The Fall of the House of Usher is a gothic horror drama miniseries created by Mike Flanagan. Loosely based on the short story of the same name and other works by Edgar Allan Poe.
Original release date: October 12, 2023
In 1979, Dupin investigated mysterious grave exhumations linked to a drug trial. The younger Roderick, living with Madeline, his first wife Annabel, and young children Frederick and Tamerlane, fails a pitch of Ligadone to Fortunato’s CEO, Rufus Griswold, but Madeline encourages her brother. In the present, Dupin and Roderick dispute the addictive dangers of Fortunato’s drug Ligadone before talking about Perry’s death. Perry leads a debaucherous lifestyle while he struggles to measure up to the success of his other siblings. Perry, Frederick, and Pym deal with environmental concerns over their properties including toxic waste problems. Perry decides to host a masquerade-themed party at one of the properties, using water from the facility’s tanks to signal an orgy. Roderick, suffering from CADASIL, pins hope on Victorine’s experimental heart mesh, while Madeline seeks to create AI using Lenore’s memories. Juno shares that she met Roderick after expressing her gratitude for Ligadone following a car accident. Frederick’s frustrated wife Morella secretly attends Perry’s party, where Perry plans to seduce Morella as revenge on his brother. Verna appears to Perry and forewarns of consequences, telling the wait staff and Morella to flee before disappearing. The water begins to spray but it turns out to be acid, immolating the guests, including Perry. Verna kisses Perry and leaves her mask before his demise.
* * *
[camera shutter clicks, whirring]
[camera shutter clicking]
You found it like this? Didn’t touch anything, did you?
No, sir. Clocked in, did my morning rounds and there it was.
You know, I read a story once about a guy who diddled dead bodies. Necropeelio?
Necrophiliac.
[camera whirring]
[guard] Right.
I’d never heard of taking the body with them when they’re done.
So what do you think? Robbers?
Take the jewelry, not the body.
Oh, no, you don’t! Told you if I saw you again…
[Auguste] I’m leaving.
Don’t make me confiscate that camera.
You can’t, unless I’m being charged with a crime.
Don’t push me, Mr. Dupin.
I told you, this is serious business.
And you’re not supposed to be here!
[man] I’ve got to tell the police captain again why one of my guys is impersonating a fucking police officer.
Not my fault the guard made assumptions.
Must be the coat.
You think you’re funny?
I get a call from a lady a few weeks ago whose mom passed away.
And she found some paperwork saying the old lady was seeing some doctor.
Her daughter never met this doctor. No idea her mom was seeing him at all.
And apparently, he signed her up for a drug trial.
But mom wasn’t competent.
Daughter notices mom’s signature on the consent form was forged.
I call the number, it’s an answering service.
I call the doctor, he hangs up on me.
Turns out there are multiple complaints about this drug trial.
So Ms. Brady calls me this morning in a panic.
She got a call from the cemetery. Her mother’s grave was disturbed.
See here’s where you fucked up.
So I went down…
You’re an idiot.
Because there have been five!
Five graves exhumed in the last four weeks.
Five corpses missing!
All people who were part of that drug trial.
Bodies vanished into thin air.
I don’t like you. I’ve had issues with you people in the past.
You people?
Whole damn office still white as cream cheese,
in case you’re worried we’re invading.
Who says I’m talking about your skin? That’s right, I noticed that too.
You need two things to do this job, a phone and a typewriter.
And some respect. Three things, I guess.
Respect? Come on, nobody holds anybody to account, you know that.
The people in charge of making us healthy make us sick.
We cheat the dying. We fleece the poor.
Promote the racist. Let the demons run amok.
This world needs changing.
Okay, then.
Say you win.
If you could catch them all, take all of it,
all the greed, the foulness, the rot in the world
and sit down across from it, what would you say?
[Auguste] Was it ever going to be enough?
Over the years,
I’ve talked to a lot of people who have taken your drugs.
Soccer moms with headaches.
Accountants with carpal tunnel. Kids with sports injuries.
Their docs prescribe them Ligodone, pitch it like extra strength Tylenol.
Fast forward a year, they’re shooting up heroin behind dumpsters.
Or they’re dead.
Don’t be naive. I’m not responsible if people abuse Ligodone.
This is an old and boring argument.
Do you know how much Ligodone my wife takes every day?
She’s fine.
Wasn’t your wife a heroin addict before you met?
She is a success story from every angle, I agree.
You knew the extended release formulation created abuse potential.
You knew it was highly addictive.
You marketed it non-addictive anyway
because you wanted more than the hundreds of millions you were pulling
before Ligodone hit the market.
That wasn’t enough for you, so that’s my question.
Was it ever going to be enough?
How much money would make you say, “We did it”?
Does that number even exist?
That’s an idiot question. Course not.
But we aren’t here to talk about that.
We’re here to talk about…
What?
[thunder rumbling]
My son.
Prospero.
Perry.
So, Frederick told me before the end, he thought Perry was your informant.
That he was giving you the information.
Was he?
Because it really doesn’t matter now.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter at all.
Not since I killed him.
I know how Prospero died.
Are you saying that was somehow your fault?
Perry was the first of my children to die.
