#prospero usher

[ronon-dex]

how to recognise a mike flanagan show:

1. people saying 4 pages of dialogue to another person who will stare back at them, looking devastated

2. mike flanagan's wife looking unbelievably hot

3. gay activity

4. carla gugino scaring the shit out of someone

5. just the worst gore you have ever seen. only for a few seconds. but christ it will stay with you

[doyouwanttoseeabug]

oh OOOOOOH their deaths mirror each other. Tamerlane and Leo are both driven to what looks like suicide chasing hallucinations around an apartment that architecturally represents their psyche (as they destroy it), shortly after leaving/planning to leave their loving partner. (Both of them invite her in, at first. Both of them want her there. But now she's in the mirrors. She's in the walls.)

Vic and Camille are both killed/driven to death by Vic's experiments, their rivalry leading to both their deaths (Camille to prove it doesn't work, Vic to prove it does), immediately after they get left by people they are using in professional/personal ways - Camille hires Toby and Tina to sleep with them, Vic dates Ali to get her to work with her on the heart mesh.

Perry and Frederick both die in the same warehouse, looking at the ceiling, waiting for death to come to them - Perry with a look of ecstasy, Frederick in terror. Both of them are in that warehouse because they've been humiliated by Roderick and are now determined to prove themselves. Both get led here by drugs. Both involve the mutilation of an innocent, Morrie. Both of them see Verna not as another character, but something like her true self. And there's the parallel between all the mercy that Verna offers Perry - the most she offers any of them, other than Lenore - and her glee in explaining to Roderick exactly why he deserves to die like this.

And then you get the final pairing/quartet of deaths - Eliza Usher + William Longfellow vs Madeline and Roderick which is obvious but oh my god. oh my god you guys. Eliza's wall of crucifixes and clinging to Christian faith and the sanctity of pain as a way of hoping for reward after death vs Roderick putting Madeline through the agony of vivisection to 'honour' her + grant her Egyptian immortality. Both William and Roderick eat their young. Fuck.

[stevenrogered]

I just want this thing to be epic. Dad doesn’t believe in me and the rest make fun of me…It’s harder for me. And you know that. You know that. But the rest don’t. 

[cockyroaches]

Rip Perry Usher, you would have Loved to know your actions drove your jackass brother insane.

[saturnandthewinter]

My thoughts about which deadly sin each Usher represents.

I would like to say that they all could easily represent more than one sin, but only one sin was deadly to them and that's what I'm using as a parameter.

Roderick and Madeline - Greed

The twins are Greed. For me it's pretty obvious they're Greed because even Roderick said so. No amount of money would ever be enough. Their greed for more was the beginning of their downfall when, decades ago, they decided to accept that deal.

Prospero - Lust

Another one that I find pretty obvious. His life was all about a luxurious and hedonistic lifestyle, but ultimately what caused his death was his decision to keep the orgy going.

Camille - Envy

I think Camille was envy because that's exactly what led her to her death.

Camille's resentment towards Victorine comes from having to deal with all the dirt from the family, but her sister who is just like her, as Verna said, gets to be their "Madre Theresa" just because she hid better. This is what led Camille to be so hateful of Victorine, her envy for her.

If Camille wasn't so envious of Victorine she wouldn't be so determined to bring her down, if she wasn't so envious she wouldn't be so personally focused on finding the dirty Victorine was hiding despise Verna giving her the chance to step back and not get inside.

Ultimately envy led Camille to her death.

Leo - Gluttony

Leo can easily be Gluttony because his over-consumption and over-indulgence of drugs and drinks it's exactly what led him to his death. Pluto was never dead, he was hallucinating because of all the drugs he took the night before. (I do believe the hallucination was especially so vivid because of Verna though. She disseminated the idea that led each Usher to their death but also gave them the chance to step back. She offers temptation and the chance to regret their choice)

Jules even let it clear, to us, the audience, the alarming amount of drugs he consumed. His drug-induced hallucination ultimately led him to his death. Had Leo not consumed too many drugs, he wouldn't hallucinated that morning and wouldn't have gone after a new cat that caused him to spiral into a deepening psychosis aggravated by the excessive amount of drugs he consumed on a daily basis.

Victorine - Wrath

Victorine for me represents wrath because that was her downfall.

She was rude to Verna when they bumped into each other for the first time, she was rude to her security guard after the conversation with her older siblings... That shows us how easily angry she was all the time.

