Black Narcissus Season 1, Episode 1 recap: Is the palace haunted?

With the help of Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh and the Sisters of St. Faith run a school at the mysterious palace of Mopu in the Himalayas in Black Narcissus.

Black Narcissus is a new, riveting drama that aired just three episodes across one night on FX. The series is based on the 1939 novel of the same name written by Rumer Godden. The story revolves around a group of Anglican nuns attempting to establish a school and convent on a — possibly cursed — isolated mountaintop in the Himalayas.

The beginning of the first hour introduces us to the frosty landscape of 1914 Mopu in the Himalayas. A woman named Srimati races through the polished halls of the palatial estate while a baby screams in the background. Just as she reaches the belltower and the sharp cut-off that would surely end in her demise, the screen fades to black, introducing us to the show.

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We then fast-forward to 1934 in Darjeeling, British India, where we meet an ambitious young nun, the youngest Sister Superior in the order, in fact, Sister Clodagh (Gemma Arterton) who will soon be traveling to the Himalayas with a trusted team of Sisters to begin the new convent. She has been entrusted to the task because Father Roberts (Jim Broadbent) has taken ill.

That’s fine with the good sister, as she can’t wait to prove herself with this opportunity. Reverend Mother Dorothea (the late Diana Rigg) warns her that it’ll be hard work, but nothing will damper Sister Clodagh’s spirits.

Even when Father Roberts warns Sister Clodagh that a previous German order attempted to establish a convent in the same place and failed, she merely brushes it off as they do not have their same keen ability for “missionary work.” In private, Father Roberts admits to Sister Dorothea that he doesn’t know the real reason the German Brothers of Peter vacated the palace. Never a good sign.

Black Narcissus Episode 1 recap: The sisters arrive in Mopu.

The sisters’ arrival at the palace of Mopu is a subdued one, despite the gorgeous scenery and traipsed terrain. Mired with eerie winds, strange creaks, erotic paintings, and little to no sign of human life, the sisters are somewhat startled at the lack of warm welcome. Angu Ayah (Nila Aalia), the caretaker, is the first person they meet before finding a place to sleep. At least one Sister is too troubled by the mysterious reason the German Brothers left so soon to fall asleep. I suspect she won’t be the only one.

In the morning, they meet Mr. Dean (Alessandro Nivola), a handsome, roguish, cynical sort of fellow who delights in telling the Sisters the palace’s origins. It was originally constructed as a place for the General’s concubines and ladies to live. Locals called it the House of Women. “There weren’t any nuns there, I assure you.” He also tells them about Angu, the nurse of Princess Srimati, and the woman tending to the baby in the prologue.

She has a long and storied history at the palace. Sister Clodagh is unwilling to let Mr. Dean ruffle her feathers. Despite its lurid history, she says the palace will furthermore be known as the Convent of St. Faith, and that’s that!

Sister Clodagh and Mr. Dean butt heads immediately. “This is an impossible place for a nunnery.” “Difficult perhaps, but nothing is impossible with God.”

Mr. Dean takes issue with their religion and their being women. “It suits me to have as little to do with you as possible.” He thinks Catholics are arrogant, setting them apart from other religious groups who have come and gone in the area. The monks, he says, only lasted five months. “I’ll give you until the break of the next rains.”

After her terse conversation with Mr. Dean, Sister Clodagh scales the palace tower to the formidable spot where we last saw Srimati. Her ringing of the bell feels extra ominous.

Slowly, the Sisters begin to adjust to life at the palace, although the letter Sister Clodagh pens to Mother Dorothea feels more optimistic than the reality. She claims they’re adjusting to the thin air and working steadily toward opening the school, only waiting for the clerk to finish building. In truth, the Sisters are getting tired and ill from the different weather, they still don’t have plumbing, and Sister Ruth (Aisling Franciosi) receives a dreadful scare when she stumbles upon a dead cat.

Ruth later starts to hear strange whispers from the corners and finds a young boy, he’s the clerk the ladies have been waiting — but he’s young, “7  to 11 years old,” to be exact. The boy, Joseph Anthony, informs Sister Clodagh that the General (Kulvinder Ghir) is on his way to pay them a visit.

