NOTICE: This story is told through both the past and the present, so anytime that the words of this post are italicized, it’s referring to a flashback in the episode; anytime that the words of this post are bolded, it’s referring to the present day in the episode; anytime that the words of this post are normal text, it’s my own comments and analysis of the episode.
WARNING: There are spoilers ahead, so if you haven’t watched the series yet and would like to, please stop reading!
And if you missed it, here’s the analysis for episodes one and two!
(Rated TV-MA for nudity, violence, language, drug/alcohol use, and disturbing images.)
(The opinions in this post are purely my own as a huge fan of the show, and aren’t based on any professional knowledge or evidence.)
A quick recap of episode two before we begin:
As we jump back and forth between the past and the present, this time we get to know Shirley a little bit more; from conversations about what a home really means with her mom, to experiencing the act of taking care of abandoned newborn kittens, to her now adult self and her responsibilities as a funeral home owner and director.
We see how, above everything else, Shirley is angry at—well—just about everything and everyone.
As we learned in episodes one and two, one of the youngest Crain siblings, Nell (short for Eleanor), has tragically died of what seems to be a suicide. But the circumstances are rather mysterious, as it occurred at the long-since abandoned Hill House in the middle of the night.
So present-day Shirley makes the impossible decision to do Nell’s embalming and funeral service herself, and once Nell’s body arrives, she experiences various forms of PTSD from her traumatic childhood.
It’s all coming to a head as the remaining Crain family prepares to say goodbye to Nell and tries to confront what has happened to each of them in their extremely troubled lives.
Theo (short for Theodora) is sleeping peacefully in her bed when her bedroom door suddenly opens.
From behind, a little arm wraps around her and grabs her hand tightly.
Theo, now awake, assumes that it’s her youngest sister, Nell. She asks if she had another nightmare and tells her that it’s okay to sleep with her for the night.
But after a moment, Theo complains that Nell’s holding her hand too tightly and that it hurts. However, the arm doesn’t move.
Theo turns to confront Nell, but she isn’t there. No one is.
Theo sits up abruptly, confused and nervous, calling out for Nell.
Slowly, she begins to realize that something really creepy is going on.
Theo stares at her hand, asking herself quietly, “Whose hand was I holding?”
Uh…no. No, thank you.
How creepy is that?!
But also, in a way…how sad. Clearly, someone (or something) was in need of comfort.
But who?
Theo’s occupation is a child psychologist.
She’s with a client, a little girl named Kelsey, who’s discussing an entity that she calls “Mr.Smiley”.
Kelsey explains, with the help of using a few dolls and a dollhouse, “It was a Monday, and I couldn’t sleep. I went downstairs to the kitchen to get a snack. And that’s the first night that I saw him. Mr.Smiley, coming out from where he lives.”
Theo asks, “And what did you do?”
Kelsey continues, “I stayed as quiet as I could, thinking that maybe he’d just stay down there. But then I heard a creak. The stairs, the third step from the top, it makes a sound. That’s how I knew that he was coming. That’s how I always know.” She imitates the sound of the doorstep before adding, “Then my doorknob, then he’s in my room.”
Theo nods her head calmly, asking, “What does Mr.Smiley look like?”
Kelsey answers, “Just a big smile. Too big. He’s always smiling, but he isn’t happy.” She imitates a smile that is indeed much too big.
Theo responds, “That’s really scary.”
Of course, that’s really scary, Theo! I mean holy moly.
But this is yet another great example of innocence being ripped away that this series frequently displays.
Theo presses on, “You said something about where Mr.Smiley lives? Where does Mr.Smiley live, Kelsey?”
Kelsey puts the doll that represents Mr.Smiley underneath the table.
Theo answers for her, “Under the house? In the basement?” She gets on the ground with Kelsey, gently taking the doll out of her hand.
Theo’s hands are bare, rather than gloved like they usually are.
