SurrealEstate 2×3 Review: “The Butler Didn’t”

SurrealEstate season 2 episode 3, ‘The Butler Didn’t’, focused on a murder mystery involving a dead bride while also offering some development for the main cast.

The latest episode of SurrealEstate season 2 had the Roman Agency handling a haunted house involving the apparent suicide of a woman named Genevieve. The premise of the murder mystery was interesting as our main cast tried to figure out who killed Genevieve on the night of her third wedding.

The narrative followed the trope of introducing a handful of usual suspects. We got a cheating husband, an untrustworthy close friend, a distant child, etc. And while it was fun to see the Roman Agency make progress as they learned more about Genevieve’s past, I do have to say that the overall reveal wasn’t as exciting as I had hoped.

The murder mystery involved a secret love affair that had an age and power gap which would be considered very problematic in current times. But oh, well, the two characters participating in said affair got a happy ending, even if it was in the afterlife.

Of course, the moments I enjoyed the most had to do with the character development of the main cast. ‘The Butler Didn’t’ continued to showcase the growing tension between Luke and Susan. The two found a nice little balance as the first season progressed. However, that went out the window as soon as Luke decided to come back and undermine Susan during the season two premiere.

I get that Luke wants some sense of power back in his life, especially after losing his connection with the supernatural. But seeing him continuously try to put Susan down and not treat her as a respected partner isn’t doing his character any favors.

I liked how Susan finally decided to put her foot down and told Luke she was going to prioritize her well-being. The way she compared working for Luke to working with her previous toxic boss really got to Luke. But hey, Susan’s feelings were valid. She wasn’t going to put herself through all of that mess again.

Frankly, Susan doesn’t need to work for Luke. Susan’s more than capable of running our own real estate agency if she wants to. That’s why if Luke’s not careful and doesn’t make the required changes to his behavior, he can lose Susan for good. Also, the tension between Luke and Susan will impact the rest of the team. And I don’t want to see them breaking away in such a manner. All Luke needs to do is respect Susan as an equal. But that can be a bit harder than it sounds for someone like him.

Again, Luke’s unwillingness to change, even when he knows he’s in the wrong helps make him feel human. I mean, we all have experienced moments where we act unreasonably even when we are aware of our mistakes, right? It happens.

Along with Susan needing to deal with Luke’s stubborn behavior, the show continued to push her toward a dangerous situation involving the creepy AI device featured in her new house. While Luke’s acting unreasonably with regard to Susan’s position in the agency, she’s also not thinking right when it comes to the red flags involving her new home. However, I do feel that Susan continuing to live in said property might have some strange magic involved.

Susan seems to be dreaming about the time she was a child and her father would play the piano for her in a similar house. From what I can tell, the house is feeding comforting thoughts to Susan via her dreams and strengthening the nostalgia factor. Not only that, but the house was somehow able to connect Susan with the client involved in Genevieve’s murder. He was confused about what was happening, but he did tell Susan her new house had a lot of unexplained magic in it.

I think the house is giving Susan whatever she wants in a bid to one day stop her from leaving. Calming memories of her father and her childhood? Check! An answer to who killed Genevieve? Check! A safe space away from a toxic Luke? Check! Hot water for her tea? Check! Whatever Susan wants, the house is going to do what it can to provide. And that’s creepy as heck.

I don’t know what the house’s end game is though. Does it want to possess Susan? Does it want to kill her? Will it trap her in an unending dream? I’m unsure and I’m looking forward to finding out. 

Also, I couldn’t help but notice something related to August’s gadgets. It’s explained that August’s inventions to connect with the supernatural looked retro because ghosts and similar beings responded better to analog devices. However, Susan’s house was being powered by a haunted AI smart device. So I want to know what that’s about.

As for Zooey, she finally got her real estate license and Luke immediately hired her as a real estate agent. There’s a sharp contrast when it comes to how Luke treated Zooey as a new agent compared to Susan. He’s very happy for her.

It’s going to be fun seeing Zooey trying to sell a house or two. Also, I wonder who the show will bring in as her replacement because the Roman Agency does need a receptionist.

August was seen working on a new device that could help Luke tap into his power to communicate with the dead. Whether that particular device works or not remains to be seen. As far as my opinion goes, I would like for Luke to apologize to Susan before regaining his powers.

Zooey also mentioned someone named Rochelle asking for August. She tried to get August to spill the tea but he didn’t. Is August getting a love interest? I would be here for such a development.

Speaking of relationships, we are three episodes in and I do miss not seeing Phil’s husband Anthony. I really want to see the two husbands share some screen time together before the eight-episode-long second season ends.

Also, before I end my review, I do have to say that I enjoyed the weirdness Genevieve’s son Nathaniel brought to the episode. The scene where Susan had to call Nathaniel to ask who took a particular picture made me laugh. Poor Susan. She had to take one for the team.

What did you think of ‘The Butler Didn’t’? What has the house planned for Susan?

Let us know.

Author: Farid-ul-Haq

Farid has a Double Masters in Psychology and Biotechnology as well as an M.Phil in Molecular Genetics. He is the author of numerous books including Missing in Somerville, and The Game Master of Somerville. He gives us insight into comics, books, TV shows, anime/manga, video games, and movies.

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