The neighborhood is an important factor in deciding whether to buy a house. Is it safe for you? Are the neighbors helpful and friendly? These are questions to be sure you ask before buying a house. It is becoming a common phenomenon for people to move from cities to the suburbs. Everyone wants to be able to live comfortably with their family. The Brannock family believed the same. Nora and Dean’s children were growing up and wanted a large house to call home. The family was not happy with the house at 657 Boulevard, Westfield, New Jersey. The Netflix mini-series, “The Watcher”, is a fictionalized version of the events that took place in real life. This mini-series will keep you awake at night through seven episodes.
Spoilers
‘The Watcher’ Plot Summary: What Is The Series About?
The Brannock family was captivated by 657 Boulevard’s stunning beauty when they took a tour. They had hoped for the perfect house. Despite the fact that it was far more expensive than they could afford, Dean & Nora knew this was the house they had always wanted. Dean used all of their savings, investments and even their IRAs to get the loan. Dean almost made it his obsession to own the house, but he eventually succeeded in purchasing it. It was more than 100 years old, and it stood out as one the most luxurious houses in the area. The Brannocks had it all, but found their neighbors to be strange.
Mo and Mitch were an elderly couple who mainly viewed the Brannocks and sunbathing. They couldn’t bear the idea of a piano being brought into their home and were later offended that Dean asked Mo to leave his property. The Brannock family was unfriendly to their neighbors so Mitch and Mo quickly took a dislike to them. Pearl and Jasper were another set of strange neighbors. Jasper was Pearl’s brother. Jasper was mentally unstable and obsessed by the 657 Boulevard dumb waiter. Pearl seemed a bit erratic with her two pigtails, and constant reference to the Preservation Society. The Brannock family moved in and the neighbors weren’t happy. They claimed to be better at the house than its owners.
Dean and Nora lost their calm when the letters began to come in one after another. A mysterious entity calling themselves “The Watcher” sent the letter to the Brannock family, expressing their love for 657 Boulevard. They stated that they were responsible for watching the house and awaiting its second coming. Since the 1920s, the house has been watched by someone. In the 1960s, another person took over the responsibility and it is now the turn of the writer to look after the house. They wanted to know if the owner knew anything about the house’s history and why it was abandoned. The letter clearly threatened the family. In a strange way, the person asked the family to look into the history of their home, knowing they would be shocked enough to move. The Watcher wanted them to leave the house. What secrets did the house keep?
Why Was Dakota Doubted To Be The Watcher?
Dean asked the police for help but they couldn’t do much with letters. The police could not find any suspects even after they had been patrolling their home several times at night. Detective Chamberland suggested that the couple hire an investigator. Theodora was a jazz singer who became a detective. Although she was an alcoholic, her addiction changed to alcohol and later to solving unsolved mysteries. She made it a profession, and she was able solve 93 of the 122 cases. Nora asked Dean to sell her house after receiving a mysterious call. Dean agreed with her too, but Theodora felt that they needed to find out the truth for their mental peace.
Dean and Nora set up security cameras around their home and refused to bow to the Watcher. Dakota, a security provider, was attracted by Dean and Nora’s 16-year old daughter Ellie. Dean’s behavior dramatically changed after he moved into 657 Boulevard. Dean was very protective of his daughter, and shamed her for choosing makeup and clothes. Ellie found lipstick in her bathroom cupboard and put it on. Ellie was able to see herself becoming the woman she wanted, despite her father’s disapproval. Ellie and Dean were constantly at odds during their stay. When Dean sensed that something was up between Dakota and his daughter, he lost his cool. Theodora also concluded that Dakota was motivated to become The Watcher. He was just starting a security firm and needed clients. His security service made the Brannocks feel uneasy and made them rich. Theodora also appointed men to investigate Dakota’s online activity. They discovered that Dakota was using the nickname “The Watcher” while playing videogames. Dean grabbed Dakota and accused him as a stalker. Dakota was accompanied by his mother and a lawyer to the police station. His mother explained to him that her son was called the Watcher by her because of his security work and night shifts. It had nothing to do the Brannocks. Dakota was willing to cooperate and gave his DNA sample for comparison with the one in the letter. Dakota later revealed a video that was taken in Dean’s bedroom. It was sent to Nora and Dean’s boss. The video shows Dean lying on his bed, while Nora, Dean’s boss, watched from the other side. A young girl was also in the room and slept next to him. Dean was stunned to see the video. He had never seen the girl before.