If we remember from episode one, Theo has a weird obsession with wearing gloves that she claims is due to being a “germaphobe”.
When their hands touch, they share an oddly curious glance.
Theo continues, “You know, you’re a lot like me, Kelsey.”
Kelsey perks up. “Yeah?”
Theo responds, “Oh yeah. See, when I was little, I was afraid of a lot of things. I didn’t have to be, though. They were all in my head. I just didn’t know it yet.” She pauses. “But when I was scared, I would imagine myself building a big wall, all around me, made of the strongest bricks in the whole world. And when I got scared, I’d imagine myself putting another one on, one after the other, until that wall was so thick and so strong that I knew I’d be safe in there forever.” She pauses again. “And that’s what you do too, right? It’s okay. It’s good. Because kids like us have been through more than other kids. We’re tougher than other kids. We’re great builders. We make ourselves really safe. And no one ever gets in.”
But Kelsey responds quietly, “Mr.Smiley does.”
As with the eldest Crain siblings, Theo’s meant to represent the third stage of the five stages of grief: bargaining.
In a way, we see that here.
It seems like she’s not only evaluating Kelsey but also herself.
In doing so, she tries to bargain with the fact that, although both she and Kelsey have to put up these “strong walls”, it makes them tough, and therefore, it’s somehow okay.
And it’s truly sad to see how both of them feel they must cope with the trauma that they’re experiencing.
Their method isn’t exactly a healthy one, after all.
After their session, Theo discusses Kelsey’s behavior with her foster parents.
Her foster dad says, “Our other two foster kids are thriving. We just want the same for her.”
Theo explains, looking back and forth between the two of them, “She was telling me about Mr.Smiley.”
Kelsey’s foster dad replies, “Yeah, yeah, we’ve heard about him, too.”
Kelsey’s foster mom chimes in, “We’re more concerned about her behavioral problems at school.” She hands a folder to Theo before continuing, “You can see her grades started out fine. At least, considering. But then, well—you’ll see. And all our kids have always had to go through an adjustment, but this…”
Theo interjects, “—could be normal. The foster care system isn’t the easiest place to grow up.”
They all look to see Kelsey in the playroom, just standing eerily in the corner, facing away from them.
Uh, I don’t like that.
Kids doing anything creepy is a big no for me.
Theo continues, “And the Mr.Smiley thing, did that start right away, or…”
Kelsey’s foster dad responds, “Uh, a few weeks after she moved in.”
Kelsey’s foster mom adds, “And her behavioral issues started around the same time.”
Theo smiles encouragingly, “We’ll get to the bottom of it. Same time next week?”
They all agree, and as Theo shakes both of their hands, her infamous gloves are back on.
Afterward, in her office, Theo studies the contents of the folder that she was given by Kelsey’s foster mom. She comes across a creepy drawing by Kelsey of the whole family, with Mr.Smiley lurking in the background.
Theo then goes to clean up the playroom.
Something seems incredibly ominous here…but we don’t know what just yet.
The next morning, Theo and the Crain’s dad, Hugh, are straightening up the kitchen of Hill House. They’re trying to decide what will be trash and what can be sold while discussing what occurred the night before with Theo.
Theo, trying to rationalize, says, “I guess it was just a weird dream.”
As Hugh hands her the next item, a large rectangular box, he says that it’s trash.
But Theo studies it for a moment, and then says, “Hang on…this is fancy.”
They open it together and discover that it’s a very rare and expensive wine.
Hugh, shocked and confused, asks Theo, “How did you know that?”
But Theo only shrugs.
Interestingly, Theo’s hands are bare in this scene, just as they were when she was talking privately with Kelsey in the present day.
Theo leaves the kitchen and walks around to the sunroom, where she finds the Crain’s mom, Olivia, and Mrs.Dudley, one of the mansion’s groundskeepers.
Olivia asks Mrs.Dudley if she feels something, but Mrs.Dudley apologizes and says that she doesn’t. They’re holding their hands up in a random spot in the sunroom.
