Apple TV+’s engrossing mystery, Servant, is one of the streaming service’s most lauded programs and the fate of Baby Jericho is the show’s largest question.
Servant is such a strange and addicting series because it constantly keeps the audience guessing if anything supernatural is happening or if much of Servant’s mystique is just in the Turner family’s skewed perspectives. There have been multiple topics of discussion and areas within the series where it seems like something occult-related is afoot, but right from the start, the biggest mystery has been if Baby Jericho is actually alive or not. Many of the curious events that occur in M. Night Shyamalan’s Servant could have some kind of natural explanation for them, but a doll that turns into a real baby certainly extends beyond the realm of plausibility.
From Servant’s very first episode, the Turners have indicated that an accident happened to the real Jericho, but the series has otherwise been coy about any other details regarding the baby, including if he was actually even born. Leanne’s introduction into the Turner household brings a slew of strange occurrences, including their grief support doll appearing to gain life. As Servant’s season has progressed, characters like Julian have confirmed that Dorothy did something to Jericho, and that he and Sean helped cover it up, but that’s been it. With Servant’s latest episode, “Jericho,” the series finally provides concrete answers just before the first season comes to a close.
Servant Revealed That Jericho Died As A Result Of Dorothy’s Exhaustion
“Jericho” flashes back to the exact moment of Jericho’s birth and the time that follows afterwards. Unexpected work on a Chopped knockoff series takes Sean away from home for a week and an already overwhelmed Dorothy finds herself even more distressed once she’s alone. Dorothy struggles to stay collected with her newborn child, and she becomes increasingly less patient and negligent. Everyday tasks begin to stack up and, suddenly, a simple trip out for groceries results in Dorothy forgetting Jericho in the hot car while Philadelphia is in the middle of a heat wave. Servant has teased many outcomes for Jericho, both of the supernatural and normal nature, but somehow this is the most heartbreaking of the lot. It’s just a worn out new mom who stumbles under the pressure and pays the ultimate price.
A malfunctioning baby monitor eventually brings Jericho’s reality to her attention and simultaneously sends Dorothy into her dissociative fugue state. It’s by far Lauren Ambrose’s best work in the series. Julian eventually stumbles upon the deceased infant, now several days old, and thus begins his and Sean’s cover-up of what happened. It’s worth noting that Sean fully holds himself responsible for Jericho’s death, and he blames Dorothy’s negligence on the fact that he wasn’t there with her when she needed him the most. He’s been bearing a heavy burden from all of this. Even though Servant maintains a creepy aesthetic, sometimes the most terrifying things are incidents that are grounded in human tragedy. With one episode left in Servant’s first season, there’s still time to see if Leanne’s animosity towards Dorothy will reach a boiling point or if Sean will be able to defuse her.