The Fall of the House of Usher – Episode 7 “The Pit and the Pendulum” Recap & Review

The Pit and the Pendulum

In The Fall of the House of Usher Episode 7, we find ourselves in 1979. Auguste is seen advising Roderick on the best way to go about the upcoming board meeting as they plot to get rid of the boss. Meanwhile, little Fredrick is occupied making noises with his toy. Eventually, Roderick loses his temper, and the boy is escorted away by Annabel. 

When Roderick goes away for a bit, Annabel makes Auguste promise that he’ll help her husband after he’s fired, following the oust. Auguste then tells Roderick that he should count himself lucky to have Annabel and continues to talk about his husband.

Roderick, following Madeline’s advice, betrays Auguste during the board meeting in order to gain favour with the boss. Auguste is so outraged that he leaves the room. In the meantime, Roderick has been arrested. Madeline, though, insists that Fortunato will get him released in no time. As a consequence, Annabel has lost all trust in Madeline and Roderick.

In the present timeline, attorney Auguste is growing impatient. Roderick promises he will reveal enough information to establish his guilt in the crime. Auguste, like everyone else, wants to know what happened to Annabel, but Roderick has been keeping him in the dark.

At this point, the pendulum is swinging. He continues by telling the attorney that his son Frederick is keeping him on track and making sure he tells the truth about what transpired. In addition, the attorney once again begins to hear voices, and this time, he is terrified since he no longer believes that Madeline is behind them.

Back in the past, we overhear Arthur Pym and the older Usher siblings complaining about Tamerlane’s death. The board is in a crisis and is going to make a decision based on votes, which Roderick finds out about. Furthermore, Fredrick’s vote could prove crucial.

Then, Roderick summons Fredrick to his office to go over his expectations with him. In addition, he strongly suggests that Fredrick demolish the structure immediately.

Madeline, in the meantime, has a conversation with Arthur about how she would like to replace Roderick as CEO now that he is unwell. And this time around, it seems as though Arthur agrees with her.

Frederick is cruel to Morella when he arrives home. He tells her that he couldn’t help but notice her charming smile. He then damages her lips using a tool. Following this, he makes several phone calls and sets up the demolition of the structure.

Frederick sees his daughter Lenore just as he is about to leave. She suggests admitting her mother to a skin graft specialty unit, where she says she will receive excellent care. Fredrick ignores her and prohibits her from entering her mother’s bedroom after she makes the offer.

Lenore discovers her mother’s room locked when she goes to check on her. Following this, she bursts into the room and is shocked to discover her mother in such a terrible condition.

The story then shifts to Madeline going back to her old home. Verna is seen waiting for her here. Madeline proposes a contract renegotiation. However, Verna disagrees with it. Following this, Verna recites a poem that Madeline doesn’t understand in an effort to shed light on the situation. Verna then disappears into thin air.

The focus shifts to Fredrick, who is seen at the building site. He tells the employees to hold off until they get the go-ahead to demolish the structure. At this point, he visits the building to find his wife’s wedding ring. Before that, though, he urinates on the property, showing contempt for his brother Prospero. He passes out in the midst of his urination. Then Verna appears and explains why he passed out. After abusing his wife, he resorted to the same paralysing powder laced with his cocaine, this time under Verna’s compulsion.

Verna then takes the microphone away from Fredrick and gives the orders to demolish the structure in Fredrick’s voice to the other workers. Following that, Verna joins him on the floor as he watches the building collapse and Frederick’s death at the hands of a huge pendulum-like object.

Soon after, Madeline finds Roderick in a basement and tells him of Fredrick’s death. She then offers him Ligodone to overdose on in fulfilment of their agreement. After witnessing Roderick take numerous pills, Madeline leaves, having carefully placed the bottle in Fredrick’s grasp. Verna arrives soon after Madeline leaves. She says she won’t let Roderick die without a struggle and resurrects him.

The Episode Review

The story borrows elements from both “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” by Edgar Allan Poe. In addition, a highlight of Verna’s talk with Madeline is hearing her recite “The City in the Sea” by Edgar Allan Poe.

The episode simply borrows Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” for its symbolic imagery. This episode is an excellent representation of the pendulum metaphor. The pendulum is a symbol of impending catastrophe and foreshadowing in Poe’s works. The execution is brilliant, considering that Fredrick is killed by a huge pendulum-like object as the structure is being demolished.

This episode does a great job of balancing its themes of mental breakdown and supernatural components. All of the Usher children have suffered from psychosis, which has led to hallucinations. It’s intriguing to watch how each of the Usher children was adversely affected by their family’s extraordinary fortune.

The episode also features a fascinating back-and-forth between Madeline and Verna. These two characters are by far the strongest in the show and an interaction between them was fascinating and absolutely chilling.

It will be intriguing to see how things play out in the final episode, which is just one episode away.