Let’s get one thing clear; this isn’t a ghost story, it’s a love story.
A successor to The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor involves a young woman named Dani (Victoria Pedretti) who accepts a job as au pair to two young children who lost both of their parents the year prior. She moves into Bly Manor and begins experiencing strange occurrences within the iron gates of the property. However, this isn’t Dani’s first brush with abnormal events, for she is also being haunted by a ghost from her past.
One of the most integral parts of the show is how love is presented through each character. Throughout the show, the audience witnesses the consequences of both selfish and selfless love. We see how love can blind people into committing terrible actions and harming others. We see how the pain of losing a loved one can mentally tear apart a person. And we see the ways in which people we have lost stay with us for the rest of our lives.
As the show progresses, we learn about the tragic history of the manor and the characters involved. This show rewards you for paying attention to the small, nuanced details in each episode. Much like with Hill House, there is a poignant episode midway through the show that drops a huge revelation on the audience. There are also hidden surprises in the backgrounds of each scene; be sure to keep an eye out for any objects or shadows that look misplaced.
