Each week Terry and Joe review the latest episode of Apple TV’s Servant S2, alternating between our respective sites.

S1 coverage: 1– 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

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S3 coverage: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10
S4 coverage: 1 / 2 / 3

Spoilers follow for Episode 2.07 “Marino”

Episode 2.06 “Marino”: The Marino family tragedy raises more questions about Leanne. Uncle George’s presence in the house creates a problem for the Turners.

TERRY

Sometimes I forget that Servant mixes genre, Joe, and then an episode like “Marino” comes around and surprises me with its humor. And silliness. Because even though the stakes haven’t been higher and evil supernatural forces seem ready to descend on the Turner house, “Marino” is very funny. To the point I found myself cackling at the madcap mini-heist film it turns into a la Weekend At Bernie’s, what with Uncle George (Boris McGiver) playing the malleable body.

But before we get to that, episode 7 begins where “Espresso” ended, with the camera pulling back from Leanne (Nell Tiger Free)’s horrified face as the news report talks about the multiple homicide at the Marino residence. “Are you happy?” Uncle George sneers at her.

“Your disobedience has a cost.”

Dorothy takes on the timbre I left “Espresso” with and directly asks George what he did to that family. Or, if not him, then what did Aunt May (Alison Elliott) or the cult do to them? It’s a question I raised at the end of our last recap and I’m glad Dorothy charges headfirst into the discussion, even though George quickly becomes unresponsive after praying in tongues.

Ever the optimist, Dorothy tells Julian (Rupert Grint) that they have the upper hand...before turning her ire at the now slack-jawed and comatose George to shout, “We won’t let you intimidate us, do you hear me?!” The way returning director Nimrod Antal (“Bear” and “Cricket”) frames this scene, the camera becoming George’s perspective, focused on Dorothy and Julian’s faces as they stare, unconvinced, at us is really funny. And it’s a weird tone that continues throughout the episode.

Meanwhile, Sean (Toby Kebbell) chases the distraught Leanne upstairs but tellingly gives her space as he remains on the other side of the attic door. It’s here we get a little more information on how Leanne’s cult works. As she races through the attic, picking up items and putting them in a box, she shouts down to him that someone in the cult reads the signs and tells them where they’re meant to go. “Everybody has their place and I disobeyed his (or is that “His”?) will by coming here. I broke the rules.” And while Sean doesn’t know what happens when someone breaks the rules, we sure do: Leanne creates a makeshift switch and begins her ritualistic self-flagellation.

To make matters worse, while all of this is going on, Officer Reyes (Victoria Cartagena), a character introduced in “Doll” who has a history with the Turner family, shows up, the “Pizza” Cheezus Crust flyer (with Dorothy’s face plastered on it) in hand. And here’s where the physical comedy of Sean and Julian trying to hide George’s unconscious body brought to mind some of the Weekend at Bernie’s shenanigans.

“Marino” is relatively fast-paced and is mostly staged around the Turners trying to hide George’s body and stay slightly ahead of the curious Reyes. It’s not exactly the episode I thought we’d get after the intense “Espresso,” as the apocalyptic notes, cockroaches and general air of doom is replaced by an almost lighthearted heist story with the noisiest unconscious man as the target. It’s a weird dichotomy between the almost slapstick humor and the heightened stakes of Officer Reyes and her search for Leanne.

So I’m curious what you make of this slightly madcap episode, Joe. Did the comedic tone (and George’s loud spontaneous prayers/groans for Leanne) work for you? Do you have any thoughts on the Marino family shooting and Sergio (Hudson Barry), the missing/dead ten-year-old? And what about those protective, Blair Witch-esqe figurines that Leanne built...and Reyes stole?

JOE

The comedic bits definitely took me off guard, but I appreciated them. Servant’s capacity for balancing disparate tones has been a pleasant surprise this season and I’m happy to see it continue here. My favourite moment was Sean desperately whisper-yelling at Julian that he’s breathing too loudly as they hide George’s body in the kitchen. Toby Kebell really milks his line delivery throughout a lot of the episode, so much so that the UK native’s Philadelphia/American accent started to sound quite a bit more forced than usual!

