‘Teacup’ Recap: ‘Think About the Bubbles’ & ‘My Little Lighthouse’

10/12/2024

Written by John Edward Betancourt

TEACUP -- "Think About the Bubbles" Episode 101 -- Pictured: Rob Morgan as McNab -- (Photo by: Mark Hill/Peacock)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for the Series Premiere of ‘Teacup’.

If there is one particular thought we often carry in this life, it is that the worst-case scenario, will never happen to us. Because the worst of the worst isn’t reserved for us. After all, we live in America. Where health care is aces and where law and order rule the land. So, the uprisings we see on the news that destabilize a nation cannot happen here, and there will be no spreading of plague or illness because of the science we have around us, the kind that truly allows for us to just live in peace and see that madness from afar through the comfort of television and social media. But what’s fascinating about this thought, is that it is about as false as they come.

Because the world is and will forever be filled with chaos and all it takes sometimes is a single moment or the perfect storm to bring the worst-case scenario to our doorstep. In fact, we’ve seen it happen in the past few years, courtesy of an insurrection in Washington D.C., alongside… a pandemic that kept us inside and kept us filled with rightful fear. For who knew in those early days what it would do to people. Yet, we still try to hold to that thought, in part because it has been difficult for us to process the reality that we are indeed vulnerable in such a manner and also because… those days were just that damn scary, and that thought offers comfort. So how then do we process the trauma of those days? Well, storytelling is one particular way, since it can put our concerns, fears and pain on display, and it just so happens that Peacock is now home to a horror show… that takes a moment to outright confront our trauma in its series premiere.

A feat that Teacup accomplishes in ‘Think About the Bubbles’ and ‘My Little Lighthouse’ by plunging us into the heartland of America. Wherein we meet the Chenowith family, who are simply doing their best to get by since their future is uncertain as a unified family. Mainly because the father and mother in the family, James and Maggie, are on the outs. For James has been unfaithful and Maggie wants a husband that only wants her, and as they ponder upon their future… something awful lurks in the shadows. For in the woods surrounding their home is a great evil. One that can claim any soul with a solid look into the eyes of its victim, and what that victim becomes is terrifying to say the least and unfortunately for them, that evil has found its way into their home through their son, Arlo. And now, this family and the unfortunate few who made their way onto their property must figure out how to defeat this great evil. One that is so powerful that any who try and leave and avoid confrontation… will pay the ultimate price

TEACUP -- "My Little Lighthouse" Episode 102 -- Pictured: Caleb Dolden as Arlo Chenoweth -- (Photo by: Mark Hill/Peacock)

Which is a plot, that wastes zero time in scaring the audience. Because this is that rare horror story that goes hard from the start, granted there are breaks in the tension, but that opening scene, is so uncomfortable and so twisted, that the vibe is essentially set from the get-go. Which allows for the ugliness to persist and hang over the story and it only grows in power as the evil takes root, and that truly lays down the foundation for a genuinely scary story. One that hints that we are going to be in for some genuinely chilling moments and some stunning gore, as evidenced by the ‘transformation’ that takes place in episode two when someone breaks the rules, and that alone makes for a worthwhile journey. One that is indeed further enhanced by its delicious commentary regarding the show’s central theme.

Because it finds a way to reflect our false hopes to be isolated away from trouble and puts our trauma on display with the setting of the show. Since that Romero-esque, Night of the Living Dead setting… reflects how we think we are safe from what lies beyond and that it cannot find us because of where we thrive. But it can, and the arrival of McNab, with his mask and his demands that isolation take place completely echo the pandemic and the helplessness of those dark days. All of which speaks to how, we have no control in life, and we cannot control what finds us. We can only roll with it, process it and handle it as best we can, and while that doesn’t happen here… this clearly sets the stage for a journey wherein these characters either will or won’t, and we can learn accordingly from their actions.

All of which brings forth, a smart and intense horror story. One that is refreshing and original with its concepts and plays out with a solid sense of realism because of its real-world echoes. Which is something you can never go wrong with, because great horror connects with us before it scares us and that is truly what this series does. Courtesy of those plot elements, the amazing writing that sets the stage and the wondrous acting present here. Since that too adds to the realism and horror of the moment. But what matters most is that this really is a story that is intended to take us on a wild ride, one that will teach us plenty about living in the moment, and what matters, since we are at the mercy of a world that thrives upon chaos so profound, that it can find us anywhere, at any time. Until next time.

To learn more about ‘Teacup’, visit our interviews with Showrunner Ian McCulloch and Cast Members Yvonne Strahovski, Scott Speedman, Chaske Spencer, Rob Morgan, Emilie Bierre, and Caleb Dolden.

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