The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 7 Review: The Pit and the Pendulum
Denis Kimathi
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Oh, they saved the oldest and best for last.
The Usher kids were deprived in one or the other, and it became much more complex the higher up the age ladder one went.
However, they weren’t morally bankrupt, save for Frederick.
The show showed how bankrupt he was and then ended his story on The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 7.
It also teased the original sin Roderick might have committed that saw his children pay for decades later.
We will do Frederick the honor of starting with him first, not because he deserves it but because we need to get these emotions out.
Everyone has dealt with feelings of inadequacy, which might escalate to feelings of inferiority. Instead of obsessing over your real or perceived flaws, the trick is to focus on what you’re confident in.
But some people can’t seem to shake those feelings and dominate their lives. The product is a person with a full-blown inferiority complex.
I think everyone should avoid two kinds of people, like a plague. The first kind is psychopaths, and the second is … you guessed it! People with an inferiority complex.
Psychopaths will inflict pain and suffering, be unaware of it, and may even relish in it.
People with an inferiority complex tend to overcompensate for it by being aggressive, loud, or toxic.
It is not easy to notice someone with an inferiority complex in the first interaction because it shows up later in how they behave. They tend to inflate the value of accomplishments or make some up to feel superior.
Frederick suffered from a serious inferiority complex that worsened the older he got.
If you were to plot a scatter diagram showing the correlation between the length of time the Usher children had been in the family and their issues, especially with self-image, all the dots would form a straight line.
Frederick had borne the brunt of Roderick’s lack of paternal instincts. From when he was a young boy playing with his fire truck, he always thought of himself as being on his father’s way.
And like any child, he craved his father’s attention, and the older he got, the more starved he became.
It was evident when Tamerlane died, and without showing remorse, he yapped about how better than her he was because Daddy had given him more responsibilities.
You know one thing Dad was really big about? It was a lesson that he taught us all. One of the first things he taught us. If you wanna test a bond… -You don't really need to break it. You just crack it a little. Now, he put me one rung higher on the ladder than Tammy and he sat back and watched. Cracked, but it didn't break. It did make it stronger.
Frederick
To Roderick, he was nothing but a means to an end like all the other children.
When he went to his office, despite the clear signs that he wasn’t well, all Roderick could see was a walking board vote. So, he dangled a little affection and then sent the soldier on his way.
Roderick: This is it, Freddie. They're all gone, and it's all about to fall apart. So, I need to count on you. And when they call, and they will call, you just don't pick up,that's the best message. And if they corner you in the street,
you tell them, "I'm Frederick Usher, I'm the repository of the hopes and dreams of a fucking empire." "So take your treacherous bullshit elsewhere." Can you do that?
Frederick: I can.
The semblance between Rufus, Roderick, and Frederick is uncanny. Rufus made Roderick a soldier, and Roderick turned Frederick into his soldier, too.
Meeting Morelle raised his self-esteem to some level, but even the love of a good woman can never replace the love of a father.
That desire was still there.
So, he held on to her like a tick does a cow, and the thought that she might have been cheating on him drove him insane.
He might not be to blame for things that happened to him, but everyone is responsible for acts they commit, and pumping a burn victim with a paralyzing agent and then plying their teeth open is a personal decision.
Verna gave the Usher kids an opportunity to make the right decision, and they all came short.
With Frederick, however, she couldn’t wait to get him in a position where she wanted him.
And, strictly speaking, I try to never intervene this directly, but… [chuckles] …the pliers got me thinking.
Verna
I’m not team Verna because she seems to be punishing children for the sins of their father, but at that moment, she was a queen.
There were mysteries the episode needed to reveal before The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 8, and some it did.
It showed the sin that Roderick committed that marked his turn.
From when Dupin said that he had lost his job when Pym was circumnavigating the earth or whatever he was doing in the 80s, there was a thought that the deposition might not go so well.
It was a colossal mess.
Seeing Roderick betray Dupin like that was not shocking because throughout the season, we had seen Madeline whisper in his ear a lot, which had her written all over him.
Even if Roderick had his shortcomings, Madeline was the real villain.
Madeline: It really is you. It's amazing how much I've denied. But it is you. And somehow I knew you'd be here.
Verna: Well, I left you the address, don't pat yourself too hard on the back. Go ahead. Say your piece.
Madeline: I want to ask you to stop.
Verna: Come on. Ask me? That isn't you. And frankly, I think you've forgotten what I am.
Madeline: Fine then. I want to renegotiate.
Verna: You can't.
Madeline: Why not?
Verna: The ink is dry.
There was a focus on Verna, but still, the show didn’t reveal her true nature, and that was fine because she was the biggest allure, and we expected everything to come out in the final episode.
I had come to enjoy Verna and her little lessons, but she used big words a lot, which might have had viewers lost, just like Madeline was.
Intrusive Thoughts
- It was almost funny how no one was left to mourn Tamerlane. If she were conscious and knew that, she would have held her wake on her own behalf.
- Dupin casually came out to Roderick in the 1980s, and Roderick didn’t make a big deal out of it. Also, the courage!
“The Pit and the Pendulum” had the most “satisfying” death because there was no way one could fail to enjoy something that poetic. He saw and felt everything and couldn’t do anything about it, just like he’d done to Morelle.
There was one mystery left. Who was Verna, and what did Roderick do to or with her?
What did you think? Share 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.
