Deron Generally
Deron GenerallyThe Haunting of Bly Manor
Netflix
Season 1 Episode 1
The Great Good Place
At the eve of a wedding, a story is told by one of the guests. A ghost story.
Dany Clayton is hired by Henry Wingrave to move into Bly Manor to care for and teach his niece and nephew. Not only will she stay at the house, but Wingrave wants no communication from her unless there is something wrong. An odd request, but one that Dany agrees to before making her way to the country and Bly Manor itself.
As Dany begins to pack her meager belongings, we get a first look at the ghost that is haunting the young woman. After she arrives, we meet the rest of the staff including the cook Owen and the housekeeper Hannah. The two children, Flora and Miles introduce themselves and Flora decides to show Dany around the house.
We get our first glimpse of the impending strangeness when Dany is introduced to Flora’s dollhouse. A re-creation of Bly Manor and the strange assortment of dolls arrayed within it. Except for one doll that is under the chest of drawers and must remain there. Dany is warned not to leave her room at night, but she does anyway and we get our first ominous apparition.
The next day brings strange behavior from Miles and the first sighting of someone with a dark connection to the Wingrave’s. Someone Hannah and Owen believe disappeared a year ago. More strange occurrences including phantom footsteps and open doors will confront Dany on her first days at Bly Manor.
The first episode of The Haunting of Bly Manor is a slow burn of character development and atmosphere. The characters are well done and interesting, but the English accents are a little rough on some of the actors, especially Henry Thomas. There are no huge jump scares to be found, but there is enough spooky atmosphere to keep you interested as well as looking around corners and under things for hidden ghosts. A good first episode that makes me want to see what happens next.
The Haunting of Bly Manor S01XE01
