History Recap / GuillermoDelTorosCabinetOfCuriositiesS01E08TheMurmuring

On the island the couple are placed in a beautiful old house. Edgar tries to get Nancy to dance with him and she does at first but then she pushes his away. Later Nancy thinks she sees a figure pass their bedroom door. The two record the birds some more and the next night Nancy hears a series of loud thumps in the house which lead her to the attic. There she finds the unusual sight of the Dunlins roosting in the attic of the house. While recording in the attic by herself while Edgar videos them outside Nancy hears someone whistling in the house. Later listening to the recording she hears static on the tape when the whistling occurred and then she hears a child's voice saying "I'm so cold." Although she hears the voice on the tape Edgar does not hear it.

* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: [[spoiler: It turns out the isolation of the island and abandonment by her lover caused Claudette to go insane and murder her young son. However, she apparently relapse into clarity and was horrified by her own actions, enough that she commited suicide not long after. Their ghosts now haunt the island.]]

In 1951, Nancy Bradley (Creator/EssieDavis) is giving a talk on dunlin birds and their murmurations, the swarming behaviour they make that can be beautiful but also mysterious. Her husband Edgar (Creator/AndrewLincoln) also studies with her. The two thank their benefactor with giving them a video camera and reveal the will be traveling to an isolated island to use their new camera to study the dunlins there.

On the island the couple are placed in a beautiful old house while they study. Edgar tries to get Nancy to dance with him and she does at first but then she pushes his away. Later whole studying Nancy thinks she sees a figure pass their bedroom door. The two record the birds some more and the next night Nancy hears a series of loud thumps in the house which lead her to the attic. Their she finds the unusual sight of the Dunlins roosting in the attic of the house. While recording the dunlins in the attic by herself while Edgar videos them outside Nancy hears someone whistling in the house. Later listening to the recording she hears static on the tape when the whistling occurred and then she hears a child's voice saying "I'm so cold." Although she hears the voice on the tape Edgar does not hear it.

Nancy and Edgar learn the last inhabitants of the house were a man, his wife and their son, many of their belongings are still in the house including photographs. Edgar finds an embroidery by the wife which depicts her standing surrounded by dunlin birds. Nancy and Edgar's life continues to show strain as he wants to make love and she does not and she is uncomfortable when he is affectionate. Hearing a child crying Nancy finds letters scattered on the floor and learns the woman's name was Claudette and the father of her child got her pregnant but was already married. Getting into another argument with Edgar Nancy is alone in the attic when she hears the child crying but this time seems him also dripping water and his face is bloated. A bird flies into the house and startles her and Edgar and in a panic the bird flies into a window and breaks it's neck. While in the bathtub that night Nancy hears a groaning woman and then the door flies open and Claudette comes in screaming at her "what did you do?"

During a fight over these visions, Edgar expresses frustration over Nancy never crying following the death of their daughter Ava. death, Despondent, he leaves for his research site the next morning. Alone, Nancy is chased by Claudette's screaming ghost and hears her son crying that his mother is angry with him. Comforting him, Nancy encourages him to run into the light. He does and disappears. Nancy witnesses Claudette kill herself, realizing that her angry screams were in anguish over drowning her son. Claudette's spirit is carried by an enormous bird murmuration, which envelops Nancy, allowing her to finally cry and confront her grief. Nancy calls Edgar over their two-way radio to say she loves him and she is finally ready to talk about Ava.

* {{Psychopomp}}: The dunlins seem to take Claudette form when she jumps from the attic, they also help Nancy come to grips with her daughter's death.

In 1951, Nancy Bradley (Creator/Essie Davis) is giving a talk on dunlin birds and their murmurations, the swarming behaviour they make that can be beautiful but also mysterious. Her husband Edgar (Creator/Andrew Lincoln) also studies with her. The two thank their benefactor with giving them a video camera and reveal the will be traveling to an isolated island to use their new camera to study the dunlins there.

