Mama
Does Dorothy forgive Leanne?
Episode 10 of Servant Season 3 starts this finale with Dorothy waking up in bed alone. Without Jericho strapped to her chest anymore, Dorothy feels like a shell of the confident woman we saw earlier in the season. She’s silent as she approaches the kitchen, as everyone fusses over her, encouraging the frazzled woman to eat her breakfast. Leanne speaks up and points out that she wants to help, urging Dorothy to stop fighting her and to start fresh. She forgives Dorothy – and always will – for trying to send her away. Dorothy smiles weakly and promises not to go against Leanne again. And so, the fresh start sees Leanne and Dorothy getting along like a house on fire. Julian knows his sister though and doesn’t buy her act. He talks to Sean about this and even confronts Dorothy after, believing she’s up to something and trying to work out what. Dorothy refuses to let him in on it though, while Leanne continues to act in her usual creepy way.
What is Dorothy offered?
Leanne sneaks in the space behind her room to the dead body, which simply turns to dust and fades away. As it does, she collects up the remains and throws it in the bin outside. However, Leanne soon learns from one of her informants that Milo (one of the squatters) has gone missing and no one seems to know where he is. One of the recurring motifs this season has been maggots and this visually references the rot that’s infiltrated Dorothy’s mind, growing ever-more obvious as the episodes have progressed. In the morning, Leanne takes Dorothy out into the middle of the park, where all the squatters gather. Surrounded, she hands over a slip of paper that offers up a lucrative position for Dorothy’s career. Eleven News are looking for a new reporter and this could be the dream job she’s been after. It would also allow her to get a better work/life balance with Jericho.
What is Jericho’s first word? Who is he looking at?
That night, Jericho says his first word “Mama”. Only, he’s not looking at Dorothy when he says it… he seems to be looking at someone in the hallway. When Dorothy looks though, there’s no one there. It’s subtly hinted that Jericho could be looking at Leanne. We don’t actually receive an answer for this but given what we’ve learned this year, as well as the influence Leanne has on the family, it makes sense. After drinking some alcohol over dinner (something Julian isn’t happy with give his prior addiction) Dorothy speaks to Sean in private. She’s no longer upset with her husband and has made peace with what’s happened. She apologizes for her anger and pent-up frustrations, kissing him and promising to be by his side. Outside, Uncle George shows up and claims that “things are decaying, the house is filled with parasites.” He can smell the rot coming from the house and believes that whatever is inside, is growing stronger. Apparently, the end is nigh.
How does Servant Season 3 end?
Back inside, Dorothy waits until Sean is asleep and sneaks out to where she has a whole bag all made up and ready to go. Julian was right – she does have a plan. She scoops up Jericho along with her bag and tries to leave. After giving him his pacifier, Leanne appears on the stairs. After trying to talk Dorothy out of this, Leanne screams for Julian and Sean to help. Only, there’s a problem. The rot on the stairs has grown too much and as Leanne apologizes to Dorothy, she slips backwards, tumbling down the stairs and landing in a heap on the ground. Just before she falls, Leanne scoops up Jericho and watches Dorothy’s lifeless body as blood oozes out from her.
The Episode Review
So Servant bows out its final episode with a surprisingly subdued episode, one that doesn’t quite have the same aplomb or shock factor that the two previous seasons had in abundance. Instead, everything just sorta ends with Dorothy’s life hanging in the balance. Given how integral she’s been to this story though, I can’t imagine the script writers have actually killed her off and I’d bet she’s probably still alive but potentially confined to a wheelchair or the hospital for the time being. Beyond that, there’s some chatter about the end and evil itself, courtesy of a cameo from Uncle George, but there really hasn’t been a whole lot else to really sink your teeth into. I said last week that this story could have been told in 6 episodes and I stand by that after seeing this finale. The show has felt completely meandering and drip-feeding its story for absolutely no reason. Unfortunately this hasn’t been a season to remember, slipping into the usual AppleTV issues by spreading out a story that could have been told in a much shorter timeframe. Despite that though, fans of this show will undoubtedly be eager to find out what happens in season 4.
