Warning: Spoilers ahead for The Fall of the House of Usher Episode 8.
WARNING: This article includes mentions of suicide.
Summary
- The Fall of the House of Usher leaves many unanswered questions about the Usher family, its past, and the supernatural elements of the story.
- Verna is a mysterious character who can transform into a raven and is involved in the lives of the Usher family and other influential figures.
- Roderick's confession to Auggie is a perfect resolution, representing justice, but ultimately goes to waste as Roderick dies and Auggie leaves the confession on his tombstone.
Mike Flanagan's The Fall of the House of Usher leaves its audience with mystery and intrigue after its eight-episode run. The Netflix miniseries is loosely based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name but also contains references and adaptations of the prolific horror writer's other works. The story follows the extraordinarily wealthy Usher family, led by Roderick and Madeline Usher, as their heirs begin dying under mysterious circumstances. The loss of his children forces Roderick Usher to begin questioning his past, and the choices he made in his rise to power.
A miniseries only allows for a limited amount of time with each character, and The Fall of the House of Usher is filled with distinct personalities. Not every character was as fleshed out as possible, leaving a ton of unanswered questions about the Usher family and its past. Not to mention the supernatural elements of the story, which are left to be primarily vague and mysterious. The Fall of the House of Usher's ending leaves the audience with a ton to contemplate, from thematic ideas to specific plot points.
10 What Exactly Is Verna?
Verna is one of the most fascinating The Fall of the House of Usher characters, as her identity is essentially left to mystery. Verna is seemingly an immortal being who can transform into a raven. She's been involved not only in the lives of the Usher family for decades but also in the lives of various other tycoons and politicians. She has similar qualities to fictional demons, or even Death itself, and both are safe guesses, though Verna doesn't seem to be evil, necessarily, but rather a representation of justice.
9 Why Did Roderick Confess To Auggie?
Much of The Fall of the House of Usher is framed through Roderick's confession to Auggie Dupin. Ultimately, the recording of the confession just goes to waste, as Roderick's death results in the case being closed, and Auggie leaves it on his tombstone at the end. If Verna is meant to represent justice, then having Roderick come clean on all of his wrongdoings and confess to someone before his death is a perfect resolution.
8 Who Was Madeline Married To In House Of Usher?
Madeline had a complicated personal life in the series which is explored less than Roderick's as she has no heirs. After the two made the deal with Verna, Madeline got an IUD to prevent herself from having any children. She does mention that she was briefly married, but she seems to be far too driven by her personal goals, and the goals of her family, to have time for a lasting romantic relationship.
7 Why Does Roderick Try To Kill Madeline?
The final episode sees Roderick Usher attempt to kill his sister before she returns to life and kills him too. Not only does Roderick poison her, but he mummifies her, replacing her eyes with blue, Egyptian stones. Knowing that things were at an end, Roderick intended to entomb both him and his sister like Egyptian rulers. However, he does this against her will, and she rises up to strangle him, before dying together as he had planned.
6 Why Did Verna Kill Innocents At Prospero's Party?
Verna's mission is to kill the heirs of the Fall of the House of Usher family. At Prospero's party in episode 2, Perry Usher dies, along with plenty of other, presumably innocent, people. In most cases, Verna didn't intend for the Ushers to die horrible deaths and even showed mercy at times. The fault for the extra deaths at the party goes to Perry, as he didn't bother to check what the liquid substance in the tanks was. Verna even advised Perry to call off the party, giving him the chance to avoid the massacre.
5 Was Gris's Body Ever Found?
Rufus Griswold stood in the way of the young Roderick and Madeline Usher's path to power, and for that, he was killed. Episode 8 sees the sibling duo kill him, then hide his body behind a wall of bricks, while he's dressed as a jester. The body doesn't seem to have ever been found, as it could have had massive consequences on the siblings. Even in the present day, the two mention that it's a secret they keep strictly between themselves, not even wanting to discuss the details of that night with Arthur Pym.
4 Who Were Vic, Camille & Leo's Mothers?
At an Usher funeral, many of the mothers are seen sitting together, and later give Roderick some nasty looks. It's revealed that Perry's mother was a blackjack dealer and that Vic's mother was a nurse, but nothing is really said about the others. Roderick Usher was a ladies' man throughout his life but seemed to treat the love interests in his life with little regard. His first wife, Annabel Lee, seems to have suffered a tragic fate following their separation.
3 How Did Madeline Usher Come Back To Life?
In the climax of The Fall of the House of Usher, Madeline Usher seemingly comes back to life in order to kill her brother, before collapsing next to him to die together. The series sets a precedent for this to occur in the first episode when the siblings' mother rises from the grave to kill William Longfellow. However, their mother had a plausible reason for coming back. Madeline Usher's return can be left as a vague, mystical element of the show, or Verna's powers can be used as a reasonable explanation.
2 Why Couldn't Roderick Die By Suicide?
The Fall of the House of Usher episode 7 sees Roderick attempt to commit suicide. He hopes to bypass the deal by dying before the rest of his heirs go down, but Verna restores him to life shortly after, saying "I’m sorry I couldn’t accept your resignation." For similar reasons to Madeline Usher coming back to life, Verna likely brought Roderick back as suicide wasn't part of her scheme for the two of them. Roderick didn't deserve to choose his own death but rather had to let things play out and die side-by-side with Madeline.
1 What Was The Significance Of AI?
Madeline Usher has an obsession with the idea of living forever. Madeline is interested in the pursuit of AI technology, which she claims is the best possible way for her to live forever. AI is a very relevant in timely topic, but there's a more specific reason for Madeline to be interested. She can't live forever, and she knows this to be true, but pursuing AI technology could allow her to have influence and power after her passing. Still, the true significance of the AI is one of The Fall of the House of Usher's ending mysteries.