"A Midnight Dreary" Trivia Quiz

Answer: At Roderick's childhood home

A massive church plays host to a funeral for three bodies, all children of Roderick Usher. As a priest gives his eulogy to the few family members present, Roderick looks back to the balcony and spies a woman seated, watching, wearing a raven mask. His granddaughter asks him what's wrong, and all he can reply with is "she's here." Outside, the paparazzis snap photos of the Ushers leaving the building. There are so few as many have died under mysterious circumstances.

Assistant U.S. Attorney C. Auguste Dupin looks over the family tree and the articles surrounding the Ushers' deaths. He's informed that Roderick Usher has reached out-- actually-- to discuss the matters. He's left his address. Dupin knows he must attend.

A taxi brings Dupin to the address and what awaits him there is a dilapidated house on a long-forgotten street. A storm brews. He knocks on the door, and when it opens on its own, he lets himself in, joining Roderick in the living room near the fire.

Answer: Cognac

Roderick pours himself a glass of cognac and offers one to Dupin-- it's the most expensive cognac ever sold. He tells the attorney that a sip probably costs double his annual salary. Dupin's not there to drink, however, though Roderick makes light of this. After all the subpoenas over the years, Dupin has Roderick to himself. The Usher patriarch quickly waives his right to his own attorney just to get the man seated. Dupin laughs-- Roderick got away with it all when it was said and done. Roderick says that no one really gets away with anything, but Dupin suggests that his sister, Madeline, would beg to differ. Roderick says he can ask her himself; she's in the basement.

Roderick's phone rings-- it's his granddaughter Lenore. Dupin tells him to take it, and once that's done, they can get to Roderick's confession. Dupin takes his recorder and presses play.

Roderick toasts to Title 18, Section 371 before they commence. It's fraud, specifically, but Roderick says that he admits to all seventy-three charges laid against him. And as a bonus, he'll tell Dupin how all his children died.

He starts at the beginning in the very room they're in.

Answer: False

In 1953, Roderick and Madeline resided in their humble cul-de-sac house as the twin son and daughter of Eliza Usher, herself the personal secretary to the CEO of Fortunato Pharmaceuticals, William Longfellow. Longfellow was a harsh businessman and an abrasive person in general, and Eliza frequently insisted that her children stay away from the Longfellow household as a rule. Naturally, they attempted, often, to break that rule.

On one day, Roderick fell over the Longfellows' fence, hurting his ankle just in time for William to find him snooping on his property. Even from that moment, Madeline knew something was wrong with the man and actively set out against him.

By nine years later, in 1962, Eliza would become unwell, bedridden in the family house and relying on God to heal her instead of any traditional medicine. With dire straits, the twins decided to reach out to Mr. Longfellow, knocking on his door and pleading for his aid. He didn't give it, kicking them off his property instead.

Eliza would be dead by morning. Per her wishes, they buried her themselves, building her a casket from pieces from their woodshed and laying her to rest in a hole they dug in the backyard.

Answer: Kill a man

On the night of their mother's burial, Roderick awakened to the sound of a fierce thunderstorm outside and rose from his bed to look out the window. Waking his sister, he showed what he saw there-- the grave they dug outside, unearthed. The body was nowhere to be seen, but when they went outside to investigate, they found footprints leading back into the house.

Eliza was there, standing in the shadows, and on Roderick's recommendation to call a doctor, she reached out to grab her son by the throat. Instead of causing her children harm, Eliza instead left out the front door, walking down the street to the Longfellow property in the rain. Longfellow, outside investigating the power outage in the neighbourhood, never expected the undead Eliza to come upon him and strangle him to death. His wife would find the bodies there, with Roderick and Madeline watching, only moments later.

The official story would state that Longfellow had a heart attack in his sleep. No one knew the truth. After Roderick took over the company, he wiped out any news stories about the death, just to spare his family the trouble that could have emerged.

Dupin has to ask-- why this story and why now? Roderick explains it's because she's there with them, right behind Dupin. Dupin refuses to turn around and relinquish control in the conversation to Roderick. Naturally he doesn't see the spectre standing behind him in the hall.

Answer: Five

Roderick returns to discussing his kids and explains that he always stood by his children as, unlike his own father, he refused to close the gates on them. What resulted was six children by five different mothers over his lifetime. They were all Ushers and they all deserved the best.

Dupin and Roderick argue over family and the case before they dive back into the story. Roderick commends Dupin over his original opening arguments in the courthouse. They're especially important because that may have been the last day that the Usher Family was all in the same place at the same time, together, and alive.

It was two weeks ago when that happened, and Dupin brought his case forward regarding the Usher crime family and Fortunato Pharma in what he claimed would be the largest pharma hearing in history. Over four decades, Roderick and Madeline had built one of the strongest brands and companies on Earth. But it was all at the expense of awful, awful things.

Answer: Family dinner

Dupin's opening statement was harsh and accusatory, but it was due in part to the fact that in forty years, the Ushers never received an indictment or charge for the crimes they committed in their climb to the top. The difference, he said, was that this time there was an informant from within the family who was prepared to divulge everything. It would be enough for their attorney, Arthur Pym, to object strongly, though Dupin insisted that the informant was coming forward despite great personal risks to their health and safety. Considering the circumstances, with this being an opening statement, Dupin agreed to strike his claim until further notice, but by this point the seed was planted. The bold move worked.

