‘The Haunting of Bly Manor’: 13 Times Flora & Miles Weren’t Themselves
Spoiler Alert
[Warning: The below contains MAJOR spoilers for Season 1 of The Haunting of Bly Manor.]
The Haunting of Bly Manor has finally debuted on Netflix giving fans plenty of clues and mysteries to unpack.
At the center of the story are the orphaned Wingrave children — Flora (Amelie Bea Smith) and Miles (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) — who live at Bly Manor, a sprawling English countryside estate. But when their new nanny Dani (Victoria Pedretti) arrives at Bly, it quickly becomes clear to both her and viewers that something isn’t right about these children who act out and behave in bizarre ways.
The oddest part of their behavior is that they seem to forget the things they’ve done or can’t remember their actions, which makes it hard for them to understand when Dani punishes them for any wrongdoing. But as the series carries on, this mystery is slowly solved as we learn the reasoning behind their antics.
In addition to trying to keep their loved ones safe from Bly’s Lady of the Lake, Flora and Miles are acting strangely because they’re occasionally possessed by star-crossed lovers and former employees Rebecca Jessel (Tahirah Sharif) and Peter Quint (Oliver Jackson-Cohen). In an attempt to stop themselves from fading away, the ghosts hijack the children’s bodies from time to time to keep their souls existing, which would explain some of the Wingraves’ strange behaviors.
(Credit: Netflix)
Below, we’re rounding up moments throughout the season when Miles and Flora weren’t themselves, hinting at what was truly going on, and let us know if there are any we didn’t catch in the comment section.
The Haunting of Bly Manor, Season 1, Streaming Now, Netflix
Miles watches Dani change (Episode 1)
As Dani settles into her new room at Bly, she discovers Miles peeking at her through the cracked door. He tries to play it off innocently, but Dani is shaken up and she swiftly locks her door.
Miles attempts sweet talk with Dani (Episode 2)
Attempting to apologize for locking Dani in the closet, Miles gives her a bouquet of flowers. While it seems sweet at first, Miles gets a little too close for comfort as he whispers to Dani before tucking hair behind her ear. The action makes her flinch but he is entirely unfazed and even a bit amused.
Miles attacks Dani during hide-and-seek (Episode 2)
While playing hide-and-seek in the darkened manor, Miles jumps on Dani’s back. This surprises her at first, but his chokehold on her becomes disconcertingly tight as she repeatedly asks him to “ease up.” The exchange has a malevolent and threatening undertone.
Miles' playtime goes awry (Episode 3)
In a lighter moment from the season, Miles and Flora put on a play of sorts for the Bly staff. Things start off as fun at first… until Miles’ starts saying some unusually dark things before having a bit of an outburst. His frustrations mirror those of Peter’s following his death, so it’s hard to not believe that Miles is possessed in this moment.
Miles wants wine (Episode 4)
During dinner, Miles asks Dani if he can have some wine. When the nanny doesn’t approve of the idea, he has a complete fit announcing that he just wants a drink. Considering Miles’ young age, we don’t believe the boy would be that desperate for at taste for alcohol — but Peter might.
Miles tries to push Jamie off the ladder (Episode 5)
In a terrifying moment, Miles runs up behind Jamie (Amelia Eve) who is working on a ladder. Then he proceeds to shake the ladder, almost causing her to fall. Hannah (T’Nia Miller) intervenes before Jamie gets hurt, but Miles’ response to this reprimand includes complimenting the gardener on her blush caused by the anger. Jamie repeatedly badmouths Peter in front of the inhabitants of Bly, so it would only make sense that he’d mess with her while possessing the boy.
Miles gets caught smoking (Episode 5)
One of the most obvious moments suggesting that Miles isn’t himself is when Hannah catches him retrieving a cigarette to set ablaze with Peter’s lighter. She can’t understand what’s gotten into the child, but clearly old habits die hard because even Peter’s spirit can’t stop himself from lighting up.
Miles feels Peter's spirit (Episode 5)
Peter’s cause of death is revealed in a flashback — he was choked to death by the Lady of the Lake. After he passes, his ghost touches Miles’ shoulder and he inadvertently possesses the boy. It’s the first time Miles isn’t himself.
Miles kills Hannah (Episode 5)
In a twisty reveal, we learn that Bly caretaker Hannah is killed at the hands of Miles who is being inhabited by Peter. The ghost essentially reveals that he’s using the boy and when Hannah catches him, he pushes her in rage into the well where she meets her demise. Once the deed is done and Peter leaves his body, Miles seems confused as he returns to consciousness, unaware that he had murdered Ms. Grose.
Flora wakes up by the lake (Episode 6)
One morning, little Flora awakes to find herself in the grass near Bly Manor’s lake. Confused by her location, she gets up and although it seems like she’ll return to the house, she begins walking towards the water. When Dani and Jamie notice her and get her attention, the child seems totally unaware of what just happened. This was obviously not Flora in this moment.
Flora gets "tucked away" while at the lake's edge (Episode 6)
Flora gets even closer to the lake during a second trance where she’s even more out of it. We later learn that she’s been “tucked away” in a dream as Ms. Jessel uses her body. Thankfully, Dani is able to save her from submerging herself into the water’s depths.
Miles merges with Peter (Episode 7)
Once Dani learns that Peter Quint and Rebecca Jessel are haunting the halls of Bly and possessing the children, Peter decides it’s time to make that situation more permanent. By speaking the words, “it’s you, it’s me, it’s us,” the spirits are able to take over the body of the living children hosts — or, at least, Miles is taken over by Peter. However, Rebecca doesn’t do the same to Flora in hopes that she can save the little girl from a cruel fate.
Flora gets tucked away one last time (Episode 9)
In the final episode, Flora is snatched up by the Lady of the Lake, who seeks a child to fill the void of her long-lost daughter. In a last-ditch effort, Ms. Jessel attempts to make Flora’s impending death less painful by possessing her body a final time.This is the final time viewers see Flora under a spirit’s spell.
