The Eternal Enemy
In the ninth episode of The Midnight Club, Dr Stanton reveals who is going home. It’s Sandra. She no longer has terminal lymphoma and it seems like she’s been healed. ..
Ilonka speaks to Kevin about his sleepwalking. Apparently he’s been doing this for a while and even woken up in the bed downstairs a few time. She pleads with him to open up, where he admits that the rooms and walls are different. Sometimes he doesn’t feel alone, as if someone is coming for him.
Ilonka has been seeing the old lady, Kevin has been haunted by this old man. So who is the pair? Well, they intend to go to the library to find out. ..
With all the group together, Kevin asks everyone about their visions. It turns out it’s just Ilonka and Kevin experiencing this; everyone else most certainly hasn’t.
Cheri believes that Natsuki is suffering from a mental disorder called folie a deux, which is when two people share a delusion. Natsuki has an alternate theory about the “eater of years,” but it doesn’t seem to hold much weight in this case. ..
Ilonka changes the subject and brings up how the ritual was a success and someone is going home. Ilonka believes that it’s her…until Sandra speaks up and unveils the truth. She’s also going home too, as her grandparents are going to pick her up. She’s going tomorrow. Of course, this completely crushes Ilonka.
Sandra was the one who was whispering in the hallway. She wanted to give Spencer hope, but then she left. ..
Ilonka storms out of the house, telling Katherine that her arrival takes a toll on Kevin. When Kevin arrives and overhears her ranting, he is shocked and asks her just what she’s doing.
Ilonka heads to Brightcliffe to find out if the ritual worked for her. When she arrives, she learns that Shasta is actually Julia Jayne, who has been living on the outskirts of the town for years.
Julia has decided to try and give back the healing magic to the group, hence the cult and knowing about the Paragon Book. Well, she decides they should head off together and go to the basement together, where Julia promises to heal her as she has all the tools to do just that.
Mark tells Spence that they need to be visible at the upcoming rally.
Ilonka heads back to Brightcliffe and into the library, apologizing for her actions to the whole group. It’s Sandra’s final night and this time, the story duties turn to Spencer. The story is about destiny and he calls it “The Eternal Enemy.” Rel is the protagonist and despite being devilishly handsome, he doesn’t have many friends. At college, he clearly has the hots for Christopher Perry and tries to find a way to connect with him. ..
Christopher is into electronics and robotics. He’s a sci-fi geek and Rel suggests they hang out and watch Terminator, which he recorded the night before. Unfortunately, the video doesn’t record and instead it’s American Football. ..
Anyway, the game keeps going and they end up winning a lot of money. They even start having sex in the bar while taping the games. But then something strange happens… Rel starts to get sick. He has a fever and his body is shaking. Christopher tries to help him but it’s too late. Rel dies in Christopher’s arms."
Rel decides to save the life of the girl from school the next day despite not wanting to record it. Despite this, he does and this time, it’s Christopher himself who winds up on the news as having died, dismembered by an unknown weapon.
The man in the hooded cloak seems to have futuristic weaponry, and Rel is only able to stop him with the help of a cyborg from the future. However, there is a problem: Rel is actually a defective robot that escaped back in time before he could be decommissioned.
Christopher from the future is actually present day Christopher. And guess what? So too is present day Christopher! Eventually, Rel succumbs to his fate. The only thing left behind is a VCR. ..
This VCR tape confirms everything Christopher is going to do in the future. In a future of robotics, Rel reminds him that there’s beauty in sorrow and imperfections. And in that moment, the future changes and Christopher decides not to actually see defects in people after all and that Rel is perfect the way he is.
Spence finishes his beautiful story; it juxtaposes his own history with a guy called Christopher who made him sick but he doesn’t lament him for it. ..
After the group split up, Ilonka let in Julia Jayne and her group who went to the basement to start their ritual. She’s not alone though and has four other women with her. Ilonka is encouraged to drink some strange cocktail, which she’s told is “tea,” but it’s very clearly not. ..
Derek Stanton shows up and tries to stop Ilonka. Just before she takes a sip, the other women begin convulsing and collapse on the ground. They’ve been poisoned. Julia scrambles across the ground and grabs Ilonka. She smacks her head hard against the wall and passes out.
The Episode Review
The Midnight Club is finally over and it’s time to say goodbye. The sci-fi twists and time travel elements are a nice touch, while the reveal that it’s actually Sandra rather than Ilonka who’s heading home is a nice touch, especially as she’s the only one who didn’t get involved in the circle.
The show has failed to really capture the essence of horror stories, or expanded upon its meta examination of horror tropes. In fact, most of the scares have actually derived from jump scares, so make of that what you will after the first episode established that as a poor horror trope!
Despite all of the problems, the show is still watchable and the overarching theme about death and accepting one’s mortality is a good one. However, this has been very average across the board.