And I know you think you know how that happened.
But you don’t.
The first thing you have to understand about my son is that he was,
if nothing else…
crazy.
Fuck.
Morning.
We haven’t slept yet.
[both chuckle]
You’ve got to try this stuff.
Where are my eggs? Did you eat my eggs?
Do you care? They’re fucking eggs.
They were gull’s eggs.
Black-headed gull’s eggs.
Foraged from Keyhaven Marshes.
They’re only in season for three weeks a year.
If I push this in, you can’t take it out.
You have to leave it in on the way to the hospital,
or else it’ll just get worse.
Babe, no one touched your eggs.
[fork clatters]
[chuckles, sighs]
Jesus. You had me going there.
[Prospero] Oh! Huh.
Here they are. I found them.
You know, I’m still pissed your dad didn’t go for the club idea.
Your dad wouldn’t know a good idea
if it smeared his dick in peanut butter and sucked it off.
[Faraj chuckles]
Yeah, should have thought of that.
No, I just opened up a bottle of the Glenfiddich.
Plus, you never fuck family. Apparently, you just hunt them.
I don’t know. Maybe this is a good thing. My dad does this fucking thing.
Every kid in the family gets their nest egg investment
once paternity is established.
Every one of my fucking siblings got it. It’s like a given. Like a fucking right.
But you have to pitch him on it.
And he grinds you.
And once he finally approves…
you should see what it fucking does to them.
He makes it sound like a gift, but it’s not. It’s a trick.
He puts you under his ugly ass fucking thumb,
and you might never get out.
So fuck him.
He doesn’t like my idea?
Maybe we dodged a bullet.
[cell phone vibrates]
Hmm. Who’s Dickwad?
It’s my brother, Frederick.
[Faraj] Oh.
Fuck.
Bye.
We at Fortunato take our responsibility to the environment very seriously,
and we are aligned with you in our mutual goal of compliance
with any and all regulatory guidelines.
Okay, that’s not true.
And you didn’t return my calls until your company was indicted.
Sorry I’m late. I got hit by a truck.
[chuckles softly]
Sorry, everyone. This is my brother, Prospero.
What’s this?
This is a collection of condemned Fortunato testing facilities
that are not compliant or, worse, leaking toxins into the groundwater.
Holy shit, we own all of these?
Are you acknowledging ownership?
Of course he isn’t.
What’s the problem with these?
[woman] Well, we inspected these sites…
By court order or permission?
If you don’t own them, what do you care?
We found evidence of buried toxins.
Oil, coal, pesticides, rotting debris, chemicals,
heavy metals, including arsenic, benzene, chromium, mercury and lead.
One site had such a highly acidic concentration that…
Sorry, yes. [clears throat] That’s bad.
[Peter] You’re acknowledging?
He is not, and you know that, Peter.
[Frederick] Any structure we own or control,
if it’s found in violation,
and we are legally liable for that property,
we’ll bring to code,
or we will demolish it as soon as possible.
[woman] You’ve been saying that for a year. Over a year.
With due respect, we keep having the same meeting.
Don’t tear them down just yet, actually. Some of these are a fucking goldmine.
If this one is ours, I want to see it.
It’s perfect for this idea I had
for this anonymous debauchery…
Can I talk to you for a moment?
Excuse us, please.
Do you want…
Let’s go.
You could be invited.
[grunts]
The fuck are you doing?
I’m getting to know the family business, like Dad said.
You’re supposed to be shadowing me.
Shadows don’t fucking talk. They don’t speak.
And they don’t fucking acknowledge the allegations.
Everything okay?
He talks. You don’t talk.
If you’re ever in doubt, you say,
“We at Fortunato take our responsibility to the environment very seriously.
[both] “And we are aligned with you in our mutual goal of compliance
with any and all of the regulatory guidelines.”
Do you know how many attorneys they brought?
Seven.
[Arthur] Six.
Okay, they brought six. Do you know how many we brought?
One!
Because Arthur has the power of six, or seven, attorneys.
And the last thing he fucking needs
is Gucci Caligula handing over the keys to the store.
Yeah, but weren’t you supposed to demolish those buildings six or seven months ago?
I know it’s you, you little fuck.
No wonder you’re so comfy talking around the Feds.
Getting a lot of practice after hours?
I know you’re the fucking mole. I know it.
And when I can prove it,
I’m going to serve you up to Dad on a silver platter.
You don’t discuss that in the building, Frederick.
I’m not the…
You know, I don’t think mole is the right word for it,
but I’m not the informant. Or whatever.
I’m only here because Dad said so…
You’re only here because my father fucked a blackjack dealer
on a yacht in Cannes 25 years ago.
And he fucked her so hard that the estate cracked
into six pieces instead of five.
Fucking bastard.
[Prospero] We’re throwing a party.
Here.
Tomorrow night.
No holds barred. Fuck the permits.
Anonymous debauchery social event
that changes venues every month.
You won’t know where it is unless you’re on the list.
And the list is fucking exclusive.
[Jenny] It’s a pop-up club.
[Prospero] The pop-up club.
You get a digital invite.
Don’t click the link in five minutes, it disappears.
