Apple TV’s Servant
2×09: “Goose”
Directed by Nimrod Antal
Written by Tony Basgallop

* For a recap & review of 2×08, click here.
* For a recap & review of the Season 2 finale, click here.
Dorothy hopes George has gone for Jericho, though Leanne gives him no such reassurances, considering what we know. Meanwhile it’s Christmastime and the house is becoming more festive, at least downstairs, though Leanne puts up lights in the attic. Dorothy’s planning a “perfect Turner Christmas” with her father coming, as well as Julian, obviously. So Sean is in the kitchen preparing geese. There’s always lots of religious symbolism in Servant, ever since the beginning, but it’s definitely even more compelling with Christmas happening—we see the nativity scene in one shot.

Holiday dinner’s interesting, too. We’ve got Leanne coming down from her room of captivity. Then there’s Dorothy and Julian’s father with his extremely younger significant other. In the kitchen, Leanne talks with Sean, trying to tell him Dorothy’s wrong to expect Jericho will return; he suggests that George made it seem like there was a chance of that happening. Sean’s beginning to sound like Dorothy somewhat, convincing himself there’s a possibility George will bring Jericho back to them. He gives a little speech about how fortunate they are, then finishes with: “Just bring us back what we lost.”
Things get immediately tense when Julian calls Sean out over his prayer-like speech. Julian snaps a bit at his father, who tries to calm things down. Eventually everybody settles down and starts digging into the goose and the rest of the food. Dorothy rushes from the dinner table when she hears a car, only to see it’s just a couple with their child at another house. Then she just sits on the steps looking lost. Then there’s Julian, taking a break from the table to snort coke in the bathroom. When he comes back down he runs into Leanne alone in the kitchen. She’s having a hard time navigating the whole situation. Julian tries to apologise to her, and she says she feels “more powerful” now for some reason. She comes onto him again but he dodges her.

Everyone starts playing games inside as Julian keeps getting cranked up on coke and liquor. Dorothy continues sitting outside, joined by Sean, and she won’t give up the hope her child is returning home today. She talks about missing the scent of his head, singing lullabies to Jericho. Sean doesn’t dismiss any of it, either. He’s not pulling his wife back from her delusions, just feeding into them. Eventually the couple come inside to Julian going mad over charades and his dad’s girlfriend doing her best to play along. We also see Julian’s trying to ignore Natalie, who wants him to open up instead of keep on isolating himself. All he does is rail more cocaine up his nostrils.

Shit gets real when Julian’s found passed out in the bathroom, not breathing. Sean begins doing CPR on his brother-in-law while they call 911. But Julian isn’t resuscitating. And eventually Sean stops, hoping the paramedics can help. Out of nowhere, Leanne slams Julian in the chest with her fist and then kisses his lips, as if breathing new life into him. He wakes up, terrified and confused. He says: “I saw him there.” Is he talking about Jericho? The look on Dorothy’s face says yes. At least her brother’s alive. The paramedics show up and have a look at Julian, taking him off to the hospital.
Leanne goes down to the basement. She sees a noose tied out of clothes; we did see Dorothy go down there earlier. She goes up to Jericho’s room where Dorothy is standing over the crib, asking about the noose and why the latter made it. Dorothy replies: “Contingency.” Mom’s prepared to die if it means reuniting with her child once more. Then Sean goes to the door where a woman in a black veil says: “I understand you‘re looking for Jericho.”