Fall of the House of Usher: What really happened to Annabel Lee

Roderick (Bruce Greenwood) and Madeline Usher’s (Mary McDonell) story in Netflix‘s The Fall of the House of Usher tangles a dark and twisted web of lies to amass a grand fortune, that inevitably takes a toll on Roderick’s first wife Annabel Lee.

The Fall of the House of Usher created a vast and intricate horror story based on Edgar Allen Poe’s book. It focuses on Roderick and his twin sister Madeline who have built a corrupt pharmaceutical empire with Fortunato. Now incredibly wealthy, they face the demons of their past as each one of Roderick’s children dies in seemingly understandable accidents.

But beyond Roderick’s children, there are a few other mysteries. The Fall of the House of Usher goes back in time to reveal Roderick (Zach Gilford) and his wife Annabel Lee (Katie Parker) before the fortune and fame.

Seeing as current Roderick has a much younger new wife, what happened to Annabel Lee? Her story needs a bit of detective work to uncover. Spoilers ahead!

Annabel Lee’s storyline is a result of Roderick’s actions in The Fall of the House of Usher

Netflix

Based on what transpired in the past leading up to the 80s and Roderick’s confession of events in the present, Annabel Lee likely died by suicide.

For those who have seen the Netflix series, both Roderick and Madeline (Willa Fitzgerald) are illegitimate heirs of Fortunato. But, no one in the company knows that. Now grown up, Roderick works for the company and is married to Annabel Lee with their son Frederick. Over the course of flashbacks, audiences see how Roderick introduced the Ligodone to Rufus Wilmot Griswold (Michael Trucco), the head of the company.

Sooner rather than later, Griswold pulls the rug from under Roderick and steals the rights to the drug. But wanting a name for himself, Roderick begins to earn his trust with the support of Madeline and Annabel Lee. Over time, things take a turn as Madeline has more control over her brother then his wife.

He was soon approached by healthcare investigator C. Auguste Dupin (Malcolm Goodwin) to help bring to light the company’s corruption in court. At first, Annabel Lee urges Roderick to do the right thing and help. But she soon realizes during the big day that he lied to her. And stuck with Madeline to get more control in Fortunato.

But what happened to Annabel Lee when Roderick gained more control? In Episode 8, Roderick is at the funeral of his three oldest children and sees her. They face each other with her saying the way he convinced everyone to take his children from her was because he was “rich.” Annabel Lee couldn’t compete and told Roderick that instead of feeding them, he starved them of affection.

As she tells him they died in their childhoods, the scene shows the back of her head. A piece of her skull is missing and there’s blood. Based on the context of their conversation, and knowing Annabel Lee cared deeply for her children, she likely died by suicide after losing them.

You can read more Netflix content in our hub here, Dexerto’s review here, it’s connection to Haunting of Hills House here, and more.