It's why Roderick would have Pym reach out to all of the children and their spouses so they could convene over family dinner.

Answer: Goldbug

The news of family dinner rattled the Usher children. Frederick confided in his wife, Morella, and his daughter, Lenore, that he thought Perry was responsible for spilling the beans. Morella wondered why anyone would risk their spot in the will.

Tamerlane knew Frederick wouldn't be the informant due to his eagerness to please their father. She told her husband, Bill, that it must have been one of the bastard children. Bill thought it could have been Freddie since he was in line for the throne anyways; Tamerlane thought maybe Perry. They both considered it could be Juno, but Tamerlane preferred not to consider her a part of the family at all. The timing couldn't be worse for them; they had to launch Goldbug on time. Oh yeah, and she cancelled the girl for the night. Dinner would be more important.

Victorine LaFourcade, finishing up with a surgery for a new heart treatment in the operating room, celebrated with her girlfriend for a brief moment, but both knew that the study could have been tainted by Roderick's new drug, an experimental paralytic. Victorine joked they'd just need to keep it away from Perry. Besides, they all knew the informant had to be Camille.

Napoleon (Leo) told his boyfriend not to come to the dinner but he showed up at his apartment unexpectedly.

Camille L'Espanaye, finishing up at the office setting up interviews for the family with all the major publications, set her people to work hunting down the informant as well. Perry, she thought, would be too dumb to do it, but they should keep their eyes on Victorine.

Answer: A nightclub

As the servants set the table for dinner, Roderick's newest wife, Juno, fretted over needing to host the gathering despite the rest of the Ushers not particularly liking her. She and Roderick were interrupted, however, when Dr. Donaldson arrived, and requested Roderick, alone, for a discussion.

The doctor left when the kids started arriving, and the first of these, Perry, informed his father and aunt that he wished to propose a new nightclub, a clear deviation from the existing family business. He wanted clubs in every major city, all named after him. Prospero's would be one of the most luxurious club franchises in the world and it would all boil down to one thing: hedomism. Few rules, fewer consequences. Roderick refused outright, not even letting his son show him the projections. Madeline joked that Perry couldn't be the informant with so little business sense.

Before they headed to dinner, Madeline noted that Roderick had something going on. He claimed it was nothing, however, and let her join the others. Taking a sip of whiskey before leaving his seat, one thing frightened him-- a vision of a woman before him; one who wasn't really there.

Answer: $50,000,000 in cash

Dinner was a stressful affair. While Morella had Roderick cut into two unexpected cakes as the others watched on, Frederick gave his complements to Juno apropos of next to nothing. Madeline, meanwhile, had Pym hand out some important paperwork, a brand-new non-disclosure agreement, and a consequential one at that as it would result in forfeiture of inheritance and the waiving of civil suits if they broke it. Tamerlane was the first to concede; it would not be a problem for anyone in the family if they had nothing to worry about. Victorine's girlfriend, Al, preferred that her own lawyer read hers first, but with the look given to her by all of the Ushers, she was compelled to sign quickly.

Madeline reminded them all that Fortnato gave them everything. If they wanted to keep it that way, they would sign. And if anyone tried to take it, they would exhaust their arsenal until the threat was neutralized.

Roderick interrupted the moment to inform them of the bounty he was willing to part with. If any of them solved the mystery and identified the informant, he'd give them fifty million dollars. No strings attached. No taxes. Unfortunately, it would be the last time he would see them all together and for many, the last time he would see them alive.

Dupin has to ask if Roderick feels he's responsible (on account of the informant being his news to have given), but Roderick says the attorney is not. Although all of the deaths are unrelated per the coroner, Roderick takes full responsibility.

More to the point, there's a woman. It's a woman Roderick needs to tell Dupin about.

Answer: On New Years Eve

Roderick explains to Dupin that his favourite holiday is New Years Eve because of the idea of resolutions. He's always enjoyed resolutions. Madeline always felt the same. It's an unwavering commitment to a goal.

On December 31, 1979, Roderick and Madeline attended their New Years Eve at a bar having come from a costume party dressed as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan. At the bar, a woman poured them drinks and asked about their night. What they didn't say was that they were hiding out somewhere they could build an alibi; if the cops didn't find them at the bar by midnight, they would be fine.

The bartender introduced herself as Verna and joins the pair for a couple drinks, pouring the first couple on the house. She asked if they already knew their resolutions and Roderick said they did-- both the same one-- as they both resolved to change the world. Verna would tell them that their life would take a complete change of course starting that very night, there in the bar, sitting outside of time and space.

Dupin knows what happened that New Years Eve, and all the rumours about them were likely true. It's beside the point though, Roderick claims. All the stories he's already told matter because they've put all six of his children into the dirt, and he saw Verna at the funeral when no one else did. When he turned back around, he also saw his six children, all dead and bloodied, all watching from on high.

As Roderick left the funeral to the sight of the paparazzi, he headed down the stairs and to his waiting vehicle. Looking into the back of his car though, he found a being in a jester outfit staring back out at him. As his nose started to bleed, he collapsed on the sidewalk, and while Madeline had her driver contact Dr. Donaldson for an off-duty ambulance, he watched as a raven watched him from the fence above. It was time.