Nancy and Edgar learn the last inhabitants of the house were a man, his wife and their son, many of their belongings are still in the house including photographs. Edgar finds a en embroidering by the wife which depicts her standing surrounded by dunlin birds. Nancy and Edgar's life continues to show strain as he wants to make love and she does not and she is uncomfortable when he is affectionate. Hearing a child crying Nancy finds letters scattered on the floor and learns the woman's name was Claudette and the father of her child got her pregnant but was already married. Getting into another argument with Edgar Nancy is alone in the attic when she hears the child crying but this time seems him also dripping water and his face is bloated. A bird flies into the house and startles her and Edgar and in a panic the bird flies into a window and breaks it's neck. While in the bathtub that night Nancy hears a groaning woman and then the doors flies open and the blonde woman Claudette comes in screaming at her "what did you do?"

During a fight over these visions, Edgar expresses frustration over Nancy never crying following the death of their daughter Ava. death, nor wishing to talk about it, and his hopelessness over their strained relationship. Despondent, he leaves for his research site the next morning. Alone, Nancy is chased by Claudette's screaming ghost and hears her son crying that his mother is angry with him. Comforting him, Nancy encourages him to run into the light. He does and disappears. Nancy witnesses Claudette kill herself, realizing that her angry screams were in anguish over drowning her son. Claudette's spirit is carried by an enormous bird murmuration, which envelops Nancy, allowing her to finally cry and confront her grief. Nancy calls Edgar over their two-way radio to say she loves him and she is finally ready to talk about Ava.

* MadnessMantra: Claudette screaming "what did you do?" at Nancy [[spoiler: turns out to be her own mantra to herself after she killed her son.]]

* MadnessMantra: Claudette screaming "what did you do?" at Nancy [spoiler turns out to be her own mantra to herself after she killed her son.]

!!Tropes

During a fight over these visions, Edgar expresses frustration over Nancy never crying following the death of their daughter Ava. death, nor wishing to talk about it, and his hopelessness over their strained relationship. Despondent, he leaves for his research site the next morning. Alone, Nancy is chased by Claudette's screaming ghost and hears her son crying that his mother is angry with him. Comforting him, Nancy encourages him to run into the light. He does and disappears. Nancy witnesses Claudette kill herself, realizing that her angry screams were in anguish over drowning her son. Claudette's spirit is carried by an enormous bird murmuration, which envelops Nancy, allowing her to finally cry and confront her grief. Nancy calls Edgar over their two-way radio to say she is sorry and she is finally ready to talk about Ava.

During a fight over these visions, Edgar expresses frustration over Nancy never crying following the death of their daughter Ava. death, nor wishing to talk about it, and his hopelessness over their strained relationship. Despondent, he leaves for his research site the next morning. Alone, Nancy is chased by Claudette's screaming ghost and hears her son crying that his mother is angry with him. Comforting him, Nancy encourages him to run into the light. He does and disappears. Nancy witnesses Claudette kill herself, realizing that her angry screams were in anguish over drowning her son. Claudette's spirit is carried by an enormous bird murmuration, which envelops Nancy, allowing her to finally cry and confront her grief. Edgar is relieved when she says she is finally ready to talk about Ava.

Nancy and Edgar learn the last inhabitants of the house were a man, his wife and their son, many of their belongings are still in the house including photographs. Edgar finds a en embroidering by the wife which depicts her standing surrounded by dunlin birds.

are ornithologists studying bird murmurations. After their daughter Ava dies, they go to a remote country home to continue their studies and get away from their grief. Nancy sees ghostly apparitions of a crying boy and a screaming angry woman. Edgar believes these visions are from the strain of her grief. Nancy learns that the former owner, Claudette, drowned her son and committed suicide. During a fight over these visions, Edgar expresses frustration over Nancy never crying following Ava's death, nor wishing to talk about it, and his hopelessness over their strained relationship. Despondent, he leaves for his research site the next morning. Alone, Nancy is chased by Claudette's screaming ghost and hears her son crying that his mother is angry with him. Comforting him, Nancy encourages him to run into the light. He does and disappears. Nancy witnesses Claudette kill herself, realizing that her angry screams were in anguish over drowning her son. Claudette's spirit is carried by an enormous bird murmuration, which envelops Nancy, allowing her to finally cry and confront her grief. Edgar is relieved when she says she is finally ready to talk about Ava.