Olivia turns to Theo and chuckles, saying, “We must look like we’re crazy, huh?”
Theo and Mrs.Dudley greet each other.
Olivia continues, asking Theo, “Will you tell me if I am?” She raises Theo’s arm to the spot. “Do you feel cold right there?”
Theo nods.
Olivia, excited, addresses Mrs.Dudley, “I told you! It’s a very small spot, just right here, like you’re standing in front of an open refrigerator.”
Theo nods.
Olivia continues, moving Theo over just a little, “But if you move, see? What about there?”
Theo responds, “Yep, here too.”
Olivia asks, confused, “You sure? I don’t feel it here.”
Theo responds plainly, “This whole house is cold.”
As she leaves the sunroom, Olivia asks Mrs.Dudley quietly, “That doesn’t exactly clear things up, does it, Clara?” Their voices fade as Olivia tells Mrs.Dudley to follow her upstairs where there’s another cold spot in the second master bedroom.
Later, Theo and Shirley sit together in Shirley’s kitchen.
Shirley does paperwork and Theo makes a sandwich, teasing her sister that they’re almost out of mustard and turkey, to which Shirley responds jokingly that Theo can get food delivered to her at work instead of driving all the way home every day.
But Theo says that she likes the drive and that it gives her time to think.
Shirley responds by asking, “If it’s shopping that you don’t like, you could always find someone to go with you. Someone like that girl from last night?”
She’s referencing Trish, who we met briefly in episode one.
But Theo sarcastically responds back, “And give up all this?”, sharing her sandwich with Shirley.
I just love how this is a small, yet sweet interaction between two sisters who love each other but don’t always know how to communicate as they should.
Shirley, changing the subject, asks Theo about her work.
Theo shrugs, shaking her head, and replies, “It was a tough one today.” She goes on to explain her session with Kelsey.
Shirley encourages her that she’ll be successful.
Later that day, Theo enters the kitchen to find Nell and her twin brother, Luke, investigating some kind of old intercom system for Hill House.
She tells Nell to stay there while she and Luke go to find the other end.
They enter a bedroom, and Luke suddenly mentions a bad smell, but Theo notes that the entire house smells like that. She places her bare hand on the bed and pauses as if sensing something, then says quietly, “This was a sick bed.”
Luke asks how she could possibly know that, but they’re interrupted by Nell saying hello via the old intercom system from back down in the kitchen.
It seems like that bad smell is one that many of us grievers are sadly all too familiar with—the smell of death.
And the fact that Theo matter-of-factly says that the whole house smells like that should definitely raise our alarms.
But anyway, if it isn’t already obvious at this point, it seems that Theo has a peculiar ability with the touch of her hands.
In terms of grief and trauma, I think that this is a really interesting, albeit heavy, ability to have.
On one hand, when helping others (especially within her family and within her chosen job field), Theo can use this ability to gauge the other person’s emotions in order to recognize how best to help them.
However, on the flip side, this puts a lot of strain on her mentally and emotionally.
It’ll most definitely become both a blessing and a curse for her later on.
Luke and Nell continue to play, talking back and forth to one another via the old intercom system.
But Theo, disturbed, tells them to have fun and leaves the room, studying her hands.
This is another great play on the parallel of innocence being upheld and lost somewhat between the three younger Crain siblings.
While Luke and Nell get to feel that sense of childlike curiosity and wonder, at the exact same time, Theo loses another piece of it.
The next day, Theo’s with another client, a little boy. She shakes hands with him, gloves off once again.
Afterward, in her office, this time with his folder, she immediately writes down every single issue that he’s been struggling with.
As she puts his folder away in a filing cabinet, she notices the book that her oldest brother, Steven, wrote about Hill House (which we learned about in previous episodes) shoved in the back, forgotten.
Theo pulls it out, staring at it.
