The Fall of the House of Usher isn’t an exact one-to-one television adaptation of the titular short story. Instead, the original story from Edgar Allan Poe is used as a frame to introduce a whole Succession-like miniseries, with names and subplots coming from other stories from Poe. Because of this, fans of the author might feel disappointed at the lack of old gothic flair, as the story is set a whole century and a half after, and the tone shifts as the show shifts from character to character. However, Mike Flanagan’s whole ensemble still proves to be entertaining as the Usher family deals with sci-fi mishaps, internal sabotage, and a possible supernatural element haunting the whole brood.
"The Fall of the House of Usher serves up contempt for the wealthy, disgust with their selfishness, and glee at their increasingly gnarly demises, and that unexpected-for-Flanagan feast is bloody delicious."
— Roxana Hadadi
"As the absurdly wealthy destroy our only planet, our innocent pleasures, and our very lives, even a blunt, overextended allegory can deliver visceral satisfactions. Arguing billionaires should not exist has rarely felt so Biblical."
— Ben Travers
Ruthless siblings Roderick and Madeline Usher have built Fortunato Pharmaceuticals into an empire of wealth, privilege and power. But past secrets come to light when the heirs to the Usher dynasty start dying at the hands of a mysterious woman from their youth.
After all his children’s death, the corrupt CEO of a pharmaceutical conglomerate invites the attorney prosecuting his company to confess his crimes and contemplate his past.
The Fall of the House of Usher is strange as a choice for a mini-series because the short story has to have enough content to fit eight one-hour episodes. To deal with this, showrunner Mike Flanagan had to mix in different subplots and characters from other Poe stories in some sort of Frankenstein conglomeration that can feel like a show. It’s a hard balance, and it makes the story’s gothic elements feel lost in the glitz and glamor of Perry’s drug-filled orgy, Camille’s PR spinning, Victorine’s sci-fi tech advancement, etc. However, Flanagan keeps the series grounded in the family’s patriarch, keeping the subplots framed on Roderick’s confession to Attorney Dupin. And as he makes his long-winded confession, Flanagan explores ideas like PR, pharma, and intellectual property, all ideas that the wealthy play with.
It’s an interesting mini-series. It’s just not Edgar Allan Poe.