She was angry that she needed to put more effort into her job because it was harder for her, a Usher bastard. She was angry that her older siblings got to grow up with her father figure around and with the "legendary Annabel Lee", the only woman Roderick loved enough to marry while her mother was just a nurse. She was angry that their father had thrown the food at them just to see them fighting for it. She was so angry at everything and eventually, that was going to blow up.

But anger it's not wrath. Wrath, by the Bible, it's when you get consumed by rage to the point of acting irrationally and immorally. 

And in a fit of rage, blinded by the wrath that bubbled inside her all her life as an Usher, she killed her partner, went mad with regret, and when she realized what she had done she killed herself consumed with remorse.

Wrath was the sin that led Victorine to her death.

Tamerlane - Pride

First of all the sheer amount of mirrors in her house, it's a huge clue that she's Pride, but there are others.

She considers herself above Juno and even calls her "it", refusing to acknowledge that she's a human too. And why? Because she's a "junkie"?

Tamerlane considers herself better than her siblings too. She only stopped texting at their funerals because her husband stopped her. Their funeral meant nothing to her because it wasn't about her or her launch.

She thinks of herself above her husband too. Could be anyone there, any face, the brand would be a success. And why? Because she, alone, is behind it.

Just before her death, she could have given up her pride and called her husband. But she didn't. And she died completely alone because of it while destroying the last mirror and the last way she could see herself, her ugly self.

Pride was Tamerlane's death through and through.

Fred - Sloth

Fred is Sloth because he didn't demolish the building as his father ordered, he procrastinated. What led his wife to the orgy was his lack of attitude in their relationship, his lack of proactively in their life.

Fred tried to be like his father but he couldn't keep up with his rhythm, he was a cover band off-key, always a little slower.

If you look closely, all things are always delicated interconnected.

Fred's sin caused Prospero's death and his own. A full circle.

Had Fred stopped procrastinating and started doing his job, the building would not be there. Had Fred stopped being accommodated in his relationship, Morrie wouldn't be tempted to go to Perry's orgy.

Poetically the consequences of the sin that ultimately led Fred to his death were the slowest. Sloth is lazy after all. He was the first to sin, but the last to die. And he died laying down, without moving, representing perfectly his deadly sin and exactly how he lived his life.

Obs: Fred and Prospero are so interconnected, they are like a double ouroboros. The end and the beginning of the Usher's heirs massacre.

[docwormie]

Scenes of The fall of the House of Usher that I'm a little bit obsessed with :

Obviously. The one where Madeline and Verna kiss (nobody is surprised) because it's less than 1 minute long, it's never mentionned afterwards and yet it makes every scene they have together much more interesting (+ 2 girlkissers confirmed, that's a win !).

When Roderick watches corpses rain from the sky ??? That was so powerful wtf it carried a sense of sheer dread and anguish that I can't stop thinking about.

Tamerlane's death. Idk why it stuck with me so much, aside from the fact that it was Samantha Sloyan, it was beautifully filmed, and the fucking spasm at the end !!!! It was so fucking pathetic and sad, Tammy my sweet little girlfailure !

Victorine's whole going crazy thing. I love the Tell-Tale Heart but making it about lesbians ??? Oh mike the man that you are !!

The acid rain. Obviously. And when Verna kisses the melted body and there's a bit of flesh that sticks to her.... this was disgusting I want more !

When Roderick is alone with the Raven after finding out Lenore died. Very powerful + great climax and use of the poem !

The conversation between Juno and Tammy, it was one of the rare actually sweet scenes of the show, i'm glad Juno made it out alive !! And ruth codd's comedic talent is absolutely priceless !!

When Roderick tells Auggie to turn around because his dead mother is standing behind him. I laughed so hard. I feel like this was a meta-reference to Flanagan's habit of having ghosts just standing there in the background and never interacting with the characters and I absolutely LOST IT when she turned around like "nevermind".

Feel free to add your fav scenes because I probably forgot some of them !!

[oskarwing]

Another thing I keep thinking about with the fall of the house of usher is how in all the hate and monsterousness of them you have these moments of real siblingness shine through but all of these instances come from 'the bastards'. Prospero complaining to Napoleon about how their family sees him. Napoleon calling Prospero 'bruv' while giving him a pep talk and getting him some dealers for his party. Camille showing up at Napoleon's place and them immediately having eddibles together while reminiscing about how little Perry was when he showed up and how it's no wonder he was fucked up. Victorine referring to her lost siblings as "the littles" and trying to relate to the siblings she has left.

