Servant premieres November 28th on Apple TV+.
By Ariba Bhuvad
M. Night Shyamalan is back, and with his return, he brings his latest project, Servant. Now, if you’ve seen the trailers and promo for the series, you’re already aware that this show is weird. It involves a baby doll, a real baby, and a couple that seems to be struggling with something beyond our comprehension.
Upon watching the first eight episodes of the series, I have a lot of feelings and thoughts about the series. First off, I’m not shocked that the show is very weird because M. Night Shyamalan is behind it. There’s an awkward horror vibe present here that is not easily explained. You almost want to keep watching because you want to stop watching, if that makes sense. There’s just something about the oddness of it all that keeps you around to watch what happens.
Without giving too much away, Servant follows a married couple, Dorothy and Sean Turner (played by Lauren Ambrose and Toby Kebbell, respectively) who are suffering from some sort of loss. But as each episode reveals, the loss is weirder than one could imagine and sets the tone for the very bizarre events that take place. In fact, you may never want to look at or own a doll ever again–just saying.
The psychological impact of the series sort of stays with you, but there are aspects of this series that simply do not work. There is a lot of unexplained moments that continue to remain a mystery when they shouldn’t eight episodes in. There’s more to the story and one character in particular, but for some reason, the show doesn’t seem to do a good job explaining the purpose of it all.
Normally, I’d say that the series needs time to establish its point, but with eight episodes out of ten, there should be something. However, I will reserve final judgment based on how the first season ends.
Having said all that, Servant certainly has potential and has plenty of moments that will make you jump, cringe, and feel frightened. It’s what M. Night Shyamalan does best, and in that regard, he delivered once again.
I give Servant a C.
TV and City 