Summary
When we thought that the series had peaked, “Cake” notches it up a few gears, bringing the story full circle, reintroducing a familiar character.
This recap of Apple TV+ series Servant season 2, episode 5, “Cake” contains significant spoilers.
Last week was shocking as we saw the peak of Dorothy’s transformation, but if there’s one lesson learnt from this series, is that once it starts escalating, it does not calm down.
With Leanne still kidnapped (we have no idea on legal or criminal grounds in the series anymore as it’s bizarre), “Cake” opens up with the character talking to a mannequin in the loft, telling it where she’s from and her specialty — baking cakes. She then slowly makes her way downstairs. In the kitchen, Dorothy is aggressively whisking pancake mix. She has allowed Leanne to be freer in the house at certain times, with doors padlocked around the house. Tobi is joining them to eat. Meanwhile, Sean is in the basement, a little phased out looking at the grave Dorothy dug. The story has naturally seen Dorothy form into her own version of a monster, caused by the loss of who she believes is Jericho.
Pancakes the breakfast
Dorothy serves Leanne and Tobi pancakes for breakfast, which is incredibly awkward. Sean pulls Dorothy aside and reminds her what she did and that it scared him. Dorothy still wants to draw Leanne out and devise a new strategy. At the dinner table, Tobi apologizes to Leanne regarding the night with the pizza (what an episode that was!). Yet again, Tobi seems unaware of the gravity of the situation and wants to hang with her when all this is over. Dorothy takes Leanne back to the loft and tells her that there’s nothing she wouldn’t do for Jericho.
The Turners receive a ransom note asking for money
And then Servant season 2, episode 5 turn on its head with a turning point, which involves a delivery to the house.
A package arrives at the Turner household, and it’s a tiny baby figurine, and Leanne is concerned; they believe their credit account has been hacked. They’ve also received a ransom note asking for money and to meet “them” at the mall. Privately, Julian assures Sean that he didn’t send the ransom note and believes they should pay the cult off.
Leanne wants to make a cake
Sean and Dorothy gather money to reach the total amount of the ransom. They are also selling items in the house to rack up cash. Leanne goes into the basement to collect ingredients and tells Sean that she’d like to make a cake. She asks him for further ingredients. The scene then flits to Leanne urgently dressing up the mannequin — she uses one of Dorothy’s dresses. At this stage, audiences will be perplexed, wondering what on earth she is up to.
Baking a King Cake
Julian stays behind to keep an eye on Leanne and Tobi while Sean and Dorothy head to the location to pay the ransom to get Jericho back. Leanne tells Tobi they are making a King Cake, something that her mother used to make her. Her mother promised her that if she won the pageant, she could put the baby inside the cake.
Leanne tells Tobi to put the baby inside the cake — she explains how her mother was always the one who found the baby in the cake and called it special. Leanne gets emotional and tells Tobi her mother is now burning.
To give context to the audience, a King Cake is a traditional way for New Orleans residents to celebrate their Christian cake, but there are other mythologies and uses for the cake in history and not just the tradition tied to the USA. The small porcelain baby in some cultures represents the birth of Jesus. Whoever finds the baby is blessed with luck and prosperity.
Leave the cake to cool
Sean and Dorothy head to the mall, and Julian watches on a video call. Roscoe is also there but on a separate video call — Sean and Dorothy do not know Roscoe is also there. Julian checks up on Leanne who tells him that Tobi had to leave and locked the door from the outside. Julian tells her to go to bed, and Leanne asks him to make sure he takes the cake out of the oven and ice it once it cools. It’s then revealed that Tobi was hiding in the loft.
The laptop was hacked
Julian reckons that someone hacked Sean’s laptop to order the tiny baby figurine. He goes upstairs to the loft and tells Tobi to leave. Leanne tells Julian that she wants to see Dorothy get what she deserves.
The ending
The episode ends with the series going full circle — season 1 ended with Leanne’s uncle introduced to the story; there’s no shock that he’s reintroduced again.
At the mall, Leanne videos Julian that they are getting kicked out of the mall. Suddenly, Leanne’s uncle grabs the phone and says “Julian”. Meanwhile, Julian is not near his phone, and he’s focusing on the cake. He ices it.
As the episode ends, Dorothy and Sean return home with the uncle, and he asks Julian where Dorothy is. Dorothy is in the loft, looking up at the mannequin, eating the King Cake. The more she eats, she becomes more savage with it, and the lights around her begin to act erratically. She looks up at the mannequin with the tiny baby figurine. Is the mannequin a representation of her mother? Is this a rebirth? There will be plenty of theories online, I’m sure.
When we thought that the series had peaked, Servant season 2, episode 5 notches it up a few gears, bringing the story full circle, reintroducing a familiar character.
