Flowers in the Attic: The Origin - Episode Two Review

Jemima Rooper and Max Irons reprise their roles as the formidable and twisted Foxworths. As Olivia's family grows in unexpected ways, she's committed to giving them a childhood full of joy and safety. However, her efforts prove futile as she fights the evils of Foxworth Hall and her husband's twisted obsession over a family secret.

Part Two of the V.C. Andrews prequel is written by Amy Rardin, and Declan O'Dwyer reprises his role as director. The episode begins with Olivia setting her plan in place. After the revelation that Malcolm raped his younger stepmother Alicia, Olivia plans to pass the resulting pregnancy off as her own - complete with stuffing her blouse with pillows to create a fake baby bump. Those who have seen Part One know that Olivia is told she cannot have more children due to a difficult pregnancy with Joel. However, not many of the staff question this miracle pregnancy. Except for Mrs Steiner, but that will come back to haunt her.

Where’s Alicia as the Foxworth’s plan to take a page right out of Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale? In the east wing in the bedroom connected to the attic. Foreshadowing! As Alicia agrees to stay in isolation under the agreement that once the baby is born, she can take her son Christopher and leave with her inheritance - she’s far from safe in the sinister house. Here we see the power shift and struggle between Olivia and Malcolm.

As Olivia asserts her position of authority, forbidding Malcolm from the now locked east wing and promoting Nella to Housekeeper after Mrs Steiner is dismissed- I wonder if we’ll get answers to her infatuation with Garland? Olivia quickly assures Alicia she has the only key to the attic bedroom and Malcolm won’t get in - being Malcolm, he finds other ways to abuse Alicia. When Nella reveals that there’s an entrance to the attic and adjoining bedroom through the library, Olivia soon discovers Alicia was attacked again.

With the library entrance sealed off, Olivia remembers Malcolm’s obsession with “beauty”. She insists that Alicia cut her hair - it was a better haircut than Kiernan Shipka‘a in Flowers in the Attic, but it’s enough to scare Malcolm away. Naturally, he’s not too thrilled to find Alicia’s brunette locks lying on his desk. When he threatens to have her committed, she reminds him she’s the only person Alicia would trust with her newborn. She has the power here - he doesn’t take that well, resulting in Malcolm stabbing Olivia in her padded baby bump.

Max and Jemima did superbly in these scenes, and Radin’s screenplay goes into some dark and surprising places in their twisted marriage. However, some of the standout performances were T’Shan Williams and Alana Boden - who have amazing stage presence as they play two women who have both been abused by the same man.

Remember that trust I told you Olivia had built with Alicia and Nella? That is soon shattered. While Olivia bonds with little Christopher and even permits him to call her “Momma”, Alicia has finally reached her breaking point. Unlike her book counterpart, Alicia stands up to Olivia and calls out the fact a part of Olivia “enjoys” this newfound control she has over everyone in the house.

In a scene that was one of Boden’s best, Olivia is horrified by this new side of Alicia. Gone is the innocent girl, and now Olivia is being confronted by a mother who is standing up for herself. Her frantic warnings that Alicia could not raise two children alone without her inheritance are rebuffed by a line which will be said by her future granddaughter, “All the money in the world is not worth this!” - Alicia is determined to leave, even fighting Olivia to get out. Olivia hobbles after Alicia on a sprained ankle, but Alicia gets further than even I was expecting in this chase scene - she’s almost out the door!

Her attempts to flee are stopped by Malcolm, who causes the heavily pregnant Alicia to fall down the staircase. There’s a moment where it looks like Alicia may miscarry, but the family doctor gives the all-clear and even sedates the hysterical Alicia. Olivia spins a lie, making out Alicia is mentally unwell, and the pregnancy is the result of a grief-stricken affair with a staff member. She’s showing herself to be just as manipulative as Malcolm.

With Alicia no longer trusting her - for apparent reasons - Olivia enlists a horrified Nella to watch over Alicia till the baby is born. This shatters another friendship, as it is revealed Nella’s daughter Celia is also Malcolm’s. Nella shares this with Alicia, who immediately understands their shared trauma and tells her she only has to survive this house for a few more months.

The Foxworth baby is born on Christmas - Olivia has to pretend to be giving birth for the staff to hide Alicia’s screams. So here is our first introduction to Corrine, who will be raised as Olivia’s daughter. Although smitten with the baby, she is instantly disturbed by Malcolm's choice to name his child after the mother he hated. Alicia is finally free to leave, who wastes no time in taking Christopher out of Foxworth Hall.