And to get on the list, you pay a serious fucking membership fee.
[Faraj] How much?
[Prospero] Ten grand.
So we get 100 people on the list, that’s our first million.
Five grand at the door per party you attend, we’re at 1.5.
Never at the same place twice.
This building belongs to my family’s company.
These old labs have their own power, closed water supply.
Keeps us off the city’s radar.
And it’s slated for demolition, so it’s fucking free.
Do we need a theme or something?
No. It’s not a fucking prom.
Sex and drugs are the theme.
The orgy starts at midnight.
Actually make that 20 grand.
[Jenny] But baby, 20 grand…
[Prospero] And it should be a masquerade.
[Jenny] I guess we could make that, right?
[indistinct conversation]
[Jenny and Faraj chuckling]
[ECG beeping]
What? No, she can still make it.
Pulse ox is…
Tanking. It was a long shot.
Give more nitrates.
No, they won’t help.
Not at this point. It’s just not taking.
Okay, give her more adrenaline.
What? No!
Hey, Vic!
Hey! Victorine, listen to me, don’t just…
[Alessandra sighs]
[beeping continues]
[beeping slows down]
[ECG flatlining]
[Alessandra] Mark it.
Fuck!
[bangs on table]
It’s okay. It really is.
No, babe, nothing about this is okay.
At this rate, we’ll lose funding in six months.
If she’d lived, the whole trial would be poisoned.
[sighs] Because of the adrenaline.
The last thing we should be talking about right now is human trials.
[Roderick] Human trials. How much longer is this gonna take?
The monkey’s fine, right?
Yeah, it’s…
Our test subjects are reacting as predicted.
I’m going over the latest reports, I’ll bring them over later.
I need this viable in humans.
And a lot sooner.
Like six months.
What?
No, that’s…
Okay, why?
You just asked me why?
You let me worry about why and you worry about results.
If we’re not going to make those dates…
if we’re going to miss the human trial threshold,
if my 200 million is coming up snake eyes, you’ll tell me, right?
Well, yeah, of course.
Look at me.
I need this to work.
[Prospero] Come on, man, I don’t ask for much.
You want a little Molly, a little coke, a little pick me up,
or a check me out, I’m your guy.
But I’m not a fucking cartel, I can’t supply your whole rave.
You know people who move that kind of weight?
“Move that kind of weight”?
What? Have you been watching fucking Narcos or something?
You should if you haven’t. It’s brilliant.
What about Viagra?
Mmm. Yeah, I’ve got a stash out back.
You do?
No, I don’t. Because I’m a stallion in my fucking prime.
And why the fuck do you need Viagra?
You’re in your twenties.
You’re basically 80% cum, I can fucking smell it on you.
I just want this thing to be epic.
Dad doesn’t believe in me and the rest make fun of me,
but I blow the roof off this thing and I print seven figures out of thin air,
maybe I get a fraction of the respect that’s supposed to come with this name?
It’s harder for me. You know that. But the rest don’t.
It’s hard enough for the bastards, but it’s harder for me for some reason.
Like I’m extra bastard. Like I’m the fucking bastard’s bastard.
All right, okay, I get it. Look.
You’re going to pull this off, all right?
You’ve got this. Half your guests will be holding,
half will be rolling before they even get there.
I’ll give you two dealers to invite.
And they’ll jump on it, just for the sales opportunity.
But whatever the fuck goes down after that is on them, not you.
Oi! Look at me.
This shouldn’t be on you.
You’re better than a dealer.
You’re smarter than a DJ.
All right? This is beneath you.
And you’re going to kill it.
But you’re better than all of this.
And the minute you figure that out, bruv, you’re going to be unstoppable.
All right.
Just for you.
Because I get the kind of performance anxiety
that comes with a public orgy,
I’m going to get you some Viagra.
You do have Viagra?
Of course I have Viagra.
I have a reputation to uphold.
[man on TV] Yeah!
That’s it!
That’s right. Feel that.
You can do it.
We’re going to go another 60 seconds.
Feel that? You bet you do.
[women] Yeah.
You are getting BILLT.
As a drug rep, you were encouraged
to report this kind of issue to your supervisors at Fortunato?
Uh, I was not. I was discouraged even.
[Auguste] But you reported it anyway?
I was concerned that this particular doctor was running a pill mill.
[Auguste] To the best of your knowledge, was any action taken?
To the best of my knowledge, no. No action was taken.
[Camille] Look into this witness soon. Drug rep.
See if you can find something.
And if you can’t find something, we may have to just find something.
How was your day?
We’re looking everywhere, but…
Toby, damn it.
I’m sorry. If somebody talked to the Feds, they were smart about it.
[Camille] I know. The Ushers aren’t idiots.
Except Perry.
Get me Vic’s file. And Juno’s.
[Tina] Wow, nobody’s in court today?
I knew your dad was skipping, but nobody from your family…
[Camille] No. We won’t show up again most likely.
We sit there, they get credibility.
But we will be watching every second. You’d better believe it.
You’re still thinking Victorine’s the informant?
[Camille] Maybe.
It could be Perry. Little psycho.
I also want to look at Juno,
but something stinks about Vic’s clinical trial.
