Peacock has been rolling out two episodes of Teacup a week and due to the short runtime, it’s been a solid strategy. With episodes 5 & 6, however, a disparity in episode-length and format makes for very different viewing experiences.
Episode four of Teacup ended on a cliffhanger as Olsen (Bill Heck) infected Ellen (Kathy Baker) with ‘Assassin’ before he was executed by her. “I’m A Witness To The Sickness” teleplay writer Michael O’Shea makes the bold decision to sideline the present day in favour of a flashback-heavy episode that unpacks the history between Olsen, McNab (Rob Morgan) and Travis (Chucky‘s Jackson Kelly), the teen holding James (Scott Speedman) hostage in the cellar.
It’s a completely different type of episode, in part because it’s packed with exposition about the Visitors and the difference between Harbinger and the Assassins. Episode five also notably barely features any of our regular cast members and is nearly double the length of the other episodes. This affords the narrative breathing room to flesh out not just previously seen characters like McNab and Olsen, but introduce Travis in a meaningful way.
The result is one of the best episodes of the limited series. Perhaps it’s because episode five isn’t beholden to balancing the mysteries of the present or because director John Hyams (Sick, Alone) is so adept at handling the rhythm and pacing of shooting an action TV show that’s primarily set outdoors (see: Black Summer), but it stands out in stark contrast to the other episodes of the series.
It’s a rare example of a series trying something completely different and succeeding unconditionally.
It does, however, make episode six “You Don’t Know What It Means To Win” a bit underwhelming by comparison. It’s by no means a bad episode, but it’s hard to shake the feeling that Teacup is using the half-hour to set up its final episodes.
It doesn’t help that narratively-speaking, this is pretty slight. Although Teacup has been effective at mining paranoia in a confined setting for most of its run, here the long stretches of James, Ruben (Chaske Spencer), and Valeria (Diany Rodriguez) searching the property for Ellen and McNab aren’t as exciting as Hyams and co. may have hoped.
Despite this, it’s hard not to admire the efficiently of the series, which routinely barrels forward with new mysteries and developments. In other shows, Don (Boris McIver)’s ill-advised rush at McNab would have resulted in him being shot and wounded. Here, the bulletproof vest merely reinforces his smarts.
Ditto the reveal that Ellen has become infected. Rather than stretching it out and making characters look stupid, James and Reuben immediately deduce that Olsen was tied up when he was shot and no one can corroborate Ellen’s story, which means she’s likely Assassin.
It’s a wise decision because the characters are being smart, which is more enjoyable to watch than stupid characters whose bad decisions drive the plot.
Other Observations:
- Maggie (Yvonne Strahovski) doesn’t get much to do other than fix up McNab, plead for Arlo (Caleb Dolden) and point out that they can’t trust each other. This is partially a byproduct of sidelining the regular cast for a whole episode, but something tells me Maggie will get plenty more to do in the last two episodes.
- Shout-out to Kelly for taking over as defacto protagonist in episode five and absolutely nailing it. It can’t be easy to parachute in for a single backstory-heavy episode, but Kelly makes it look easy. Travis’ uncertainty and concern as McNab and Olsen execute their violent plan to stop Assassin is palpable, particularly when things go to shit and people start dying.
- Hyams’ direction is particularly well suited to long takes and action sequences so it’s no surprise that the Navarro shoot-out is so effective. It’s a really exciting sequence that proves how dangerous Assassin can be.
- James’ rescue of Reuben from the trap is also really good. Last week I speculated that Reuben would be infected by it (this is proven untrue), but episode six proves that Reuben is still drawn to the alien substances. Note his temporary trance when he and Valeria seek out the shattered jar that Harbinger collected in episode four.
- Episode six ends with Nicholas (Luciano Leroux) dropping the cliffhanger line by announcing that the way to free someone from Assassin’s possession is to drown them. So who’s getting wet in episode seven? My bet: Maggie.
Teacup airs two episodes every Thursday on Peacock