Summary
Willa Fitzgerald is best known for playing Roscoe Conklin in Amazon’sReacherseries, but the actress has actually provided some of her best work in another, completely unrelated, horror miniseries. Among thetop trending shows of 2023, Mike Flanagan’sThe Fall of the House of Usheris a retelling of Edgar Allen Poe’s story of the same name, bringing the gothic storytelling into a modern-day setting and blending it together with some of Poe’s other short stories. The result isa dark blend of Gothicism and supernatural horrorthat few projects manage to successfully pull off.
InReacher, Fitzgerald plays the honest police officer Roscoe Conklin, who teams up with the titular hero on several occasions to help tackle the corruption that’s running rampant in the city. Although her character left the show at the end of season 1, theories are postulating thatRoscoe could return inReacherseason 3. Her performance remains one of the most memorable parts of the show. This is a testament to the strength of her screen presence, which is even more captivating in Flanagan’sFall of the House of Usher, whereshe frequently steals the show.
Who Dies In The Fall Of The House Of Usher? Order & Meanings Explained
Given how at least one character dies in every The Fall of the House of Usher episode, it is hard not to wonder the deeper meaning behind these deaths
Willa Fitzgerald Plays Young Madeline Usher In The Fall Of The House Of Usher
Her Character Was An Integral Part Of The Story
InThe Fall of the House of Usher, Willa Fitzgerald plays the younger version of Madeline Usher, the ambitious COO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals. She is the sister of the show’s protagonist Roderick Usher, played by Bruce Greenwood, and their on-screen dynamic plays a central role inthe story’s big mystery.While the majority of Madeline and Roderick’s narrative takes place in the modern day, there are several important flashback scenes that detail a secret they’ve been harboring since they were younger - Fitzgerald plays Madeline in these scenes.
The Fall Of The House Of Usherwas Mike Flanagan’s fifth limited series for Netflix.
Madeline Usher is one of the most important characters inThe Fall of the House of Usher -not only is she acentral member of the company, but her personal storyline is crucial in understanding why all these terrible ‘accidents’ are happening to this family. Madeline is an integral part ofThe Fall of the House of Usher’s ending, proving to be much more important in those final scenes than the show initially makes known. Fitzgerald does an excellent job of expanding and developing this character in complex ways that consistently keep the audience guessing.
Fitzgerald Stands Out Among A Stacked Cast In The Netflix Horror Series
The Rest Of The Actors Are Incredible Too
The strength of Willa Fitzgerald’s performance inFall of the House of Usheris even more impressive when considering the rest of the stacked talent on-screen: Bruce Greenwood, Carla Gugino, Kate Siegel, Henry Thomas, and Rahul Kohli all play major roles in this ensemble project. To stand out among such a talented crowd is no small feat, and it’s made even more difficult when your role only exists in flashbacks. ButFitzgerald truly makes the most out of every scene, and alongside Mary McDonnell, she fleshes out Madeline as a fascinating character.
Like most ofMike Flanagan’s original shows,The Fall of the House of Usheris very much an ensemble story - each character has their own subplot, and they’re all given a fairly equal amount of screen time. Generally, each member of the family has one episode dedicated to them, with the story placing them at the center while the other characters fall into the background.Madeline isn’t really given this treatment, and despite being one of the most important characters, she’s never truly the focus of the show - but that doesn’t stop McDonnell and Fitzgerald from stealing the show.
Her Antagonist Role Is A Great Contrast To Her Portrayal Of Roscoe In Reacher
Madeline Is A Much More Morally Corrupt Character
What’s so interesting about Madeline Usher in comparison to Roscoe Conklin is just how different the two characters are. Conklin is very honest and loyal to her friends, holding the law in high regard and always going out of her way to help others. She’s selfless and her moral compass is very strong. Madeline Usher, however, is the complete opposite. She’s full of secrets, her morals are very skewed, and her relationships with the people around her are constantly breaking.
Her characters explore both ends of the spectrum of morality, allowing the actress to completely switch up her style and physicality in both roles.
Being able to play such different figures is one of the biggest challenges in any actor’s career, but her performances in these shows prove that Fitzgerald can do exactly that. Her characters explore both ends of the spectrum of morality, allowing the actress to completely switch up her style and physicality in both roles. It’s unlikely that Fitzgerald would return to apotentialFall of the House of Usherseason 2, but if she did, it would be the perfect opportunity to complicate her character even more and stray further away from the typically ‘good’ character of Roscoe Conklin.
The Fall of the House of Usher
Cast
Loosely based on the story by Edgar Allan Poe, The Fall of the House of Usher is a horror drama mini-series created by Mike Flanagan (Midnight Mass, The Haunting of Hill House) for Netflix. This modern retelling follows a corrupt pharmaceutical CEO, Roderick Usher, as he is forced to reckon with his past as a curse begins to claim the lives of each of his children.
