Review: ‘The Curse’ Episode 4
In terms of plot, little happens in Under The Big Tree. The episode opens with a head-scratching mystery that also acts a great litmus test for the show’s appeal. While I imagine about halfway through the episode’s opening scene some viewers would be bored to tears, from beginning to end this bewildering scenario intrigued me.
When I watch this series, part of me feels like I’m observing a Lynchian horror film, where nothing quite makes sense and everything is faintly dreamlike. With how Under The Big Tree begins, I’m starting to see some similarities between The Curse and Lynch’s 2001 film Mulholland Drive. In that film, Rita’s amnesia and confusion reminds me of the state Dougie is in, while both works are all about trying to be something that you’re not, as well as being nightmarish stories set against a sunny, humid backdrop.
Speaking of this haunting tone, the episode’s ending is also very memorable, with Asher attending a comedy class at Whitney’s request. The group are tasked with performing through pantomime, and Asher is the only person who fails to make the class laugh. Before it’s reached his turn, we see the cogs in head moving as he tries to come up with a joke. He smiles occasionally, but that’s just out of obligation; he’s unable to think of anyone but himself.
I’ve never in my life seen someone perform a joke, and then look and feel truly alone right after doing it, but Asher somehow manages to botch a task that was designed as an relaxing warm-up exercise. It’s the kind of performance that allows Nathan Fielder to shine as such an incredible dramatic actor. It isn’t the first time the acting in The Curse has stuck out to me; there have been so many points throughout this series that the three characters’ emotions are written plainly on their faces, with no but us bothering to examine them more thoroughly.
Of course, this should be a happy episode, since Asher and Whitney have just gotten their documentary series, Fliplanthropy, picked up by HGTV. Predictably, their good mood doesn’t last for long. Whitney is disturbed to learn that Vic, the first buyer of one of their eco-conscious homes, has been sending letters around the neighbourhood alerting them of packages being stolen from him.
She might be a complex and multi-faceted character, but it really is difficult to stomach Whitney at times. The patronising over-enthusiasm she displays when talking to the residents is even less convincing than Asher’s attempts at humour, especially when you know that she sees herself as some kind of saviour / mediator figure.
In this case, all three perspectives about Vic’s letters around the neighbourhood are understandable. One resident doesn’t feel like this new neighbour is fitting in with the community, Whitney doesn’t want to feel like she’s bringing in people who will alienate the locals, and Vic just wants his damn packages back.
I feel as though Vic unsettles Whitney because she can’t view him as a project anymore. He’s not part of the show, and the house is his so he can do what he wants with it. What’s more, he doesn’t need her help. He isn’t struggling. But he has a valid problem where he’s lost a large amount of money (anyone who knows the price of Alienware computers likely raised their eyebrows when he mentioned it as one of the missing packages), and Whitney is simply incapable of empathising with him.
Meanwhile, Asher and Dougie are both struggling with what they think are curses hovering over them, adding to the series’ constant sense of unease, which is stepping closer and closer into the category of horror.
Part of me wants the tensions to keep escalating, so I can watch Asher and Whitney’s (particularly Whitney’s) downfall. Another part of me doesn’t know if I’ll be able to bear it. Either way, just like in the show’s most cringe-inducing moments, I can’t bring myself to look away.
