Indeed, it's almost too much to ask of child actors in particular to hit all their marks & say their lines with the pin-point precision required to make these elaborately timed-out long takes work, but they managed to pull it off. If you ask me the cast (& crew) should have gotten double pay for this ep.
I'm convinced that everyone who took part in working on this show might be a genius. The writing, scripting, acting direction, camera operating, art direction, the works. It's all so good. And yeah, if a film/show has child actors in it that I don't hate, those are some talented kids. I don't dislike a single performance. (I don't hate child actors, I just don't like child acting 80% of the time. But these kids nailed it.) The only thing this show didn't have was a good advertiser. This episode is testament to how talented this group was and how hard they worked. Bravo.
Nell’s whole story is a metaphor for depression. She was there the whole time and none of them could see her. Just how someone with depression is always crying out for help and no one really listens
I think you’re right but my take is that it’s also spiritual. On the level that a broken family could have these sorts of arguments at a wake of a loved one is just deeply disrespectful. It was supposed to be about Nell and grieving her and they turned it into a time to air out their drama with each other. It would just suck to attend your own funeral as a bystander just to see your family more focused on their beef with each other than your death but it’s also hurtful to the family.
@@tylergannon7398 You guys are both right. It's a metaphor for both depression and how they've been ignoring her, both when she was alive and even when she's dead. And of course there's the literal meaning of her ghost being there but none of them can actually see her. Everything about this show has a double meaning and they will really make you question whether the events are supernatural or psychological.
sherwin76502 Yeah I agree, I think it’s also a metaphor or message to the viewer that doing something like that would anger or not be appreciated by a loved one. In this show the family except for the dad doesn’t acknowledge Nell even though her ghost is turning out the lights and knocking over her casket.
I think Nell's whole character speaks to the inherent horror of being overlooked, of being painfully aware that everyone else is more important than you are. Her family members were so caught up in their wild goose chases and personal problems that they didn't even remember that she was gone. She's constantly trying to help them, to stop the fighting and be heard, and it's only when Luke points her out in the finale that she's finally seen again, finally acknowledged. Her actions didn't get through to anybody but Luke. This is paralleled between the past after the storm and the present as they all leave her open casket. Nell wants everyone to see and hear her, but Luke is the only one who will. Similarly, he's ignored by their siblings as well, at least in the present. Everyone just writes him off as being a drug addict and putting too much faith into their dad. He's the only one of them that's willing to look and listen.
The "nobody could see me" part can also be a parallel to her depression, she was clearly distraught, calling for help, buy no one noticed, they didn't want to notice...
Apart from that, they all were there for her wake, and as usual, all of them managed to make it about themselves. Even after she was dead, at her wake, they couldn't put aside their differences for some time to mourn her. Well, maybe except for Luke... 🥺
Not entirely, there are also a bunch of normal-length shots, especially at the end. But the bulk of the running time is indeed made up of five very elaborate "live" tracking shots
as a person that suffers from depression this episode was super emotional to me ,nell's "nobody could see me" broke me to a million pieces 😩😩 this is why we wanted u guys to watch this so bad ,the 4 long shots are hands down the best thing i ever saw as well! 💗
The cinematography in this episode is amazing. There's a making of for this and they reveal the funeral home and house are the same set. So that first transition is the same take.
This episode does such a good job in really showing the emotion behind being depressed. How you can so openly show you're not fine but people still won't see it.
What Nell is saying as child “that none of you saw me, I was right here the whole time. Nobody could see me.” Is what adult Nell was feeling and what led to her death.
Like some of the best horror stories or movies, this is a family drama dressed up as a horror series. The whole show aesthetic is mainly horror, but the center and strength of the show is the whole family dynamic and its characters. Loving your reaction as always.
Even just watching reactions to this episode, I still cry from when Steve says that "the wrong parent died" and till the end of the episode. "Nobody could see me" hits all my emotional strings, both the actresses who play older and younger Nelly did wonderfully AND the actors who play older and young Luke, you feel the connection as twins was lost and it's weighing on him. Never been so happy with a show making me feel genuine emotions like this.