Jumping back six years prior, Steven is discussing some changes that he made after his and Shirley’s argument over the book about Hill House with Theo, Kevin, Shirley, and Nell. He says that he recognizes that it isn’t just his story to tell.
While Shirley hopes that he’s planning to just scrap the book, he instead tells them that he wants to share its success, offering each of them eight percent of all royalties.
After some bickering, Shirley, Kevin, and Nell all refuse to accept the money.
Theo, however, says that she’s never read it and that she doesn’t plan to. Especially since she’s heard all of the various versions of the story from various people, both in her family and beyond. She then further explains that she’d rather just focus on her life now, rather than the past.
Theo, who was reminiscing on this memory, throws the book in the trash.
Jumping back to their childhood, Theo’s practicing a dance routine that she’s following from a music video on the television.
However, she pauses it abruptly when she sees the doorknob vigorously moving back and forth. She calls out, but no one responds.
When she goes to grab the doorknob, the door suddenly and violently rattles, as if in warning.
Confused, Theo kneels down to look under the door but sees nothing. Accusing Luke, she resumes practicing her dance routine.
Later that night, Theo’s returned to the dance club where she met Trish. But she’s not really feeling it and goes to get water from the bar before leaving.
Trish sees her and begins to approach, but from the look on Theo’s face, she stops.
Theo gulps down a glass of water in the kitchen after she finishes practicing her dance routine.
Mrs.Dudley comes rushing in, revealing Luke behind Theo, who was attempting to play with his toys in an old dumbwaiter. She forcibly grabs Luke by the arms, alarmed, and asks, “What do you think you’re doing?”
Theo, annoyed with how Mrs.Dudley was handling her brother, coldly replies, “What’s up?”
Mrs.Dudley responds, “Your little brother was getting into trouble.”
Theo, coldly again, retorts, “Wanna let go of his arm?”
Mrs.Dudley, surprised by Theo’s tone, does.
Theo, still annoyed, questions her, “He’s playing, Mrs.Dudley…why are you yelling at him?”
Mrs.Dudley continues, “Because the dumbwaiter is not a toy. It can be dangerous.”
Theo replies, “That’s all you need to say, then.”
Mrs.Dudley agrees, ushering them out of the kitchen, saying that she needs to clean it.
Luke grumpily says, “You don’t have to be so mean about it.”
But as she touches Theo’s shoulder, another curious glance is shared.
Theo tells Luke, “She’s not mean. She’s scared.”
Mrs.Dudley, confused, asks, “What makes you say that?”
But all Theo does in response is look at Mrs.Dudley’s hand on her shoulder.
They walk out and Mrs.Dudley watches them go, stunned.
Another creepy kid moment…knock it off, Theo.
But seriously, what is Mrs.Dudley so afraid of?
What’s going on in this mansion?
Home once again, Theo sits in her bed, working on taking more notes in Kelsey’s folder. Without even realizing it, she draws a creepy smiley face, resembling the Mr.Smiley entity that Kelsey told her about earlier.
Disturbed by this, Theo hurriedly puts the folder away, going to bed as she ignores Trish’s number on the nightstand.
Later that night, Theo returns to the kitchen and finds Luke trying to again play with the dumbwaiter. He pleads with her to allow him to take just one ride.
After a moment‘s hesitation, she agrees.
But when Theo goes to push the up button as Luke requests, the dumbwaiter instead goes down, revealing an abandoned basement at the bottom.
At first, both are only slightly concerned, calling out to each other.
But as Luke begins to investigate by sweeping his flashlight around, he begins to get creeped out, begging Theo to bring him back up.
That’s when his flashlight begins to flicker. And from across the basement floor, he sees what looks to be a zombie-esque figure begin to crawl toward him.
Luke screams in terror.
Theo begins to scream with him, panicking.
Hugh and Olivia come rushing into the kitchen to figure out what all the commotion is about. Eventually, they get the dumbwaiter to pull Luke back up as Theo backs away, sobbing.