What Can We Conclude From The Accounts Of The Previous Owners Of 657 Boulevard?
Andrew Pierce was a talent agent who met Dean. He was also one of the original owners of 657 Boulevard. Andrew moved to the suburbs in order to make a better living for his family. His wife was suffering postpartum depression and he had a newborn baby to care for. His wife was able to recover from the change in her environment and began playing the cello once again. Andrew was finally in good health, but it wasn’t for long. Andrew began to receive letters from “The Monitor” and started to notice strangers in his home. Andrew abandoned his toddler with Mitch, Mo and they were happy to assist the couple. His wife was again unstable. He would fight every night and return home. His son told him one day that he had seen Mitch, Mo and their friends wearing red robes. The altar was where the newborn baby was kept. It was also where the baby’s throat had been slit. Although Dean was unsure whether Dean could trust the three-year-old’s account, Andrew believed everything he had to say. His wife later found Mo sucking on the finger wound of his son in the basement. Mo was believed to have entered the basement via a secret tunnel. Andrew left his family that night. His wife later committed suicide after she continued to see the odd figures she saw on 657 Boulevard. Andrew believes that the letters were sent by a cult. They wanted to feed off the blood of children. It was a way for them to stay young. Andrew’s claim was not completely dismissed, as there were missing person reports in Whitefield Detective Chamberland had previously mentioned. Dean and Nora later discovered the secret tunnel in the basement. This confirmed that Andrew’s claims were not what he had imagined.
John Graff’s story is filled with the same obsession with blood sacrifice. John Graff was also a owner of 657 Boulevard. He was a dedicated Christian and lived with his wife, mother, son, daughter, and father. His wife was an alcoholic. Their marriage was a disaster. His son was an accomplished basketball player and an academic genius. John Graff was proud to be a father, but he didn’t feel the same way about his daughter. Her father was not happy with her sexuality as a teenager. Like Dean, he shamed his daughter for not being the Christian woman he desired her to be. He decided not to share the letters he received from the Watcher with his family when he first started receiving them. The secrets of the Graff family were known to the Watcher: John’s loss of job, and how his daughter would escape at night. John was to give his young blood to the house, because that’s what the house needed. He was fed up when he saw his daughter dancing with her schoolteacher at Halloween parties.
John was instigated by the Watcher to give up his children. Only by doing this, he would find the peace that he had lost. After the sacrifices, the Watcher promised to take care of the children. John agreed to do the Watcher’s request. He killed his mother, wife, and daughter. After making himself a sandwich, he went to his son’s match. He then drove his son home and also shot him. He then took a photo of himself and cut it off so the police could not identify him. He turned the lights on and played Wagner’s Gotterdammerung on the intercom. Jasper found the bodies two weeks later. Jasper was left scarred for his entire life. They were discovered together. They appeared to be dry. The basement was discovered to be flooded with blood, and the bloody milk jars were also found. John Graff wasn’t found but his daughter, the teacher with whom he was seen, was killed three days after he had murdered his family. John Graff appeared to be the murderer, but why did he use another gun? The teacher was murdered by John Graff, if not John. However, it is possible to infer that the house may have been connected with blood sacrifice. Both accounts of past owners mention blood sacrifice in one way or another. The Watcher also mentioned how it was good to see young blood in the house at the time the Brannock family moved into 657 Boulevards. After reading the history of the house, the Watcher also mentioned the basement. He wondered if the children would ever visit it. But why was it left unfinished? Who was responsible for the blood? Andrew explained that it was the neighbors who were part of a cult. Or was it something the neighbors wanted to believe and were concealing the truth? Evidently, the basement was an important part of the house’s dark past.
Who Was The Girl In The Video With Dean? Did Dean Meet John Graff?
