Big Brother Is Watching You
Episode 3 of The Midwich Cuckoos begins two years after the births of these children. Some narration from Zoe confirms that everyone in Midwich has kept their mouths shut, pointing out that their worlds have grown smaller, and confined to this village. They’ve all got used to their lives being watched, with their children undoubtedly special for their ages. Everyone believes blindly that their lives are normal… until one morning when everything changes. Cue the start of this chapter! The third episode of The Midwich Cuckoos begins two years after the births of these children. Some narration from Zoe confirms that everyone in Midwich has kept their mouths shut, pointing out that their worlds have grown smaller, and confined to this village. They’ve all got used to their lives being watched, with their children undoubtedly special for their ages. Everyone believes blindly that their lives are normal… until one morning when everything changes. ..
Jodie is still living at Paul’s, having given birth to a boy called Nathan. He’s about to start school at Midwich Prep, joined by all the other mysterious children. Interestingly, there’s another strange ripple with the electricity again, leading to all the kids heading outside together, meeting another little girl who happens to be part of their group. ..
This is Sunny, the daughter of Amrita, who was having an affair with Stewart. Sunny is taken back to the McClean household for the time being.
Susannah learns from Amrita that she and Stewart had an arrangement. He agreed to pay her money to stay away from their family. Somehow she – along with some of the other kids – have enhanced hearing and listen in to everything. “I want to see the others” Sunny eventually says, naming all the other kids who happen to be in Midwich.
The kids in Ward 300 are somehow psychically linked to the pictures on computer screens in the government-funded lab they’re taken to through their lives. Some of them have been seen in the same places, and some of them have been seen with the same people. It’s possible that they’re all connected in some way, but we don’t know for sure.
The thing is, despite believing this is a choice, none of them have left and given how strictly they’ve been monitored, it seems unlikely they ever will. Zoe speaks to Amrita in confidence about this and tells her that if she wants to leave, she should do it now. Interestingly, Amrita also confirms that a man showed up a while back, allegedly claiming to be a doctor. He spoke to Sunny for an hour and then left. It would now appear that these kids are linked together like some sort of hive mind.
Zoe and Sam’s child, Hannah, speaks to Sam later on and tells him that only he loves her now, not Zoe. Zoe then approaches her mother telepathically and forces her hand above a saucepan on the stove, burning her. Outside, Sam speaks to Curtis while this is going on, who admits he’s only agreed to take in his special child “until the money runs out.” Jesus Christ, what a scumbag. ..
Sarah’s husband, Stewart, tells her that he has been seeing a woman named Amrita and that she is his mother. Amrita seems to be able to talk to Sarah and hug her, but the lights in Midwich start flickering on and off just like before.
That night, Amrita begins packing up Sunny’s belongings, ready to leave. Sunny though, refuses to go. Elsewhere, Zoe shows up to see Susannah and tells her about Hannah’s telepathic power, hurting her. Zoe believes that Hannah’s hostility stems from her believing she’s a threat to the young girl. Susannah doesn’t seem to believe Zoe, chalking this up to some form of paranoia. ..
Zoe returns to Bryony, who is waiting with footage of her talking to Amrita. Zoe claims she got lost and feigns ignorance, which surprisingly seems to work. ..
Sunny leaves with Amrita, but all the kids bolt upright in bed when she does, watching out their windows. Down in the parking lot, Sunny causes all the car alarms to go off simultaneously.
The next scene shows Amrita sitting in the backseat of a car with Sunny, who is driving. Zoe’s voicemail plays in the background, informing Amrita that she has been replaced as Stewart’s assistant. ..
Zoe heads upstairs to check on her daughter, Hannah, when she happens to be awake and watching from the bedroom. She looks at her mother and puts a finger to her lips, telling her chillingly to be quiet.
The Episode Review
Although this is a slightly slower chapter, The Midwich Cuckoos continues to deliver enthralling drama. With all the kids now a lot older and a slightly different dynamic to this chilling horror, the drama this time shifts across to more of an eerie mystery as we’re left to wonder quite what they may know – and what they’re keeping a secret.
With the revelation that these kids are a hivemind or some sort, it would appear that aliens are the culprit here. The recurring motif from the first two episodes of the overhead shot of a circle (the horse spinning in circles and the motorized lawnmower turning) are missing this time, as the show slows and becomes much more of a character-driven ensemble.
There’s nothing wrong with that of course, and the ending does hint that everything is going to pick up in the chapters to come. For now though, we’ll have to wait and see what the future has in store for us. ..
