"The Fall", and Poe...

I recently finished a Netflix original I thought deserved more credit than it got, even though it got a lot of credit. Usually, most of the shows on streaming services are okay, some are even "meh". Some deserve only the mention of ridicule: Good examples of those include, but are not limited to, "The Wheel of Time" and "The Rings of Power" (based loosely on some stollen material from the works of J.R.R. Tolkien). Both are decidedly horrid when compared to the books. The latter is more than horrid, I can't express how bad it is, in fact, I just threw up in my mouth a little trying to forget I mentioned it. If you avoid one show in your life, avoid "The Rings of Power", utter fucking trash. 

Enough of that negativity! Onward!

The show I speak of, the reason I wrote this post, is "The Fall of the House of Usher" based on the works of Edgar Allan Poe. In fact, it's based on one of his short stories, but there is so much more content they linked into it. Works such as "Annabel Lee", and "The Raven", are his most widely known works, but there is so much more to this show. The screenwriters tried to make the show as Poe-ish as they could. Even the titles of each episode are names of his works. The thing that impressed me the most about the show was the seamless connections the creators drew between all of his works. All of them plug into the same story. They literally stitched the whole Poe catalog together in a way that makes sense and tells an amazing tale of murder, deceit, intrigue, and mystery.  

I will admit, I am not much of a Poe fan. I find his work good, but not great. It's a matter of taste for me. This show actually reinvigorated my interest in his stories and poems. Poe has always been too dark, and melodramic for me. He is a gothic author and that comes with the turf, but it's not really my scene for the most part. However, and here is the caveat, the application of gothic themes in the show is perfect. I don't think it could have been done any differently. The showrunners took his work and applied the gothic qualities to corporate America, and it works so well, like a chef's kiss to a five-star meal.  

Not only that there are a few standouts with the way this show was done. The first is the dialogue, the dialogue seamlessly blends between conversation and mad mumbling and self-talk about ravens and ladies by the sea. There are a number of lines taken from the poems and stories that do not feel out of place. They offer a very good explanation for the use of such things too, but I won't spoil it. 

Even the use of icons from the literature and the real life of Poe fall directly into the story with ease and make sense in terms of iconography. For instance, in the story, there is a pharmaceutical company that develops an opiate that becomes a major plot point. At first, I thought this was a clever way of talking about the current opioid problem in the US. As it turns out, Poe loved him some Opium. Another story device from the get-go is the use of a specific bottle of really expensive alcohol, Poe actually died from alcoholism, or so it is believed. The use of the raven is another thing that I noticed throughout the show. It is the harbinger of madness and shows up each time another person falls victim, but it is also used as a collector of sorts. I watched this twice and saw more each time. 

Something else I noticed, and loved about this show was that the actors are all top-notch. None of them pull punches with their craft. When they say a line, they mean it, and the audience feels the impact of whatever is happening at that moment. They capture the essence of the story in the way they portray it. The emotions are emoted through a very experienced cast, one that plugs right into great scripting and source material. 

I will also comment that the cinematography in this show is clearly filmed by someone who knows what they are doing. The mood, ambiance, and energy portrayed by the actors, the source material, and the script all lineup.  The imagery used is spot on. Especially the show's use of lighting. All of it comes together in a wonderful collage of dark horror, sadness, and satire. It is synchronicity! Perfecto!

Lastly, the creators of this show know a thing or two about suspense, after all, they also did one of my other favorite shows on Netflix- "The Haunting of Hill House". It's epic! If you haven't seen it, do yourself the favor and stay in a watch it. Much like "The Haunting of Hill House", the action in this show largely takes place in the realm of "what ifs", I mean, the place of unknowns. The show does what all great fiction does- it shows, it doesn't need to tell, because it is so damn good about showing the pieces of the action and bringing them together to paint the picture. The result is a heroine high, followed by six episodes of "chasing the dragon" until the great mystery is revealed. 

It really is nice to find a show that has its bases covered. Good casting, good scripting, good cinematography, and all around well done. Go out and watch this, if you don't like it, it;'s your fault. 

Cheers!