As Servant continues to relish in making its audience cringe and feel uncomfortable, “Cricket” takes this a step further.  In a series known for its smaller moments, this episode really ups the tension and flips the leverage into another direction.  So let’s all squirm together as we take a closer look at “Cricket”.

Spoilers Ahead – You’ve Been Warned!!!

Trust No One
As Sean and Julian continue to press into Leanne’s background, they (or at least just Julian) comes up with a rather sneaky way to influence her.  As she’s caring for Jericho, another nanny Wanda, and the little girl she cares for, Olivia.  As Leanne and Wanda start hanging out, Leanne’s complete lack of social skills make for cringe-inducing interactions.

But as she attempts to visit Wanda at the house she claims to work in, the homeowner has no idea what Leanne is talking about.  As she gets more suspicious, Leanne crosses a line we didn’t think her capable of, and it’s frankly disturbing.  She allows Olivia (who has many food allergies) to eat something, knowing she’ll get a reaction.

And as Leanne hides the epi pen, and watches Wanda desperately try to find it, she uses that opportunity to get the truth out; that Wanda was paid by Julian to befriend Leanne, find out whatever she could, and convince her to leave for another job.  Finally, as the episode ends, we see Leanne engaging in self-flagellation, which is almost as disturbing as her allowing a child to come to near death.

Unraveling the Unhinged
Part of what makes “Cricket” such a compelling episode is in how it moves Leanne from beign the subject of her own mystery, to her trying to figure out another one.  We’ve always gotten the sense that Sean couldn’t trust Leanne, but for the first time, she’s being put in that situation where she’s not sure who to trust.

And given her lack of life experience and maturity, she doesn’t handle it quite as well.  While seeing her move to such a brutal act is quite unsettling, it’s also a bit disturbing that Julian would attempt to play such mind games with her (along with pranking her by putting crickets everywhere, hence the episode’s title).

But that’s what’s so revealing about this episode thus far.  Not a single one of these four primary characters is innocent, and in the end all of their lies and delusions may very well be their undoing.  Either way, it’s going to make for a very interesting rest of the season!

What did you think of this week’s episode?  Let us know in the comments below!  And for more reviews, rankings, and other fun horror content, follow Halloween Year-Round in Facebook and Twitter!