As someone who has spent countless hours binge-watching shows that range from the sublime to the ridiculous, I must admit that Teacup has managed to surprise me in both its absurdity and its ingenuity. The latest episode was a perfect example of this dichotomy – on one hand, we have Valeria’s feud over infidelity leading to a wolf casually lapping up goo, which is undeniably ridiculous; but on the other hand, the show quickly compensates by delving into the intrigue of Ellen being possessed by Assassin.
The series “Teacup” has been marketed as a horror show, but its source material, “Stinger”, leans more towards science fiction with some horror elements. While it’s possible for “Teacup” to alter the genre balance, one key difference might be that science fiction typically provides explanations, whereas horror is most effective when leaving both characters and viewers wondering about the mysteries unfolding. The fifth episode of “Teacup”, however, delves too deeply into the explanation of strange events, which takes away from the initial eerie atmosphere created in the early episodes. While an unexplained noise in the night can be terrifying, a detailed explanation tends to diminish the fear factor.
For example, consider the man in the gas mask who created a lethal boundary around the ranch – this character serves as the primary promotional figure for “Teacup” on Peacock, with his single eye peering out from behind the mask’s glass, hinting at an intriguing storyline perfect for your pre-Halloween viewing. It was disclosed in this episode that this gas-masked individual, McNab, is actually a conspiracy theorist about extraterrestrial life, who turns out to be correct and is on a mission to save the world. We’ll have to wait and see if he manages to do so! So far, things don’t appear to be going well for him!
In the closing scene of the previous episode, the young man who had taken James hostage in the basement introduces himself as Travis. It’s through him that we uncover the origins of this story. After being compelled by his employer to drive home a highly intoxicated McNab from the bar where he works, Travis becomes fascinated by McNab’s tales. Before long, they are frequently socializing together. McNab shares his knowledge about aliens: They don’t possess physical bodies, instead arriving on Earth attached to meteors. Once here, these beings, referred to as ‘Visitors’ by McNab, inhabit human bodies. There are two types of Visitors: the good ones and the bad ones. When a good one arrives, a bad one follows suit. McNab possesses this information because a good Visitor inhabited his daughter, leading to her eventual hunt and death at the hands of a bad one. He bears a gruesome scar on his arm from an encounter with the bad Visitor’s trap, and it was this experience that granted him the ability to sense the exact location of the trap’s edge. (This is how he managed to spray-paint a boundary around the ranch.)
In the current scenario, Travis finds himself joining McNab’s alien-hunting team, which includes Olsen from last week’s episode. Interestingly, Olsen has been taken over by an alien known as Assassin, but subsequently, the entity moved into Ellen’s body and fatally harmed Olsen. The trio discloses that they, along with a group of online alien enthusiasts, have been monitoring a woman named Mary Ellis Drucker for two years. There seems to be a malevolent alien within her, and her odd behavior in the run-up to a meteor shower has caught their attention. It appears that a benevolent alien is expected, and Assassin, residing in Mary Ellis, intends to chase her down – however, McNab, Olsen, and Travis are likely to encounter trouble first.
In simpler terms, this attempt unfolds disastrously. They trail her to the Navarros’ farm where James and Ruben are currently stuck. Meanwhile, Travis is filling a pool for a later purpose, while McNab and Olsen chase Mary Ellis as she pursues Carmen – the original host of Harbinger. Despite their confident demeanor, McNab and Olsen prove completely ineffective; during this time, Mary Ellis manages to escape, shoot one of the Navarros, and hide in a silo with the rainbow tree, the source of the trap. McNab senses the impending activation of the trap, so he promptly abandons Travis. Carmen, bound, flees into the woods. Mary Ellis then transfers Assassin to Travis, freeing herself from its control. She shoots Travis twice in the chest before taking her own life, and Assassin moves to Olsen when he finally arrives to investigate. I can scarcely conceive of a plan going awry more than this one.