That might be the Feds’ way in.
If they have something on her heart mesh,
can you poke at that?
Talk to lab techs, bribe, threaten, mix and match.
[sighs] What did she do to you?
I’m sorry, what was that?
Um…
Nothing.
I mean, I hate my sister too, but…
Never mind. Forget I said anything.
I will.
You know what? I will need both of you tonight before dinner.
[Faraj] You tap on the mask and it takes you to the payment page.
We’ll get Apple Pay up before tomorrow night.
Working on your guest list too.
Right. Good job, Faraj.
Okay. I’m thinking we get everybody on the dance floor,
install some padding up in here,
and turn on those sprinklers, make it rain.
Kicks off the fuckfest.
Nobody sucks or fucks until the rain starts.
Yes?
♪ Well, I said certified freak Seven days a week ♪
♪ Wet-ass party Make that pull-out game weak ♪
[Prospero] Is that what the song is now?
Yeah?
[Jenny] Yeah.
[Prospero] Yo. How’s the water?
[man] Well, tap’s off. The municipal line’s closed off.
I’d suggest serving bottled water back here.
Everybody’s drinking Dom anyway.
What about the sprinklers?
Those are dry.
Bullshit, they’re dripping on my phone.
They might sweat a little, they’re old, but there’s no pressure.
I can call the city, see if we can tie into the municipal line.
Ugh. Dry-ass party.
Yeah, works less well.
You know, these testing facilities need their own filtered water.
And Fortunato wouldn’t use city water. Not in a million years.
You guys saw those tanks on the roof when we walked in, yes?
[Jenny] Mmm.
Mmm-hmm.
Okay, cool. We just tie in.
Like hooking up a hot tub.
[Jenny] You can do that by tomorrow night?
Yes.
Because remember the golden rule.
Whoever has the gold makes the…
What was that?
Uh, sorry, it’s an old joke.
Old joke I told them once.
“Remember the golden rule.”
It was in a comic book.
The Wizard of Id.
Number four… I think.
Late ’60s, kitschy as hell.
And the cover was a stout little king standing on a green tower
looking down over his subjects, one finger up,
making a proclamation, “Remember the golden rule.”
“And what’s that?”
his short little peasant subjects shout back from below.
And then… this little peasant in the back, he pipes up.
And in the last little word bubble it says,
“Whoever has the gold makes the…”
[thunder rumbling]
Are you… Are you all right?
[chuckles]
Have you ever heard of CADASIL?
No.
Is that another drug, something else in Fortunato’s arsenal?
How many people will this one kill?
You were a Medicare fraud investigator once upon a time.
You were in the industry. You should know this, CADASIL.
Cerebral autosomal dominant arteriopathy
with subcortical infarcts and leukoencephalopathy.
CADASIL.
In fairness to you, it wasn’t coined until ’93.
Anyway.
It’s a hereditary form of vascular cognitive impairment.
Before it kills you, it causes symptoms very much like dementia.
Affects thinking, problem solving, spatial…
reasoning and memory.
It can even cause hallucinations.
You’re talking about vascular dementia?
There’s no cure, you know.
And a five-year prognosis, on the outside.
The medications, anti-psychotics,
the beta-blockers, the stimulants… No, thank you.
Don’t kid a kidder.
So really, the only hope is preventative.
Like, say, an experimental new smart heart mesh
that offers real-time diagnostics of major blood vessels in the brain.
Might buy some time.
The Wizard of Id.
A play on The Wizard of Oz. A comic.
About a sprawling cast of characters in a medieval kingdom called Id.
More of a Calvin and Hobbes guy.
And I first saw it hanging outside Rufus Griswold’s office.
You remember Gris, don’t you?
That unfortunate cemetery business…
was your whole thing, wasn’t it?
I remember everything, Roderick.
Gris, the original gangsta, you might say.
All of this really starts there.
In that office with Rufus Griswold.
The original cocksucker.
[phone ringing]
[Rufus] Tell him no more fucking messes.
And no more cops. He has one job, for Christ’s sake.
He’s a glorified fucking gardener.
I just need him to dig!
Mr. Griswold is ready for you.
Roderick Usher.
Oh, yeah, right.
Sorry about that.
You want a drink, Rod?
Uh, no, I’m fine.
[clears throat]
Fucking FDA.
Fuck Dicks Association.
Between Carter and the Fuck Dicks, am I right?
Yeah, absolutely. Stupid Fuck Dicks.
Sorry, this is your time. Third quarter projections.
No, sorry, I’m Roderick Usher, I have a presentation.
When was the last time you had a headache?
Fuck me. This is a pitch?
Suz, you said it was fucking accounting! This is not Suz’s day.
Sorry, this has been on the books a few times. Do you want me to reschedule?
[sighs]
No.
Fuck it, you’re here already. Go ahead.
When was the last time you had a headache?
Yesterday? This morning?
I’ve got one right now.
Arthritis. Back pain. What do you take for it? Ibuprofen?
Serious pain, you’re on opioids. Everyday pain, you’re on acetaminophen.
But for the gulf in between? Well, you’re fucked.
So, let me introduce you to Ligodone.
A reformulated opioid coated in a proprietary synthetic
to slow absorption.
