What does Haunting of Bly Manor's ending mean? Dani and Jamie scene explained

12 October 2020, 13:21

Behind the scenes of The Haunting of Bly Manor

By Katie Louise Smith

Who is the narrator? What happened to Dani? What did she say to Viola? Here's your full explanation about what happened in the final episode of Haunting of Bly Manor.

After 4 days, The Haunting of Bly Manor has already cemented itself at the top of Netflix's Top 10 charts all across the world.

Unlike its predecessor The Haunting of Hill House, Bly Manor ends up as more of a love story than a ghost story. While both stories are tragic, the ending of Bly Manor will leave you sobbing into the pillow you were once using to hide behind.

You'll probably have a lot of questions about the final episode too: Why don't Flora and Miles remember anything? What did Dani say to Viola to make her turn around? Who is the narrator?

If you can't quite wrap your head around what happened, or need some closure on that emotional final scene, here's your full explanation.

READ MORE: Is Hannah a ghost in Haunting of Bly Manor? Her backstory explained

WARNING: Spoilers for the ending of The Haunting of Bly Manor ahead!

How does Viola's curse get lifted?

Episode 9 begins with Viola dragging Dani through the house on one of her night walks. Knowing what her ultimate goal is, Flora attempts to save Dani's life by sitting on the bed and distracting Viola. Viola then lets go of Dani and carries Flora out to the lake.

Just as Flora is about to drown, Dani uses the same words that the children use to let Rebecca and Peter into themselves. She shouts "it's you, it's me, it's us" and Viola turns around and walks towards Dani. As Dani's eye changes colour, we see that Viola's soul is now part of Dani.

The curse of Bly is lifted as Dani emerges from the lake with Flora. As a result, all the ghosts trapped at Bly disappear. Hannah, the plague doctor, the solider, and even Peter Quint, who was currently possessing Miles.

Later, Dani explains to Jamie that she feels Viola's rage within her, waiting to take over her consciousness.

What happens to Dani?

Henry, Flora and Miles leave Bly and move to America. One year later, we find out that Dani and Jamie are together in a relationship. So far, nothing has happened to Dani.

5 years passes before Dani catches a glimpse of Viola's reflection in the shop window instead of her own. As the days go on, she sees Viola more and more in her reflections. One night, she ends up almost strangling Jamie while she sleeps and then she realises that the time has come for her to return to the lake.

Jamie goes to the lake and finds Dani at the bottom. She tries to invite Dani into her but Dani doesn't accept the invitation. Dani dies, leaving Jamie to stare at reflections hoping to see her again.

Who is the narrator of Bly Manor?

The episode then flashes forward to 2007, and back to the narrator telling the story to the group of people at the rehearsal dinner. The bride then tells the narrator that her story was actually a love story, not a ghost story. She also then reveals that her middle name is Flora.

We then find out that the narrator is actually older Jamie, retelling Dani's story. The bride is Flora, and Miles, Henry and Owen are also present at the wedding. Flora and Miles don't remember anything about their time at Bly Manor. Bly Manor also no longer exists by that name.

The series then comes full circle. Older Jamie returns to her hotel room, checks all the reflective surfaces hoping to see Dani. She pulls a chair over to the door, opens the door and falls asleep, hoping to be visited by Dani.

Dani's hand then touches her shoulder as she sleeps.

What does the ending of Bly Manor actually mean?

The explanation of Dani's hand on Jamie's shoulder can be interpreted by the viewer however they want. Whether it's the idea that Dani accepted a small part of Jamie's invitation all those years ago, or if it's just Jamie's dream.

Explaining the appearance of Dani's hand to IGN, the cast agreed that Dani had actually been with Jamie all along.

Amelia Eve, who plays younger Jamie, explained: "I think she'd been with her throughout. I think that Jamie doesn't know that she's been there the whole time, and that she's been seeking some kind of sign to let her know that she has been there. And I think that moment is just beautiful because I imagine that the Narrator feels her presence in the moment that we see it as well. So it feels like that's the moment of connection where they come together."