WARNING: Spoilers for The Haunting of Bly Manor.
The Haunting of Bly Manor ends with a final twist involving "The Storyteller" and the main protagonist Dani, so what's the true meaning of the hand reveal? To some viewers, the final image of the Netflix series may imply that two characters have reunited spiritually or even literally. However, the appearance of Dani's hand presumably links to the persistence of memory, a recurring theme in The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Developed for Netflix by Mike Flanagan, The Haunting of Bly Manor incorporates various tales by American writer Henry James. The main narrative was inspired by the 1898 novella The Turn of the Screw, while the Lady in the Lake subplot derives from the 1868 short story "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes." The Netflix series begins with Jamie (Carla Gugino as an older version of Amelia Eve's character) telling a ghost story at a wedding rehearsal event. Later on, it's revealed to be an account of her experiences working as a gardener at Bly Manor in England, and how she fell in love with an American au pair, Dani (Victoria Pedretti), who took care of children named Flora (Amelie Bea Smith) and Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth). From there, The Haunting of Bly Manor becomes a multi-layered ghost story about grief.
The Haunting of Bly Manor uses its primary 1987 storyline to explain Jamie's presence at the 2007 wedding rehearsal in Northern California. During the first four episodes, Dani is haunted by the memory of her deceased ex-fiancee, Edmund (Roby Attal), who was struck and killed by a vehicle shortly after Dani ended their relationship, the result of her attraction to women. When Dani confronts the past and opens up to Jamie in The Haunting of Bly Manor, they're able to move forward with a healthy relationship. Meanwhile, all of the ghost drama exists to strengthen the central love story. The penultimate episode, "The Romance of Certain Old Clothes," explains why the Lady in the Lake haunts Bly Manor, and the series finale, "The Beast in the Jungle", reveals why Dani ultimately chooses to become the new Lady in the Lake. The Haunting of Bly Manor ends with numerous subtle reveals, with the most obvious being a final image of Dani's hand touching a sleeping Jamie.
In The Haunting of Bly Manor, the true meaning of the hand reveal connects to Jamie's memories and the absence of memory for the bride-to-be, portrayed by Christie Burke. After Dani saves Bly Manor in 1987 (by connecting with the Lady in the Lake), she begins a new life with Jamie in America. Years later, the couple learns from Henry that Flora and Miles can't remember any of their ghost experiences at Bly Manor, which naturally affects how they recall their time with their American au pair. Unfortunately for both Dani and Jamie, the Lady in the Lake's spirit has followed them to America, and Dani eventually sacrifices herself at Bly Manor's lake to cleanse the property of ghosts. During the 2007 timeline in The Haunting of Bly Manor, Jamie appears at the wedding to help the bride, Flora, remember her past, if only through her subconscious.
Jamie's conversation with Flora helps explain the final image in The Haunting of Bly Manor. While processing the tale, the bride states that it's not a ghost story, but rather a love story. She then breaks down while thinking about living a life without her fiancee, and references the "easy silence" that they currently enjoy. The moment implies that Flora may be remembering her time at Bly Manor, as her statements thematically connect to the Bly Manor love story between Peter Quint (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) and Rebecca Jessel (Tahirah Sharif). On a deeper level, Flora describes Jamie's reality in 2007, which makes the final hand reveal in The Haunting of Bly Manor so impactful. Dani may be dead and gone, but Jamie's memories of their "easy silence" will persist.
https://ift.tt/37sNNOV
October 20, 2020 at 05:44AM