As they pull Luke out to check on him, they notice that his shirt is torn.
Hugh figures it got snagged in the dumbwaiter somehow, but Luke, panicked, explains, “Something grabbed me! A monster! It was a monster!”
Olivia, furious, questions Theo, “What the hell were you thinking?”
Theo, shaken, asks through sobs, “Is he okay?”
Olivia, ignoring Theo’s concern, orders her to go to her room while they take care of Luke.
Theo, defeated, does.
Up in her bedroom, she continues to sob quietly while in her bed.
Uh…I’ll take two severely traumatized kids who must now seek intense therapy for $500, please.
Yikes!
Later that night, asleep in her bed, Theo’s woken up by her covers being mysteriously pulled off her.
She sits up to see the cause and finds Mr.Smiley staring back at her with his infamous smile.
Theo cries out and turns on the lights as Shirley approaches the guest house.
And now we’re back at that moment from episode two where Shirley’s coming to share the tragic news of Nell’s sudden death with Theo.
Theo, trying to calm herself down, hears a knock on the door.
She opens it to find Shirley, who apologizes, and quietly says, “It’s Nell.”
Jumping back two years prior, it’s the reception of Nell and Arthur’s wedding.
Nell, nervous, is looking for her friend, Stacey (who’s the maid of honor), and some of the other members of the bridal party with Steven and Arthur, as it’s time for the toast.
Steven goes to help her search further, saying that it beats having to deal with “the cold shoulder” from Shirley.
Eventually, they come across a room where they hear Stacey inside, moaning with pleasure.
Stifling their giggles, Nell knocks, telling Stacey that they’re late for doing the toast.
Stacey, embarrassed, comes out, apologizing.
But Nell says that it’s okay, giggling, and ushers Stacey down the stairs.
Nell asks Steven if he’s coming, but he insists to know who was in the room with Stacey. Scoffing, she assumes it’s another one of her friends, and rejoins him.
They jokingly bicker back and forth, trying to place a bet on who it could be. But to their surprise, it’s Theo herself who comes out of the room.
Embarrassed, but trying to play it cool, Theo looks slowly back and forth between the two of them and greets them nonchalantly before asking what they were staring at.
Steven and Nell fumble over their words for a few moments before Nell responds, “Nothing…we didn’t…I mean, we didn’t know that you were into…”
Theo finishes her sentence, “—bridesmaids?”
They all crack up and Nell hugs Theo, telling her that she loves her.
This is one of my favorite scenes in this entire series.
It’s the tenderness of it, the joy, and the utter acceptance that these three share that’s just such a small, yet beautiful moment in their otherwise quite heartbreaking and troubled lives.
Theo and Shirley sit on Theo’s bed, discussing Nell’s untimely death.
Theo questions why Nell would return to Hill House while Shirley ponders the fact that her kids are going to want to know how Nell died.
Theo tells her that it’s better to tell them the truth than to lie or to say nothing at all, like Hugh.
Shirley, knowing Theo would know how best to handle this situation, asks, “What do I say?”
Theo responds, “You answer the question that’s asked. Don’t elaborate, don’t offer information that’s not requested. Just tell them that their feelings are correct and that they’re safe. And it’s okay to be curious. And sad.” She pauses. “Tell them that you’re sad, too.”
Shirley responds, “And if they ask why?”
Theo continues, “Tell them that you don’t know. No one knows. It’s okay. Better to ask you than me.”
If we remember from episode two, Shirley does exactly what Theo tells her to here when she ultimately confronts her kids after they sneak a peek during Nell’s embalming process.
Shirley, confused, asks, “Why?”
Theo responds, “Because I’m fucking angry. Because I don’t want to have to tell them that I’m fucking pissed at Auntie Nell, who should’ve known better, better than most…what this does to a family. She fucking knew better. And she did it anyway.”
Ouch…so this is another wonderfully raw and realistic reaction on both Theo and Shirley’s parts to hearing this kind of news.