Still, none of the comedy could distract me from the horror of George’s and Leanne’s realization of what had happened to the Marinos. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the two cult members were the only ones who seemed to understand the gravity of the situation. Beyond George’s brief fugue state, it was gruelling to watch Leanne go into full-on punishment-mode: stepping on her make-shift effigies in addition to that truly painful-looking self-flagellation.

The obvious implication (to me, at least) is that if Leanne had remained with the Marinos, she would have prevented the shooting. This is possibly confirmed by young Sergio’s Call of Duty YouTube channel: at one point we see Mr Marino, the eventual gunman, coming upon Leanne and Sergio engaging in some fun childish games. The patriarch’s voice initially seems angry, but when Leanne explains what they’re doing, Mr. Marino laughs it off; it’s like her words and presence immediately defused a tense situation.

Sidebar: I found it fascinating that Mr. Marino’s face is never revealed. We only see part of his figure. I couldn’t tell if this was a deliberate attempt to keep the focus on Leanne and Sergio or if there’s some other nefarious purpose for hiding his face.

It’s a savvy, mildly emotionally manipulative technique on the part of the Servant team to include these YouTube videos. It not only humanizes Sergio, it reinforces that the Turners’ drama extends far beyond their locked-down Brownstone. Regardless of whether the cult is truly capable of performing miracles, there are consequences (or is it “costs” as George suggests?) that our central couple rarely, if ever, consider.

What I’m saying is that their level of narcissism is unparalleled, Terry!

Naturally the self-involved Turners can only focus on what the Marino murders mean for them, which is where so much of the body hiding comedy comes from. In this regard, I was most fascinated by Dorothy’s response to the news, as well as her reaction to Reyes’ perceived intrusion. If anything, the murder spree only serves to solidify Dorothy’s resolve that she is the only one capable of securing Jericho’s return.

Like you, I loved Nimrod Antal’s straight-on shooting, which really served to reinforce how crazed George and Dorothy look. And Dorothy truly is belligerent in this episode when she accuses Reyes of doing her job poorly; yes, she eventually apologizes, but I was still surprised that Reyes kept her cool.

I’m also quite intrigued by Reyes’ personal reactions to these many provocations. In the kitchen she tells Sean that she’s seen “people inserting themselves into these situations”, and later she apologizes (and even offers her friendship) to Dorothy. Reyes is a fascinating character, in part because her job as a police officer positions her as an antagonist to Dorothy and Sean’s many illegal activities.

But she’s also far kinder than expected. There’s a strange kind of wounded “Olivia Benson from SVU” quality to her. I’m probably reading into it too much, Terry, but part of me feels like the police woman has an emotional intelligence that’s plugged into this world of grief and loss that goes beyond her work as a cop. Yes, she arrived at the Turner’s doorstep on her off-hours to give them a benefit of a doubt, but she didn’t have to treat Dorothy with this level of kindness.

The pragmatic reality, however, is that Reyes will likely use the effigies to discover that the Turners are hiding Leanne and that her dizziness was caused by Leanne in order to get her to leave.

I’ll turn it back to you: what did you make of Leanne and George’s final moments with the ceremonial dagger and the exploding skylight? (Was the latter caused by a plague of hail?) Am I alone in thinking that Dorothy is misreading the “Reunite them Christmas Eve” note, especially if you take that dagger into consideration? And who the fuck sends a BetaMax tape in 2021?!

TERRY

Before it’s revealed that the knock on the door was to deliver a package with the ceremonial dagger, ornate bottle and...brick(?)...I honestly thought Tobe (Tony Revolori) was showing up to add to the uncomfortable number of guests the Turners have had to deal with this episode.

I still have to believe he’s going to show up or maybe be instrumental in the police/Officer Reyes figuring out what is going on. He’s been a tool of the Turners, between his work as a sous-chef and his, er, kidnapping, that the image of the Marino family tragedy has to tickle something in his brain. The fact that the police know Leanne was the Marino’s nanny means the news team should also know. And I’m just waiting for Tobe to connect the dots.