Dakota circulated a video of Dean with a stranger girl in his bedroom at night. The girl looked just like Patricia Graff, John Graff’s child. The same cherry-printed dress Patricia Graff died in was worn by her. Dakota checked all CCTV footage and asked Dean if he knew the girl. As it turned out, there was not one video that could prove the girl entered the house. Is it Patricia Graff’s ghost or the girl not entering the house? Was it an artist pretending that she was Patricia Graff to scare her family from the house? Karen, Nora’s friend in real estate, seemed to have a motive. The Brannocks loved the house, and she wanted to see it go for a lower price so her agency could make a profit. Is it a game to scare her family? To get them to sell their house for a low price.
Dean thought he had met John Graff. The man introduced himself to Dean as the building inspector. The man mentioned the church nearby that the family should go to. He talked about the fourth turning, how every 80 years there is a crisis, and that he was sure that one would soon hit. John, a stranger, mentioned Ellie’s childhood, which he corrected, even though it was traumatizing for his entire family. Is the man John Graff or a fake? Or was the man a fake John Graff? Dean would eventually discover the truth about him after reading the history of the house. He was referring to the global catastrophe that would ensue. He was dissatisfied with the way people were changing their homes and making the world a concrete jungle. It was something the cult believed. If John Graff is the stranger, the question becomes: Why did he come back? Why would he return the house that haunted him and where he had murdered his entire family? Did he become more attached to it by sacrificing his family? Considering how much he had given to the house in order to fulfill its demands, He might have been offended by the fact that a couple from the city lived in it and made huge changes to it.
Who Was Roger Kaplan? What Was In The Secret Tunnel Of The House?
Roger Kaplan was Whitefield High’s English teacher. He was obsessed about architecture. He loved the houses that his friends lived in since childhood. He was born in poverty and found pleasure in admiring the beautiful houses. He introduced a lesson called “Ode to a House” to students when he became a teacher. His students were asked to write letters to the owners of houses they admire. His lesson was a hit with his students, and there was a Facebook group dedicated to Kaplan’s “Ode to a House” practice. Kaplan was obsessed about 657 Boulevard and 55 Oak Terrace. He wrote letters to 55 Oak Terrace from which he was a teacher even after he had become a friend. Initial letters showed his admiration for the house. But, gradually, the letters became violent. He began to question any changes made to the house. The Watcher wrote to Mrs. Flanagan, expressing concern about how her house was affected by the changes she made. The Watcher asked her about her greed and placed blame on her for her divorce. She saw someone watching her as she went to bed one night. Roger Kaplan was not stopping sending her letters, so she threatened to kill him. She never received another letter from him. She believed Kaplan was being threatened. Mrs. Flanagan saw the letters sent by the Watcher to the Brannock families and confirmed it was Roger Kaplan. Nora and Dean seized Kaplan at a supermarket and confronted them. Dean thought it was Kaplan who he had seen in his basement tunnel. It was a long tunnel with a bed inside. Dean saw a man run through the tunnel but was unable to capture him. Although Nora and Dean believed Kaplan was sending them the letters they received, Kaplan denied that he knew them.
We, the audience, knew that the man Dean & Nora saw in the tunnel wasn’t Roger Kaplan. The man introduced himself as John Graff was it? If John Graff was the man who introduced himself as John Graff, then John Graff may not have left the house after the murders. Perhaps he was the one who lived in the tunnel, and took care of the house. He was close to Pearl and he sheltered him while Nora and Dean followed him through the tunnel. Pearl must therefore also have been involved in the bigger scheme of things. Did the preservation society send the letters? The members did they take the initiative to ensure that the house was happy and not make any changes? If anyone did, they would be terrorized. John Graff was a member of the gang after the murders. He prioritized the happiness and well-being of the house over his own mental health. The obsession with young blood is what’s still confusing. Later, John Graff introduced himself to the Preservation Society meeting. He introduced himself as William/Bill. He said that he has lived in Whitefield since 1995. Roger Kaplan was skeptical of the man. He thought he knew him from another place. The man was surprised when he asked Bill about his family. The conversation confirms that the man may be John Graff. John Graff had killed his family in 1995. The man also mentioned that he had moved to Whitefield in 1995. Is it just a coincidence? He was trying to hide his identity, or was it a strange coincidence?
