In this show, there’s much speculation about Lasher’s grand scheme, but his actions are currently guided by an intense desire for two things: milk and intimacy. It feels like a game of deciphering hidden messages as I try to comprehend the symbolism behind these choices. Like vampires drinking blood, which signifies both life and death, there must be deeper meanings here. The arm-sawing scene is clear-cut, but the milk thing leaves me puzzled. Could it suggest that Lasher is somehow infantile in nature? If so, his sexual desires become even more complex. However, I can’t help but wonder if these milk cravings aren’t coincidental. Perhaps they signify something else entirely.
In the story “Ten of Swords,” the central struggle lies in Lasher repeatedly targeting women from the Mayfair family, engaging them sexually, and then causing their deaths. Recall the girl Rowan buried in the previous episode? It was later discovered she was a Mayfair, her demise due to an intimate encounter with Lasher. Despite this revelation, Lasher persists in his pursuit of Cousin Gifford (note: played by Thora Birch). After their encounter, Gifford tragically succumbs to internal bleeding and passes away. Farewell, Gifford. We hardly had the chance to know you.
If Lasher appeared as an uncomplicated antagonist, it might be easier to understand, but the narrative presents him more like a character with an insatiable desire that he seems unable to control. He expresses this when he admits, “They smelled so good,” following his encounter with Rowan in the woods. He thought the Mayfairs would be resistant to his advances, but apparently not. His actions are involuntary, making him seem like an oversized, out-of-control infant. The series seems to want viewers to empathize with him, which I find uncomfortable. Rowan suggests helping him manage his, well, compulsion, but since she now knows he’s causing harm, she can no longer rely on him, so he departs.
It seems plausible that he’s correct given the situation, as Rowan, having discovered that Lasher was never her child, makes feeble attempts to kill him as he flees. However, he manages to escape, but it appears that Rowan emerges victorious from this encounter, for she now has a clear sense of direction and purpose in her life.
In this instance, Rowan appears to be the one actively driving her own actions instead of passively following the storyline, unlike other characters who seem to be acting under some sort of pressure, whether it’s internal, external, or a mix of both magic and coercion. Lasher, on the other hand, is motivated by an instinct for killing people, but his seductions carry an unsettling air of non-consent. It’s unclear if Lasher is just incredibly attractive, or if he possesses some sort of mystical power that compels his victims to be instantly drawn to him.
If you’re looking for a clearer scenario, Moira initially intended to ignore the mysterious man who approached her in the bar and insisted on a chat, but instead, she was struck unconscious by an unknown object referred to as a “trust tab,” causing her to be forced against her will to engage in conversation with him.
Friend Arjuna, guardian of the sacred scriptures, advised Sip that once you use a confidence trick on someone, they’ll never truly trust you again. However, Sip disregarded this advice due to his urgency and being pressed by the Talamasca. I’m unsure about the duration of a magic truth serum, but it seems insufficient to persuade Moira into instantly becoming a double agent for the Talamasca. Nevertheless, she trusts Sip enough that when she finds her mother dead, another victim of Lasher’s uncontrollable lust, he is the first person she contacts.
As events unfold, Cortland is persistently pursued by ladies dressed in nightgowns and Mardi Gras masks. These women symbolize his past, as he manages to escape them by darting into another room. In this chamber, his father, akin to the spirit of Christmas Present, is stationed, ready to be fed from a revolting array of ribs and meat jellies. The camera angles become erratic during these scenes, aiming to portray that Cortland’s deepest fear is essentially his own upbringing.
Cortland is forced to keep replenishing his father’s plate, only for us to be subjected to the man eating rudely with an open mouth and berating his son using offensive language. Eventually, when there is no more food, Cortland resorts to amputating his arm to feed his dad. (This visual metaphor does not have to be complex.) This scene effectively uses body horror, and I always feel a wave of relief whenever Cortland’s scenes conclude.
As a cinephile, I find myself fortunate that Rowan has chosen to liberate Cortland as it presents the ideal opportunity for her to decipher Lasher’s next move. This determination of hers intensifies significantly upon discovering the third victim of this enigmatic villain.
It’s good to see that Rowan has taken some action at last. Yet, I must admit, it’s confusing and frustrating that her initial decision is to rouse Cortland, a man who has been living in a self-made hell due to his despicable actions. In case you’ve forgotten, Cortland committed heinous crimes such as raping his teenage niece, fathering Rowan as a result, murdering his daughter in an elevator, and manipulating Rowan into summoning Lasher and giving birth. While Rowan hasn’t forgotten these atrocities, she seems to believe that Cortland’s connection with past-life Lasher gives him insight into present-day Lasher’s intentions. This is surprising since she promised Jojo, our only likable character, that she wouldn’t do this. It seems Rowan didn’t even consider approaching someone else like Dolly Jean first. So, it looks like we should brace ourselves for the possible redemption arc of Cortland.
In the previous statement, I made an error by suggesting that only Rowan was acting independently in this episode. There is another character, Lark, who is an old friend and geneticist of Rowan’s. Instead of just sending her peculiar results from Lasher’s blood tests via email, he took a more daring approach by flying to meet her in person, which is quite unexpected. While it raises some concerns, I’ll overlook that for now considering the current circumstances. From what I can piece together, Lark intends to win Rowan over with unusual chromosomal findings, but those plans will have to be put on hold. For the moment, she has more pressing decisions to handle first.
Additional Questions, Comments, and Concerns
• They really brought in Thora Birch just to kill her off in the first 10 minutes?
• What sort of gateway to the underworld did Rowan activate when he awakened Cortland? As it turns out, we’ve only just scratched the surface regarding Cortland’s malevolent father.
• Could it be possible for Sip and Jojo, who are currently at the crime scene where Alicia Mayfair’s body was discovered, to collaborate on this case?
• No seriously, I need the milk thing explained.
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2025-01-13 07:54