Currently, after detailing how everything unfolded, Travis chooses to take his own life in order to confirm to his deceased aunt Judy that her beliefs about extraterrestrial conspiracies were accurate. Farewell, Travis; it’s a pity you befriended the eccentric bar regular. Later, James steps out and saves Ruben from the silo where he had been trapped due to the rainbow tree. Ruben responds by hitting James in the face as a form of retaliation, since James had been intimate with his wife. Although we sympathize with Ruben’s feelings of deception, James is quite accurate when he states, “I don’t have time for this,” and they both mount up to leave. On their journey back, they meet Arlo, Meryl, Nicholas, and the wounded McNab, concluding the episode.
Contrasting the lengthy, information-packed fifth episode (the longest being the premiere of Teacup, seemingly extended for no apparent reason), the second episode of this week swiftly moves the plot forward, leading to an anticipated finale. Upon returning home, the Shanleys immediately head back into the woods in search of any residual rainbow goo that Nicholas had dropped earlier. If they find some and manage to drink it, they could potentially break free from their predicament. Regrettably, this strategy fails. Ruben and Valeria’s relationship is strained due to infidelity, and upon reaching the location of the goo, a wolf appears, consumes all of it, and strolls away unharmed through the trap without any harm. This moment might be the most absurd part of the series thus far.
Fortunately, the series cleverly avoids the predictable by having Donald suspect Ellen’s story, given that Olsen was shot while still tied up, not after supposedly escaping as stated. He shares this with James, who quickly pieces together the inconsistency with the tale Travis shared and realizes that his mother is actually Assassin. This revelation comes without delay, avoiding the tired trope of a scene where he struggles to accept his sweet old mother could be involved in such actions.
Unfortunately, Ellen has vanished, and it’s not just her – McNab is also causing problems. In the meantime, Maggie, using her veterinary skills, is attending to McNab’s knife injury. While McNab is unconscious, she converses with Arlo who reveals that Harbinger is on a quest to locate a machine and prepare for an invasion. He must accomplish this without stirring the other assassins hidden within people. Suddenly, McNab regains consciousness and brandishes a firearm, leading to a confrontation between McNab, Maggie, and James that is interrupted when Donald bursts in, gets wounded, but fortunately survives due to Olsen’s body armor which he had donned. However, McNab manages to escape.
The group separated to locate McNab and Ellen, yet only found Ellen. It’s uncertain if Assassin is still residing within Ellen or someone else at this point. Donald discovered Ellen; does that make him the prime suspect for who might have transferred the Visitor to another person? However, it remains unclear when such a transfer could have taken place. Regardless, Maggie believes there are sufficient reasons to doubt Ellen’s guilt, so she suggests releasing her from restraints. Since any of the adults could potentially be Assassin, they decide it’s best to keep their distance from Arlo-Harbinger, Meryl, and Nicholas. Eventually, Assassin will likely reveal its identity.
However, if Nicholas discovers the contents of McNab’s notebook, he might hold the solution we seek. Upon identifying the mysterious figure known as Assassin, they could neutralize it… by submerging its host underwater. This rationale behind the resuscitation instructions found near Travis’ pool setup at the Navarros’ residence becomes clear.
In my perspective, who is Assassin remains a question that needs answering. Will everyone find a way to evade the trap we’re in? That’s another enigma I can’t wait to unravel. As for the device Harbinger is pursuing, it seems crucial to the storyline. And when he mentions “preparing for an invasion,” I can only guess at its significance.
Crossing the Line
• There’s one player we learned about this week who hasn’t made a proper appearance: Hayden, the guy in the muscle car from the flashbacks. He was McNab and Olsen’s old partner before they had a falling-out. Hayden must know all about the Visitors, and he’ll presumably pop up on one side of the trap or another for the finale.
• McNab gave Travis a little vial of goo. Wonder if that will come in handy.
Turns out the intimidating canine I’d been dreading was merely one of Mary Ellis’s well-trained pets, a bit anticlimactic, to be honest.
In episode six, a plane is initially spotted soaring above. It leaves one pondering, “Just how far up does the trap stretch?” A bit of anticipation had built up within me, expecting it to plummet down.
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2024-10-24 15:54