Plot: Tamerlane prepares for her product launch after her breakup with Bill. But nothing goes as planned.
The sixth episode of the Fall of the Usher may be titled after Edgar Allan Poe's short story The Goldbug although you will try to find the similarities in the stories.
In Poe's The Gold-Bug, the narrator meets with a man called Legrand who used to be a wealthy man but isn't anymore. On one of his travels, he found a scarab-like bug that he brought with him.
The narrator meets him one evening and Legrand tells him he believes the bug to be made of actual gold. When he draws a sketch of the bug the narrator is horrified to see a skull but doesn't tell Legrand that. However Legrand notices something about the parchment and spends the rest of the evening distracted and studying the papers.
Some time later, Legrand's servant Jupiter comes to fetch the narrator, stating that his master has gone mad. Legrand was bitten by the bug and Jupiter fears for his mental health. The narrator meets with Legrand who tells him about the pirate's treasure and how he is bound to become rich again.
They are on an island and there is a skull hanging from a tree. Jupiter is instructed to drop the gold bug through the skull to find the position of the treasure. When the endeavor fails, Legrand realizes his servant does not know his left from right and so they try the instructions listed on the parchment again and find the treasure although they don't make much after selling it.
The sixth episode focuses on Tamerlane and her wellness package Goldbug. She is focused completely on it to the point that her husband Bill calls her crazy.
Tamerlane could be compared to Legrand as he too insistently searched for the pirate's treasure. Except in this version of the story, Tamerlane is not saved from her insanity. How could she be when Verna is playing mind games with her?
The episode is thrilling and has all the right ingredients of good storytelling. But it also seems repetitive in terms of deaths.
Victorine purposely stabbed herself in the previous episode. Tamerlane accidentally stabs herself in this one. But as usual the actors take the story up a notch.
GOLDBUG Plot
Frederick is going berserk when he realizes that Morella may have cheated on him. He gets her out of the hospital and promises his daughter Lenore that he can take better care of Morella at home.
But of course he is up to no good. Frederick clearly hasn't taken being lied to well. At home he keeps injecting Morella with drugs to stunt her progress. Lenore is hardly allowed to see her own mother.
Pym is investigating the deaths and has drawn a connection to Verna who had listed her address in the file. The address is of Roderick and Madeline's childhood home, the very house where present day Roderick and Dupin are sitting.
Madeline wants to stop Verna and Pym asks for permission to do whatever he wants to get Verna. He implies his methods may not be so kind.
Tamerlane is experiencing absence of time. She keeps nodding off. Bill comes to see her and tries to get her to reconsider their separation. Tamerlane is firm in her decision and asks him to leave his keys. Bill is asking her to remember their good times but Tamerlane nods off and awakens to find Bill gone and the keys on the counter.
Tamerlane and Juno get talking and she believes that she has always wanted to be a part of the family after she had an accident and met with Roderick who got her on Ligodone.
Tamerlane is ready for her product launch and Juno is right there to support her stepdaughter.
At the presentation, Tamerlane is rattled by Verna's presence and is tricked into thinking that the slides in her presentation are promiscuous photos of Verna with Bill.
Enraged, she starts freaking out on stage and spots Verna in the audience. Tamerlane picks up her microphone and flings it at her but ends up hitting Juno who is instantly knocked out.
Madeline, who is also present at the event, manages to see Verna and confronts her only for Verna to turn into cold smoke in her hands.
Tamerlane returns home and is incessantly taunted by Verna at every turn. Tamerlane ends up tearing out her own house, something the other Ushers had done to their homes and loved ones as well.
Tamerlane smashes the mirrors which show her Verna's reflection instead. Verna taunts her on the ceiling mirror and Tamerlane smashes it with a fire poker not realizing the folly of her plan.
The mirror shards fall on right atop her, stabbing her. Tamerlane is killed on her bed.
The sixth episode doesn't take much of the story forward and acts only as a death episode. Tamerlane doesn't get much to do on the show and her death wasn't exactly imaginative.
On the other hand, Roderick not warning Tamerlane of potential danger from Verna could be seen as a plot hole. If only Roderick and Madeline had pulled in Tamerlane and Frederick into their discussions, perhaps Tamerlane would have been more cautious.
Scare Scale: 3.5/5
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