Wanda
Servant returns this week with another creepy episode, one that pushes the plot forward slightly but leaves things hanging on a cliffhanger with plenty of unanswered questions. Although the changed focus to Leanne is a welcome one, the lack of substantial new plot developments is a little disappointing, especially given last week failed to offer much either. After Leanne is paid for the week, we begin the episode with her checking on Dorothy, who sits somberly on the edge of the bed. Snapping out of her trance, she brightens up and heads out with Sean while Leanne looks after Jericho. Getting him dressed and ready, Leanne goes for her morning walk with the baby but when she returns, she accidentally leaves the pram outside the house. Thankfully one of the neighbours, Wanda, brings it back inside and makes herself at home while her daughter Olivia looks inquisitively around. However, a phone call sends Wanda off to the police station where her husband happens to be held, prompting Olivia and Leanne to play a game of hide and seek. It’s here Leanne finds some of Jericho’s things in the basement before Olivia tells her a man was in the house and ran off. The next day Leanne heads out for her usual walk with Jericho and knocks on Wanda’s door. Only, the person home has never heard of her before, throwing more question marks around just what’s going on here. When she heads home, Leanne notices that someone has deactivated the alarm. That someone being the private investigator Sean has hired to look into Leanne’s past. Finding nothing, he leaves while Leanne breathes a sigh of relief. After an incident involving a cricket in the basement, Leanne overhears Julian trying to convince Sean to make things difficult for her in a bid to drive her out the house. However, before he can elaborate further on this, Sean finds more splinters in the back of his neck. Wanda and Olivia return to the Turner household, with the former offering the option of leaving the house for a better-paid job. Leanne decides not to take it though and as her expression changes to one of menace, staring out the window, Olivia collapses on the floor and starts convulsing. It turns out Wanda isn’t a neighbour after all; she was hired by Julian to ask questions and find out who Leanne really is. That night, Leanne sits with Sean and tells him about then ominous presence of crickets and how they may signify something bad is coming. Before she elaborates on the point however, Sean thanks her for help with his food. As the episode closes out, Leanne looks like she’s about to pray again in her room but instead starts whipping herself. Plot-wise, there isn’t an awful lot happening this week but with an episode predominantly revolving around Leanne, we do get some glimpses of her personality throughout the episode. The reveal about Wanda is a good one but with no substantial answers for the season’s big questions, Servant keeps its cards close to its chest for now. The inclusion of crickets is a nice touch though, especially given their symbolic meaning, and throughout the episode the suspenseful feel remains intact. Quite what the rest of the series has in store remains to be seen but for now, Servant continues to move along fractionally, gearing things up for a dramatic finale to come. Servant does make the wait worth it though so stick with this one!
