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Servant S4E10 Series Finale Recap: “Fallen” — An Underwhelming Ending or a Perfect Conclusion?

Julian and Dorothy look on grimly in the Servant series finale

The following recap contains spoilers for the series finale of Servant, S4E10, “Fallen” (written by Laura Marks and directed by Veronika Franz & Severin Fiala)


It was the episode Servant fans have been waiting four long years for. Each season, speculations and theories abounded on social media over who Leanne was and what she wanted with the Turner family. However, last night’s conclusion left a divide among many fans.  

With M. Night Shyamalan attached to this show, the perceived notion was that there would be a shocking twist at the end. However, we didn’t get a big twist. We got something simple. So simple in fact, it was kind of beautiful. 

Simple didn’t bode well with viewers. One look at the comment section of Reddit will tell you that. There was no epic fight, no end of days, and no multiple personality disorder, as some have suggested in the past. Under the guise of religion and the supernatural was the real heart of the show, which is as normal as it gets—grief.  

Looking back to the series as a whole, the writers presented us with all the facts needed to understand the main questions.

Who Was Leanne and What Was the Purpose of the Church of Lesser Saints (aka C.O.L.S.)?

  • Leanne (Nell Tiger Free) was an emotionally abused, neglected little girl who died in a fire with her parents.
  • The C.O.L.S., more specifically, Uncle George, brought Leanne back to life to have her join them and be a servant of God.
  • Leanne meets Dorothy (Lauren Ambrose) at a beauty pageant when she is nine years old, thus beginning Leanne’s obsession with her. Years later, Leanne applies as a Nanny, giving her an “in” to Dorothy’s life. 
  • Wanting to make Dorothy whole again, she brings Jericho back to life. (The question of whether Leanne placed his soul into the doll or physically manifested him is unclear but irrelevant.)
  • The baby that is brought back is the real Jericho. Sean (Toby Kebbell) confides in Uncle George that he can feel deep down it is his actual son. Leanne all but confirms this at the end of last week’s episode, “Awake,” when she tells Dorothy that a mother always knows her child when referring to the baby she had brought back.
  • The purpose of the C.O.L.S. is to be servants of God. With the ability to essentially raise the dead, they resurrect those they feel deserve a second chance. The second chance means also being a servant and doing good for others.
  • After seeing Leanne stray from the church and go against God, the C.O.L.S. feel her growing darkness will cause the end of the world. She needs to perish before it’s too late.

“Fallen” Recap (The Servant Series Finale)

Leanne pleads with Dorothy to choose her and Jericho.
Apple TV+/Screenshot

The episode opens exactly where last week’s ending left off. Dorothy stands between Leanne and Sean as they play a mental tug-of-war with her emotions. She has a choice to make. Choose Leanne and be a mom to an alive Jericho, or choose Sean and accept that Jericho is gone, allowing the family to grieve. As one can imagine, this isn’t an easy choice, especially for Dorothy.  

Sean and Julian (Rupert Grint) wait in the car as Dorothy takes a moment to herself in the nursery. Ambrose is a master of conveying emotion without words. Her heartbreak is evident as she clutches Jericho’s stuffed animal and stares at an empty crib.

Leanne, fearing the worst, runs to the roof, where she screams to God, “This was the one thing I wanted. Why couldn’t I have it?”

Leanne stands in the rain yelling to the sky.
Apple TV+/Screenshot

By “it” she means family. The thing she wanted most was to be part of the Turners and to have Dorothy’s love. All isn’t lost, though. Dorothy meets Leanne on the rooftop. After months of thinking Leanne was trying to take Jericho and destroy her family, Dorothy expresses her gratitude in an emotional speech. “I would’ve given anything to have had him one more minute and you gave me months with him, but this pain that I feel now, it’s part of my love for him too. I need to feel it.” She adds, “I would have been proud to have a daughter like you.”

It shows incredible growth on Dorothy’s part and a side of her not seen before. Dorothy has been selfish, overly driven, and mentally unstable since the pilot episode. I believe these traits were something she created herself to help keep the delusion going once she was given the reborn doll. Now that she is “awake,” she is coming to terms with what she has done and is more understanding of the gift Leanne had given her. 

By this point, Leanne understands why the C.O.L.S. wanted her dead. She is too powerful. There is a darkness in her that will cause the end of days. The storm, a physical manifestation of her pain, continues to cause damage across Philadelphia. 

After leaving Dorothy in the care of Sean and Julian, she returns to the house to put an end to it all. She sets the house ablaze before making her way to the attic. She puts a record on and sways across the room while simultaneously slicing open her arms in what looks to be a sacrificial ritual. Moments later, the house, as well as Leanne, are consumed by the fire. Leanne falls into the pit of what we can assume is a metaphorical Hell.

What’s Next for the Family?

The storm ends, and the sun rises. Sean admits to an officer that he and Dorothy won’t rebuild or return to their former home. Dorothy thanks Sean for never giving up on her as they enter a taxi and drive away to live life anew.

Julian stays behind. Officer Reyes, a responding officer after Jericho’s death, asks him for a word as he leaves a coffee shop on the corner. 

Earlier, Reyes confessed to Dorothy that she was part of the C.O.L.S. and sent to keep an eye on Leanne, and now she confesses something to Julian as well.

If you recall, the previous Christmas, Julian overdosed in the bathroom of the Turner home. Leanne leaned over him while everyone was in a panic and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, bringing him back to consciousness. At that time, it wasn’t clear that he had died, but Reyes confirms that he did indeed die and that it was Leanne who brought him back.   

Julian stands in front of a coffee shop window, shocked.
Apple TV+/Screenshot

Knowing what we know about C.O.L.S., we can assume that Julian will be “called to duty” in the future. The last shot is pretty neat as we see what looks to be a dove painted on a building across the street, making Julian appear to have angel wings. I mean he’s technically an Angel now anyway.

I admit that I am in the minority. As much as I love dark television, I was happy to see a hopeful ending for Sean and Dorothy. Even Julian gets a second chance to live a selfless life. It was sad to see the end of Leanne, though there was no saving her. She knew that as well as she gave Dorothy the last gift she could give her, a chance to start fresh.

Written by Felicia Nickens

Lover of television, film, & the macabre.

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