Donut
Episode 8 of Servant Season 3 starts with Leanne heading out to the park where all the squatters greet her with a yellow balloon. Yellow is a consistent motif throughout this episode, with Dorothy even sporting a yellow baby carrier to go with Leanne’s yellow dress. Given what’s transpired though, Dorothy clings to Jericho and tells Leanne there’s no chance she’ll ever touch her son again. This spooks Leanne, sending her out to the park where she thinks things over. Funnily enough, Isabelle happens to be jogging past and the pair get talking. Isabelle opens up about Dorothy and how she’s a real “b-hole” at times. The pair bond over Dorothy’s controlling nature, and they even agree to meet up on Wednesdays, with Isabelle warmly telling her she needs a friend. Dorothy is frazzled and even hitting out at Sean too, who isn’t sleeping in the same bed as her anymore. Since being with Dorothy, Sean admits to Leanne that he’s never felt more alone. He just wants to sit down with Dorothy and have a nice meal but she’s clearly unhinged and growing ever-more distant from the family. When Isabelle heads over to have coffee and donuts with Leanne, the latter ends up spilling coffee on her and she removes her shirt. Underneath of course is the cut caused by the couple but Leanne’s scatty behaviour gives Isabelle the impression that Dorothy is the culprit. That night, Leanne heads outside and speaks to the squatters, holding the dagger she was threatened with. Cutting her finger, she tells the others that she’s no longer afraid and encourages them to do the same, pricking their finger as a symbol of their newfound freedom away from the cult. Isabelle has been digging for information into this case, asking whether Dorothy’s child is actually Jericho. She’s determined to find out the truth, promising Leanne a new family. Leanne doesn’t reply though, while Dorothy speaks to her father that night, urging him to help get Leanne institutionalized. It’s Sean’s big night but instead of watching his cooking show, Dorothy hurriedly changes the channel as Isabelle happens to bee at the scene of an active shooter. Although she does well to report live from the scene, just as things escalate, she’s shot through the head and dies instantly. Everyone is shocked and caught in stunned silence. Except for Leanne. She’s grinning, beaming from ear to ear as the news comes in. She looks at Dorothy, picks up the bag of donuts under her seat and throws them in the bin outside. It seems like this was her plan all along; get rid of Isabelle so Dorothy can go back to work.
The Episode Review
It seems like Leanne planned this whole event, including heading out and sitting on the bench right where Isabelle would be running past. Whether this is the extent of her plan and how that seems to tie in with the potential prophetic visions (she could have drawn those images in her journal before they’ve occurred mind you!) is left up for debate. Beyond these ideas though, this is another slow episode as Servant continues to lurch toward its finale. You can tell we’re prepping for something big at the end of this season but right now that’s obstructed from view and it’s unclear quite where this one will go next. The camera framing in this chapter is so good, with mirrors used as a reflection of oneself and the colour yellow symbolizing happiness and joy – two juxtaposing emotions to what’s actually going on. Visually, this episode is arguably the best of the whole season, but in terms of plot there’s not a lot of it to cling to beyond the final 6 minutes or so. Although Servant hasn’t been as gripping as episodes past, there’s enough here to whet the appetite. Roll on the next chapter!