[dusty-daydreams]

I saw someone suggest the idea that the Ushers all represent a deadly sin - here is which I think they are and why

Prospero - Lust

Camille - wrath

Leo - gluttony

Vic - sloth

Tamerlane - pride

Fred - envy

The Twins (Roderick and Madeline) - greed

Prospero is Lust, not only because of his hedonism but his unabashed Lust for power - he is filming his anonymous orgy so he can blackmail powerful people and dies in the midst of his orgy - but I could also see him as sloth (wouldn’t come up with a proper business proposal, didn’t bother to check that the tanks held water not acid)

Camille is Wrath, she approaches everything - her siblings, her job, her assistants/lovers and verna in the end with rage - and she gets killed by an angry animal

Leo is Gluttony - he indulges himself in abundant drugs and abundant sexual partners, despite having a relatively good situation - he has a successful career that doesn’t put him directly under his fathers control, he has a committed caring partner but still he gluts himself on everything that comes his way, he dies chasing a cat that hunts far more than it needs too

Victorine is Sloth - she doesn’t want to put in the work needed too make her device work, she just takes shortcuts to make it seem like it is working, she kills her partner in part because her partner who is actually the skilled surgeon doesn’t want to do the work anymore (admittedly this one I’m not as sure on - she might be pride, refusing to admit her device doesn’t work out of fear of failure)

Tamerlane is Pride - Of all her siblings she is the most proud of being an usher, and the most obsessed with her own image, obsessed with beauty, obsessed with being a success, she will not take anyone’s advice not even her husbands, she is proud and controlling in her relationship forcing her husband to go along with her voyeuristic kink when he doesn’t want too. This is a double-edged sword as she is also deeply insecure, outsourcing intimacy and dying as a result of smashing mirrors attempting to prevent Verna taking her place (alternatively she could be envy - envious of Verna etc.)

Fred is Envy - he is envious of his father and his effortless command presence and his fathers success, and he is envious of his wife, punishing her horrifically purely because he believes she cheated on him, (even though she didn’t, all she did was think about it and go to a party where she was alone) he is so envious that he even makes an attempted coup against his father. (He could also be gluttony - his drugs, and dying because putting more and more nightshade in his coke)

Finally the Twins - Roderick and Madeline are Greed - They set everything in motion because they both always wanted more, more money, more recognition, more power, even immortality - through AI in Madeline’s case and in the creation of a bloodline legacy in Roderick’s

I also have one thing to add I think that Lenore (and Annabel Lee and Juno and Morella - Lenore’s mom) represent the seven capital virtues: these are chastity, temperance, charity, diligence, patience, kindness and humility.

Chasity - Lenore dies before she ever has a relationship, she is in gothic story terms a chaste innocent

Temperance - Lenore seems disgusted by her dad having done drugs (also Juno is Temperance, her wisdom in coming to her own conclusion to wean herself off Ligodine)

Charity - As Verna says the charity her mom starts is a result of Lenore saving her mom (also Juno and Morella donating to charity)

Diligence - Lenore sticks to what is right even when it’s hard, giving a statement to the police about her dad, caring for her grandfather, searching for treatment options for her mom (also Juno diligently weaning herself of drugs, Morella’s charity work, Annabel Lee caring for her children)

Patience - Lenore patiently encourages her family to do better and be better

Kindness - Lenore saves her mother, and creates a ripple effect that saves millions of lives (Annabel Lee being kind to everyone)

Humility - Lenore thinks that losing their fortune and company could be a good thing that leads to a moral good for her family

[alicentes]

I don’t understand why people think the house of usher characters were punished harder for being queer? And that the writing comes off as homophobic and conservative when it comes to sex? They’re all horrible rich people that care more about their money and their own selfish desires than anyone or anything else, they’re well rounded, interesting characters and in the narrative they are terrible people in the narrative who just so happen to be queer. Four of usher siblings have partners / sexual relationships with people who are also queer. The love interests seem like genuine good people, especially julius and Alessandra, two queer characters of colour who were committed and loving and put up with a lot when it came to their relationships. All the good people on the show who are involved with an usher are mistreated by their usher partners (except maybe perrys two partners? he didn’t seem to treat them badly) including the two straights and the straight man was the worst of the siblings in the end.

I guess my main point is that villains can be queer and that isn’t inherently homophobic or problematic. We are at the point in media were more characters are fluid with their sexuality. That don’t fit a stereotype. We are getting more characters where being queer is just a part of who they are and it’s not something that is brought up or a major part of the story. Queer characters are being written more similarly to straight characters. Where sexuality isn’t a big factor and their love interests are just their love interests. Sure they can still be written in a problematic way but I don’t see this as an issue with the fall of the house of usher, a show about terrible people or use and abuse others around them and face consequences for their evil acts that have no connection to their queerness and kinks.

