There is a popular theory that Crain children all represent the stages of grief. There are tons of articles that make this point, and I have to agree. Many moments point to this being a solid theory, and it's hard to dispute, especially after watching the show as many times as I have. Shirley is anger.

Shirley, post-Hill House, is angry. She is kind of a bitch to everyone around her. She runs a funeral home with her husband, and the only people we see her show kindness towards are her customers (for lack of a better word). She is angry at Steven for his book about the family and Hill House, at Luke because he can't stay clean, at her father because of everything that happened, at Nell for being naive, and at Theo for a few different reasons which are a bit of a spoiler at this point.

One of the best things about the show is how the characters grow through what happens. Each of them gets to the stage represented by Nell; acceptance.

In this episode, we see a pivotal moment in Shirley's life. She doesn't want to see the body at her mother's funeral. The mortician walks up to her and kindly offers to help her. They walk up, and when she sees her mother's body in the casket, she is shocked at how she looks. She tells the man, "you fixed her." The man responds, "That's what I do."

That leads to Shirley deciding to be the one to "fix" Nell's body. Over the objections of her family, she decided to do it. Shirley tells them she has to be the one to do it. She clearly feels guilty for how she has treated Nell and how she was unable to help her. Along with Steven seeing Nell's ghost, this is one of those moments where the character starts on their journey to acceptance.

Random Ramblings

• In a flashback scene, Olivia Crain tells the kids that it is time to come home when she flashes the porch light. At the end of the episode, after Shirley leaves her office, the porch light on the "forever home" model flashes: Olivia is calling them all home.

• I will not be exploring all the stages of grief that the Crain children represent; others have done it before me and better than I could.

• Two posts in, and I think I may have found my format. Pick a character and discuss the critical aspect of their personality and the key moments from the episode.

• Nell is going to come up a lot in these. She is one of my favorite characters (the twins are both my favorite), and Victoria Pedretti does an incredible job in the role.