It's been a long year since Servant Season 1 concluded, and Servant Season 2 Episode 1 picks up in the immediate aftermath of the mysterious cult's disappearance.

Many shows opt to pick up days or weeks after their season finales in an attempt to hurl some fresh and exciting plots our way, but "Doll" was all about picking up with the Turner family as they tried to make sense of what happened.

It's not every day your dead baby comes back to life, is it?

Dorothy's reaction to the events seemed like that of someone who is disassociated from reality, and I can only imagine what the cops were thinking after hearing her ramblings.

The truth is, had Sean and Julian opened up to the police, they would have all probably been put in a psych facility or sent to jail for the various crimes they've committed since Leanne arrived at the Brownstone on Servant Season 1 Episode 1.

Dorothy melting down to assess where the Church of the Lesser Saints could be gave Lauren Ambrose some of her finest work to date, but I'm starting to think that Dorothy and Sean will not be together when all of this is said and done.

Their relationship was not without flaws on Servant Season 1, but Sean's actions are starting to prove questionable, and the way he didn't come clean about the camera was a major red flag.

Understandably, he would have been worried about what Dorothy thought, but the truth could have allowed them to bond after so many arguments.

Sean knows fine well that the Church of the Lesser Saints worked some magic, which also allowed him to burn his hand on the stove without feeling anything.

But now he's also aware that Leeanne was the one working her magic to put the splinters in his throat. How does one come back from that?

Is he frightened, or is he merely ready to put this bizarre chapter behind him?

If the final scene is any indication, he's going to care for the doll now more than ever, which is a complete one-eighty from the way he picked the doll up by the legs, hitting its head on the bar of the cot on the series premiere.

Dorothy's comments about him being a shitty father, understandably affected him, but it was still a horrible thing for her to say, especially when we consider her past.

It's more likely that Dorothy wanted Sean to feel the same way she felt because he seemed less concerned about finding Jericho and more concerned about hiding any proof that the child was back in the land of the living.

Julian leaving the letter and the baby slipper at the door to warn the family to stay quiet raises more questions than answers. In hindsight, it wasn't entirely surprising, but how does he expect to keep the ruse going for much longer?

I get that his family would have been adamant about this not becoming public knowledge, but it's going to be difficult to cover up the fact they had a party for the kid just a few days before these events.

I appreciated how we got to see more of May on the tapes because she's poised to become the big villain of the series, but it was a surprise we didn't pick up with Leanne.

Despite worrying about the effect some of her actions would have on the Turners, she did seem to be growing tired of them by the end of her time in the house.

Hopefully, Servant Season 2 Episode 2 is the Leeanne-centric installment we need to shed light on some of the more burning questions.

"Doll" was a decent opener, but it did drag in parts. I respect the need to show these smaller character moments to put the puzzle pieces together, but there was far too much exposition.

Looking back now, both Sean and Dorothy should have known Julian would pull a fast one on them.

The reassuring eyes schtick and his meeting with Officer Reyes in the nursery all made the events a bit too convenient to care for.

Then again, Officer Reyes appears to be a recurring player, so she will probably do some digging of her own. Let's face it, she's not going to forget the way Dorothy was acting.

Reyes seemed to be of the mindset that Dorothy was suffering, but she didn't quite know her ailment. There was a curiosity on the officer's face, which I fully expect to explore as the series continues.

There was also a lack of scares, which is surprising when you consider that the opening season was littered with jump-scares that kept viewers on the edge of their seats.

All eyes are on the series to see if it can recapture the magic it had at the beginning.

What did you think of the way the series picked up? Did it frustrate you, or were you on board with the intensity of it all?

Hit the comments.

Catch new episodes of Servant on Fridays, only on Apple TV+.

Paul Dailly was an Associate Editor for TV Fanatic.Follow him on X.