‘The Changeling’ Recap: ‘This Woman’s Work’

9/23/2023

Written by John Edward Betancourt

LaKeith Stanfield in Episode 105 of ‘The Changeling’ – ‘This Woman’s Work’. (Photo Courtesy of Apple.)

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Five of ‘The Changeling’. To revisit the previous episode, click here. Also, this piece was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes. Without the labor of the writers and actors currently on strike, the series being covered here wouldn’t exist.

One particular truth about love that no one enjoys learning, is the sheer fact that love… can keep us from seeing certain truths about the person we adore. For the soaring feeling it installs in our souls, and the hope it engenders prompts us to not think about red flags and/or toxic behavior. It just prompts us to forge ahead in the belief that love can and will fix all things, when in fact… that puts on a path to disaster. One that ends in heartbreak, and eventually, that lesson in question. But that of course, begs some important questions for those who have yet to experience this aspect of love. In that, how then do we learn that lesson? What has to happen to see it clearly so we can never deal with that kind of emotional rollercoaster ride ever again? Well, it just so happens, that the next episode of The Changeling on Apple TV+ offers up answers to those very questions in a supremely fascinating and unique manner.

For ‘This Woman’s Work’ was a story that made sure to point out… that in order to heal… and learn this lesson… we absolutely have to steer clear of anything related to that ugly relationship. Because what we often forget about love, the kind that in essence, fools us into thinking it is the end all be all, is that it needs time to fade, and we need time to learn how to love ourselves and be free of that co-dependency we harbor for the person and the emotion. Otherwise, it’s easy to let it surge through us again and start a toxic cycle anew. Wherein we find reasons to justify why perhaps they deserve agency or a second chance, and that… just keeps us in a dark and unfortunate place. One that Apollo slipped back into in this story. Because eventually, Cal let him out of his cell and worked to help him understand the sanctuary’s purpose and what made Emma turn upon her child and do the unthinkable.

Which was… everything that Apollo has been searching for since things went south on that fateful day, and well… the story that Cal sold to help him ‘comprehend’ was both dangerous and unsettling. Because she spoke of a world where mysticism was real. Where creatures that lurked in the shadows would sometimes make their way into the real world and replace children and people to taste our lives and sow chaos, and well… Emma knew this, and came to believe little Brian was one of these creatures. And the only way to save the family from certain otherworldly doom… was to put him down. And well, since Apollo was still in that vulnerable state, and eager to find good in Emma and something to love about her… he bought this hook line and sinker. To the point where he began to believe in this evil, especially when Dear William… began to act as though he was something from another world.

All of which spoke to how important it is to step away from those emotions and those feelings, or we will find ourselves in an equally as lost and lovelorn place, one that will lead to more trouble and heartbreak. But what made this lesson so fascinating, is that it continued the show’s proud tradition… of messing with the audience. Because the flashbacks we saw of Emma seeing things that were weird regarding Brian, and of course, William’s creepy turn here… leaves us wondering… was Emma telling the truth? And that the mystical nature of this series isn’t about a coping mechanism? Or were we simply privy to an exploration regarding mental health, wherein we watched the collapse in real time and Apollo is indeed being sucked into something disastrous and evil by needing to find the love he craves from Emma?

Time will tell regarding those questions, but that aside, all of those elements made for one engaging and thoughtful tale. One that truly offered up a bevy of fascinating concepts and moments. Since we so rarely see this story’s core commentary regarding love on display in visual storytelling, and regardless of which camp you fall into regarding whether or not this story is indeed mysticism come to life, one cannot deny that its look at Emma’s struggles and William’s off behavior, spoke to the realities that accompany mental health breakdowns and post-partum depression. If anything, this was just a powerful story about three broken people and how hard it is to pick up the pieces of anything when our pain is fresh, and it will be fascinating to see what other amazing lessons, and creepy surprises and big reveals await us… as we continue to follow Apollo through the painful and powerful world, he is now a part of. Until next time.

Watch ‘The Changeling’

0 Comments