Summary
“Goldbug” is a brutal installment, featuring gory horror and many heart-racing jump scares. Once again, the episode ends with another inventive death as Tammy is haunted by Verna’s reflection. This is highly entertaining horror from Mike Flanagan.
Netflix’s The Fall of the House of Usher is crammed full of inventive deaths and twisted horror. And Season 1’s sixth episode, “Goldbug” is no different, as Mike Flanagan centers on Tamerlane Usher, focusing on her launch preparation and of course, ending with her horrific death. Meanwhile in Episode 6, Freddie questions Morella, and Arthur investigates Verna’s past.
Our recap of “Goldbug” contains all the details and plenty of spoilers, so read at your own risk.
The Fall of the House of Usher Season 1 Episode 6 Recap
“Goldbug” is all about Tammy. The Usher sibling is introduced, preparing for her launch party. She’s practically falling asleep stood up though, whilst losing time and becoming terribly forgetful. This could be a side effect of her sleep-deprived state or all Verna’s doing, or maybe a bit of both. The mystery woman haunts Tammy’s apartment. Tammy feels like she’s losing it and takes sleeping pills to battle this illness.
How does Roderick get all of his information?
In the present, Auggie questions Roderick’s stories. He doesn’t know how Roderick is getting all of this personal information. Roderick admits that he isn’t just seeing the dead; they are also communicating with him too. He confesses that they are telling him these facts; they want their stories to be told accurately.
Back in the main timeline, Roderick is talking with the dead again. He’s covered in blood after Victorine’s suicide. Madeline comes to comfort her brother. He tells her that he’s retrieved the heart device himself, hence the blood. Roderick tells Madeline that he saw Victorine kill herself with his own eyes, it cannot be Verna’s fault. Madeline isn’t buying it though.
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It isn’t long before the latest deaths are all over the news. Arthur heads to another crime scene, retrieving important items from the police’s investigation. He soon comes across Verna’s file from the trials. It contains her home address.
Arthur follows this lead, but it takes him to Roderick and Madeline’s childhood home. The attorney is certain that this is all intentional now. Verna is playing games. Auggie asks if Arthur ever found Verna. Roderick confirms that he did, but not that day. Then Roderick is haunted by Tammy’s ghost, which includes the biggest scare from the series so far.
Meanwhile, in 1979, Roderick breaks into the company’s headquarters at night. He photocopies important, incriminating documents as they build a case against Rufus.
Back in the main timeline, Arthur updates the twins on his research. He has found photographs of Verna that date from a few years ago all the way back to 1901. Roderick thinks that this is a prank, and that the images were photoshopped, but Arthur believes they are genuine.
How does Freddie punish Morella?
Morella starts to say the odd word. Lenore tells her dad the good news. Freddie isn’t interested in Morella’s health though; he just wants to punish her for lying to him. He injects her with a concoction of products that put her into a paralyzed state.
The Goldbug launch party follows. Tammy nervously chats with Madeline backstage. She is then introduced to the audience. Tammy thinks that Verna has stolen her spot though and shouts at her, but again she is just seeing things. The audience is shocked by her sudden outburst, yet Tammy manages to twist this into her opening speech.
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The presentation follows. While she talks, Tammy sees Verna in the crowd. Tammy is clearly wavering. Madeline is suspicious herself and she starts to search for Verna in the audience. Next, Tammy sees Verna on the slides and an intimate video starts to play of Tammy directing Verna and Bill’s bedroom role-play.
Tammy screams for the video to be turned off, but of course, it is all just in her head. She smashes the screens with her mic stand and then sees Verna in the crowd again. Tammy hurls her mic stand at Verna, but it hits Juno in the head instead.
This violent attack sends the paparazzi into a frenzy. Madeline then spots Verna in the crowd. She chases after her, but it is just an apparition. Tammy runs backstage and heads home. The nightmare continues back at her apartment.
The Fall of the House of Usher Episode 6 Ending Explained
Tammy has further hallucinations, seeing Verna in her home and reflected in all the apartment mirrors. Tammy then starts to violently smash all of the mirrors herself. Verna and Tammy speak with one another, Verna stating that she is in Tammy’s head.
How does Tammy die?
The episode ends with Tammy in her bedroom. She avoids the shattered glass on the floor and stands on her bed. Tammy realizes that she’s ruined her life at that moment. She looks upwards at the mirrored ceiling, seeing Verna’s image reflected back at her for the very last time. Tammy smashes this mirror as well, causing shards of glass to rain down on her, stabbing her entire body.
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