Summary
The Fall of the House of Usher ends in fine form, revealing all of the show’s mysteries and bringing satisfying finality to everything. They save the best deaths for the last episode too. This is superb horror with an emotional edge. A fascinating exploration of all the darkness in the world with a gothic twist.
The Netflix original series The Fall of the House of Usher concludes its first season run with Episode 8, “The Raven.” In the season finale, Roderick and Madeline are forced to face the consequences of their actions. Their deal with Verna is explored in flashbacks, whilst all of the characters’ fates are revealed in the present. It’s a stunning ending to one of Mike Flanagan’s best shows to date.
This recap contains major spoilers for everything, including the ending of The Fall of the House of Usher, so reader discretion is advised.
The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 8 Recap
The finale begins with Roderick waking after his suicide attempt. Verna won’t let him go just yet. There are to be no loopholes, the terms of their deal must be met. Roderick is then haunted by that creepy jester once again. With Freddie gone, Roderick loses the vote and is ousted as CEO. COO Madeline takes his place.
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We then revert back to the 1979 storyline. Annabel is heartbroken by Roderick’s betrayal. She doesn’t know who he is anymore and ends the marriage there and then. Fast forward to the New Year’s Eve party and Roderick is welcomed as a hero. His colleagues applaud him, and Rufus offers him a promotion, promising him untold wealth in return for saving the company.
How does Rufus die?
It’s a fancy-dress party and Rufus is dressed as a jester. They celebrate their victory over Auggie together. Madeline flirts with Rufus and then drugs him with cyanide. The twins take him down to the bottom floor, where he is tied up. Roderick and Madeline then build a brick wall in front of him. It’s probably the most twisted of deaths in the whole series, which is saying something. Rufus suffocates behind the brick wall.
Rufus pleads with them to be freed, but they have their plan in place. The building will be vacant for the holiday season, his body will never be recovered. They will say that he fled. They will take his position and rid the company of its past crimes.
Once Rufus is bricked in, they can hear his jester’s bells still ringing from within. This sound will haunt them later in life. They get their story straight and head to the next venue. Here they meet with Verna, the ungodly entity, who transcends time and space.
What is Verna’s deal?
Verna knows about Rufus’ death already. She offers them the chance to get away with this murder, to never be convicted of a single crime in their entire lives. They will have a lifetime of riches. All Verna wants in return is for all of the Usher’s bloodline to end at the same time. Roderick and Madeline will die together and all their children will perish as well.
Roderick and Madeline don’t even hesitate. They agree to the terms immediately and leave. In the present, Roderick admits that they didn’t believe it at first, that they forgot about it and never spoke of it again. The police never found Rufus’ body; Roderick became the CEO. Then they got to work.
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In the main timeline, Arthur tracks down Verna to the twins’ childhood home. He drugs and kills her, but of course, this demon cannot be killed that easily. Verna reappears, offering Arthur a similar deal to the one she gave the twins, but he rejects her offer this time.
How does Lenore die?
Unfortunately, now that we know the terms of the deal, it becomes apparent that Lenore has to go as well. Verna visits the darling granddaughter next. Before killing her, Verna outlines her family’s future. Lenore’s mother will start a foundation in her name that will save millions of people’s lives. Verna says that this is all thanks to Lenore’s kindness and bravery. She then taps her on the forehead, a mercy killing for the moral Usher.
Roderick finds her body and is then haunted by Lenore’s ghost and the raven. He meets with Madeline back at their childhood home. No one else is left in the family, their time has reached its end. Madeline talks about their successes, and how they changed the world. She talks of consumerism and how they are not the problem, but actually the solution. Madeline is proud of her accomplishments.
She drinks with Roderick and discovers that he has poisoned her. He buries her alive as an Egyptian queen. This is the sound that Auggie and Roderick have been hearing from the basement all night. Madeline escapes from the cellar and attacks Roderick, strangling him to death.
The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Ending Explained
How do Roderick and Madeline die?
The house starts to crumble. Auggie escapes, but both Roderick and Madeline are crushed by the house as it caves in on them. Auggie then sees the raven atop the ruins of the Usher family home.
Auggie narrates the final moments of the series. He says that his case was dropped with everyone dead, and he retired. Juno inherited everything. She dissolved the company and repurposed it into the Phoenix Foundation. Juno would eventually wean herself off of Ligodone. And Arthur was arrested for his crimes, having not accepted Verna’s deal.
The series ends with Auggie visiting the Usher family graves. He says his final goodbyes to Roderick and happily returns to his own loving family. Auggie sees a raven sitting atop the family stone. Then Verna places specific items on each separate gravestone. This too, is Verna’s final goodbye to the family. The series then ends with the raven flying towards the camera. Verna heads off to torment another horrid family.
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