Servant Season 4 Episode 9 Review: Awake
Leanne makes Dorothy an offer that she may not be able to refuse. Before that major cliffhanger, Servant Season 4 Episode 9, “Awake,” finally opens the floodgates and lets Dorothy, and us, know what happened to Jericho.
It has been hinted about all series, but the show never gives us the details until now.
His death is as dark and heartbreaking as we have come to expect. The penultimate Servant episode has to go to its darkest place to either prepare us for more darkness or offer some hope at the end.
This final battle between Leanne and the family comes down to Dorothy’s decision. Does she accept Leanne as her forever captor or does she pick a life grieving for Jericho? Neither option is particularly a good one.
However, can anyone really blame Dorothy if she picks Leanne and Jericho?
The episode opens with Dorothy in turmoil just with the idea of allowing Leanne to have Jericho for even a moment. She even states that he’s the thing she loves most in this world.
Leanne holds the biggest chess piece against Sean and Julian. Additionally, they are still blind by their need to believe that Leanne doesn’t have powers.
Therefore, these men have no clue who or what they’re up against. They are going into this battle already at a disadvantage. You can’t fight your enemy if you don’t understand them.
Because of this, Julian and Sean may play a very small role in this final battle. They will be there for the fight, but Dorothy really holds the power.
However, that isn’t a comforting thought.
Dorothy has never been the most stable character, and now she is grieving and mourning on top of her general personality, so her reaction to all of this can really help or hurt the future of humanity.
And unfortunately, the world may already be doomed.
Leanne shows no signs that she will sacrifice herself. According to George, the only way to stop the end of the world is if Leanne dies. The only thing strong enough to stop her, also according to George, is Leanne herself.
On the other hand, some could argue that if Dorothy can accept her pain and fight against Leanne, then she may be stronger than her. A grieving mother who acts selfless, despite her suffering, may be one of the strongest beings around.
The Servant series finale will definitely either be the final battle between Dorothy and Leanne, or Dorothy picking Leanne and Jericho over everything else.
“Awake” allows the cast to really give some of their best performances. Rupert Grint and Toby Kebbell are especially impressive in the car scenes.
The guilt radiating from them is almost suffocating. You feel their regret, guilt, fear, and the weight each of them shares. Additionally, you also feel the pain of having to destroy Dorothy’s joy and happiness.
However, they know that it may be the only way to stop Leanne. Sean and Julian are right, but can they really stop her?
Clearly, that’s the question next week’s finale episode answers. As this powerful being, can Leanne be stopped? Can they save themselves and the world?
We find out next week on the Servant series finale.
Stray Thoughts
- The framing and camera work of this episode is so astounding. It’s breathtaking to see the slow zooming in on Dorothy’s face as she remembers what happened to Jericho.
- As a horror movie geek, I love when the show really embraces those elements. It does them so well on “Awake.”
- Lauren Ambrose could have been a great final girl. The scene of realizing everything is so chilling.
- Tobe is important to Leanne. I knew her attachment to him is important, but whether the show uses it in some way in the finale is still unclear.
- I love Dorothy’s raincoat. It must cost a lot.
What did you think of this episode of Servant? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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Servant streams Fridays on AppleTV+.
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Jerrica Tisdale
Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.