Many other television series and films in the past haven’t successfully shown the realities of dealing with grief in a believable way.
But this series absolutely does!
And as a griever, I really appreciate that.
It’s interesting to note, however, how Theo implies that Nell knew how suicide can affect a family…perhaps subtly hinting that she believes Olivia had also died by suicide inside Hill House, rather than by murder, as was previously suggested in episode one.
But did she, exactly? Did Nell?
How did they truly die?
Time will tell.
It’s the next afternoon when Nell’s body arrives.
Theo excuses herself, saying that she can’t do it. She gets in her car and drives away.
And now we’re back at that moment from episode two.
Jumping back to their childhood, the next day, Theo enters Luke and Nell’s room to apologize to Luke for what happened.
He forgives her, and they discuss how their parents don’t believe any of his stories that have happened since they moved into Hill House.
Luke says quietly, “No one ever believes me.”
Theo touches his hand affectionately for a moment with her bare hand and then tells him that she believes him.
They try to come up with a plan to prove it to their parents.
Later, to test their theory, Theo goes down to the kitchen pantry and measures her steps per Luke’s instructions of his recalling and discovers a door in the floor that indeed leads down a ladder into the abandoned basement.
She goes down to investigate and finds the torn piece of Luke’s shirt. Once she picks it up, she seems to sense the trauma that he went through, and says quietly, shaking her head, “You were so scared.”
She tucks it away into her pocket and continues to investigate, finding a large wooden door with a heavy metal handle and latch. Slowly, she opens it.
Just a moment to note…isn’t Theo like, the best big sister?
I love how she wants to right her wrong, even though she never intended for things to go the way that they did.
I think this is a great testament to who she is, and the fact that she becomes a child psychologist later on is honestly the perfect end result of all that has happened to her and her family throughout their lives.
All of us grievers out there would love to have (and deserve to have) a Theo in this life.
After driving around for a bit, Theo makes an unexpected house call to see Kelsey.
But Kelsey’s foster mom tells her that all of the kids are at school.
Flustered, Theo shakes her head, then asks if she could see their basement instead.
Although an odd request in their eyes, Kelsey’s foster parents agree.
As Theo walks down the stairs and enters the basement, she removes her gloves. She begins to investigate by walking around and touching the various items, just as she did in the abandoned basement of Hill House.
It’s a tiny detail here, but as a griever, I noticed that split moment where the concept of time and common sense were swept away in the face of grief for Theo.
After learning that Nell was dead only mere hours ago, her mind is frazzled, and so she goes for a drive, completely blanking on the fact that as she arrives at Kelsey’s house, on a normal weekday, the kids would be at school.
Because of course, they’d be at school.
Theo shakes her head when she realizes it, like she had a “duh” moment, and then comes back to reality.
Relatable.
Eventually, Theo makes her way over to a couch, and when she touches it with her bare hand, she pauses abruptly.
She continues to touch various spots on the couch as she lies down on it.
Slowly, she begins to panic and sob.
As she looks up, she sees a design on the wood ceiling—in the shape of a horrifying smiley face.
And that’s when she knew.
Theo returns upstairs to where Kelsey’s foster dad is waiting to bid her farewell. Her hands are still bare.
Theo tries to play it cool as if she hasn’t discovered anything. But to prove her suspicions, she shakes his hand, and as they touch, her worst fears are confirmed.
She glares at him.
Kelsey’s foster dad, confused, asks, “What are you looking at?”
Theo responds coldly, “Your smile.”
Back in her car, she makes a call to her assistant to have the police and Social Services to come to Kelsey’s house, pleading that she should be trusted, especially since she’s never been wrong before.
She plans to wait until the police arrive.
Later that day, Theo and Olivia study a book that Theo found in the room behind that large wooden door in the abandoned basement.
Theo explains that there were a lot of books in there, but this one was special, saying, “It’s a book of secrets that they were trying to hide.”
