"The Haunting of Bly Manor" is finally available on Netflix, since October 9, 2020. We saw the series and we explain why it is not a horror program. Attention spoilers!
It's not a sequel, the characters are different and so are the times, and it's not clear whether to define this as a season 2. Anyway, The Haunting of Bly Manor, on Netflix, comes in the line of The Haunting of Hill House. This first story, released in 2018, gave us shivers so much the jump scare and ghosts were omnipresent. So what about this second story available since October 9, 2020 on Netflix? In our eyes, The Haunting of Bly Manor is not a horror series, it is much more than that. We take stock of this absolutely poignant season.
A queer love story
We look for ghosts, we expect to jump anytime. But, in reality, this season takes more to the guts for the topics they cover. The Haunting of Hill House evoked the family trauma. The Haunting of Bly Manor talks about the search for identity, emancipation and love.
A young American woman, Dani, accepts a job as a housekeeper at a mansion in Bly, England. If her nocturnal wanderings in the huge mansion worry us, very quickly, we focus more on how this place will change her emotionally. Little by little, we discover that Dani's whole life is not what she wanted. She regretfully got engaged, and the damage to leave the man who loved her is eating her away.
Dani then meets Bly Manor's gardener, Jamie. If at the beginning, one does not perceive any love at first sight worthy of the most honeyed romantic comedies, a friendship is bonded very quickly between the two young women. Then comes love and Dani seems to be reborn. So that was the weight that was eating her away. She wasn't herself, she's been pretending her whole life and meeting Jamie sets her free.
The memory of the loved one at the heart of the story
Besides this love story, there are many more in this season. It is as if the people who meet and love each other under the roof of this mysterious mansion are doomed. Relationships often seem impossible or difficult to manage. Mourning has a lot to do with it, because death lurks in Bly Manor. It acts as an obstacle for those who cherish it.
There is also the fear of forgetting to be loved. This curse terrifies us. Dani and Jamie adore and evolve together over the years. They become this "couple goals" that we would rather see in the rosewater movies. But even as they distance themselves from the mansion, a tragic end awaits them. Dani dreads being condemned to stand between life and death in Bly Manor, forgetting the love of her life. In reality, memories build a loving, friendly or family relationship. The Haunting of Bly Manor questions us about the need to immortalize every moment.
To our surprise, The Haunting of Bly Manor did not play the LGBT + identity card to ensure its success. And to Netflix's credit, it ultimately trivializes the love story and makes it feel more authentic. Dani and Jamie are a couple like the others and their bubble gives a pleasant feeling of melancholy.
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