fascinating aspects of Servant. When we first meet Leanne, she is shy and reserved. By the middle of Season One, we see her exploring the darker aspects of herself and questioning the teachings she grew up with. Leanne’s slow descent into darkness is one of the most exciting aspects of the entire series. It’s also shown by the contrast between her two Paramore interests. First, we have Tobe (Tony Revolori), one of Sean’s assistants in the kitchen. Tobe is a nice guy and would be an ideal match for Leanne. She expresses interest in him first, but he doesn’t reciprocate. Unfortunately, Tobe spends the rest of the series trying to make up for it. He positively influences Leanne, and when they’re together she’s happy.
On the other side, there’s Julian. Throughout the show, he shows his dedication and loyalty to his family. He has his own demons, but he’s processing his grief when it comes to Jericho and his role in the whole endeavor. Julian is highly skeptical of Leanne and her tactics. As the series progresses, their effect on one another becomes more and more toxic. Julian becomes more reserved and submissive to Leanne, which is the opposite of Tobe.
This isn’t to say Julien is the only bad influence on Leanne. Some of it just comes naturally as she explores the world and experiences how humanity is. Leanne becomes more and more rebellious throughout the series. Her development was stunted by her upbringing, so when she first arrives to the Turners, she see the world with a childlike wonder. The more time she spends in the world and with the Turners, the more she goes into a full-on teenage rebellion. By the end of the series, Leanne’s rebellion is destructive for the entire city.
In Servant, Shyamalan presents a complicated exposé of a family’s grief, how others enable them to get through that grief, and the destructive nature of the world’s influence around an impressionable girl. The performances are outstanding, and Shyamalan’s signature style makes the show visually stunning. Servant is among Apple TV+’s best series, but more notably, it’s a worthy entry into Shyamalan’s stacked catalog.
You can read more from Mike Hilty, and follow him on Instagram, Letterboxd, and Serializd