No side effects. Non-addictive.
A serious injury, cancer, trauma, sure,
but also for chronic, mild, even temporary pain.
Same pill.
Only thing that changes is the dose.
This whole industry has always been about pain management.
This is about pain erasure.
Not just for the ICU. This is for Mom and Dad and little Timmy’s scraped knee
because everyone has that in common.
We all, all of us, know pain.
It’s the great equalizer.
And this is the first pill in history for all of us.
In this little pill is a world without pain.
First, we hire the chemist. Metzer, he developed Ligodone.
Or even better, we buy Landor Pharma.
The infrastructure’s already up and running.
We get it to market and we usher in a new world
because this world… needs changing.
You work in this building?
I do.
Where?
I’m on sub-two.
So you’re in the mail room?
I’m in the communication logistics office. I don’t work in the mail room.
A world without pain. That’s pretty good.
It’s not just good. It’s imminent.
Well…
Interesting.
But drugs is a dirty business.
It’s a tricky business. Especially with the Fuck Dicks.
You’ve got trials, regulations, all that.
We’re dabbling in it a bit too right now.
It’s been nothing but a shit show so far.
I’m cleaning up a huge mess as we speak.
A drug trial that has cost me three years and 20 fucking million on bad chemistry.
And even if the chemistry goes perfect, which it never will,
you still have fines, bribes, law suits, court…
But on the other side of all that…
Medical devices on the other hand…
Now that’s our bread and butter.
It’s still a pain in the ass, sure, but way less complicated.
Tangible.
Practical.
Physical.
And hard enough without all the chemistry.
How many people need
that cardio-verter-defibrillator we spent millions developing?
What? 100k a year? Tops.
A strong, universal, non-addictive pain killer,
we’re talking a thousand times that, easy.
Bigger than the numbers, which will be huge,
and bigger than the profits, which will be astonishing,
Fortunato won’t just be a medical care company,
Fortunato will be a miracle.
And you will be the new Messiah.
This is how you change the world.
My mother… she used to work here.
She sat on that desk that Suz is on right now.
She gave her life to this company.
And for years, towards the end, she was in agony.
Daily pain.
Every minute, and I saw all of it, and I knew it did not have to be that way.
Yes, of course, you’ll make billions doing this, that’s true.
But that’s not why you do it.
[baby wailing]
Well?
Oh!
I’m so sorry, sweetie. He’s wrong.
Hey, baby. Hey, it’s okay.
You’re going to stay with Mom.
[Annabel] I know. It’s okay.
I saw her desk.
Smaller than I’d pictured.
[Annabel] Whose desk?
Our mom’s.
Wanted to for months. Today was the first time I got into that office.
Wow, that’s amazing.
Sorry about your pitch.
I was glad to have some time with your wife.
I think today’s the most time I’ve spent with Annabel.
And you’re seeing me at my best, that’s for sure.
I come out of these days feeling
like I got beat with a pillowcase full of doorknobs.
Be quiet.
Pardon my boob again.
Hang on.
I wonder… Maybe it’s time to move on from that place.
Find another opportunity somewhere else?
I know there’s a connection for you there because of your mom, and I guess your dad.
Oh, you told her.
“It was many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the sea
“that a maiden there lived
“whom you may know by the name of Annabel Lee.”
What’s happening?
Shh.
“And this maiden she lived.”
[Annabel chuckles]
“With no other thought but to love and be loved by me.”
[kissing]
Vomit.
[Roderick sighs]
I quit my job today.
What?
These men.
You’d think developing a single-chip microprocessor
would earn you a little respect, but no, still just a fucking boys’ club.
Jerking each other off
because they invented the microcontroller chip in fucking Simon.
Maybe someday you’ll put a chip in a toy.
[Annabel] I’m proud of you. Both of you.
Roddy? You took a big swing.
And Madeline, you’re a goddamn genius. You took a step out of a bad situation.
The kids are healthy and happy, we’re together.
Money isn’t everything.
Hmm.
We’re okay.
You’re both so fucking high-tech, impressive.
Roderick with your medicine, Madeline with your algorithms.
Algorithms aren’t high tech. They’ve been around since antiquity.
An algorithm is just a finite sequence of all defined instructions
to solve a problem, or perform a computation.
But, down the line, with computers, we could use them for anything.
Financial markets. Investments.
Predictive medical care.
Hell, an algorithm could write movies and TV shows.
Not well.
You’ll see.
Down the line, we could mimic human consciousness.
That is immortality talk right there.
Yeah, but aren’t there just some things only we sad, little, flawed people can do?
I mean, can an algorithm write a poem the way Roderick does?
[Madeline] Roddy.
Fuck that tiny little man in his big office
with his tiny little ideas.
We are going to change the goddamn world,
and if Fortunato won’t help us get there, we will trample them on our way.
There’s no such thing as a step back.
You go forward.
If you hit a brick wall, you don’t go back, you go through.
Rufus Griswold is going to help us go forward.
Or we’re going to go right through him and leave him in pieces behind us.
Jesus, Madeline. When you get going, you get going.
[Madeline] Here’s what’ll happen.
