Stars:5/5

“It’s you, it’s me, it’s us,” spoken by those connected by loss on the grounds of the Bly Manor, for those who darken on the doorstep are forever changed. 

When au pair Dani Clayton (played by Victoria Pedretti) moves to England after the death of her fiance, she manages to land a job teaching and caring for two orphaned children, Miles, (played by Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) and his younger sister Flora (played by Amelie Bea Smith). 

Plagued by her own haunting, Clayton avidly avoids mirrors or reflective surfaces to resist being faced with the ghost of her fiancé while navigating her new position, despite the strangeness of both children. Riddled with mystery, Miles is a saucy young boy that has a keen sense for mischief, while Flora is insightful, imaginative and cautious.

Unfolding as a place where love is lost, the story reveals the tragic end of several couples, ultimately leading back to the manor’s original inhabitants, Viola (played by Kate Siegel) and her younger sister Perdiata (played by Katie Parker). Having suffered a most untimely death at the hands of her sister, Viola becomes the lady in the lake that continuously sleeps, wakes and walks the grounds in search of her daughter. 
Ultimately an overwhelmingly sad account of people that are continuously plagued by death, the narrations and unfolding of each story is what entrapped me as a viewer. As a sucker for a good love story, happy or sad, this one was interesting to say the least. 

Falling deeper into the story with each second, each tale of a character’s life or relationship takes the viewer on another journey, making it hard to stop watching. I would say that someone could easily binge watch this series because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. 

Furthermore, we all know that the mysterious lady in the lake was someone, but that story does not truly even begin to unfold until much later in the series. With an aching heart, the fate of Dani Clayton brought me to tears, she deserved more. 
Initially, I wanted to give this series four stars because I was looking for the horror with every turn, but that is not what this story is about. While it does contain its fair share of scares, I believe that it has just the right amount to not overpower the overall story being told. 

I would say that this is a story for a romantic. However unconventional from a film perspective, it’s highly realistic and doesn’t offer the overly dramatic storyline that is depicted in most romantic films. There’s truth, grit, heartache, disappointment and also love, humor and admiration. This is not a story of horror, but one wrought in sadness and love.