The TV seriesServantslithered onto streaming services in 2019 and has quickly become apopular psychological horror series. Many consider the series a return to form for movie creatorM. Night Shyamalan. It nails a perfect atmosphere supported by excellent performances from a skilled cast. There is a lot to love about this Apple TV+ series by Shyamalan. Let’s take a look at some of the top reasons that you should be tuning in.
Solid Performances
Servantfocuses on a wealthy couple living in a Manhattan townhouse named Dorothy and Sean, played byLauren Ambroseand Toby Kebbell. These two are the movie’s emotional core and deliver realistic and grounded performances amidst surrealist psychological scares. Sean is a rich and famous chef, and Dorothy is a local news broadcaster. They have recently delivered a new baby named Jericho and need to hire a nanny to look after him. Of course, the story is not that straightforward. Jericho is actually a doll meant to replace the real Jericho, who died extremely young.
The other performances are excellent as well. Rupert Grint plays the role of Dorothy’s brother. Grint is famous for his role as Ron Weasley in theHarry Potterseries. The character is a bit of a degenerate brat that seemingly means well despite his nature. He is a constant presence in the couple’s lives and shares many of their interests.In an interview with Grint, he describes the character as being hard to like with many flaws. He is often the bully in the situation and tries to manipulate things to suit his interests.
It Is Shyamalan at His Best
M. Night Shyamalan really gets a chance to let his skill for visual flair and writing shine in this series. Every frame of the show is absolutely beautiful. As Stanley Kubrick would say, “every frame is a painting.” Shyamalan takes full advantage of the shorter episode format to deliver multiple surprises quickly. Despite this, the show does not feel rushed or poorly paced. It will take periods to slow down and build tension and atmosphere. It never cashes out with a huge climax, but is content to hold the tension the whole time in between small payoffs. Shyamalan has more tricks up his sleeve than just the plot twists this time around.
Shyamalan is adept at making even the most banal scenes dripping with dread. You can never shake the foreboding and uneasiness dripping from each scene. It makes an excellent case for a new genre of “uncomfortable horror.”
Related:Servant Season 3 Twists That Kept Us on the Edge of Our Seat
Expertly Crafted Atmosphere
Perhaps the series' most significant strength is its expertise in delivering an unsettling world that one may only encounter in a Salvador Dali piece. If you intend to watch this series, you would best do it outside of nighttime hours, so you don’t ruin your ability to sleep. A brilliant thing about the show is that it never goes into scary territory. It isn’t a show that will have you jumping around every scene transition. Instead, it delivers uneasiness through its visuals and storytelling. Many scenes are intentionally drawn out, where you see details of the characters through extreme closeups. The character of Leanne, played byNell Tiger Free, is a particularly unsettling presence when on-screen.
Shyamalan uses camera trickery and cinematography magic to convey a sense that something is wrong. You will see peculiar camera angles and scenes that are too quiet where the tension is cut with a knife. Even during dramatic reveals, the show never truly relieves the tension from the viewer.
High Review Scores
All the seasons of Servant have earned acertified fresh rating and a positive audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences and critics alike love the mystery elements that keep people hooked. Audiences love the unique and fresh look at the macabre and horror that the show provides. The Shyamalan twists also add extra complexity to the show and stop it from being too dull. Reviewers ofServantpraised the aesthetics, camera work, and glorious shots present in the series. You can feel the strong mark that Shyamalan has on the show and the footprint of British TV writer Tony Gasgallop.
Related:Servant Season 4: What Twists and Turns Will We See?
Short Episodes
Something that also helps elevate the show is the shorter episode format. Because the show often likes to take periods to slow-burn the audience, the shorter format stops the show from dragging too much. Whether you are binging the show or pacing it out to your TV time throughout the week, you will not have trouble adjusting to the show’s pacing. Shorter episodes also put more emphasis on scenes and make them more poignant. This is because there is less time to forget scenes that happen in the episode, allowing more references to be caught by the viewer.