Now you finally finished all these questions,
and I know that was a lot.
A hundred thousand questions.
It was ten thousand, but I take your point.
You finished the journal?
Every day for four months. Like you said.
Lenore.
And now, the algorithm’s going to worm its way through the Internet.
It’s going to grab everything it can.
Your Facebook, your Instagram,
your profile, your posts, your email, microdata.
And then it makes another me.
An AI approximation, but, yeah. Maybe.
A virtual you that thinks like you, talks like you, is you.
That’s so cool.
It is cool, isn’t it?
Is that it?
Yes, ma’am.
You see, what your granddad doesn’t get
is that this isn’t about building a chatbot.
It’s about legacy.
See, the ancients, they all wanted to live on after they died, well, everybody does.
And they tried all this stuff, mummification, pyramids,
but speaking of mummification.
This is straight from Egypt.
They would take this and shove it up the nose
and pick out the brains bit by bit before mummification.
It is a new piece for my immortality collection,
and it is beautiful, and I’m gonna use…
[Arthur] Got a minute?
I’ll go say hi to Grandpa.
Okay, love.
What is it?
You were right.
I got a look at Perry’s bank statements.
His spending’s dropped a bit in the last few months.
I thought so. Either he’s coming down in his old age, or…
Or he’s spending more cash.
Which can mean one of a few things. He’s dealing, pimping, or…
Or…
Do the Feds still pay in cash?
The government was always cash in my day.
What about the child bride?
She doesn’t have her own accounts.
She’s just co-signed on Roderick’s.
Of course.
Okay, well, keep looking.
We’ll find them.
Surprise it’s…
Oh, fuck.
Oh.
Come in, sweetheart.
Hi, Grandpa. And… Grandma?
No. No, Jesus, no, never. Never again. I’ll hit you.
How was your day?
Good. Just visiting Nanna Madeline.
Oh, that’s right, she’s turning you into a video game. Or something.
Oh! Oh, I love video games. Which ones are your favorites?
We should play.
We should bond.
That’s right. You two should bond.
My two favorite women together in one room.
I’m going to get them to whip us up some pizzas.
I’ll be right back and… you bond.
So, you know, I never asked.
How did you meet my grandpa?
Well, that… That is a funny story.
Actually, I was in this awful car accident.
I was shattered.
Inside.
More than three dozen fractures, they just whipped off the old leg
and your granddad happened to be visiting the hospital on business,
and I guess they wanted him to see me
because I was on this dosage of Ligodone that no one had ever been on before.
And I was conscious and that was… Well, that was fucking bizarre,
and the doctors, they were all gossiping about it.
And he came to my ICU room,
and he asked me how I was enjoying the pills.
And I was like, “I literally fucking love the pills.”
And he said he was the one that invented them!
And I said that I was just so grateful I could just blow him and…
Yeah.
[knocks at door]
[Morrie] Oh. What can I do for you, Perry?
Hey, just had to drop this off for Froderick.
Oh, I’m sorry. Dickwad.
You know, I’m sorry.
Your dad was hard on him too, when he came up.
And Freddie can be…
Even when he loves you, Freddie can be… Freddie?
It’s no fun.
I get it, is all I’m saying.
What?
No.
No, it’s nothing.
No, what?
Well, I’m throwing a party tonight.
It’s very private.
It’s very exclusive.
It sounds like fun.
Yeah, it is.
See, it’s an old world masquerade, anonymous debauchery.
A carefully curated group.
Elite. And discreet.
And at midnight, the rain will fall and we’ll all dance and fuck.
And feel more alive in five minutes than Freddie ever will.
You should come.
Perry, that’s insane.
No, it’s not.
I still see that fiery, free-spirited goddess in there.
Don’t you want to see her again?
Just for one night?
No one has to know. No one will ever find out.
Yeah, it’s my gift to you. Look…
picture the perfect cock in your hands, in your mouth.
The perfect pussy, if that’s your speed, or both.
Without faces, without words, without judgment.
Wet and hard… and all yours.
How dare you?
I’m your brother’s wife.
Yeah.
And that’s pretty fucking hot.
I’ll send you an invite.
Yeah?
Check your phone.
Or… hold on.
Probably don’t want that going to your real phone,
so I’ll send it on this.
It’s a burner.
I go through them like fucking Kleenex.
Password’s 6-6-6-9-9-9. Yeah? Get it?
Wait for a text or, I don’t know, throw it away.
It’s up to you.
[exhales]
[grunts]
[objects clattering]
[cutlery clatters]
[doorbell rings]
[door opens]
[Tammy] Hi, come on in. I’m sorry about the schedule shenanigans.
I’m glad we could make this work.
[woman] It’s fine, not a problem.
Does this wig work for you?
[Tammy] Yeah, it’s good.
I like that better than the last one, it’s a good color.
Hey there, Bill.
Nice to see you.
Right, so, I am thinking a romantic dinner tonight.
He can serve you food, romance, an intimate dinner,
like a good date.
An anniversary date maybe. That kind of vibe.
Mmm.
Oh, good, you got the clothes right.
And I brought a black teddy, or red lace.
We’ll get to that later.
[clears throat]
[Bill clears throat]
Go ahead.
