Josephine (episode)

**"Josephine"** is the twentieth episode of *Servant*. It debuted on 19 March, 2021, on Apple TV+, as the tenth episode and finale of season 2.

## Plot

Leanne is in Jericho’s room holding the Reborn doll. Sean is at the door with Aunt Josephine and she asks him to store the Betamax player in a safe place. He is reluctant to do this and is also reluctant to let her into the house, but eventually does so. Dorothy rushes downstairs and meets Josephine. They sit together on the sofa - Dorothy does so reluctantly - and Josephine hugs Dorothy, citing how difficult it must be for Dorothy. Josephine says Dorothy should never have been part of this, and it is time to end this. Josephine asks to see Leanne and Dorothy initially refuses, but after Josephine insists this is the order it must be done, and some encouragement from Sean, Dorothy reluctantly gives Josephine 15 minutes with Leanne.

Sean takes the Betamax player upstairs and Leanne begs Sean not to leave her alone with Josephine. Leanne and Josephine sit in the attic. Josephine asks her what she wants, Leanne replies that she wants to stay with the Turners. Her aunt says that is not an option, she does not belong there. Josephine says the family does not love Leanne. Back in Jericho’s room, Dorothy is staring at the Reborn doll in Jericho’s crib. She is interrupted by Josephine who gives her a baby onesie which she cites “is the truth”. Sean is pacing in another room, leaving a message on Julian’s phone. He sees the door closed to Jericho’s room and walks there, asking Dorothy to open the door to no response. Dorothy is examining the baby clothes. Sean goes back to the previous room he was in and goes to his phone, but his pin does not work. The door slams in the room, and Josephine makes her way upstairs. Sean is unable to get out and begins to bang and shout Dorothy’s name. Meanwhile, Dorothy is beginning to get the Reborn doll dressed in the baby clothes Josephine gave her.

In the attic room, Josephine is with Leanne and they play the Betamax tape in the player - she calls it Leanne’s final warning. What plays is a video by Uncle Frederick, aimed at followers of The Church of the Lesser Saints. The video aims to show members how to return lost members back to the light, as part of a reunion ritual. It requires practice, planning and precision - the three Ps. He has Cousin Marion giving him a hand. The ritual takes four steps:

1. **The Invocation** - Members hurt themselves and draw blood from their flesh, to separate themselves from the false feeling of being with loved ones.
2. **The Consecration** - Members are blinded and then each limb is sliced with a knife or sharp implement.
3. As part of **the Consecration** the spirit is released from one's physical self to be reunited with God Almighty
4. **The Emancipation** - Members must place the body on a hand-prepared pyre for it to burn

Frederick says it is vital the ritual is completed, however difficult it is emotionally and physically. Meanwhile, Sean is still trying to escape from the locked room, while Dorothy is on the floor, staring at the baby clothes hung on Jericho’s crib. She gets up and examines them and the Reborn doll.

Josephine asks Leanne why she abandoned her role to join the Turner family. Leanne responds that Dorothy needed her help and when Josephine asks if she did help Dorothy, Leanne responds that she did. Josephine says they are only here to serve “him” and she attempts to usher Leanne away to see if she can be saved. Dorothy is smelling the baby clothes and falls to the floor in distress while Sean is looking to escape.

Leanne is praying to God, repeating phrases Josephine gives her, but she refuses to say that she will forget Dorothy Turner. Leanne tries to run away, but Josephine puts her to the ground and splashes oil into Leanne’s eyes, causing distorted vision and burns on her face. Josephine goes downstairs, leaving Leanne in pain. Leanne makes her way to the kitchen to hear *Pennies from Heaven* play, grabs a knife, and runs to the front door while Josephine is also in the kitchen stabbing herself with an implement. With the front door locked, Leanne makes her way to the basement and hides. Josephine comes to the basement door and says Leanne must pay the price for losing her way.

Sean attempts to escape through the window, but the door to the room swings open as he nearly exits through the window. He goes to Jericho’s room, and speaks to Dorothy through the door. She says she is getting horrible feelings and says that they killed Jericho. She begins to tie a noose and says she needs to be with her son. Sean begins to become distraught and tells Dorothy that she should consider him, and how he needs her. Dorothy apologizes and hopes Sean can forgive her, which he says he will never do if she does this. Sean further says what will happen if Jericho is alive and how he will explain Dorothy’s death.

Leanne is washing her eyes in the basement sink, but hears Josephine coming down the stairs and she hides. Leanne tries to escape through the basement door, but Josephine spots and grabs her. Wrestling Leanne to the floor, she uses a heated blade to cut her right arm but before she can do the left, Dorothy hits Josephine over the head with a shovel. She comforts Leanne and gives her something to put pressure on her wounds, and goes to leave Leanne while she gets Sean. Before she can do so, Leanne reveals to Dorothy that Josephine just wanted Dorothy to think Jericho was gone, when in fact he is not gone and she will bring him back. As Dorothy leaves, she says to Josephine that Dorothy protected her. She heats a blade on the fire but Josephine assaults her, pinning her down. Leanne pulls away Josephine’s veil to reveal a scarred face. Josephine crawls away after Leanne hits her and replaces her veil. When she next looks up, she says Leanne say that vanity is a sin, and Leanne plunges the heated blade into Josephine’s eye.

Dorothy gets Sean from outside in the yard and they go down to the basement to see the fire is no longer burning, and no sign of Leanne or Josephine. Dorothy deduces that Leanne has gone to get Jericho. Sean goes to Leanne’s room and finds no sign of her. In their bedroom, the Turners discuss whether Jericho is coming back. While Dorothy puts some batteries in the baby monitor, Sean begins to tell Dorothy about the bad feeling she had about Jericho in the nursery. He begins to tell her about last August when he went to California but is interrupted by the baby monitor, and they hear a voice singing a nursery rhyme to a baby. Sean says that must be from another monitor, but when they go to Jericho’s room, they see Leanne holding a real live baby, singing the nursery rhyme. She passes the baby to the Turners, saying they are going to be a family now. Sean reorganizes the infant as the one true Jericho, not the reborn doll come alive.

The Turners comfort the one true baby Jericho on the bed while Leanne is kneeling on the bed in her old room, saying she doesn’t know why she keeps doing bad things and that she scares herself. She can feel the dark thing in her getting bigger. The lights in the street go out, and she says she is tired of everyone telling her what is wrong with her. She says maybe there is nothing wrong, and this is who she is. She says she knows they are coming for her and that she will be ready. Josephine’s charred remains lay in the gap between the wall.

## Cast

### Starring

* Lauren Ambrose as Dorothy Turner
* Toby Kebbell as Sean Turner
* Nell Tiger Free as Leanne Grayson

### Guest-Starring

* Barbera Sukowa as Josephine (only appearance)
* Jericho Turner (official debut)

## Trivia

* It is implied that Leanne had gone out to undertake a resurrection ritual for baby Jericho, as she was wearing a coat.

## Quotes

* **Dorothy:** "I'm not coming out of this room."
* **Sean:** "Why not!?"
* **Dorothy:** "They've killed him, Sean. I'm getting horrible feelings. I made a decision."
* **Sean:** "Then you need to open the door, then we can figure something out!!"
* **Dorothy:** "I want my baby."
* **Sean:** "You don't know that! Trust me, you don't wanna do this!!"
* **Dorothy:** "I know you can't possibly understand how a mother feels, Sean. We're the same soul. I need to be with him."
* **Sean:** "But what about me!!? I need you!!! What do I do!!? How do I breathe without you!!!?"