The Watcher is currently the most watched show on Netflix, so it seems sense that its followers would demand for a second season. The show is created by Ian Brennan and Ryan Murphy and is inspired by a true story. A wealthy couple named Nora and Dean Brannock move into a large, old house in a suburban town to feel safe after leaving New York, but they soon encounter a string of terrifying encounters. A string of terrible events that threaten their family and shatter the perception of this town and its residents as a safe haven are set off by a series of letters from an unidentified sender known only as The Watcher.
The plot opens with Nora and Dean Brannock relocating to a brand-new, lavish house in a New York City suburb. A teenage daughter and a ten-year-old son are their two children. The kids appear to feel out of place with this move into a historic property, a crucial aspect that is scarcely touched upon in this family drama, but the spouse is overjoyed. However, they were not quite prepared for this welcome. They live next to some amusing older neighbours, including an intrusive neighbour, her brother who has special needs, and an overly enthusiastic elderly couple. Despite his lack of effort, Dean doesn’t fit in here.
Suddenly, he starts to criticise his daughter’s attire and makeup choices. And just as you start to question why the story’s details don’t fit together, the Watcher shows up. The Brannocks are now getting a string of strange, unsettling letters from an unknown man who introduces himself as “The Watcher.” The local police haplessly assert that they can do little more than monitor the situation, despite the fact that these letters reveal frighteningly private details of their lives in their new home. Dean starts to lose control of his behaviour as the letters mount and the problems at work multiply. He also starts to fall apart.
With American Horror Story, Ryan Murphy and his crew gave the horror genre an addictive and campy taste. He further establishes this vibe with The Watcher, co-written and co-created with Ian Brennan. The concept of a homeowner’s nightmare, the horror of tranquil suburbia, is off-key this time around. The Watcher is not as engrossing as it could have been because of the numerous characters and situations that are introduced with each episode.
This series was co-written by Murphy and Brennan, a group of authors, and Reeves Wiedeman and is based on his 2014 New York Magazine article. However, the majority of their version is fictional, with interruptions, surprise guests, and an atmosphere of overall anxiety permeating the house. The author of the magazine article mentioned how the couple who gave it their all to purchase this opulent ancient home underestimated their financial resources. Similar vanity is there here, but the heroes aren’t given enough room to develop as people. The concept of the series is entirely based on building up thrills and incidents, with a hint of the paranormal there but not fully explored. Polite but repressed wrath can be a manifestation of suburban anxiety.