Servant Season 1 ending explained: Leanne leaves the Turner's, Aunt May's true identity, and Dorothy faces a devastating truth

Apple TV+'s psychological horror series, Servant Season 1, starring Lauren Ambrose and Nell Tiger Free, dropped on November 28, 2019.

Created by Tony Basgallop, this Emmy-nominated series delves into the life of a Philadelphian couple, Dorothy and Sean Turner, who, after the death of their thirteen-week-old son Jericho, replace him with a doll after the mother suffers a mental breakdown. Interestingly, they take care of the infant doll like their own son and even hire a young Nanny Leanne Grayson to take care of it.

As days pass by, Leanne, the eighteen-year-old nanny, treats the doll as if it's real too, and then in a deeply unsettling turn, an actual baby appears in the crib.

From there, nothing is stable as mysterious events unfold. Sean loses his sense of taste and finds wooden splinters in his mouth, and Leanne behaves more like a disciple than an employee. In the second half of the season, Leanne's guardians-Aunt May and Uncle George, arrive like specters. By the finale of Servant Season 1, it is clear someone or something has changed the rules of reality in that house.

Servant Season 1 ending explained: How did Jericho die?

The finale doesn't drop a neat resolution; instead, it unravels some deep, buried secrets about the Turners, one of them being how Jericho dies.

We learn that Dorothy accidentally left the baby Jericho in a hot car, leading to his death. Her mind blocked it out and went into denial. And Leanne? She brought a new baby to the house, possibly stolen, allowing Dorothy's delusion to grow deeper. By the end of episode 10, Leanne vanishes with the baby.

Episode 10 begins on the day of Jericho's baptism-at least, the one Dorothy is pretending is real. Meanwhile, Sean prepares an elaborate lunch and serves placenta. Quite weird, isn't it?

Leanne is left shocked when her Aunt May arrives at the party. A crucial moment comes when Leanne is scolded for not obeying May's order. Aunt May manipulates Leanne as she says,

"You are our servant, not hers (Dorothy)."

We also learn that Leanne may have caused harm with the splinters- a cryptic bit of lore that goes unexplained but adds to the eeriness of the series.

Meanwhile, the police arrive mid-celebration to investigate Jericho, but a missing girl called Olivia.

Servant Season 1 ending explained: Leanne leaves the Turners and the doll returns

Leanne packs her suitcase and leaves the house, surrounded by a silent, hooded crowd that parts to welcome her. It's not clear whether she's joining them willingly or being reclaimed, but the effect is deeply unsettling.

Inside, Dorothy returns to Jericho's crib to find the doll again instead of the baby. This time, something's changed, and she knows it's not real.

At the end of the season, a question still lingers- Is Leanne supernatural? Maybe or maybe not. The show dances between psychological horror and the supernatural without committing to any. She could be a religious fanatic, a witch, or a human with strong belief systems. What's truly haunting is how Dorothy clings to Leanne's presence, not because of who she is but because she makes her denial easier.

Even the baby's reappearance seems ambiguous. Was it even real? Was it a miracle?

Servant Season 1 ending explained: Faith, cult, and everything in between

The finale adds more shade to Leanne's past. As per Uncle George, Leanne was taken from the fire and raised in devotion-trained to serve those she loves and destroy those she doesn't. Thus, she may have supernatural gifts

At the end of Servant Season 1, determined to find out more about Aunt May, Dorothy comes across old footage where she realizes that Aunt May is a leader of a cult called the Church of Lesser Saints and that she was on the run from the police. Interestingly, it was Dorothy who was the ground reporter covering the news. The revelation adds a whole new layer to Leanne's true identity, stating that Leanne might have been placed in their household.

So what was real? That depends on the viewer's interpretation. The baby? Maybe real, maybe not. The cult? Maybe metaphorical, possibly mystical. Sean's nerve damage? It could be spiritual punishment or simply an ailment.

The beauty of Servant's finale is that it refuses to hand you answers. Instead, it offers a series of shifting truths. Dorothy's denial was the real horror, and Leanne's exit forces her and us to face the ultimate truth.

All ten episodes of Servant Season 1 are available to stream on Apple TV+.

Also read: Apple TV+'s Servant will haunt your mind, not your dreams

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