Warning: This article includes spoilers for The Fall of the House of Usher.
Summary
In "The Fall of the House of Usher," the fate of the black cat is deceiving, as the show uncovers that its murder is nothing but a hallucination.
Verna cunningly tricks Leo into believing that he is responsible for the cat's death, using it as retribution for his deceitful behavior towards his partner.
In Napoleon's The Fall of the House of Usher story arc, the black cat takes on the role of a visual representation of guilt. Its murder becomes a significant part of the plot.
Despite its apparent simplicity, the black cat's fate in relation to Napoleon Usher's story arc in The Fall of the House of Usher holds more complexity than meets the eye. Like the rest of the Usher family, Napoleon Usher experiences a tragic downfall. However, the circumstances surrounding his descent and inevitable demise leave behind numerous unresolved mysteries and lingering uncertainties.
Of all the enigmas and inquiries, the prime concern revolves around the black feline that Napoleon ostensibly eliminates and subsequently substitutes to conceal his unethical deeds. Despite the fact that The Fall of the House of Usher explicitly indicates Napoleon's culpability in the cat's demise, certain details imply that the truth is not as straightforward. To dispel any doubts regarding the cat and its demise in The Fall of the House of Usher, Mike Flanagan has also officially disclosed some fascinating revelations.
Pluto & All Other Animal Deaths In House Of Usher Episode 4 Were Hallucinations
The dreadful ordeal for Leo in The Fall of the House of Usher starts with his awakening after a night of wild revelry, only to find out that he had drunkenly stabbed his partner's feline companion, Pluto. In an attempt to conceal his wrongdoing, he acquires a cat resembling Pluto from a nearby pet store, hoping to deceive his partner and keep the truth hidden. However, the situation takes a sinister turn when the newly adopted cat not only assaults Leo but also leaves a trail of lifeless animal bodies scattered throughout his residence. Nevertheless, it is important to note that these grotesque scenes involving deceased animals in The Fall of the House of Usher are merely manifestations of Leo's hallucinations.
Verna initially implants the belief of Pluto's demise in Leo's mind and subsequently convinces him to acquire a non-existent black cat. This clarifies why only Leo can perceive the presence of the adopted black cat. Moreover, the final scene of The Fall of the House of Usher reinforces the fact that there were never any deceased animals in Napoleon's bathtub. They were all manifestations of Leo's guilt, fabricated by Verna to emotionally torment him and ultimately manipulate him into taking his own life. In the concluding sequence of the episode, The Fall of the House of Usher also affirms that Pluto never truly passed away, as it depicts him walking over Leo's lifeless body. Furthermore, Mike Flanagan reassured his followers on Twitter that the notion of Pluto's death was merely a hallucination.
Why Verna Made Leo Think He Killed The Cat In The Fall Of The House Of Usher
The opening arc of The Fall of the House of Usher brings to light Napoleon's struggles with addiction and his consistent infidelity towards his boyfriend, Julius. By manipulating Napoleon into believing that he is responsible for the death of Julius' beloved cat, Verna exposes the true extent of his deceitfulness and forces him to confront the consequences of his past immoral actions. Instead of granting him a peaceful death, she chooses to subject him to torment by haunting him with visions of deceased animals, ultimately making him confront the depths he was willing to sink in order to deceive Julius.
The storyline of Napoleon's The Fall of the House of Usher is also derived from Edgar Allan Poe's short story, The Black Cat. In both narratives, the narrator, like Napoleon, impulsively kills his cat while under the influence of alcohol. He tries to replace the black cat with a new one, but his remorse gradually consumes him, leading to the tragic end of his own wife's life. Similar to Edgar Allan Poe's The Black Cat, The Fall of the House of Usher by Mike Flanagan employs the black cat as a symbolic representation of Napoleon's guilt. The only contrast between Poe's original tale and Flanagan's adaptation is that, in the TV show, the murder of the black cat is merely a hallucination, whereas in the book, it truly occurs.