The Haunting of Bly Manor, a follow-up to a Netflix favorite, the Haunting of Hill House, is a supernatural horror drama series. Or, as I like to call it, a ghost love story. No matter each person’s stance on the show, I can assure you that almost everyone left with tears in their eyes by the end. 

The story follows a newly hired nanny, Dani Clayton. Dani is responsible for caring for two kids after both of their parents and their previous nanny passed away. In addition to the endless responsibilities she has with the two children, she deals with the tragedies that the manor and its ghosts have to offer.

Starting off slow, the story picks up around the third episode, so I recommend that you have a little bit of patience going into it. As it started to pick up, I couldn’t keep my eyes off the screen.

The beautiful character development is what makes this show so great. I felt as though the writers did a fantastic job of giving each and every character their own meaningful backstory. I finished the show feeling satisfied and not one bit confused. 

I can say, however, that the constant flip between the past and the present is tiring. I do think that it’s important to have flashbacks to better understand the story, but it felt a little crazy and can get confusing especially towards the end. In addition to that, there were a few lengthy scenes that, in my opinion, didn’t necessarily contribute to the plot, or they just seemed unnecessary overall. 

Throughout the show, there are small narrations done by the storyteller to further explain the scene. I can admit, those were a bit bothersome. It was hard finding depth in some scenes when a narrator is explaining them for you. In my opinion, it’s better to think for yourself and let your imagination take you instead. 

That’s not to say that I thought it was a bad idea, I just felt like it could’ve been executed better and been less revealing for some scenes. 

I think the reason that this show got a good amount of hate was simply because of people’s expectations. The Haunting of Hill House set some pretty high assumptions that, as I found, were not lived up to in this show. The Haunting of Bly Manor definitely lacked a lot of the frightfulness that the Haunting of Hill House perfected. 

In a way, it feels unfair to compare the two. They fit into two separate genres that just can’t be compared the same way. With that being said, the Haunting of Bly Manor did, however, nail the love and relationship aspect of it all. 

Emotions were raw. Because of this, I felt attached to the characters and their relationships, whether the relationship was platonic or romantic. The actors make you feel like you’re right there with them, and the actors themselves, fit the roles of their characters perfectly. Some could say that it was “perfectly splendid”. 

Not to mention the queer relationship that struck me by surprise. Quite often, an upcoming show or a movie will make a big deal out of having a queer relationship to lure people in before watching it. This relationship felt more normalized than I’d seen in a show or a movie in a long time because it wasn’t a victim of queer-baiting. 

If you’re looking for a terrifying story that will have you covering your eyes each minute, I wouldn’t recommend this show. If you enjoy a more material, symbolic ghost drama, this is a great option for you. All in all, I think this show provided a phenomenal examination of love and loss.