Amph The Haunting of Hill House / Bly Manor [Netflix]

I liked how we got charactercentric episodes. I’ll give them that.

 

Season 2 holds together better as a complete and integrated story with the character episodes than season 1. But the narrative at the heart of season one is maybe my all time favorite ghost story. It's untoppable.

 

The Children of Green Knowe and its ghost network was one of my favorite books when I was little, probably why this series grabbed me so hard by the, um, nostalgia.

 

I finished it last night. The ending was a bit of a downer. Hill House didn't have a particularly "happy" ending either, so I guess it's to be expected. Some thoughts:

1. Dani's fiance and Henry's alter ego were not "real" ghosts, right? They were metaphorical representations of their overwhelming guilt and self-loathing. It's strange there was no clear resolution to that part. Dani and Henry just got over it, I guess. Dani found new love with Jamie and Henry got sober and devoted his life to his adopted children.
2. One of the major themes is everything, specifically memories, fading with time. The ghosts fade and forget who they are and what they're doing, Miles and Flora only vaguely remember the events of that summer in Bly Manor. It's unclear how that works, though.
3. It's also unclear how much older Jamie is making up. There's no way she could have known about the origin of the faceless female murder ghost, assuming it "really" existed. She seems to admit there is no Bly Manor, but as the ending reveals, all her characters are based on real people. The older Uncle Henry seems to know what her story is about.
4. If the older Flora doesn't even remember Jamie, why is she at the wedding? I guess Henry invited her.
5. Peter and Flora mention talking to "other" ghosts, but all the other ghosts we see are of the faceless variety with fading memories.