Netflix: The Haunting of Hill House Season 1 Ep 4 (The Twin Thing) recap

Image courtesy of Amblin TV and Paramount TV

Present day Luke has been beaten, his shoes and coat stolen, and he is walking around barefooted, shivering. He counts to seven over and over again as he walks, and we can see the tall man standing with his back to us. Luke calls the rehab, and begs Paige to let him come back. He tells her he didn’t use drugs, he is cold, and he needs a bed. Paige tells him that she and Steven will come get him. While waiting, he sits on the bench and counts to 7, over and over again.

At Hill House, it’s night time, and Nell sits on her bed crying. Luke sits up and puts on his glasses, and Nell says, “You’re awake.” “Well, yeah, because you’re awake.” She tells him she saw the bent neck lady again, that Mommy and Daddy don’t believe her, they say it’s just a nightmare. Luke tells her that he believes her, and he has an idea.

Luke gets out Nell’s box of buttons, and starts to take out some of them out and lay them on the bed in a circle, telling her she needs seven of them. When she asks why, he says “Mom, Dad, Steven, Shirl, Theo, you, me…it has to be seven. It helps if you touch each one and count out loud. It keeps you safe.” He tells her that sometimes “you have to do it a lot.”

Adult Luke is walking and counting, and the tall man can be seen behind him, standing with his back to Luke’s back. When Luke turns, the tall man has Olivia’s face, wearing that creepy bowler hat. Headlights shine in his face, Steven and Paige have pulled up. Luke hugs Steven and says, “I’m so sorry, I couldn’t help her.” He is weeping, and tells Steven he is so cold, and his arms and legs are stiff, just like withdrawal (or death, right?), but he didn’t use. “You believe me, right?” Steven tells him that Nell is dead, and that it was suicide. Luke’s face is stricken, and he rubs his neck. “No,” he says, “it wasn’t.”

Wow, what a great, emotional, well-rounded episode! Luke just broke my heart in this one. Oliver Jackson-Cohen came across as so vulnerable, sweet, and broken. And, we all know how I feel about little Luke (Julian Hilliard), I just want to scoop him up and protect him from all of the ghosts. But, seriously, this one made me ugly cry, nicely done. Plus, the scene with Luke hiding under the bed from that tall, creepy man was sooooo scary.

How do you feel about Hill House so far? Do you think it’s a great balance of horror and family drama, as I do? Let us know in the comment section below.