How was your day?
It was tough.
I worked very hard.
[Bill] I’m sorry.
You work too hard.
Here.
Let me pour you a glass of wine,
so you can relax.
You look beautiful tonight.
[woman] Well, I can’t wait to eat this.
[man on TV] Okay, here we go. Full speed in three, two, one.
Jab, cross, hook, uppercut.
Jab, cross, hook, uppercut.
[exhaling sharply]
Jab, cross, hook, uppercut.
[door opens]
Right. Left.
[“10,000 Emerald Pools” playing]
Anything?
We’ve got feelers into the staff at the testing facility.
Some whispers about an animal that may not have survived an application,
but nothing concrete yet.
Damn it, Toby.
Toby, damn it.
You know what we used to call that place, right?
Roderick Usher Experimental.
His name was there on the sign,
before he got smart and took it down for something generic.
When we were kids, he called it RUE Zoo.
When we got older, we’d know better.
Called it “RUE Morgue”.
[Tina] There’s rumors they’re using some unapproved paralytic powder
in the surgeries.
An experimental new nightshade agent.
Yawn.
And we’re thinking maybe there’s an angle to play on the biological waste disposal.
They have three pick-ups a week. Maybe we look into that.
Good thing about having a profile article,
is we can use it to get a little access.
Say that it’s for background for the feature.
Damn it, Toby, that’s a good idea.
She’s up to something.
[song continues playing]
♪ Dive down deeper, still ♪
♪ All I need is you ♪
♪ You’re all I need to breathe ♪
♪ All I need is you ♪
[Frederick] Okay, careful.
Just pull the string.
Oh…
[Lenore] A wooded, three-masted schooner.
Grandpa’s going to love it.
You should name it “The Grampus.”
“The Grampus.”
That’s what I used to call him, right?
Yeah.
Hey, you two.
Hi, Mom.
So, I’m headed out.
Oh, we’ve got this. Have fun.
What time will you be back?
Oh, you know, I don’t know.
Um, Nancy’s feeling pretty rough, so the girls are taking her out
and try to cheer her up.
I don’t even know what’s on the itinerary,
but don’t worry though, I won’t be all night.
The oven mitts come off and the nail polish goes on.
Have fun with the ships!
[Frederick] You can try these.
[Lenore] The cork too.
[Frederick] We need the ceiling wax and the string.
Oh, we have the string here.
Yeah.
[upbeat music playing]
[man] Put everything in the lockers.
Wallets, purses, keys. No metal beyond this point.
Absolutely no phones, cameras.
Please make sure that you’re wearing your bracelet.
Your bracelet is your key.
Please ensure that you have your bracelet.
Put everything else in the lockers.
Personal keys. Wallets, purses.
No metal comes beyond this point.
Absolutely no phones or cameras beyond this point.
No phones.
♪ Laughing like a whore ♪
♪ But I’m really falling into you ♪
♪ Such a pretty face Would you tell me who I’m talking to ♪
♪ Shouldn’t fall in love ♪
♪ But I wouldn’t mind it if you do ♪
♪ Now it’s me and you ♪
Oh, dude, there you are! This is off the fucking chain.
♪ Laughing like a whore ♪
♪ But I’m really falling into you ♪
Holy shit.
Hold on. Excuse me.
♪ Who I’m talking to ♪
♪ Shouldn’t fall in love ♪
♪ But I wouldn’t mind it if you do ♪
♪ Now it’s me and you ♪
Oh.
You came.
I don’t know you.
There’s only one bartender back here and I’ve been waiting for ten minutes.
Hey. Look for people with the red glowsticks around their necks.
They’ve got the good shit. Ex, Molly, top shelf stuff.
And try one of the bedrooms.
We have 12 of them.
With mattresses for floors.
I’ll find you later.
♪ Now it’s me and you ♪
[snorting]
Ugh. [sighs]
[Prospero] You see her?
Her dad’s a congressman.
This guy, he’s a draft pick.
Oh, Jen, look.
If you look real close…
That isn’t who I think it is?
Yeah.
Fuck.
This…
This is the real business.
This party’s worth 2.5, but this footage,
after the rain starts, it’s worth a whole lot fucking more.
I’m about to own Dickwad.
I mean own him for the rest of his stupid little, sweaty life.
Freddie’s afraid to go in elevators.
Did you know that?
His secretaries call him “Sweaty Freddie” because he takes the stairs all the time.
And somehow he marries that.
I’m about to fuck his entire world.
All right. Tongues.
[upbeat music playing]
♪ The world was on fire ♪
♪ No one could save me but you ♪
♪ Strange what desire Will make foolish people do ♪
♪ I never dreamed That I’d meet somebody like you ♪
♪ I never dreamed ♪
♪ That I’d lose somebody like you ♪
♪ What a wicked thing to say ♪
♪ You never felt this way ♪
♪ What a wicked thing to do ♪
♪ To make me dream of you ♪
♪ What a wicked thing to say ♪
♪ You never felt this way ♪
♪ What a wicked thing to do ♪
♪ To make me dream of you ♪
♪ And I don’t wanna fall in love ♪
Who are you?
I thought you’d never catch up.
