TV Show review
Review basis: 1 season · through October 9, 2020
October 9, 2020 · TV-MA · Ended
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
The Haunting of Bly Manor is a 2020 Netflix gothic drama series that loosely adapts Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. It follows an American au pair named Dani who cares for two orphaned children at a remote English manor in 1987, where she uncovers layers of grief, love, loss, and ghostly possession shared with the household staff. The narrative centers on interconnected personal stories of trauma and relationships, including a prominent lesbian romance between Dani and the gardener Jamie that forms the emotional heart of the tale. Audience-visible modern elements include diverse casting in period staff roles and this central queer relationship, which updates the classic source material.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for The Haunting of Bly Manor.
Woke representation / casting
Noticeable diverse casting places actors of color in prominent staff roles at a 1980s English manor without direct story-world justification, paired with a visible central lesbian romance that signals modern inclusivity to many viewers.
Woke political dialogue
Almost none present; conversations stay personal and emotional with no activist language, current-events references, or institutional lectures.
Identity-driven story themes
The lesbian romance between Dani and Jamie serves as a core emotional driver with explicit focus on Dani's sexuality and same-sex past; this queer element receives prominent screen time and thematic weight in a story otherwise centered on grief and possession.
Western institutional / cultural critique
Explores burdens on women and dangers of possessive relationships through personal gothic stories like Viola's, but frames them as timeless individual tragedies rather than critiques of patriarchy, capitalism, or Western institutions.
Woke character or canon changes
Significantly updates Henry James' source novella by adding a central lesbian romance absent from the original, expanding ghost backstories, and using diverse casting that shifts the traditional English estate setting for contemporary audiences.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
Limited forum and social media comments flag diverse period casting as forced and the lesbian romance as trope-heavy or anachronistic; complaints remain niche without broad media amplification or significant audience rejection.
Creator track record context
Low-activism profiles from Mike Flanagan and most writers contrast with Laurie Penny's strong feminist activist history and scattered representation emphasis from others, producing a mild overall progressive tilt without dominant ideological focus.
Production
