This story really informed Unaccountably We Remain in regards to the themes surrounding treatment of Latin American women, familial trauma and the use/inversion of the gothic double motif. In the novel, Noemi, from Mexico City is sent to the Mexican countryside to look after her cousin,Catalina, who supposedly has tuberculosis. Catalina has married into an English family who own a non-functioning silver mine and seem to be making her sicker rather than helping her get better. Noemi becomes determined to get her cousin out of the house and flee from these people who seem to be obsessed with their blood.

Catalina exists as a deeply traumatized girl who tries to hide it by being a good older cousin, a soft and feminine woman, but ultimately this perceived weakness is what lets her get colonized, in a sense. Whereas, Noemi, embodies the other side of the spectrum; she is bold, flirtatious, and stubborn. However, both of these characters have pieces of the other side of the spectrum; Noemi is tender-hearted and doesn’t want to hurt anyone and Catalina has a hidden steel that helps her survive the house of horrors. Like them, Juana has both of these qualities in her. She’s bold enough to call a demon to her door, name it, and fall in love with it. But, she’s scared to leave her mother alone.

Lisa Frankenstein

Anne Rice’s novel, Interview with the Vampire was an early introduction to the Gothic genre and I knew that something of Claudia’s journey (embracing monster-hood with open arms, struggling with parental figures and being a better “monster” than your own “monstrous” parent) was percolating beneath the surface as I sketched this story out. However, the monologue clicked into place when I realized I was, for all intents and purposes, writing a wedding scene. The setting of the scene of the turning being a church, at an altar, and throughout the series the moment is understood to be a wedding, the beginning of their relationship, but also the start of a new immortal life.  Marriage is often described as the beginning of a new life together or the merging of two souls into one, which is what quite literally happens at the end of Unaccountably We Remain. 

Helly R was on my mind quite frequently when I thought about the duality of Juana’s existence and the body politics of possession. In Severance, characters on the show undergo a medical procedure known as Severance where their memories are surgically divided between work and personal lives. Essentially, people consensually create a self (known as an “innie”) that exists only to work. Helly R, a new hire, is furious with the life she has been given and frequently tries to find ways to let herself on the outside (her “outie”) know that she wants to leave. It isn’t until Helly threatens Helena’s body with physical harm that Helly is taken seriously. Helly/Helena are a another fascinating example of the gothic double; Helly is the person Helena was at a certain point in her life*, fiery, stubborn, led by her heart. Helena is actively keeping Helly imprisoned and is one of the lead perpetrators of Helly’s oppression. However, if Helena were to free Helly, Helly would cease to exist

The title came from a passage from this short story about the self-destructive nature of human beings. The narrator, many years before, committed an impulsive murder and got away without suspicion. Now, he is once again feeling that same impulsive itch, only this time- to confess. The impulse is characterized as “some invisible fiend” that strikes him to commit these acts. The passage from which the title is taken describes standing on a cliff’s edge and remaining there, staring into an abyss because one cannot help but wonder what it would feel like to jump. This feeling is present in much of Poe’s other works as well and I believe has something to say about the Gothic genre as a whole; remaining somewhere one knows is dangerous but feeling some intangible pull towards that danger. Adam is present for most of the monologue, but the first time the audience hears him speak is at the very end where he beckons Juana closer to the edge of the cliff, promising to catch her at the bottom.

Further

Inspiration:

In this scene from the AMC adaptation, Lestat completely deconstructs Louis’ need to be a part of humanity and sees him. For Louis, a black man in Jim Crow South, remaining a part of humanity means conforming to whatever role he needs to to survive, it means keeping himself in a position of less power because society has placed him there and told him he cannot move. Lestat has the power to change this and so he gives it to him because he loves Louis. In a similar vein, Juana must conform; use her light skin privilege to conform and assimilate to whiteness, but also adhere to being a good Cuban daughter and not lose touch with her roots. Adam sees the power Juana once held, loves her, and wants to give it back to her, but cannot do so without taking root in her.

The Imp of the Perverse by Edgar Allen Poe

This film was deeply inspirational in terms of developing the joy of the piece and also discovering an understanding of the vibes of the world. In Lisa Frankenstein, Lisa brings a deceased young man back to life and they commit a violent spree of killings while falling in love. It felt really important to me to find the love between Juana and Adam. The relationship between Juana and Adam, is ultimately, a deeply loving one that is born from their loneliness and the fact that they took the time to understand each other. I was aware going into the story that I’d be writing something that could be interpreted as a power imbalance, a coercion and I welcome these conversations. However, the politics of the relationship between Juana and Adam are entirely understood by Juana and Adam. Their love is real and not rooted in any true evil. Juana had to be able to surrender to the possession for it to fully work which means Adam had to receive her full and enthusiastic consent to continue. What Adam asked at the end of the piece was for her to trust that he’d be on the other side to catch her. 

Lisa’s world is vibrant and full of color except for when she’s in the woods which is the land of the Creature or her family’s living room which she is decidedly excluded from. I played with this in Unaccountably We Remain by making the scene take place in the dark hallowed halls of the church but dressing Juana in bright colors that clashed. This was representative of the darkness in her life surrounding her on all sides. When Adam possesses her, the room turns a deep red signifying an overpowering of the darkness.