‘The Watcher’ Ending Explained: Who Could Possibly Be “The Watcher”?
When they realized they couldn’t find an answer, and that there was no evidence to support their claims, the Brannock family decided to give up on the investigation. They doubted Karen Cumberland and Detective Cumberland. Karen wanted Nora’s house to be sold. She had doubts about Dean’s loyalty. She also had discussed with him how he might have an affair. That was why he couldn’t accept his daughter’s sexual journey. After Karen made assumptions about Dean, the video of Dean with the mysterious woman circulated. Nora was unable to believe Karen’s involvement. The affair between Detective Cumberland and Karen was revealed by him, as he also wasn’t interested in supporting the Brannock family during their time of need. Nora and Dean believed it was the two who had planned the whole thing so the family could sell the house for a low price and Karen could then buy it again at a higher cost. They decided to list their home and live in the same city as they did before, since they didn’t have any evidence against Karen or Detective Cumberland.
Karen bought the house but did not believe the Brannock family rumors. After staying at the house for 48 hours she was forced to leave. Mo and Pearl had welcomed Karen when she moved into the house. But she didn’t reciprocate their kindness. Karen was awakened by a blank phone call. She noticed that water was dripping from the first-floor. The water was still running in the bath, she discovered. Detective Chamberland was unable to help her after a terrible breakup. Karen’s dog kept barking in the basement looking for the hidden tunnel. Karen grabbed her dog and cleaned out the apartment. She fell asleep when she heard the phone ring. She checked her mail and found a note from “The Watcher.” He explained that her greed had brought her to 657 Boulevard and that she would now be living the worst nightmare. Her dog was dead, so she went down to find her. She looked back and saw a man in black hooded clothing emerge from the staircase. Karen ran as fast as possible to save her own life and fled the house. Later, she sold the house for a loss.
Dean Bannock was unable to let go of the house and its secrets. He continued to think about his house, even after consulting a therapist. Dean drove to 657 Boulevard, and he watched the new family who lived there. The man who lived in the house asked Dean his name and he answered John. He said he had lived in the area. Nora, his wife, was livid about his whereabouts. He was supposed to go to an interview but instead he succumbed to his obsession with 657 Boulevard. Nora followed her husband’s car in the car and knew he was lying. The letter was similar to the one sent to the new family, but it remains a mystery who “the watcher” was.
The series ends with “The Watcher”, which seems to be more of a collection than one individual. The DNA test by police revealed that the letter contained DNA from a woman. Pearl and her Preservation Society, or was it Pearl? It seems that Pearl could have been motivated to support this cause, considering how obsessed she was with 657 Boulevard. The Preservation Society members believed that they knew 657 Boulevard better then its owners. Pearl knew the history of every item in the property. Jasper loved the dumbwaiter. Roger Kaplan studied the architecture of 657 Boulevard from childhood. Mo lived next to the house, and she would enter the property whenever she wanted. Bill/John Graff were obsessed with maintaining the house as it was when it was built. The group was furious at the fact that people from cities bought the house without knowing anything about the history or the value of its architecture. In a sense, they were protecting the neighborhood by driving out people who had never lived in the suburbs. The blood sacrifice is not logical if it is viewed as truth. Although we don’t know for certain, the only possible reason is a cult ritual. The owners may also be punished by the Watcher for their greed. The owners believed it was greed that drove them to buy the house. This was because they were attracted to the type of people the house attracted. Roger questions Karen at the opening of the series whether the house was constructed by indentured servants. Were we able to conclude that the family who watched over the house was jealous of those who bought it for greed, but loved the house? Did the man Bill and John have any connection? This discussion will never end!
Residents and visitors to 657 Boulevard become obsessed with the house. Dean was having difficulty letting go of the house because of its mystery. But it was the house itself that was the problem. He decided to become a part the mystery and introduced himself as John. Although he couldn’t own the house, he could not let someone else live in peace. Is it possible that the old owners viewed the new owners with envy and drove them to become “the watcher”? We will never know the truth because the case is still unsolved. The story was largely fictionalized by “The Watcher“. It suggests envy, supernatural presence, and cult theories.
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