When the Dad sees his kids as they were as kids always hits me so hard as a parent because you always have moments where you mesh what your grown kids are in the now with what they were as little kids; also a nod to the time warping the show amped up this episode. And, a cool aspect of the single shots, when Theo goes to sit on the couch arm, the actress accidentally fell off the edge (she misjudged how close to the couch she was when she went to sit down) and kept going with the scene to add it in which made a lot of sense with how much she was drinking. Love the reacts, guys! This show is perfection, so glad you're having a good time with it 🙂
Dos cavazos if you go back on Netflix and look at the scene when she entered the room the statues head is looking a different way but when she walks out of the room the statue is looking at her 9:40
I love your channel and have been following your reactions to the Haunting of Hill House and I couldn't wait for you guys to get to this episode because it is amazing.. This episode feels more like a play than a television show. It consists of only a handful of long shots which is incredible at so many different levels.. First of all hats off to the actors in this masterpiece because having to deliver these long dialogues with all the interpersonal drama and with such a big cast is amazing.. Thinking about having to deliver a line and messing it up 20 minutes in and everyone having to do it all over again gives me shivers.. Not to mention the fact that the acting ensemble also consists of children, who were absolutely brilliant! And then I'm not even talking about the sets of Hill House and the Funeral Home built next to each other to make the transitions possible and the soft lighting having to be adjusted each time the camera pans. To be honest I was a bit disappointed that you didn't really notice the long shots or the incredible acting or the statues being replaced as they move out of sight or the pan around the father when he first sees the children sitting there and then back to the adults again in one single shot.. I'm glad you do recognize the series for how good it is though! Can't wait for the next episodes.
Some kind of extrasensory power runs in the family. Nell was seeing her death (maybe precognition or type of astral projection), Theo has the thing with touch (Psychometry), Shirley sees some things in her dreams (though doesn't remember them I don't think), you'll hear about some stories with the mom next episode and I think she mentioned to Theo that her grandmother had a similar thing with touch in Ep. 3.
This whole episode is a masterpiece! They built the funeral parlor right next to the Hill House, just so the Dad could walk straight into a flashback. The camerawork is incredible, but the acting deserves a mention too, having to build up such strong emotions within such extended takes. Your identical gasp at 8:59 was so funny!
My favorite episode.. I could not stop crying. Poor Nelly, she was unselfish and always cared about her siblings. Even when she was going through a lot before she died she was still worried about Luke. She was just too good for this world. At the end of this episode was the most tragic part. "I was here, none of you can see me".. oh my heart hurts.. She just needed someone to listen to her. 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 this episode was shot in one take and there was only three cuts. So good job Mike Flanagan.
The beginning where they did the quick switch with the actors is a great representation on how parents will always see their children as their babies 🥺 Especially when they are hurting.
All the family member have some Psychic ability, The Mom explained back in Theo's episode, How her grandmother had similar abilities like Theo, Shirley some time talk in her sleep about thing that come true, Luke and Nell have their Twin Powers, Nell sees her own death, Steve and the father can see spirits, although Steve denies his visions even when the are blatant. The Mom sees spirits and implies she has some ability similar to Theo's, which cause her Migraines.
The camera they used to run the length of the funeral parlour apparently had to move back and forth so much in one smooth movement that the wires began to snag and it got to the point where the camera guy told the director if they didn’t get it within the next take, the camera was gonna be broke and they didn’t have a replacement that could run the floor like that. The director didn’t tell the actors but prompted them to do their best to get it right in one take because he didn’t wanna panic them. Luckily they were spot on and got it done in that take.
"It's just her" > LOL Great reaction, you are obviously emotionally invested in this show. The buttons on Nells eyes have 2 and 5 holes in them. 2 Parents/5 kids, 2 dead/5 alive? The child in the wheelchair was mentioned by Olivia in her deja vu, in discribing the library, the low shelves so the boy could reach them. The pieces of the puzzle will start to fall into place soon, just hang on.
You thought last episode was sad, this one had me crying like a baby. Also watching behind the scenes of this episode, I think the director said there was only like 5 whole shots in this entire ep. the one in the funeral home was around a 17 minute long shot. Incredible.
I love this episode. This show is so damn goos. Im glad you guys seem to be invested in it and enjoying it. Nell saying no one could see her always just breaks me and makes me cry. And then luke looking back at her in the coffin... Just makes me cry more. Those adult and children actors and actresses are so good.