But instead of a concerned Tobe, we get the ceremonial box filled with arcane items...and a Betamax tape. The last part, Joe, made me laugh in delight. Not only was it a cassette tape, it wasn’t the more popular VHS.

On one hand, if we hadn’t had the religious reveals in “Espresso,” I’d suggest that this was more proof that there’s some kind of time/dimension situation going on. The way Uncle George unironically says, “where is your Betamax player?” had me laughing at his earnestness and wondering, yet again, whether they were “out of time.”

In regards to the exploding skylight...one thing you and I have briefly discussed in our recaps this season is how Leanne seems less childlike and more like an unruly teen, exploring and understanding her role in the world. She’s been more confrontational and, dare I say, confident in her place with the Turners and the cult.

We’ve seen a couple times where she’s defiantly pushed back, such as when she broke “the rules'' of the kin cake, by devouring every piece of it. In response, her powers seemed to go wild, causing the Christmas lights to flash and explode. And here, the tension continually builds as she desperately tries to save Sergio with her magic to the point where she snaps what looks to be a makeshift switch...and the skylight explodes.

I would suggest that Leanne is on the path to embrace her autonomy in the world and this latest moment is another unruly refutation of the cult. If so, then the exploding skylight could be seen as her powers materializing when she’s angry (a la Carrie)...or that it’s whatever magical entity the cult worships expressing its displeasure.

But you’re absolutely right that Dorothy is misreading the “Reunite them” note. Or, at the very least, misunderstanding the intent and context.

I have a feeling Jericho doesn’t exist anymore. That whatever mistake Leanne made in bringing him back from the dead or willing him back into existence has been “fixed.” So, knife + Dorothy = A dead Dorothy. A Dorothy who is, in a different context, reunited with Jericho. It’s a threat of violence, Joe, and I’m both excited to see how it plays out and nervous.

Before I turn it back to you, I have to give credit to the phenomenal score by Trevor Gureckis this episode. His music has always been fantastic and subtle in Servant as a way of heightening the mood, but this episode’s score wrings every ounce of tension possible. In particular, the scene where Leanne destroys the figurines and kneels in the middle of the destruction is accompanied by some truly creepy and haunting music. Really, I’m just constantly in awe at the talent both behind and in front of the camera, Joe!

But what are your thoughts on the ceremonial dagger? Does my mathematical equation work for you, or do you think the target is someone else? With a Betamax tape and three episodes left, do you think we’ll get a glimpse of the hook-handed monster Roscoe (Phillip James Brannon) saw? We’re in the dark right now and don’t even know the next episode’s title, yet, so do you have any thoughts on how episode 8 is going to play out?

JOE

The fact that we end the episode with the knife and the tape suggests that they’re going to be very significant items. And while I’m mildly concerned we’re about to spend an episode scrambling around Philly to find a Betamax player, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t chomping at the bit to discover what’s on that tape.

Judging from George’s and Leanne’s dialogue in this episode, we have to assume that it will be directives or orders about how to proceed, presumably in the aftermath of the Marinos’ untimely deaths. But how is a Betamax tape created in such a short time? (It’s barely been hours since the murders were first announced! How close are the cultists?!) And will it be Aunt May on the tape? Someone else? Or will it be Him, as you suggest, Terry?

Ohhh the possibilities are so exciting.

But focusing on that knife...no good can come from a dagger. Unless there’s just a touch of bloodletting to perform a ceremony, it’s safe to assume that someone is doomed to wind up on the receiving end of that blade.

With that said, I’m doubtful Servant will eliminate any of our core cast. While I’m aware of how often Dorothy has mentioned suicide or death in the event that Jericho is, in fact, dead, I’m putting my money on George as the likeliest body to drop before season’s end.

My other bet? It’ll be Leanne, the girl who is terrified of being released back into the cult’s hands, that will deal the fatal blow.

We won’t know, though, until we hop back over to QueerHorrorMovies to discuss “Loveshack” next week!