‘The Mosquito Coast’ Recap: ‘Bus Stop’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Four of ‘The Mosquito Coast’.

Most of the lessons that we learn in life, we take to heart and carry with us for the rest of our days. To the point where we are eager to teach them to our children and younger family members, so that they don’t make the same mistakes that we do. But sometimes in life, there are lessons that we have to learn multiple times, for different reasons. Because sometimes, the situations simply aren’t the same and the new scenario doesn’t throw up the same warning signs as the original one. Or we’re mentally and emotionally compromised because we’re under incredible duress and not thinking clearly in the slightest. Which can cause us to lower our guard and let the moment wash over us or there’s a chance that the situation is so outlandish and unique that we’re unable to process the trouble that lies in wait.

If anything, the lessons we learn time and time again and the strange scenarios that sometimes bring them forth is top of mind today… simply because the Fox family has to deal with such matters in the next episode of The Mosquito Coast. For when we catch up with Allie and his clan in ‘Bus Stop’, they find themselves in quite the cozy place. For the folks that rescued them, drop them off at a beautiful villa where food and drink and clean clothing and a chance to relax… surrounds them at every turn and well, it doesn’t take long for the family to settle in and enjoy their new digs and well… that’s when the lesson in question comes into play. Because this place seems a little too perfect, allowing for the age-old notion of ‘if it seems too good to be true’ to come to life.

Which is shocking because this family is keenly aware of their surroundings and rarely lets anything slip by. But their ability to be sucked into this world speaks volumes to how stress and anxiety can compromise us, as can hope for a break from a tough situation and well… that definitely puts them in quite the tough place. For soon they learn that the matriarch of this family has put together a long game to get Allie to surrender himself in exchange for a bounty, since he is apparently public enemy number one back home. But thankfully, this broken yet intrepid family, was able to think on the fly and put together their own counter defense to ensure their freedom and their safety, and most important of all… they know collectively, to truly question any perfect situation going forward, so they don’t find themselves in a compromised position once again. 

Yet while that made for some powerful moments, since seeing Margot brandish a gun speaks volumes to her toughness and desire to protect her family at costs, and some tense ones as well… since the dinner scene was worrisome for certain, where this episode truly shined was in its surprise commentary. Because for a better part of this tale, it seemed as though the narrative was simply going to be focused on the core theme. But a powerful confrontation at the end between Chuy and Allie, served as a wake-up call for the latter man involved in that altercation. One that hammered home the fact that he is something of a hypocrite for preaching the need to abandon American ideals, but has no problem embracing the right ones when they suit his needs and that hypocrisy will bring him trouble if he can't let go of it. And that also sums up the core commentary of this series quite nicely and it will be interesting to see if Allie heeds Chuy’s words when the family gets where they are going.

As to where that is, who knows? For when we leave them here, they’re back on their own once again in uncharted territory. But while we wait to see where they plan to settle, we can bask in one thrilling and curious tale. One that finally hinted at what Allie did, to be in this current position since he admitted to working with the NSA in some capacity and it was equally as nice to see that Margot will indeed stand up for her family when the moment is right, since she has let Allie just control the narrative and their actions to this point and well, this is another episode that leaves you hungry for more. Because now fans of this series are curious to see as to whether or not Margot’s moment of bravery here will transform into more with this family on such shaky ground and whether or not the family can stand by their father when the truth comes out since it was strongly implied here, that Allie’s twisted views, have caused irreparable damage. Until next time.
 
‘The Mosquito Coast’ is streaming now on AppleTV+.

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