The Magic School Bus
Episode 7 of The Midwich Cuckoos begins with Cassie being rushed to the hospital. After seeing Evie walk out on her, she seems to have taken something but thankfully the paramedics get there in time and she’s stable. ..
What are the kids planning?
Susanna admits that she was locked in the school basement, hence her absence. Cassie doesn’t believe her, pointing out it’s a recurring story that she’s never there when Cassie needs her.
Susannah looks at the Nordosk file and is shocked to see that there were no survivors. Bryony had told her that the village was destroyed in a fire, but Susannah now knows that it was not true.
The trio soon realize that the soldiers are being controlled by the kids, who forced them to turn and shoot their superior officer. Westcott is working alongside the kids, as it would appear their target may well be Midwich and those who live there.
What happens with Curtis? Does he manage to escape with David?
Curtis pays off a shadowy figure in a car in exchange for a gun. He’s going after Joe. At the same time, Hannah sits down with Zoe and demands answers. Sam is the weak link here though, and with Ellie locked outside, playing in her paddling pool, Sam snaps and admits the truth that Susannah was at the Prep School that night and locked in the basement.
Susannah is the one who is frozen in spot outside the clinic. As the roof starts cracking and prepares to fall on her, sudden gunshots sound from behind her. It’s Curtis. He shows up and shoots Joe in cold blood. He also kills the security officer who appears out the lab too.
As a result of the shootout, Susannah and Curtis are both killed. David is left with Hannah, who controls him. She moves the gun across to David’s head, but it’s Paul who fires and kills Curtis before he can pull the trigger.
The disturbing scene unfolded at Joe’s home on Wednesday afternoon. Neighbors say the 8-year-old boy was playing with his brothers outside when he was shot and killed by an unknown assailant. The children, who are all siblings, were left in shock and grief after their brother’s death. They quickly gathered up their belongings and left the scene together, leaving the adults behind to deal with the tragedy. ..
Why do the kids want revenge? How does Mr Westcott tie into this?
The town hall is a place where the adults try to work out what’s going on. The kids have locked themselves in the school, while the military show up in town. They force everyone to stay at home and remain under strict curfew. Given they all have guns, it’s not as simple as fighting back, so the adults comply.
The military begin questioning people one by one, wanting to know where Paul Haynes is. He sneaks around them though and arrives at Susannah’s. Susannah warns that this is a takeover and the kids need to stopped.
Susannah and Cassie are both going to the compound with the military bus in the morning. If it happens that the bus gets stopped, Susannah may be able to get Nathan out of the compound before it’s too late. Cassie is willing to go with them, given how much she cares for Evie. Nathan wrote a letter to Paul earlier reading “Help me”; he doesn’t want to be part of the hive mind anymore and could be saved if they can get him out before it’s too late.
Susannah arrives at Midwich Prep, desperate to talk the kids around. Mr Westcott appears first though as Susannah tries to reason with him, pointing out that 40 years is a long time to be alone, in mourning over losing his children in Russia. “My hive died. Burned alive by your bombs.” He says bitterly.
It is clear that the man who Sunny spoke to for an hour in the past was probably Westcott, telling her to show up in town so they can start their operation, explaining that part of the mystery.
Do the kids manage to leave Midwich?
Susannah tries to talk the kids around outside the Prep School, pointing out that she does love them. After all, she’s seen them all grow up. However, Westcott is convinced that humans are deceptive by design and doesn’t believe her pleas. Mary-Anne appears though, tears streaming down her cheeks. She wants to hug her daughter before she leaves, but when she grabs the girl, refusing to give her up, the soldiers turn and fire.
Susannah pretends to be on the children’s side, despite how shook up she is, as she and Cassie are led down to the basement. Just before Nathan shuts the door, he tells Susannah that they plan to enact blackouts across the town. Nathan also lets Paul know, while Sam and Zoe snatch up Ellie and scramble down to the basement.
Susannah realizes that the plan here is for the blackout to cause the kids (or “the hive” as they’re called now) to team up and make all the adults forget they exist. All the pictures are removed from the houses, in preparation for the kids boarding their military bus out of Midwich, leaving for good.
Nathan stops by Jodie’s, but unfortunately she can’t remember who he is. When Hannah stops by her house just after, Sam and Zoe play the same game but Ellie breaks cover and says “hey Hannah!”
Zoe and Sam try to leave Midwich, but Hannah is about to hurt them both. When she sees Ellie in the doorway, she shows mercy and tells them to be quiet instead.
Are the kids stopped?
Nathan and Susannah leave Midwich for the day, but Cassie stays behind with Nathan. Susannah convinces him to take her and run away.
Nathan and Susannah manage to get away from the hive mind and go their separate ways. Nathan promises not to say anything and Cassie agrees not to tell anyone. It seems that the kids were able to work together and get Nathan away from the military.
How does The Midwich Cuckoos Season 1 end?
Susannah keeps her cool, especially when Westcott learns of the rogue agent among them. When the bus and the jeep in front are stopped, Paul hits the detonator and watches with the others as the bus is absolutely obliterated.
Zoe and Sam see the black smoke and hold hands while at the bombing site, the place is a complete mess and it seems there are no survivors, especially given the charred fragments of the bus remaining. Nathan leads Cassie away.
The Episode Review
The Midwich Cuckoos ended on a cliffhanger, which was disappointing because the series had been doing well up until that point. However, there is a lot of drama here that makes this one of the better Sky Originals this year. ..
This adaptation of the novel has been decent, on the whole, and while the motivations for the kids are a little muddied at times – why does Nathan not want to be part of the hive mind? What led him to this conclusion? Why not any of the others? – it’s enough to make for an intriguing watch nonetheless.
There’s something unnerving about little kids acting in a spooky manner and that’s something Midwich Cuckoos manages to get right from its opening episode through to this conclusion. At the same time, there have been a few characters that have just faded out, like Sunny and Mary-Anne, with the latter’s death shocking but not quite as emotionally engaging as it could have been. ..
While I understand why the show has focused on its 2 or 3 main couples, I can’t help but feel that there are other mothers out there who would have made for a more fascinating watch. Mary-Anne who hasn’t had sex in years; June who is religious and sees her daughter as a sign from God; the teen mothers alongside Cassie. These three in particular could have really helped to reflect societal struggles with parenthood, but we brush over a lot of that to get on with the story with the other couples. ..
The ending of the Sky1 series “Halloween” was a major success, with many people eager to see what would happen next. It is unknown if the show will be renewed for a second season, but for those in the UK, there has been a lot of advertising for the show. There is definitely enough here to whet the appetite for more.