Well, you don’t make it easy.
Hmm.
Nothing worth having is ever easy.
You didn’t answer my question.
Who are you?
I know everybody here.
I chose this guest list very carefully and I have no idea who you are.
You can take off your mask, Prospero.
You know my name.
I know everyone here.
It’s my kind of party.
It’s yours too, isn’t it?
Do you like it?
I do.
Mmm. The music.
The lights.
The beautiful flesh.
So pretty and soft.
But the smells of it.
All that sweat, the perfumes, the lotions, the musk.
Sex, yes.
But with a dash of Rome.
Tell me, and don’t lie.
Is it everything you wanted it to be?
Not yet.
Almost.
Nearly realized is the sweetest.
It’s better, I promise, in the moment just before than in the moment after.
That is the truth of this world.
But you did it.
And it’s everything you imagined.
And there’s still time.
To what?
To stop it.
Things like this, all things, in fact, have consequences.
Not this.
That’s the whole point. You didn’t read the invite?
There are always consequences.
Take you, for instance.
Someone, a long time ago, made a little decision,
then another, then a big one, then one of absolutely no importance.
And then by and by, you were born.
On that day, you were the consequence of a harmless choice
made by someone in a moment where you didn’t even exist.
And that choice defined your whole life.
You are consequence, Perry.
And tonight, you are consequential.
Oh, you are one crazy, trippy, hot bitch. Aren’t you?
We could have had fun, you and me.
Well, the night’s young.
We can have all the fun you want.
I’ve always liked the bad boys.
Got a weakness, I suppose.
And you bad boys…
you always just loved me.
[chuckles]
You are a pretty, pretty little thing.
[door opens]
Hey! Wait!
♪ Hurry up ♪
♪ Hurry up, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Hurry up ♪
♪ Hurry up, yeah, yeah ♪
♪ Work baby start running ♪
♪ Hounds on your heels keep coming ♪
♪ Blood in the fields still buzzin’ ♪
♪ I got the skin to skin if you want it ♪
♪ Work baby start up running ♪
♪ Hounds on your heels keep coming ♪
♪ Blood in the fields still buzzin’ ♪
♪ You want it ♪
♪ Midnight run for the hills ♪
♪ Midnight come for the thrills ♪
♪ Midnight run for the hills ♪
♪ Midnight come for the thrills ♪
♪ You let me violate you ♪
♪ You let me desecrate you ♪
♪ You let me penetrate you ♪
Go. Now.
♪ You let me complicate you ♪
♪ Help me ♪
♪ I broke apart my insides ♪
♪ Help me ♪
♪ I’ve got no soul to sell ♪
♪ Help me ♪
♪ The only thing that works for me ♪
♪ Help me get away from myself ♪
♪ I want to fuck you like an animal ♪
♪ I wanna feel you from the inside ♪
♪ I wanna fuck you like an animal ♪
♪ My whole existence is flawed ♪
♪ You get me closer to God ♪
♪ Closer to God ♪
♪ Closer to God ♪
♪ Closer to God ♪
♪ Closer to God ♪
♪ Closer to God ♪
♪ You get me closer to God ♪
[sizzling]
[all screaming]
[all groaning]
You beautiful boy.
[electricity crackling]
* * *
Poe Citations in Episode 2 of “The Fall of the House of Usher”
Episode Title: “The Masque of the Red Death”
This title directly references Poe’s short story “The Masque of the Red Death,” where wealthy Prince Prospero throws a lavish party to escape a deadly plague, ultimately meeting his demise.
Character Names:
Dupin: This name comes from C. Auguste Dupin, the detective protagonist in several of Poe’s stories, most notably “The Murders in the Rue Morgue.”
Verna: This could be an anagram of “raven,” referring to the iconic Edgar Allan Poe poem.
Le Bon: This is a disguise Verna uses, referencing “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” where the murderer uses the pseudonym “Monsieur C. Auguste Le Bon.”
A character says “Toby, dammit” during this episode. “Toby Dammit” was the name of Terence Stamp’s character in the Fellini section of Tales of Mystery and Imagination (1968), also written by Poe.
Story Elements:
Masque in 1979: The themed party hosted by Roderick mirrors Prince Prospero’s masquerade in “The Masque of the Red Death,” reflecting its themes of hubris and inevitable death.
Landor Pharma and Metzengerstein: Landor references Poe’s short story “Landor’s Cottage,” and Metzengerstein alludes to Poe’s story of the same name, which explores themes of family rivalry and revenge.
Grampus: This could be a nod to the ship “Grampus” in Poe’s novel “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket.”
Frederick’s claustrophobia: This might connect to the character in Poe’s “The Pit and the Pendulum,” who endures physical and psychological torture in a cramped prison cell.
Camille says that they used to call the test facility the Rue Morgue. This is a reference to another Edgar Allan Poe story, Murders in the Rue Morgue.
Visual References:
Masque costumes: Some could draw inspiration from Poe’s descriptions in “The Masque of the Red Death.”
Red imagery: The prominent use of red throughout the episode evokes the symbolic color in Poe’s story.
Gothic atmosphere: The series overall takes inspiration from Poe’s signature gothic style.