[ofhouseusher]

The Fall of The House of Usher + text posts

1/?

[nepobabyeurydice]

the fall of the house of usher was a really a show TM. We keep on looking for the ‘good’ Usher for the innocent or the misunderstood among Roderick’s children. We think it’s Napeleon, Victornie, Tamberlane or Frederick. We convince ourselves that one of these children must be right must be good. But the show smashes those concepts into bit.

Próspero’s treatment of his…fuck buddies, Napoleon and his killing of Pluto, Camille sexually abusing her employees under contract, Victorine’s endless malpractice but also her instantly taking advantage of the woman when the opportunity presented itself, Tamberlane emotionally manipulating her husband but out of all of them she’s the ‘least’ harmful but the harm she does is emotionally scarring, Frederick and the fucking pliers.

Not a single child of Roderick is ‘the good usher’ like Augste but it ‘There was one’ but it was not Annabel Lee, it was Lenore. We were looking for the hero in all the wrong places all along and she died in the end and saves a million more because of it.

[awkward-sultana]

Lenore Usher speaking to any member of her family

[cluelessrebel1988]

A not fully formed Fall of the House of Usher thought

I just binged the whole series yesterday, and I have a number of thoughts about things, but this is one that kind of just came to me, so it's not fully fleshed out.

But I found it interesting that Verna was largely hands off with Perry, Camille and Frederick, mostly leaving them to their own devices to play out the circumstances of their deaths which ultimately look to the outside world like tragic accidents. Perry's death was entirely of his own making, all she did with Camille was (maybe) open the cage to let the chimp out, and of the three, she was most hands-on with Frederick, pushing him to put the paralytic in his cocaine to trap him in the warehouse and then sending in the call to start the demolition. She even offered Perry and Camille the chance to stop what they were doing and not go forward, and I suspect she would have done the same with Frederick were it not for what he did to Morelle.

But for Vic, Leo, and Tamerlane...Verna gives them a push. She inserts herself in their lives in ways that are, on the surface, fairly innocuous (a substitute prostitute, a woman working at an animal shelter, a patient with a heart condition), but all of those things set in motion a torment that leads to their deaths. Deaths that appear to be suicides to the outside world (and in Vic's case, literally was). Verna doesn't actively take their lives like she does with Lenore, but she steers them to their deaths sooner than they likely would have otherwise gotten there.

And my thinking is that this is meant to be representative of Madeline and Roderick's approach to life. Roderick charges in headfirst and doesn't care about the consequences, or at least doesn't think about them in the moment, while Madeline plays the long game, manipulating the situation from within and not revealing herself as the threat until after she's already struck the fatal blow.

The part that's not fully formed for me is which set of Usher children is meant to represent which, or if they're each meant to be a combination of both. My initial thought is Perry, Camille, and Frederick are meant to be representative of Roderick's approach to a problem, while Vic, Leo, and Tamerlane are representative of Madeline's. And that's the one that makes sense on the surface, at least in the actions of the children themselves. But at the same time, it could be argued that Verna not really actively doing anything to Perry, Camille, and Frederick, only showing up to them in their final moments when its too late is like Madeline, while the more hands-on approach with Vic, Leo, and Tamerlane is more like Roderick.

So I don't know, maybe it's both, or maybe I'm overthinking it. But if anyone else has any thoughts on this, I'd love to hear them.

[lulumoy13]

I love and hate them [except Lenore] so much. 🥺

[foreverneverandalways]

So is anyone else just trying to figure out what all the other Ushers "good" job would have been?

Ever since Verna told Frederick he would have been a dentist my mind keeps trying to place everyone else. I'd love to see some ideas...

[bebx]

Roderick Usher is insane for keeping having more kids with different women knowing with all his chest he’d made a deal with some goddess entity that when he died his entire bloodline died with him.

I know he brushed the whole thing off as a dream or whatever, but personally I would’ve known it was real if I walked out of some bar, after making a deal with a very spooky lady, only to look back at it 5 seconds later and see the entire bar turn into some run down abandoned place instead. like bro could’ve lived his entire life as the richest, most powerful man without bothering to have more kids when it was already morally questionable enough to make that deal when he already had 2 kids at home.

* all I’m saying is it’s a very interesting offer and I would’ve made that deal with Verna myself in a heartbeat if offered the chance. I just wouldn’t have had any kid? I mean I never want kids anyway so ummm Verna if you see this, dm me?