Olivia, curious, asks how she could know that.
But Theo shrugs, and responds, “I could tell when I picked it up.”
Olivia asks, “Like you could tell there was a false floor in the pantry?”
Theo shrugs, not fully understanding the gravity of this curious gift that she seems to have.
Olivia continues, “It’s a ledger. For a bootlegging operation. You know what that is?”
Theo shakes her head as Olivia presses on, “A long time ago, it was illegal to sell alcohol, so they made it in secret and hid it.”
Olivia pauses. “You know, there’s not a single record of this basement. It’s not on any of the blueprints. They didn’t want anyone to find it. But you did.”
They share a smile.
Olivia straightens, “I really, really don’t like that you went down there by yourself, though.”
Theo responds, “I just wanted to show you that Luke was right.”
Olivia smiles, touching Theo’s hands affectionately, “But I love that you’re so brave.”
Theo chuckles softly.
But then her expression changes to one of concern as she looks down at her mom’s hands. As she looks back up, afraid, she suddenly sees what Olivia’s to become, bloody and disfigured on one side of her beautiful face.
Theo screams and backs far away from her mom, who has now returned to normal.
Olivia, alarmed, asks her what’s wrong.
After waiting for a little while, Theo sees Kelsey’s foster dad being taken away in handcuffs.
They make eye contact as the police car backs out of the driveway and pulls away.
Theo sobs with relief.
Me too, girl. Me too.
The next day, Hugh and Mr.Dudley, the other groundskeeper for Hill House, inspect the false floor in the kitchen pantry, marveling at how Theo could’ve possibly found it.
Theo, smiling to herself, overhears them before continuing on into the dining room, where Olivia beckons to her.
She asks Theo how she knew about the rare and expensive wine that she had found with Hugh a few days ago.
Theo responds, “I just guessed.”
Olivia adds, “Like you guessed about the ledger?”
Theo shrugs.
Olivia continues, “You know those headaches that I get sometimes? They started when I was a little girl. And when I get them, I see all sorts of…well. Your grandmother was like that, too. She was…sensitive. And I’ve wondered if you and your sisters might be a little sensitive. Shirley says some things sometimes when she’s sleeping that are…well, they’re interesting. And I asked Nellie what she thought about the house when we moved in. She said that it was loud. Such an odd word she chose. And I noticed that you always wear sweaters inside, even though it’s summer. Why is that?”
Theo replies plainly, “Because it’s always cold.”
Olivia continues, “Grandma Mary was like that, too. She hated the air on her skin. She was always bundled up. Sensitive people…they sometimes need…well.” She passes a box over to Theo.
Theo opens it to discover a pair of gloves, her first, and smiles.
Olivia, smiling, tells her, “These will help with the cold. And the other thing.”
Theo asks, “Does Dad know? That you’re sensitive?”
Olivia responds, “Kind of. We’ll talk a lot more about it as you get older. But in the meantime, if you’re feeling overwhelmed and you think that nobody will understand, you can talk to me. About anything. Okay?” She extends her hand as Theo puts on the gloves.
They share a smile as their hands touch peacefully this time.
Oh, my heart.
This is another one of those tender moments that are just so lovely and well-deserved for a family that has endured so much pain.
Instead of treating Theo like she’s crazy, Olivia not only acknowledges her gift but welcomes it openly by taking action and giving her something that could actually be helpful.
This was another moment that reminded me of my own dad, as he did similar things for me.
Unfortunately, though, they never get the chance to discuss it in further detail when Theo gets older.
Jumping back six years prior, at Steven’s house, he and his wife, Leigh, are discussing their soon move to California as Steven writes Theo a check.
Theo accepts it and turns to leave, but Steven asks for a hug.
Awkwardly, Theo obliges, telling him that he got a few things wrong in the book.
He questions her on what, quietly smug that she finally decided to read it.
Theo informs him that it wasn’t Luke who found the abandoned basement, but her.
