MovieChat Forums > Servant (2019) Discussion > I don't understand how that's possible [...

I don't understand how that's possible [spoilers ahead]

posted 4 years ago by exatera (3942)
9 replies | jump to latest

It's not possible to forget about the baby and just go about your business for hours on end, precisely because babies require constant attention - that's what's so exhausting about it.

I mean, I've heard of this happening, but really, it was only in the middle of the night already when she finally even noticed that the baby wasn't in the crib? She never once thought of her baby throughout the day?? Seems to me she was mentally ill to begin with.

[–] Ed (522) 4 years ago

Episode nine bugged me because I dislike the mother, who is unpleasant and insane. And she is the focus of Epi9. It was also hard to follow the timeline, to the point where I lost track of what was present and what was past. Perhaps this was by design?

[–] exatera (3942) 4 years ago

I wasn't confused about the timeline, though, given everything that already transpired on the show.

What weren't you clear on?

[–] Ed (522) 4 years ago

Well, for one, the car alarm going off. I thought it was something in the past that illustrated how the mom was going crazy. Turns out it was present, due to the nanny.

The husband’s TV show - past.
The rotting leg of kitchen meat - past
The rotting car fish - present

I semi-tuned out this episode, probably why I got confused at times. Eager to see what happens in last episode.

[–] AnubisRaydeen (7897) 4 years ago

She thought that she brought the baby in. The ep establishes that she was extremely tired. Thinking that she did, in fact, bring the baby in, she gets a needed nap (with the baby monitor next to her) She takes advantage if its silence to really sleep. Its silence drove her to go check on it.

Not a crazy scenario and this kind of thing happens to parents all over the globe. Try being 100% focused on something constantly for months/years on end. No one's mental process is immune to stress. People forget to take life preserving medicine, make it to crucial interviews, leave on time for expensive flight, etc. This phenomenon is a very very sad one. Seeing her lose it over her dead baby had an impact on me.

Her breakdown thereafter has some cracks of believability.

Love the show but it is essentially a stew of compounding mystery without a trickle of answers at all. Some part of it, even if small, needs illumination by season's end.

[–] exatera (3942) 4 years ago

Even if she thought she brought the baby in, what did she think she did with the baby afterward? She was putting away the groceries, checking her phone, etc. - she literally just went about her day. Babies don't nap forever, and need to be fed and changed frequently, but it was only much later at night, many hours after the shopping trip, that Dorothy even looked in the crib.

The baby literally never crossed her mind .

I could understand her, say, forgetting to take the baby with her into the store if he fell asleep in the back of the car on the way there, but none of this sounds normal to me.

[–] NoEasyBuckets (334) 4 years ago

Well I don't think it's supposed to be normal or otherwise people would be killing their babies constantly. It's a TV show so obviously they're going to stretch reality, but in terms of her character it's her first time being alone and responsible for the baby by herself. She seemed pretty unstable even at that point so maybe she allowed herself to believe she didn't have a baby for those few hours, just like she wanted to believe her baby was still alive when it was dead or replaced with a doll.

If we're going to question things, the fact that a teenage girl has special powers seems like a better place to start.

[–] exatera (3942) 4 years ago

Well, no, I don't agree. The girl's abilities were supposed to be supernatural, whereas this was supposed to be something normal and regular that can actually happen in real life.

Plus I opened this thread after the episode where the baby's death was explained, not after the finale.

[–] CheekyMonkey (584) 4 years ago

I think it was explained well enough... To give more answers would take away from the mystery and from the emotional impact...

[–] Drusilla (503) 4 years ago

I have to agree with this. It's one thing during the day when you have a huge business meeting that you might be preparing for. You have a gazillion things on your mind. Your routine changed because Dad couldn't drive him to daycare, ETC. And even that is unusual but it does happen. However, this situation was ridiculous. She put a fan on herself but never thought to go see if the baby was also hot?

Even if your baby sleeps well you would still check on them. Sure she fell asleep but it's just not realistic. They should've chosen another way. Like she rolled over on him or something.