M. Night Shyamalan on Telling a "Biblical-Scale" Story With Servant Season 3

Right from the start of Apple TV+'s Servant, audiences were introduced to a bizarre and perplexing world, with each subsequent episode and season only hinting at an even bigger and more complex world of mystery and intrigue. Within that sprawling world, however, the series largely focuses on intimate interactions within the four walls of the Turner family's home, leaving audiences to wonder what exactly could be going on in the world outside of this unsettling story. Executive producer M. Night Shyamalan recently detailed what excites him so much about unraveling such an outlandish narrative through such a constrained lens. Season 3 of Servant premieres on Apple TV+ on January 21, 2022.

"I love the balance of telling large-scale stories, Biblical-scale stories, but from a very restrained and restricted portal," Shyamalan detailed to ComicBook.com. "I never will let go of that portal, but I don't know, at the end of The Exorcist, if I needed more of the mythology. It's only what I could see through this family and this child and the mother. I could feel the larger mythology at work. And, hopefully, when we're done telling the story, you'll have that balance as well, that you can sense the larger story in a very satisfying way."

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.

Given that Season 3 was largely developed during the coronavirus pandemic and subsequent quarantine protocols, Shyamalan also weighed in on how being isolated and restricted to specific locations impacted the development of the new season.

"If anything, I'm always going towards those things that are uncomfortable, or I am astonished at how many things we can do in this house, and it feels fresh. I am astonished about that," the filmmaker pointed out. "In many ways, I joked when we first started and maybe there is some truth to this, that we're the first 'sit thriller,' that you keep coming back to the same -- instead of the goofy antics of roommates, it's this scary thing that keeps happening in this house." 

He added, "I was mixing and finishing the last episode, which Ishana [Night Shyamalan] directed of Season 3, and there's a dinner table scene and she shot it in a specific way, and it feels so different than any dinner table scene we've had. We've had 50 of them in this show, and I was marveling. I was like, 'How does each director in each episode have a different dinner table scene?' One's funny, one's scary, one's this and that. It's an amazing thing. I love the claustrophobia. I run towards that in any materials or any ideas I have. Whenever someone says, 'Oh, don't you feel restricted?' I'm like, 'No, not at all. That gets me excited.'"

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!  

0comments