Servant Season 3 premieres on Apple TV+ on Jan. 21.
The Turner family is whole again in Apple TV+’s captivating thriller Servant, but danger lurks in every shadow and crevice of the Philadelphia townhouse. Executive producer M. Night Shyamalan set the tone when he directed the pilot episode and the Season 3 premiere marks his fourth time behind the camera on this series. It is a confident return that immediately elevates the threat level by combining paranoia-laced warnings with chilling imagery. More questions than answers are thrown into the mix, but the mood-setting “Donkey” is a strong start.
“We’re going to be a family now,” Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) remarked in the Season 2 finale when she made good on her promise to bring baby Jericho home. A lot has transpired since the nanny first knocked on the Turners’ brownstone door and the lie that began it all has spiraled into kidnapping plots, the influence of a cult, and even murder. If the consequences weren’t so tragic it would be a farce and Servant keeps up the difficult balancing act in this new chapter.
While creator Tony Basgallop is still intent on keeping Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) in the dark about Jericho’s unusual resurrection, he did reveal a few nuggets regarding the Church of the Lesser Saints cult that took Leanne under their wing. The teenager’s arrival at the Turners was not sanctioned by the Church and defying their orders reflects Leanne’s power, or at least what is perceived to be capabilities that defy reason. Gifts from God (or someone else) are still a matter of speculation and her defiance at the end of the second season has been replaced by fear. Three months have passed and normalcy has resumed, but Shyamalan makes it clear this house is rotting from within.
In the previous two seasons, the small cast and reliance on the brownstone as the primary location has contributed to feelings of claustrophobia and a “horror begins at home” theme. Whenever someone travels beyond the street of the Turner residence, it is either via TV cameras for work or using FaceTime on the myriad Apple devices. The latter could come across as excessive product placement from the streamer, but the numerous iPhones and iPads fit the lifestyle and wealth of its characters. It is an effective approach to alienating characters and ramping up the tension, which continues in “Donkey” and adds to a heart-stopping sequence. It is a reminder of Shyamalan’s prowess in the thriller genre and his ability to transform the mundane into something terrifying.
The townhouse is an asset that goes beyond prime real estate and even after 20 episodes, there are unexplored crevices — or at least angles that haven’t been covered. Every inch of the luxurious floral wallpaper, expensive throws, and perfectly arranged toys highlights how Dorothy wants to be seen, but the sinkhole in the wine cellar is a stark reminder of the festering underbelly representing lies and dark forces swirling. The metaphor might be a little on the nose, but it also points to the perils of owning a home with Victorian-era plumbing. Moths escaping a crack in the wall are another unnerving addition, even if a logical explanation (albeit a disturbing one) is the source. Production designer Naaman Marshall has created a home that looks lived in and ready for an Architectural Digest magazine spread, while also giving the director a playground to ramp up the urban nightmare.
Creaking wooden floorboards, multiple levels (including the attic Leanne was locked in last season), and the bubbling sinkhole are design aspects that provide multiple options for Shyamalan’s roving camera. Extreme close-ups on Leanne’s face and feet during these heightened moments are part of the visual language first established by the director in the pilot, and our familiarity with these techniques doesn’t dampen their effectiveness. That’s particularly true when combined with Trevor Gureckis’ unsettling score, although the extreme food preparation close-ups have become a tad stale (pun intended).
Servant’s visual and soundtrack flourishes are vital to its signature disquieting atmosphere. However, the series would quickly lose steam if the four lead actors weren’t up to the challenge of trying to keep it together in the middle of this unnerving whirlwind. There is a rhythm to the performances and an expectation that while Dorothy and Sean (Toby Kebbell) attempt to play happy families, Rupert Grint’s Julian will be cracking dark jokes and indulging his sister’s every whim (including a very fun sing-along moment).
Secrets are the foundation of these relationships and the most compelling duo is still Free and Ambrose as Leanne and Dorothy. For the majority of the second season, the women were at odds (Dorothy literally tortured Leanne), but the attic captivity is no more, and it is as if this incident never occurred. Motherhood is central to this shift and Servant’s exploration of this role is anchored within this pairing. Whatever Dorothy experienced as a child is unclear, but it no doubt shaped her bond with Julian and the mother she wants to be. This is one of the unexplored areas that deserves attention this season.
Leanne’s pageant past and demanding stage mom recollections paint a picture of her unhappy childhood and inform the push-pull between the women caring for Jericho. A bathing suit gift in the premiere from Dorothy speaks to the mother-daughter bond both women lacked growing up — and desire in the present. Costume designer Sarah Duncan takes this further, signaling a shift in Leanne through clothing that is still demure but significantly less dowdy. Undoubtedly, this splash of elegance is a result of Dorothy’s sartorial influence.
The tightly wound pair could snap at any moment and Dorothy’s faux sunny outlook is in direct opposition to Leanne’s heightened anxiety levels. Conversations about going to the beach for the day or even the nearby park are full of double meaning that is elevated thanks to the nervous energy of the men in this equation. Julian almost died from a drug overdose last season after he snorted a copious amount of cocaine to dull the secrets buzzing around his brain. Making snarky comments as a defense mechanism can only sustain him for so long, and a stint in rehab and new girlfriend Vera (Sunita Mani) suggest Julian is turning a new page. Grint hasn’t toned down the acerbic tone in Julian’s voice, and sobriety hasn’t dulled his edges.
The writers do address Julian’s problematic romantic relationship with Leanne, which crossed a line at the end of Season 2, and while both characters were vulnerable in that scene, it didn’t make it any less uncomfortable. The jury is still out after the first outing, but the power imbalance feels less queasy in this episode. Thankfully, Sean’s affection for Leanne is purely platonic and Kebbell exhibits care in every interaction — while appearing like a man living on the edge of a life that could blow up at any moment.
Perceived and real threats are woven together, and the supernatural elements are still speculative. Every time it edges toward a concrete answer, something gets in the way, and while this is not a problem in the premiere, the second season stumbled thanks to pacing issues and contrived obstacles. Enough has changed in the interim that “Donkey” isn’t a case of repeating Season 1, and the prospect of a park location further adds to the unseen terrors hiding in plain sight.
The ambitious series has already been renewed for a fourth season, which means the planned 60-episode arc Shyamalan envisioned is on course and the wheels have yet to come off. This knowledge, coupled with the confident start to this middle chapter, ensures the underrated Apple TV+ gem remains a stellar offering in the streamer’s growing library and one that should be slept on no more.
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