Olivia and Nelly are The Two Storms, the two catalysts of this story that is why the family is reliving this grief. But at the same time this explains a lot. Nelly was able to move through time and space, so could Olivia (the mom) both were lost in one of the storms and both are dead now. Except Nelly didn't kill herself maybe one was the catalyst and the other the hero and the one to bring healing to the family. Shirley said that Nell was the one that always wanted to get them all together, i feel like that is her mission while the mother separated them through grief Nell is uniting them.. The Two Storms.... I think that Mike Flanagan has a good idea of what true horror is. The horrors of what happens to us in real life and a lil subtle jumps scares within his storytelling is remarkable. That is like his own personal brand. God.... This whole episode was so sad. I couldn't stop crying, especially towards the end.. "I was right here nobody could see me". But seeing baby Nell in that casket was too much for me.
There are so many things you forgot from the last episodes : The mystery guy holding a glass appeared in episode 2. The kid in the wheelchair was mentioned by the mom in episode 4 and the old lady on the bed is the one calling "clara" through the pipe in the same episode.
I'm not a fan of most horror shows/films cause scary for the sake of scary isn't very appealing to me. But I think this show is amazing because the horror elements are intentionally used to support the incredible story being told. There's a 'making of' video on RU-vid for this episode and you guys should definitely watch it. And yeah, the idea of Theo and Shirley's husband having an affair is really confusing when you remember Theo likes girls, not guys.
I've seen it mentioned in the comments, but you absolutely have to go back and keep an eye out for all the hidden ghosts... moving statues... they're EVERYWHERE 🧟♂️👻
Please watch a video on how many ghosts they put in each episode. They constantly put ghosts in the background of most of the episodes and you’d be shocked at how many ghosts you didn’t see in each episode! Love your reactions and hope to see you react to that after you finish the season :)
Supposedly each child is supposed to represent different stages of grief. So like Steve represents denial, Sherry represents anger, Theo represents bargaining, Then Luke he turned to addiction so depression and Nelly is acceptance.
this episode was so good. i agree with you, its definitely such great story telling in this show. i cannot wait to see what the second season, the haunting at Bly Manor, will bring us. its supposed to be later in 2020. perhaps around Halloween like this show came out then. can't wait to see your reactions to the remaining episodes. I'd really like to see you react to the show Supernatural. that show is phenomenal, if you guys haven't seen it you should definitely consider it 😀 and also The Originals (a spin-off show of the vampire diaries, not needed to watch before, The originals stands on its own as a show) -- its a short five season series that has masterful storytelling. definitely recommend those shows. perhaps someday when you're schedule has opening.
They actually built the two sets side by side I believe, or at least part of them so that when Hugh transitions from the funeral home to Hill House that's still one take ☺ the whole episode is a masterpiece
"its not about the Jumpscares"... thats because Jump Scares arent horror. Jumpscares are lame tools with writers that have no idea about how to create a true horror enviroment. i dont know where i heard it but someone said or wrote "The jump scare in horror is the equivalent of someone telling you a joke that is not funny and then tickling you until you laugh". Mike Flanagan is a MASTER at creating this true horror enviroment, the scenes where you expect something to happen but it doesnt for example and you are still totally on the edge of your seat all the time. He is a master at knitting a story that is deep and as tight as possible, that weaves around corners, doubles back and then unties all knots along the way. He is imo the current master of horror.
You’re the ONLY reactor to even remotely get that Nellie was experiencing paralysis in the house when she was little so she was in the dark while they looked for her. That’s why her hands were by her side and she was breathing heavy when they finally saw her. I’ve noticed women reactors tend to get more of the subtext than men reactors when the subject matter is heavier. Also, yes, it is obvious that Nellie pushed her own coffin to make them stop fighting.
This entire episode is full of 1 shots I think they had about 6 of them not sure. It looks amazing but was very challanging both for the actors and the crew to everything right with the lines and the sets as well.
08:58 I think it obvious. Nell put the buttons there. 13:51 It was the House. The House did it. 06:12 Yeah, I mean--Theo is gay. But you'll find out what happened in that moment. And it is a bit chilling. 17:58 No offense but how have you missed the Toasting Guy? He's been popping up since episode two!
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