r/HauntingOfHillHouse

There is an important point regarding Episode 6 that I feel hasn't been discussed much: the way the family approaches and treats Luke during the service mirrors exactly how they treated Nell. It is identical and I believe this was done intentionally. That episode is a major reason why I view Luke as sharing the "baby of the family" role just as much as Nell did; we see that dynamic play out throughout the entire episode.

We constantly witness parallels between the treatment Luke and Nell receive from the family. To elaborate: before Luke even arrives at the service, Shirley and Theo are worried that his addiction will cause him to behave inappropriately and ruin everything, and they speak about him derisively. (The parallel here regarding Nell lies in her instability, mood swings, and impulsive outbursts; for these reasons, they also distrust or grow weary of her take, for instance, Nell showing up at Steven’s book signing and "ruining" his day and his work.) Furthermore, when Luke cannot bring himself to look at Nell’s body in the casket, Steve kneels to comfort him, while Theo and Shirley stand nearby, looking down at Luke with worried expressions. It is a clear, classic "weak link" moment;symbolism that plainly reveals who is perceived as the weak link in this family. From the start of the service, Steve is intensely focused on Luke, trying to comfort him and make the experience a little easier, because someone has to, right? Yet at the same time(even though Steve strives to support Luke)Luke soon becomes left forgotten and unseen. Because the family is trying to understand why Nell did this, and the answer, naturally, is to blame one another: Steve blames Hugh, Shirley blames Steve; Theo tries to mediate but only muddies the waters, becoming part of the conflict herself. And Luke? No one blames Luke regarding Nell, nor do they criticize him for failing to support her, because(just like Nell)he is the family’s helpless baby. No one expects him to bear such responsibility because he isn't even regarded as an adult much like Nell. And when the argument turns to the matter of the book, Luke is once again nowhere to be found. After all, why would he be? The issue of the book and its royalties(like the question of who let Nell down)belongs to the adults; there is no room for the family’s "helpless babies" in adult affairs.

So, what does Luke do? He plays his part: silent, passive, and distant, he stays out of the argument much like Nell did in the scene where Steve offered the royalties to his siblings. (Even though it was obvious Nell was uncomfortable with the book, she remained as passive as possible, expressing her dissatisfaction only by siding with Shirley, yet otherwise staying out of the fray; the twins play no active role in the family's arguments.) Luke seems fully aware that he has no place in this fight and quickly accepts his invisibility;save for two brief moments: he tries to call out to Steven once or twice to calm him down, though Steven, of course, cannot hear him; and then Theo.He reaches out a hand to help Theo when she falls. Theo’s reaction is to push Luke’s hand away, refusing to let him get close. Even though he plays no part in the family arguments and Luke knows this full well the small gestures he makes to try and calm his siblings down aren't recognized for what they are; instead, they just leave him feeling rejected by them once more. Throughout the episode, while everyone is tearing into each other, Luke is largely forgotten; despite being at his twin’s funeral, he receives no real support, and no one even seems to notice. Finally, Luke tries to talk to Hugh much like Nell grew closer to Hugh because she wasn't truly seen or taken seriously by her siblings. And of course, this makes the family take notice of Luke, because we know what can happen if he falls under their crazy father's influence just like Nell did, right? Steven steps in out of a protective instinct; while Luke tries to tell Steven that Nell didn't kill herself, Steven lashes out at Hugh without actually listening to Luke. And naturally,of course the conversation quickly shifts away from concern for Luke and back to the subject of their father's madness and blaming him for everything. Of course.

"No one could see me." That sentiment doesn't just apply to Nell(it holds true for every Crain child to some extent)but I think Nell and Luke are the ones who truly embody it; even at Nell's funeral, the focus isn't really on her, and even at his twin's funeral, Luke is forgotten. Because that is the issue. That is the situation regarding the family dynamics: the fact that, even though the others try to be there for the twins, they somehow fail to truly see them. Nell and Luke are both the family members who receive the most attention and care,they family's helpless babies and at the same time, the members who are never heard or seen, who are forgotten and whose very existence goes unnoticed. And that breaks my heart for both of them.

What do you think?Do you agree?

Ive been trying to make peace with her actions in the end for so long it cannot be justified

if nell could save herself from the house's corruption why couldn't olivia? if things became clearer for nell after her death at HH why couldn't olivia snap out of it even after dying?

The actors I mean. I'm just rewatching Hill House rn and their red room speeches are both fantastic.

Just finished our first watch thru of hill house and after the credits Netflix suggestions started rolling. We immediately noticed basically the entire cast together on other projects. As well as a couple new faces that repeated. (Big fan of rahul outside of film as we’ve been fans of Alanah Pearce since the funhaus days.) is this just a director/writer/ producer favoring chemistry? Is there some link between the houses/structure we don’t know about?

Side note: was there actual paranormal activity or was it just them living with black mold for three months?

it panels from Hugh’s POV to his kids, and they’re all still kids… It always makes me tear up. Mike Flanagan is a fucking genius. I’m not a parent, but I understand enough about the world to know parents will never stop seeing their children as their children, no matter how old they get.

I am not the type to typically break out in dance especially in around other people but this shit got burned into my nervous system lol