Netflix’s newest show The Fall of the House of Usher just dropped, so grab your cozy Halloween jammies and your popcorn, because this thriller is perfect for spooky season.
This new, psychologically-disturbing story is based on the Edgar Allan Poe short story of the same name. It follows the Usher family, including twins Roderick (played by Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher (played by Mary McDonnell), as well as Roderick’s many children. As the family dies off one by one, there’s one woman player seems to always be near… Verna!
Of course, this raises a lot of questions about her character and how she plays a role in all the drama.
So, who is Verna and how does she factor into this story? Keep reading for all you need to know about this spooky lady. And warning! Spoilers are ahead, so stop reading if you don’t want to know what happens at the end.
Who is Verna?
Verna is a bartender who keeps making super mysterious appearances in the series. Case in point: She appears during the family members’s deaths in wild ways.
Who plays Verna?
Actress Carla Gugino plays Verna. You might recognize her from Spy Kids and Night at the Museum, or from her appearances Troop Beverly Hills and This Boy’s Life.
She shows up in lots of family death scenes.
As mentioned, Verna always seems to always be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Or maybe it’s the right place… But she always seems to appear as soon as one of the Ushers dies, which is, to put it mildly, suspicious!
Viewers first see Verna seductively entering a bedroom with Prospero Usher, the youngest son, during his rave, per TODAY. When he asks who she is she says, “Consequence, and tonight is consequential.”
A word to the wise: if your Hinge date introduces himself in such a way, you should definitely not stick around.
After some flirtation, Verna leaves the room and suddenly a sprinkler system goes off, raining acid on guests of this rave, burning their skin off and killing more than 70 guests. Prospero lies dead. And the scene ends with Verna placing her mask over Prospero’s face before leaving.
Similarly eerie behavior involving this mystery woman occurs with each sibling, and they subsequently die.
She sells Napoleon Usher a black cat that he ends up chasing off a balcony, falling to his death. She also kills Camille L’Espanaye by transforming from a security guard to a murderous chimpanzee. And that’s just the beginning.
How is she connected to the Ushers?
Verna actually goes way back with the Usher family. “She is the catalyst for the Usher family’s immense fortune, then subsequent downfall,” Today explains.
Verna originally met Roderick and Madeline when she was working as a bartender on New Year’s Eve in 1980. This was an essential night in Usher family history, as it marks when Madeline and her brother kill his boss, per Today. After the murder, they go to the bar and Verna serves them. She already seems to know a lot of information about their crime without them telling her, and overall gives major spooky vibes.
Verna asks the siblings if they prefer wealth or fame, and when the siblings picks “wealth,” she strikes a deal with them, telling them she’ll make them rich if they agree that their kids will only live as long as Roderick and Madeline do.
As the final episode will reveal: Verna is the devil, designed to lead humans to their untimely demises, per TODAY.
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What does her name mean?
Poe fans will notice Verna, is an anagram for Raven, the bird symbolizing death in many of his works. This will also come into play at the end because…
What happens at the end?
At the end of the show, Roderick and Madeline are lying dead in their childhood home. True to the deal they made with Verna, their children are also all deceased. Verna then appears on top of the house wearing a black lace dress. She transforms into a raven and flies away, per TODAY.
The show is streaming now, so your Halloween plans are already done.
Jacqueline Tempera is an award-winning writer and reporter living in New Jersey with her many pets. She is a business owner and a double Scorpio who loves all things astrology and reality television. She is passionate about body diversity and representation, mental health, and the fight to end sexual assault and harassment. To learn more about Jackie, follow her on Instagram @jacktemp or visit her website at jackietempera.com.
