The Incident At Stone Manor

The Incident at Stone Manor

Last things first:

Do I want to see kisses and declarations of love? Obviously. I’ve written about a million of them. But if that never happens, if the writers continue to be the writers, I feel like I got what I needed. This episode so obviously confirmed that no matter what they say, this is a romantic relationship on the deepest, most spiritual level. They are halves of one whole, tethered through space and time.

Now, do I think the show is strongly telegraphing romance? I do. Granted, we’ve thought that before, but really the last two episodes were a series of love letters between Abbie and Crane, a clear declaration that there is no one without the other. Tom and Nicole have abandoned any pretense of acting platonically – if there is such a thing as “platonic handholding” between adults, that was assuredly not it. If the writers choose to ignore that, well, I can’t fix that and I’m tired of feeling angry.

But this gave me what I needed emotionally from this couple. For me, it was a confirmation of everything I’ve felt about them. So not that I don’t want the physical stuff and the declarations; I do. I do. But this fulfilled something for me. Your mileage may vary.

Let’s do this thing:

The first thing – the first person – Abbie calls for is Crane. While this is thematically on point for the episode and hits me in my shipper zone, I don’t feel it’s in-character. Abbie just got herself blown up for Jenny, yet Jenny is the last person she calls for?

Our poor baby hurt, limping, so small in this huge, vast world. The water and rocks were such a huge change from our normal forests and caves and candlelit rooms. It gave the Catacombs a fantastic sense of space and otherworldliness and that sun that never moved. Really, superbly well scouted and filmed.

Current sexuality: Abbie Mills with a rusty, vicious cutlass. Shame she didn’t keep it. But of course, she’d leave it for the next poor soul who was stranded there. Might have left a note, though. To save time.

Good Lord, she looks so, so beautiful with her natural hair. And a great explanation for how it ended up that way. 10 months of complete isolation, complete stasis, not even the respite of sleep? They truly devised a cruel torture for her. And I hope they honor that pain and give it the attention it deserves. She couldn’t possibly come back OK.

Gargoyle: Kind of a cool idea for a monster, shockingly bad execution both in mythology and makeup. It looked like a bad Faceoff look. He couldn’t even move his mouth, and the actor was clearly trying!

Our first introduction to Papa Mills was a letdown. Obviously they’re going to develop it further, but seeing him so normal, in such a normal house, still using his same name, living in the same state but not giving a shit about his daughters? Left a bad taste in my mouth.

Jenny “Why Talk to Your Father When You Can Break into His House” Mills.

Both Lyndie and Zach were off their acting game today. Granted, they were given some real clunkers to say – “I hope you know you can trust me with what’s going on in here *gently taps chest*” is a real groaner – but this show is all about making awful lines sound good. Neither were up to the task this week.

Building a spirit cabinet is easier than raising a barn? When the everloving fuck did Gentleman/Professor/Soldier/Spy Crane have time to raise a barn?

Oh and also spirit cabinets were totally a thing, and a really cool thing! More an element of stage craft than a real way people tried to contact spirits, but I approve of their use, and that Jenny had to think of it, since it didn’t exist in Crane’s time.

How sad, how crushingly sad, that neither Jenny nor Abbie had *anything* of their father’s they could use in the ritual. And I love that Crane doesn’t press about her father; this boy knows daddy issues. He just nods and lets it go.

The bond of Witnesship being stronger than the bond of the sisters? Again, I get the theme they were building here, but not sure I buy it in either a magical sense – very few things stronger than related blood – or an internal show-logic sense. But that has never really been a strong suit.

Maybe the B-plot in this ep is awesome (pretty sure it wasn’t, but maybe), but it was impossible to care about anything besides Grace Abigail Mills.

Unlike Crane and Abbie imitating each other these last two eps, Jenny and Joe doing it felt too meta. Like, writers, if you’re aware of how formulaic the MotW scenes are, change them?

Abbie making her own chess board out of rocks and pretending to play with Crane. Because she knows him that well and misses him that much. And that’s who she turns to. No one else. Crane.

How many times do you think she imagined she heard his voice before she actually did? Ten months. Remember – even in our world, going mad is her greatest fear. How much would that be amplified in a world where it’s almost impossible to stay sane? How much would that fear have gnawed at her across day-lit nights when sleep did not exist? And then there it is and it’s real and he’s real but not quite real enough to touch and can she be sure? Can she really be sure?

Nicole’s acting was a true and absolute gift this episode. From the furtive way she moves, a woman hunted, eyes darting, quick movements, to how she talks to Pandora with steely resolve through her tears to her utter despair…she deserves so much. Thank you, Nicole.

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