The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 6 Review: Goldbug
Denis Kimathi
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One would think that after the horrors that Mirrors 1 and 2 introduced us to in 2008, people would stop having so many mirrors in their houses.
After revealing Tamerlane to the viewer in the previous episode as the self-obsessed person she was, The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 6 brought her story to a conclusion after Verna haunted her through her mirrors and mind, which led to her death.
Like all the Usher children, Tamerlane's character was questionable.
She had peculiar sexual appetites, but that would not be half of it since we learned that she was very obsessed with herself in an unhealthy way.
But as much as she thought highly of herself, she was lonely like all the other children and would keep Bill around to kill that loneliness even if she didn't think much of him.
The horrors began after he had left, and she couldn't sleep continuously, which is just as bad as having no sleep.
She would doze briefly and find she had done things in her sleep but couldn't remember. That, and Verna's haunting and taunting, was enough to drive anyone insane.
Left in an empty house by herself, she would conjure up Bill to kill loneliness.
I remember when I watched the Mirrors movies for the first time, and my relationship with real mirrors has never been the same.
I've always been sensitive towards many mirrors in one house, but I never knew why until Tamerlane started walking around her house, and the first thing my mind registered was, "That's too many mirrors." You learn something new every day.
I had an inkling that the mirrors might take her out.
Apart from her failing mental health, Tamerlane was preparing to launch her new wellness product line, and she had expressed how much was at stake.
And this thing, this Goldbug, it's different than anything else that my family has ever done, and it is more important now than ever that the world sees that we… That we're more than just Fortunato. We're not just pill pushers. We can be about health and about beauty. And the Usher name is more than just Roderick and Madeline. And I'm scared, Bill.
Tamerlane
The event had to go well or go well.
It would help her leave the pill-pushing family legacy they were associated with and do her own thing. And in her own opinion, Goldbug was a very great product.
Elsewhere, the world was still reeling from Victorine's death, which marked the death of the fourth Usher child.
Even if explanations were offered for all the deaths, and many people might have accepted those explanations, some people didn't have that luxury. Chief among them was Roderick.
Victorine's death hit him harder than the other children because he was present, and he had a lot of hopes stacked on her. And just like that, her life ended, greatly reducing the chances of his life continuing.
So he went into denial about the cause despite clear evidence that he knew what exactly might be happening.
In The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 1 review, I mentioned that every Mike Flanagan horror has a rational explanation, and this episode toyed with exposing the ratinal explanation behind Verna's behavior but ultimately decided to keep their best weapon in the arsenal since there was one more Usher child.
The idea that Verna might be related to the woman from the bar from forty years prior seemed like a reasonable explanation, and I was ready to accept it, but when Pym came with the photos, the mystery became even more complex.
They presented several explanations that could account for the same person seen in photos from over a century ago, but every reason had gaping holes.
Arthur: These were taken in 2011.
Roderick: So she's a stalker. She stalks important people. Oh, wait. This is from the '80s.
Arthur: Gettys. That's Prescott Bush, 1944. Randolph Hearst. Rockefellers.
Doherty. Vanderbilts. And this one. That's John Francis Queeny. He founded Monsanto. In 1901.
Roderick: Bullshit. This is bullshit.
Madeline: Roderick.
Roderick: It's Photoshop. She sprinkled bogus images of herself online.
The Verna mystery became even more mysterious after Tamerlane's smashing launch event that saw her unravel in front of the cameras.
Verna: [As Tammy] Thank you. Thank you so much. I am so grateful
that we're all here together today to celebrate Goldbug. As you will see tonight, Goldbug is the height of opulence.
Tamerlane: What the fuck are you doing here? I mean… What the fuck… And excuse my French, I'm just… I'm that excited. …are we doing here, right?
Madeline saw her, but Verna evaporated into the thin air when she went to grab her. It looked more supernatural, but Roderick seemed to have some answers he was sitting on.
He channeled his strong denial into rounding up the board members after Madeline said the company was under attack and they would lose control if he did nothing about it.
Even after he got Morelle out of the hospital despite the doctor's advice, Frederick had not promised to provide her with healthcare.
His daughter noticed that something was amiss because of how he acted.
He was inhumanly treating her, and maybe that was always how he had been.
He never cared for the suffering of others, which might explain why Fortunato never bothered to demolish the condemned buildings or lessen the addictive effects of their drug.
Frederick was convinced that Morelle had been cheating on him, and despite having no evidence, he would punish her, present conditions be damned.
Not only did he withhold medical care, but he purposely gave her the wrong drugs to keep her incapacitated.
The most sympathetic person was Lenore, who could see something was wrong, but wherever he turned, the people were also unwell.
The episode culminated in an epic showdown between Verna and Tamerlane, which Verna won because how do you beat your own mind?
Sweetie… you might not believe me, but this part has nothing to do with you.
Verna
Everything about the sequence, from the lighting to the sound effects and editing, was perfect.
Whoever decided to slow down the scene on the bed as the mirrors bounced and turned in the proper position to stab Tarmalene deserves a raise.
Even though "Goldbug" unlocked an existing fear in me, it was an enjoyable episode as it took the short story by Edgar and combined it with other plot points to create something entertaining.
What did you think?
Let us know in the comments section.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
