Blackout

Zoe and Sam are taken aback by the girl’s appearance. They don’t know what to make of her and ask her what she wants. She tells them that she is a “Midwich Cuckoo”, a creature that has been cursed with the ability to see through people’s lies. She says that she has seen things that no one else can see, and that they must leave before it gets too late. The couple decide to go with the girl, but they are quickly stopped again by the soldiers. This time, they are more prepared and fight back. The girl is eventually defeated, and leaves without taking any money or anything else from them.

Midwich is a small town in England that is home to a number of different people with their own issues. A young girl named Charlotte goes to therapy, Cassie has an estranged relationship with her mother, Susannah, and an affair is going on between an MP and his aide, Amrita. ..

But what could be the cause of this strange behavior? Some say it’s the result of a new technology that’s been Introduced to town, but no one knows for sure. The electrics in town have begun to fizzle out and some birds have flown sporadically, but no one knows for sure what is causing this.

The police are called to a strange pulsating electric outage. The electrics aren’t out, at least not yet, and the substations haven’t gone down or anything either. They can’t explain what’s going on.

As the evening draws in, Zoe and Sam decide to make the most of it and strip off, having sex in the living room. However, that attracts the attention of a neighbour, Rachel, who watches them from her window.

That night, an eerie purple-orange light appeared over the village and everyone fell to the ground. They all woke up hours later, but the horses had also passed out. ..

Susannah heads out for her date with Michael, but the date doesn’t go to plan and eventually leads to Susannah heading home, unsatisfied and dismayed. Her bad luck continues at the station, as it’s announced that all trains leading into Midwich are cancelled. ..

Susannah is in the area of a blast that has injured many people. She’s been turned away by the police and has to find another way in. Susannah finds a way into the area and sees that there are many people in hazmat suits around checking it. Even the hazmat suits look like they’re not going to help, as one of the men passes out when he steps into the area. Susannah tries running away but gets caught up in whatever this blast is and passes out too.

A strange blast has hit Midwich, England, and according to MI5 officer Paul Haynes, 11,000 people in the town could be in danger. The blast appears to be centered around the local prep school and it’s also affecting everyone there. ..

Susannah wakes up to find herself in a dark and dangerous place. She is surrounded by dead bodies, and she knows that she is not alone. Suddenly, she hears a noise and sees a light. It’s Paul, and he is trying to help her. But Susannah can’t escape the danger, and she knows that she won’t be able to survive much longer. ..

Deborah is one of the women affected and inside this area. She’s worried, and even more so when the evacuation is eventually ordered without word on those inside the blackout area. It’s a mandatory evac but thing soon turn ugly. As things reach fever pitch, Cassie manages to ring her mother, having awoken on the street. Everyone else inside the area suddenly, and inexplicably, regains consciousness again. Thankfully so too does the white horse. Phew!

Bryony heads over to Deborah’s place and notices the stove is still on and gas is pouring into the kitchen. Jodie is there too, and although she makes it out to safety, Deborah does not. When Paul shows up, he’s distraught as he realizes his wife has passed away. ..

As the episode comes to a close, several different women touch their bellies as it appears that they are pregnant. But why? We’ll have to wait to find out! ..

The Episode Review

The Midwich Cuckoos are a group of people who have been turned into cuckoos by a mad scientist. They’re now forced to live in a world where everything is controlled by the scientist and they can do nothing to change it. The opening chapter is full of tension and suspense, as the Cuckoos try to figure out how to get back to their own world and protect themselves from the scientist.

The start of this episode is promising, with Zoe and Sam leaving their house to meet the strange girl. However, we know that in 5 years everything will go wrong. This is a solid episode to start the journey, with decent acting and a pretty impressive sound design too.

The ending of the novel hints that there may be more drama to come, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens with our characters.