TV REVIEW: Servant S2, E1: “Doll”

Servant is a series that I’m glad to see returning to Apple TV after the conclusion of the first season. The first season is one of the first shows that I reviewed for Comics Crusaders, and because of that, I feel a certain attachment to it. I also respect the work of M. Night Shyamalan, who is always an entertaining writer/director to watch regardless of the quality of the film. More than that, though, Servant offered a fascinating horror concept—the idea of a dead child reborn through a therapy doll—and an excellent cast of actors to bring it all to life.

My main question with Servant has always been whether the second season could live up to the promise of the first. Season 1 had some well-written and directed episodes, but the pacing could often be glacial without advancing much during the mid-season. However, the first season finale was an excellent bit of television, throwing a spanner into the works and livening the story up rather well. Could Season 2 build on that final episode, begin to answer the questions left behind after Leanne Grayson’s disappearance, and keep the action moving?

Fortunately, the answer to all those questions is yes, if “Doll” is any indication. The script is handled by series creator Tony Basgallop, and he delivers a very solid story here. Although the action is still centered on the home of the Turner family (in reality, the home of M. Night Shyamalan), the story feels like it has real weight, stakes, and progression. The situation has progressed to the point where the family has to negotiate with a police investigation, difficult when there are two different narratives about what happened inside the house. Sean and Dorothy Turner (played by Toby Kebbell and Lauren Ambrose) are grieving the loss of a child for the second time, complicated by the fact that Leanne’s disappearance is related to an evil cult that Leanne belonged to. Meanwhile, Julian (played by Rupert Grint) is wrestling with his own doubts and wondering if the situation is better off with Leanne and the baby having vanished. This is a story that deals with consequences, and emotionally charged content, and the pacing feels consistent with Season 1 even if the content is much more interesting.

Another question is whether or not the show could continue without the titular servant, Leanne, played by Nell Tiger Free. Free was a fascinating character through the whole of Season 1, and her absence in “Doll” is deeply felt. Not that she is entirely gone—we do get her voice at various times—but Leanne is missed on this show. Fortunately, the writing and the directing play that sense of absence very well, showing how each of the characters is falling apart without Leanne’s influence in the lives of the Turners. There’s a deep sorrow hanging over the house and over each of the characters because of the missing child and the loss of Leanne in these people’s world.

Fortunately, this cast is extremely good, and the emotional weight of the script brings the best out of these actors even without Nell Tiger Free. Toby Kebbell maintains a strong front, but the way Kebbell plays is shows that he’s grieving inside, still struggling with his doubts about the baby’s true nature and what he should do about it. Lauren Ambrose puts in a superb performance as a mother who would go to any lengths to save her missing child, still in denial about Jericho’s death. Ambrose’s Dorothy is in many ways the driving force behind the episode, as she’s the one who is pushing the story closer to resolution. It’s also good to see Rupert Grint again as Julian—Julian remains one of my favorite characters on the show, and Grint is perhaps the most recognizable actor in this entire cast. Though Julian is not a key player in the events this episode, he is a complex figure, having the most doubts about the strangeness of the situation but also dealing with the loss of his nephew in his own unique way. They all manage to pull the weight of this episode between them, more than enough to offset Leanne’s disappearance for the time being.

“Doll” represents a good start for Season 2, one that I hope will continue to build off this season opener. Servant is a series I very much want to like, though the pacing still remains an issue with this series. Regardless, this is one of the show’s better episodes thus far, good enough that it offers hope for the rest of Season 2. Moreover, it’s an accessible episode, one that’s easy to dive into even if you haven’t watched the first season at all. The result is a nice start for Servant, one that I hope that the show will continue to build upon.

Score: 4/5

Writer: Tony Basgallop

Director: Julia Ducournau

Cast: Lauren Ambrose, Toby Kebbell, Rupert Grint, Nell Tiger Free, Jerrika Hinton, Allison Elliot, Victoria Cartagena

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Steve Sellers

Steve Sellers had been a fan of superheroes ever since Superman: The Movie. But it took the JSA, the Legion of Super-Heroes, Dragonlance, Lord of the Rings, Twilight Zone, and Chris Claremont's legendary run on the X-Men to make him a writer and a longtime fan of comics, fantasy, and science fiction. Steve is the co-creator of WHITE DRUID & MICHAEL NERO and GUARDIANS OF ELAYIM for Omen Comics, and he is also the creator of BLITZ and SHOCKWAVE for Revelation Comics (an imprint of Omen Comics).