Aahana Swrup
Following the Usher Family’s misfortune, Netflix’s ‘The Fall of the House of Usher,’ an ensemble cast horror show, explores the stories of several characters and their uniquely privileged yet haunted lives. The Usher Kids, whose rapid consecutive deaths occupy a majority of the narrative’s focus throughout the episodes, remain in the central spotlight beside house heads Roderick and Madeline themselves. As such, for the most part, those who married into the Usher name— the second generation’s spouses and partners, form the supporting cast.
Nonetheless, Morelle’s character manages to shine through due to her continued storyline and ultimate fate. Early in the show, Morelle comes face-to-face with death, but even in a roomful of corpses, she herself manages to survive. As such, her character is bound to invite some intrigue, leading viewers to wonder about the circumstances of her survival. Let’s delve into the same. SPOILERS AHEAD!
Morelle and Perry’s Hedonistic Party
Morelle Usher, wife of Roderick’s firstborn son, Frederick, enters the narrative as an ideal wife. Still, another facet of her character starts to come out once Perry sets his grand “event of the year” into motion. In an effort to prove his worth, Perry wants to throw a big masquerade party at a building unofficially owned by the Ushers. With free-flowing alcohol and drugs, Perry plans to have one massive orgy to be his event’s central showpiece.
As the youngest, most brashest Usher, Perry is known in the family as a floozy wildcard who only cares about his own pleasures in life. Therefore, Morelle is entirely aware of Perry’s implications when her brother-in-law decides to push his luck and extend an invitation to her. Yet, Morelle can’t turn away from a night of complete anonymous debauchery. Her immediate attraction toward Freddy’s masquerade party implies that the woman has been craving adventure in her life for some time now.
Due to the same, we can conclude that Morelle hasn’t been satisfied with her marriage and wants to let loose one night behind her husband’s back. Consequently, after Perry hands her a burner phone to receive her scandalous invitation, she decides to hold onto it and shows up at Perry’s party. Nevertheless, the party ends in a vastly different climax than anyone expected.
At the party, the elusive strange woman haunting the Usher family, Verna, returns to reap payment from Roderick and starts by guiding Perry and his guests to their deaths as the building’s sprinklers come on and every exit mystically seals shut. Perry had assumed the building’s roof tanks held safe water in his careless party preparation.
Nevertheless, if the young Usher paid attention to his family’s business like Roderick was grooming him for, he would know that the old laboratory held highly acidic substances that Fortunato had churned out in their illegal development process. Thus, brought on by Perry’s neglect and Verna’s debt collection, the event’s guests die on a gruesome night with acid melting their skins off their bones.
Still, Morelle survives. Before the acid-filled sprinklers came to life, Verna subtly interfered in the scene by compelling the club’s wait staff to exit the premises through supernatural premonition. Although Verna also tries to warn Morelle to leave in a whisper, the woman ends up staying behind and becomes a victim of Perry’s acid rain. However, the fact remains that Verna wanted Morelle to survive. Therefore, despite countless people succumbing to the death around her, Morelle, skinned by the acid, manages to survive.
Morelle’s Destiny
Perhaps the mystery behind Morelle’s survival of an unsurvivable night remains in Verna’s interference. Throughout the show, Verna often talks about another reality where things are different, and characters like Roderick and Frederick live unrecognizable lives. Years ago, Verna made a deal with the Ushers that allowed them to grow their empire and live their lives in luxury, free of consequences. By doing so, Verna changed the trajectory of the Ushers’ lives, creating new destinies for them— ones that would cease to exist the minute Roderick’s heart gave out.
Therefore, Verna hunts the Usher kids, looming over their deaths. However, Morelle is not an Usher by blood. Verna and Roderick’s deal only stated that the latter’s bloodline would have to end with him. As such, Verna doesn’t want Morelle’s life as payment. Therefore, the woman allows her to survive when Morelle finds herself on the edge of death as Freddy’s collateral damage.
Verna has seen a different destiny for Morelle, and the woman can fulfill it once the Ushers are long gone. However, even after surviving the impromptu acid bath, Morelle ends up in another life-threatening situation after finding herself helpless under her husband, Freddy’s care. Hopped up cocaine and seething in his insecurities, Freddy tortures Morelle in her vulnerable, half-dead state since he believes his wife cheated on him with Perry.
As a result, on the edge of his mania, Freddy pulls out all of Morelle’s teeth with pliers after immobilizing her further with consistent dosages of Nightshade paralytic. Nevertheless, Morelle’s daughter, Lenore, deemed the only innocent and moral Usher time and again, saves her mother by reporting for help in time. By doing so, Lenore ensures Morelle can live out her destiny of putting the Usher money to good use and positively impact the world through the family’s bloodstained wealth.
Ultimately, after Verna collects the last of the Ushers, including all Roderick’s kids, his single granddaughter, Lenore, and the Usher twins, Morelle receives a part of the Usher inheritance. According to the future that Verna sees and tells Lenore about before bringing her to a gentle death, Morelle goes on to donate this money to domestic abuse charities and opens a non-profit in her daughter’s name that goes on to save countless lives. In the end, the idea remains that Verna ensured Morelle survived the initial horrifying night at Perry’s to bring some balance after the Ushers’ harmful existence ended on Earth.
Read More: Is The Fall of The House of Usher Based on a True Story or a Book?
