Arka Mukhopadhyay
Guided by the directorial vision of Pablo Larrain and based on the eponymous bestselling novel by Stephen King, thriller drama miniseries ‘Lisey’s Story’ is a horrific and increasingly disturbing exploration of the human psyche. Julianne Moore and Clive Owen star in this creepy slow-burning supernatural thriller. The story follows the titular character in the aftermath of her husband’s death.
She follows the pieces of a puzzle while being the subject of vengeance of an obsessive fan of her husband’s fiction. The second episode, called ‘Blood Bool,’ turns the course of the story to a sinister direction, and the narrative gets pretty bleak. As the episode comes to its destined end, the viewers are made to enter a world of unraveling surreal intrigue. If you are looking for answers, let us go back and decipher the cryptic narrative. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Lisey’s Story Episode 2 Recap
Amanda is admitted to the rehabilitation center, and her mental condition keeps deteriorating. She spends most of her days in a delirious dream, where she sits by a water body staring at a ship. In the ship, Amanda, Lisey, and Darla, still in their childhood, shout the phrase “boyfriends and gold.” Amanda is haunted by a grotesque specter. On the other hand, Lisey calls up Dashmiel to ask him about the person called Jim who threatened her on the phone.
From Dashmiel, Lisey gets to know that the person is Dooley, a self-proclaimed fan of Scott Landon. Probing into the past, the narrative takes us to the pub where Dashmiel and Dooley meet for the first time. Later, Dooley visits Scott Landon’s previous residence and suggests the new owner take up a book rather than staring at the TV. Meanwhile, we get more insight into Scott’s past through the recollections of Lisey.
Lisey remembers the time when Scott sold his first book, ‘The Coaster’s Daughter,’ which we know has earned him worldwide recognition. Moving seamlessly to the past, the story reflects on a night when Lisey and Scott make dinner plans, and Lisey falls asleep on the couch while waiting for Scott. Scott returns home drunk late at night, which upsets Lisey.
Attempting to fix things, Scott smashes his hand on the window of a washing store – calling it a “blood bool” – and Lisey calms him down. The next morning, Scott proposes Lisey for marriage, and later, the couple poses for the camera holding the cheque from the publisher. In the present day, Lisey traces the photo and finds another clue. After contacting the police, she gets a surprise visit from Dooley, who leaves a dead bird and a threatening message in his wake.
Lisey’s Story Episode 2 Ending: Is the Shadow on the Pool Real?
Towards the end of the episode, Lisey encounters a dreamy shadow on the pool. While she reassures herself by saying that the shadow is not real, the camera shows the reflection to the audience, and it is very much visible to us. Guided by the projection of the camera, we can perhaps omit the possibility that the shadow is an illusion. The shadow is characterized by the same crimson sun that we have previously seen on several occasions – in the hallucinations of Amanda and the lighthouse scene in Lisey’s dream.
Therefore, we may link the shadow to the magic-realist elements of the story. The crimson sun is a motif that figures in the narrative more than once, and we are led to think that the image is tied to a larger narrative that encompasses everyone in the plot. The sequence also suggests Lisey’s inability to comprehend phenomena that go beyond the rational realm. Lisey considers everything that she can’t make sense of unreal, and that only reinstates the fact that she knows more than she makes herself believe.
Is Darla’s Husband’s Self-Harming Related To Scott?
In the scene where Scott bashes his hand on the window of the dry cleaning agency, something weird happens. The scene cuts back and forth to Darla’s household, where we see her husband also harming himself. Guided by the visual montage, we are led to believe that the self-harming incidents are connected. Previously, we have known that Scott and Amanda were pretty close and also that Amanda knew about Scott’s self-harming instincts.
In fact, if you remember, the episode begins with Amanda urging Lisey to protect Scott from harming himself on the eve of their wedding. Self-harm can be associated with a troubled past. In the episode, Scott mentions to Lisey about his brother Paul as an example while noting that Landons are fast healers but cryptically divulges in the following moment that Paul is dead. Do Scott’s self-harming instincts stem from a rupture in the past? Or do they go beyond the immediate psychological assertion? Hopefully, we are to find out in the next episodes.
How Far Does Lisey Go With the Bool Hunt?
To recollect the past events, Lisey gets the first clue from the shovel. The second clue, hidden inside Amanda’s phonebook, makes Lisey contact Dr. Hugh Alberness. The second episode sees Lisey making further progress in the bool hunt. Guided by her memories, Lisey finds the third clue from the back of a photo the couple took when Scott’s first book was accepted by the publishers.
The third clue sends her back to the doctor’s way. The doctor confessed to telling Scott that he has a favorite among Scott’s oeuvre – ‘Battle Flags.’ Upon Lisey’s insistence, the doctor finds a message tucked inside the front cover of his copy of the book. The message reads “cedar box,” which may refer to Amanda’s cedar box, as suggested by Lisey herself.
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