Night Shyamalan’s Servant is one of the most talked about programs to hit Apple TV+’s streaming service and it pushes an engrossing mystery that continues to evolve in unexpected ways.
Apple TV+’s Servant is full of twists and turns that feel like classic Shyamalan storytelling. The series depicts an emotional domestic drama as a husband and wife grieve over the loss of their child. However, their lives begin to radically change after an enigmatic nanny, Leanne (Nell Tiger Free), enters their home. Both the nature of the Turner family’s baby, Jericho, and Leanne, are the biggest question marks that dominate Servant. Both mysteries grow in complex ways where it’s never totally clear what is real.
Leanne sticks out to the Turners for many reasons and there are multiple theories out there on her character that cover a great range, like she’s a witch or that she’s dead. A constant with Leanne is that she’s a religious character. She’s someone who brings religion into the Turner family’s household and she’s frequently seen in prayer. The latest episode of Servant, “Haggis,” concludes with Leanne watching a sermon from an evangelical television program which recites the Bible verse, Numbers 16:30. This passage isn’t just poetic in nature, but it seems to greatly represent the very situation that the Turners are in.
The Bible Verse Numbers 16:30 Reflects The Sins Of The Turner Family
Numbers 16:30 looks at a group of people who oppose Moses and his way of order. Accordingly, a group of men, led by a man named Korah, confront and oppose both Moses and God. God is so resentful over this act of defiance that he decides to punish them by having the earth open up and swallow them whole, along with all of their possessions. Additionally, Korah’s followers are also set ablaze by a fire from God. The point of all of this is to provide a cautionary tale so others do not oppose God’s ways. While just a Biblical allegory, the Turners definitely suffer a similar sort of fate as their piety is tested. In the same episode, Natalie, Dorothy’s kinesiologist, remarks how unusual it is that they’ve taken up prayer and “let God in their house.” In the past, they’ve been secular and denied any guidance from God or religion.
This all culminates with the floor in the Turners’ basement cracking open, just like in Numbers 16:30. It’s also surely no coincidence that this happens at 16:30 into the episode’s timecode. The basement seems to hold particular significance to baby Jericho and a lot of his clothes has been found down there. Just like in Numbers, perhaps this is all a test for the Turners to see if they can clean up their act. Only when Dorothy accepts responsibility for what she’s done to Jericho and faces reality will they be free of these Biblical consequences. Considering that Leanne’s old home went up in flames, it’s entirely possible that this same sequence of events is what happened back to Leanne in Wisconsin. If the Turners don’t change their ways soon then their house may also go up in flames as the rest of Numbers 16:30 plays out. The final episodes of Shyamalan’s Servant should be very interesting in regards to if this “prophecy” continues to happen or if the Turners can break free.
