The Russians
Episode 5 of Midwich Cuckoos begins a year later from the events of the previous chapter. Cut off from the world, Zoe decides to write up her experiences. She discusses how living in Midwich is like living under occupation. The difference here though is that the kids are the wardens and the gatekeepers. Zoe wants the terror to end, and believes telling the whole world what’s going on is key to this. Sam is working alongside her. Zoe begins writing about her experiences in Midwich after being cut off from society for a year. She says that living there feels like being under occupation, with children acting as guards and gatekeepers. Zoe believes that telling the world about what’s happening will help bring an end to this terror. Sam also joins her in this effort, working together to share their stories and raise awareness about what’s happening in Midwich ..
Zoe hands over her work to Bryony and demands a meeting, while the rest of the mums remain unaware of this in Midwich as they attend their usual group therapy session.
The official report from Amrita comes back, stating that she got blind drunk and got into the wrong vehicle, causing an accident. This is obviously not true, but it is the cover story they are running with all the same. Paul knows this and tells Susannah as much, wanting her help in understanding what these kids are doing - and their affect on the others. ..
The kids in the town have been getting more and more active, and despite some months of peace, they begin acting up again. They damage Jodie’s nose-ring and watch everyone like a hawk.
Zoe tells Bryony and Sam that she wants to leave Midwich with them. They bring up the NDA she signed, but Zoe bites back, promising to destroy everything she’s got if she can leave town. Bryony eventually agrees. When Zoe walks triumphantly back to her house though, she ends up holding her stomach again. Yep, she’s pregnant!
Zoe is seen by Joe up in her room looking at the envelope and unfortunately, that news gets across to Hannah, who heads upstairs to take a look herself.
Susannah and Paul collaborate to clean up the audio of Nathan’s conversation with Susannah. They hear fragments of Russian in the static, and Paul has it “cleaned up.”
Paul is continuing his investigation into the strange occurrence in Russia where the population of a town suddenly dropped to 0 over a matter of weeks in 1973. He is angry that it has been kept from him and calls out Bryony for her lies. ..
Susannah tells Cassie about what happened in the past and the big secret she’s been keeping. It turns out Susannah actually gave up Cassie for a year to foster parents when she was going through a rough time. They had the option to adopt her for real but Susannah managed to get better and decided bring Cassie back. She was ashamed to tell Cassie, who has become convinced that Evie punishing her for any wrongdoings is a good thing because she’s only doing it “when she deserves it.”
There is a clear correlation between domestic violence, and the show. When Evie shows up, she tells Susannah that she’s “too late to stop it.”
Joe forces Sam to pick up a weedkiller and spray it in his own face.
The children of the town of Russian that lost its population to zero in 1973 were brought to our planet by aliens in order to be welcomed. However, they were tricked and killed by the Russians, who then evacuated the town and bombed it. The children are angry because they died and their home was destroyed. ..
After understanding why they’re so angry, Hannah controls Zoe and forces a whole bunch of poisonous berries into her hand. Paul attempts to stop her but Nathan drops him to the ground before he can interfere. ..
Susannah manages to stop the madness, talking to Evie and promising that things will be okay and love will return – but only if they don’t hurt Zoe. If this doesn’t happen, then Susannah is going to bear the brunt of blame here. “A promise is forever granny,” Evie says, as all the kids relinquish their grips, and the episode comes to a close.
The Episode Review
In this episode of “Stranger Things,” we explore the reasons why the kids are so distrustful of their European cousins and why they want to be loved by their parents. We see how the Europeans have taken away the love and affection that the kids once had, and we learn about how these feelings have led to a desire for independence.
The way Susannah and Paul investigate this from different angles is a nice touch too, allowing us to understand both the human cost and the hard facts surrounding what happened in the past.
Midwich is now in trouble. The townspeople are all scared and there’s not a single person who can think of a way to get out.
Despite the fact that Midwich Cuckoos has some interesting elements, the drama continues to be compelling here as we move closer to the business end of this season.
