Unveiling an Enchanting Romance: The Haunting of Bly Manor's Lesbian Love Story

This article contains spoilers.

Alright, so I am late to the party with this series, because it was released back in 2020. Why didn’t I watch it? It’s referred to as horror, and I very rarely watch horror. But I was attracted by the cast, which includes Victoria Pedretti (You), and T’Nia Miller (Years and Years), so I put on my big girl glasses, and decided to see what the fuss was about. And I ended up stumbling on Damie.

‘Damie’ is the couple name given to Dani, who becomes an au pair to two young children at Bly Manor, and Jamie, the gardener there. During the course of the series, their relationship unfolds, developing into one of the best representations of a lesbian relationship that I’ve seen (tragic ending aside) on screen.

I’m always an advocate for good representation on-screen, and a lot of lesbian films recycle clichés or place far too much emphasis on sex scenes (Blue is the Warmest Colour). There’s also still a good deal of queer-baiting (when creators of entertainment / fiction hint at, but do not show, LGBTQ relationships). Bly Manor is different. The relationship between Dani and Jamie is authentic, sincere and real. There is no oversexualisation of lesbians. Save for the cliché that same-sex couples are very rarely allowed to be happy on screen, there aren’t any clichés for me to pick at. The ending of Damie’s relationship is consistent with the genre of the story, as it lies within the genre of horror, I don’t really expect a happy ending.

And what Dani and Jamie do get is time. In the years they have together, they have happiness and peace, even if it doesn’t last forever. Granted, in my mind, Viola’s spirit is tamed by the strength of their love and is somehow put to rest by that, and then Damie continue their life together, but that’s an ending fitting for a romance, not horror.

The last time I was moved to tears (cried like a baby) by a fictional same-sex couple was when I read Tess Sharpe’s Far From You. Dani and Jamie left me with that feeling that I needed to hug my GF, which I tend to think is a sign of a good show – it actually has an effect on you.

So if you haven’t already, go watch The Haunting of Bly Manor for a really good WLW story.