Servant Stars Weigh in on What Their Characters Are Really Hiding in Season 3

Nothing at all is quite what it seems to be in Apple TV+’s Servant, not only from an audience’s perspective, but also for the characters themselves. The relationship between Lauren Ambrose’s Dorothy and Nell Tiger Free’s Leanne has gone through quite an evolution, at times being loving and at times being antagonistic, leaving viewers to wonder which reactions are genuine and which are opportunities to manipulate the situation. With a new season of the series debuting next month, ComicBook.com caught up with the stars to talk about what might really be going on underneath the surface. Season 3 of Servant premieres on January 21, 2022.

“[Producer M. Night Shyamalan] literally hasn’t told me. Also, I feel like a lot of the time as people, we don’t really know what our end goal is,” Free shared with ComicBook.com about her character’s actual goals. “I feel like, no, I don’t know what any of my end goals are in any sense. And I think that that’s a very human experience and I don’t think that Leanne necessarily has an end goal. I think that she has one desire and that’s to be accepted and loved and be a part of this family.”

She continued, “And, whether that’s actually a facade and whether she’s up to something slightly more nefarious or has a slightly eviler plan, that is up to the brilliant mind of Mr. M. Night Shyamalan. But, as for the way I’ve been playing her for these three years, there’s this fragility to her. I think that love is such a big factor in Leanne’s goals and Leanne’s actions and the consequences of her love, and what does it cost to be loved by somebody like Leanne? What does it cost to love someone like her? I think those are the big questions. But, for me, as far as our final episode on Season 4, I have no idea what it’s going to be or what she’s going to do.”

Three months after we leave the Turner household in Season 2, things appear to be back to normal. Dorothy and Sean dote on Jericho, Julian has a new girlfriend, and Leanne has moved back into the brownstone. With the threat of the cult looming and suspicious visitors staked out in a nearby park, Leanne does everything she can to feel secure — ultimately causing more chaos for the Turner family. As Sean starts trusting in Leanne’s power, Dorothy feels increasingly threatened and worries for Jericho’s safety. While the Turners struggle to keep their family whole, they must come to terms with the costs of Jericho’s return. Be careful what you wish for.

Dorothy, meanwhile, has gone to much greater lengths to bury how she really feels about her life, especially given how she’s blocked out her own memories of forgetting her son in a car on a hot day, leading towards his death. 

“The coping mechanism is pushing something away. That being such a perfectionist and such a person devoted to the appearance of things … this type-A personality, she can’t even bear to look and peer at this, this intense, horrible trauma and reality that has befallen this family,” Ambrose explained of her character’s reaction to the trauma. “And then, of course, she’s being lied to. The lies are perpetuated and the boys continue to sort of gaslight her and lie. So that’s become a reality. 

She added, “But, for me as an actress, obviously it’s an interesting thing to see where the truth seeps out and where the cracks in the masks are. From Episode 1, that was what I read it and thought, ‘Wow, okay, how do you do this?’ And it’s like her body … knows the reality and that’s always present. I think that almost has to be present in every scene I shoot, that she knows somewhere, somehow, the reality of what has happened in her family.”

Season 3 of Servant premieres on Apple TV+ on January 21, 2022.

Are you looking forward to the new season? Let us know in the comments below or contact Patrick Cavanaugh directly on Twitter to talk all things Star Wars and horror!