Steven chuckles and apologizes light-heartedly.
Theo presses on, “You know, I was impressed by what you wrote about that night.”
Steven, confused, asks, “What night?”
Theo continues, “That night. The last one. Some wild stuff in there.”
Steven chuckles again.
Theo continues, “That was some really wild stuff, considering that you were asleep for, what, like…ninety-nine percent of it?”
They share a long stare, Steven blinking hard, and then he asks what she plans to do with the money. “Car? Purses? Travel?”
Theo, confidently, responds, “No. I’m going to get my fucking Ph.D.”
Later that night, after she returns from Kelsey’s house, curiosity gets the best of Theo and she goes down to the embalming room where Nell’s body now lays.
Very slowly, she approaches Nell’s body, and begins to cry, saying softly, “Jesus wept.”
Theo cautiously removes her gloves and places a bare hand on Nell’s forehead. After a few long moments, her eyes widen, and she backs away quickly, falling to the floor.
She screams and cries, rocking back and forth.
Again…relatable.
But, interestingly, I wonder what she saw or felt when she touched Nell.
Later, Theo drinks from a bottle of alcohol as Kevin comes out to check on her, asking if she’s okay.
She avoids his question and instead informs him that Shirley had found his secret individual checkbook.
Kevin, worried, asks if she’s going to tell Shirley what’s really going on.
Theo tells him no as she sees Trish pull up but suggests that he should come up with some kind of lousy excuse instead. Something that’s going to piss Shirley off less than the truth.
Uh…what exactly is going on here? Huh, Kevin?
Back inside the guest house, Theo passionately kisses Trish in order to avoid conversation.
But Trish wants to talk about why she was hurried out the other night without much of a word and why she was completely ignored at the dance club earlier that night.
Theo sighs, apologizes, and sits down on her bed, begrudgingly agreeing to talk.
She asks what Trish wants to talk about, and Trish responds, “I don’t know. What do people usually talk about? How are you? How was your day? Stuff like that.”
Theo replies with another sigh, “Well, let’s see, my day. I found out that a nine-year-old that I was treating was getting molested by her foster dad. And she buried it so deep, she had to make up a monster just to compartmentalize and cope. And she did such a good job that she planted him right in my head.” She pauses. “Guy folded like a cheap suit the moment he was questioned by the cops, so…yay. But that just means that the girl goes back into the system, so it’s a gamble at best. So, you know…good job, me. And this kid…she built up so many emotional walls. I touched her hands and I didn’t even…” She pauses again, realizing that talking about her gift would make her sound crazy. “She just needed help, and no one was listening.” She holds back a sob. “And it’s so much like Nellie. So…should we talk about your day or would you rather come to bed?”
Trish, unsurprisingly stunned, doesn’t say another word and kisses Theo as they crawl onto the bed.
That’s…a lot. Does it almost seem like trauma dumping?
And again, just like at the beginning of the episode, is Theo only evaluating Kelsey here?
Or perhaps, maybe also evaluating herself a little bit, too?
It’s the last night at Hill House.
Theo jogs quickly down the main stairway as Hugh, Luke, and Nell come up to her in a rush, clearly disturbed.
Hugh pleads with Theo to take herself and the twins to the car and orders her to lock the doors, not unlocking them for anything or anyone until she sees him come outside.
Theo, confused, asks, “What’s happening?”
Hugh, panicked, repeats himself, “Get them to the car. I need to find Steve and Shirl.”
There’s a loud bang, and Hugh hurries them all out the door.
But as he grabs Theo’s arm, she suddenly sees a flash of too many moments. Too many memories that aren’t her own.
She panics, backing away, screaming, “Let go of me! Don’t touch me! Don’t touch me!”
This poor girl…the way that this moment alone will take her years to unpack and work through is absolutely insane.
Theo rolls Trish over in bed as they kiss, and breathlessly says, “Touch me.”