Sixteen years later, we are introduced to the Foxworth children as young adults. Buck Braithwaite plays Mal, Luke Fetherston plays Joel and Hannah Dodd plays Corrine. As the perspective isn’t restricted to Olivia’s, each Foxworth child has their own storyline.

Mal is desperate to escape his father’s shadow as he intends to marry his childhood sweetheart and wants his trust fund early. Olivia secured said trust funds for her sons, but Malcolm delights in holding that power of attorney over them until they are twenty-five. Joel is an aspiring musician and the first gay character canonically written in the V.C. Andrews universe, with Jordan Peters playing his love interest. Finally, Corrine struggles between her father’s obsession with treating her like a child and wants to have regular teenage experiences - Olivia initially wants that for Corrine too. Still, it backfires when Corrine gets pregnant and has an abortion.

Malcolm is enraged by his wife’s relationship with all of their children - he openly favours Corrine unhealthily and shuns his sons, which naturally makes all three seek Olivia out before him as a confidant and ally against him - and the respect all three have for her.

He becomes even more of a tyrant towards the children, especially when they defy his strict rules. When the origins of Nella’s daughter Celia are revealed, Malcolm is unfazed and even boasts that he assaulted Nella years prior. Mal and Corrine aren’t surprised by Ceila being their half-sister as they noted the family resemblance years ago. The siblings regularly meet by the lake, bitching about their father as they smoke weed. Corrine is frustrated that she’s forbidden to leave the grounds after Malcolm discovers the abortion at the local brothel. Side note: Malcolm embodies hypocrisy as he regularly attends said establishment.

Olivia is finally pushed to take action when it becomes clear Malcolm is developing an inappropriate obsession similar to what he had for Alicia, Nella and even his mother. Thankfully there’s a conveniently placed garden on the grounds full of poisonous plants - which Olivia takes the time to study before carefully selecting the right berries and herbs as a precaution against Malcolm.

A carefully thought out plan, which is of course, ruined when Corrine develops her hobby of poisoning relatives. After spotting Olivia in the garden, Corrine spikes and almost kills Malcolm at dinner. Olivia confronts Corrine, who confesses she only wanted to dose her father enough to make him ill. She didn’t learn her lesson in later years, but this was a good seed for future events.

Here is where the script got a bit shaky for me. Peter Bramhill reprises his role as Dr Curtis - the man who delivered both Olivia’s sons and even turned a blind eye to skipping Garland’s autopsy and Alicia’s questionable pregnancy under Olivia’s requests (and charitable donations). He casually tells Malcolm it wasn’t an allergy but poison. Given their history, I would have thought said doctor’s loyalty would be with Olivia, and maybe he’d tell her that in confidence - which Malcolm could overhear instead. Malcolm is convinced Mal did it for the trust fund, barely reacting when Olivia takes responsibility to protect her eldest and youngest children.

Everything reaches a dramatic climax when Malcolm coheres Mal’s blushing bride to kiss him - heavily implying he’ll let Mal have the inheritance early. Carla Woodcock‘s Helen was one of the purest and sweetest characters, who is only thinking of Mal. However, this is still a stroke of Malcolm’s ego to betray his son.

Mal catches them and flees the house, grabbing the garden’s herbs instead of Corrine’s weed - WHY didn’t she get rid of those?! - and drives off with Corrine. As Corrine tries to reason with her brother, she realises what he’s smoking and tries to take the wheel as Mal passes out. The pair crash before they’re even off the grounds.

Rooper gives a harrowing performance as Olivia sobs and cradles her dead son. Here we see Olivia utterly broken. The fight and light in her have been extinguished. As she burns the garden and agrees to obey Malcolm, Joel falls into the arms of Harry, and a guilt-ridden Corrine destroys her father’s childish doll collection he’s given her.

As everyone struggles with their grief, things take a turn for the worse. Who should turn up on the doorstep at this darkest hour? An older and fashionable Alicia. That was a brilliant cliffhanger. This episode managed two different timelines seamlessly, the make-up to age up the regulars is some of the best I've seen on TV for a while, and the entire ensemble cast delivered great performances all around.

My rating for Flowers in the Attic: The Origin - Episode Two “Mother” is ★★★★★.