The Fall of the House of Usher: Episode Four Recap

 

Plot: After accidentally killing Julius' cat, Leo adopts a similar looking cat. But the cat makes Leo's life difficult.

The Black Cat is perhaps one of the most popular stories of Edgar Allan Poe.

If anything, it is rather frightening.

The short story had the narrator describing his love for animals. But due to some circumstances, the narrator becomes an alcoholic and starts to hurt his pet to the point that the cat begins to avoid him, further angering the narrator who gouges its eye out.

One night, the narrator kills the cat, and strangely enough, his house burns down.

Then, one day, the narrator finds a black cat outside a tavern. This cat is black, too, and has a missing eye. He has a white patch on his fur, which, over time, takes the shape of the gallows. Since the narrator had killed his cat by hanging him with a noose, he grows alarmed that the other cat is showing the same similarities.

Guilt-ridden, the narrator tries to kill the cat with an axe, but his wife stops him. Enraged at the interference, the narrator kills his wife and then hides her body behind a wall. To his surprise, the cat has disappeared.

Some days later, the police come to search for the wife, but the narrator distracts them by boasting about his sturdy basement walls, the same one behind which he has buried his wife.

Just then, a howl is heard that startles the narrator. The police break the wall to find the black cat sitting atop the murdered wife's head.

The black cat has taken revenge after all.

The fourth episode in The Fall of the House of Usher is titled The Black Cat and it focuses on how Leo was killed.

Just like in the short story, the black cat is also named Pluto and Leo, due to some circumstances gets another cat.

This episode does true justice to modernizing Edgar Allan Poe's terrifying tale.

THE BLACK CAT Plot

In the past, a young Dupin meets with a young Roderick and shows him some documents on which Roderick's signature was forged. Madeline convinces Roderick to continue to stay on and stay silent until they come up with a plan to takeover the company.

In the morning, Julius asks where Pluto is and Leo tells him that they must have left the door open again when they were partying. Julius believes that Pluto will return since he did the same thing last time and came back after three days. Leo looks worried. He knows that Pluto will definitely not return.

Leo desperately looks for an identical cat. There is no way he wants his partner Julius to know that he got high and killed his cat. He visits a pet store and lo and behold Verna is there and she just happens to have a cat that looks like Pluto. But it isn't up for adoption. Leo convinces her to give it to him and right before, he takes a picture of her.

At home, Leo is told about Camille's death and he is devastated. She was the only Usher sibling he gelled with after all.

Madeline and Roderick check the footage of Camille's visit to the lab and see a blurred screen grab of a woman that no one can identify. Apparently she wasn't even supposed to be there.

Roderick meets with Victorine who tells him that she knows nothing about the chimp that mauled Camille and knows she is being suspected as an informant. She then tells Roderick that she is ready for the human trials and Roderick gets excited. He does after all, want to get better but also not tell Victorine about his condition.

Meanwhile, Leo deals with an aggressive cat and keeps spooking and scratching him.

Frederick is irate to learn that Morella had a burner phone and can't believe his wife was at Perry's party. He tries to unlock the phone but Morella's fingerprints have been burned off and her face is too disfigured for the biometric system to work.

Frederick wants some relief from his problems and seeks out Leo to get some substances.

Leo gives him a small packet but at the same time, is attacked by Pluto who scratches his eye. Leo instructs Frederick to catch the cat. But Frederick doesn't see one. He grabs his packet and leaves.

Julius comes home to ask about the new Pluto when he doesn't see him. He and Leo get into a tiff when Julius blames Leo for finding solace in substances rather than grieve for his siblings who passed away.

Later, Leo is scratched by Pluto, and he has had enough. Verna is called and she assures Leo she will take care of the problem. Leo tells her about how the new Pluto has been leaving him dead mice and birds everywhere.

Pluto lunges at Leo as Verna gives a cryptic statement regarding regret and the Ushers legacy. Enraged, Leo gouges Pluto's eye out. In the next second, he sees Verna without her eye too.

Frightened and angry, Leo starts breaking everything around the house as he searches for Pluto.

Julius arrives and is stunned to see Leo on a warpath and using a hammer.

Leo finally spots Pluto sitting on the balcony rail. He charges after him and before Julius can stop him, plunges to his death.

Pluto walks around Leo's corpse.

Another Usher bites the dust.

The Black Cat was another solid episode with plenty of thrills and frightening moments.

The show is remarkable because of its actors.

Scare Scale: 4.5/5

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