The General tells Sister Clodagh that he never truly liked the palace because his father did bad things there. Then he briefly mentions his sister, Srimati, although we still don’t know her story.  “This house has never been good, Sister Clodagh. I want you to make it good.” Before he leaves, Sister Clodagh asks him for some workmen to finish making improvements. The General tells her to trust Mr. Dean with that, much to the Sister’s annoyance.

In the coming days, children finally arrive at the school, and Mr. Dean to fix the plumbing. He and Sister Clodagh appear to get on better footing with one another. During their chat, we learn that Sister Clodagh was sent away as a young girl, which is why she doesn’t have an Irish accent. Mr. Dean finally gets some legitimate workmen there to start clearing out the garden and paint.

The next letter Sister Clodagh writes home is more truthful than the last. Things are coming along nicely, although she tells Mr. Dean they need a key to get into Srimati’s bedroom. They’re interrupted by Sister Ruth and Sister Briony (Rosie Cavaliero), who brings a young boy with a rash. Sister Ruth believes they need to leave it alone and send him home, thinking they should not interfere, while Sister Briony believes they should at least give him some medicine.

Mr. Dean praises Sister Ruth for his line of thinking, “do not mistake indifference for acceptance.” It won’t look good to the village if it appears a boy got sick from them or if they give him medicine that fails. According to him, the monks learned that the hard way. Sister Ruth appears quite taken with Mr. Dean and can hardly help but blush at his flattery.

While cleaning out one of the rooms, the nuns disturb a tapestry on the wall, revealing a mirror that once belonged to Srimati. Sisters Philippa (Karen Bryson), Briony, and Ruth are captivated by their reflections, having not seen themselves since before they took their vows. Ruth sees Srimati’s ghost within. Mr. Dean brings a young woman named Kanchi (Dipika Kunwar) to join Sister Ruth’s lace school. They don’t know old she is, only that her mother is dead, and she’s “best out of her father’s way.”

Black Narcissus Episode 1 recap: Sister Ruth reaches her breaking point.

In the night, Sister Clodagh succumbs to what I  assume is a rare bout of temptation in her dreams. She recalls a handsome younger man she once knew in her former life, awakening to Sister Ruth standing in her bedroom. She’s become seriously frightened by what she believes is a ghost. As they walk the halls, Sister Ruth’s candle snuffs out, “Someone blew it out,” she whispers. Reassuring her that she’s simply become overwrought with stress, Sister Clodagh sends Sister Ruth back to bed.

The next day, Sister Ruth reaches a breaking point when the cacophony of children speaking and Mr. Dean working gets under her skin. She snaps at Kanchi and then excuses herself from the classroom. Having heard of the outburst, Sister Clodagh checks on her and praises her gifts with lace. Sister Ruth appreciates her words and claims the other Sisters have often become jealous of her ability.

Together, they attend evening prayer. Believing Sister Ruth needs more assistance, and Sister Clodagh decides to remove her from her teaching duties. Things get a little nasty with Sister Ruth making some bold statements. Mr. Dean interrupts them before things can get worse. As Sister Ruth makes her angry exit, she steps directly into a bowl of milk placed by Angu. It’s an offering for Srimati, “her ghost is hungry.” Well, that’s not creepy at all.

Black Narcissus Episode 1 recap: Sister Ruth sees Srimati’s ghost.

Despite what appeared to be a growing relationship between Mr. Dean and Sister Clodagh, things take a sharp turn when he brings her the drafts for the chapel. His idea is unique to the area, but Sister Clodagh says they cannot abide by his blueprint because it doesn’t follow the strict rules they follow at all of their churches. As tensions grow between them, Sister Ruth sees a legitimate vision of Srimati in her mirror just as a man screams outside.

Everyone rushes to see what’s happened and discovers a man seriously injured by his scythe. Sister Ruth is relentless in trying to get Sister Clodagh to listen to her as she attempts to tend to the man’s wounds. Meanwhile, Mr. Dean is yelling at her to stop as it’s best to leave him, heed his warnings of not getting involved.

Given how badly the man is bleeding, that’s not really an option. All of the furor and mounting stress and pressure on Sister Clodagh causes her to snap, and she strikes Ruth across the face with her bloodied palm.

Angu watches from the sidelines, “It has started.”

What did you think about Black Narcissus Episode 1? Let us know your thoughts and opinions in the comments below!

All three episodes of Black Narcissus are now available to stream on Hulu.