Oh, a real tempest is stirring in Teacup as Peacock‘s acclaimed sci-fi/horror drama races towards its first season finale. And TV Insider has an exclusive peek at what to expect in this week’s two-episode ender.
Based (very loosely) on author Robert R. McCammon’s book Stinger, the series has spent the past six episodes establishing that invisible alien visitors have invaded the bodies of local neighbors in a rural Georgia community. One is known as “Harbinger” and resides inside the mind of young Arlo Chenoweth (Caleb Dolden). The other “Assassin,” has been jumping from host to host to get closer to Arlo’s unseen guest, and has a dark intention once he traps it.
We’ve also learned a lot about these characters along the way. The boy’s folks—James and Maggie (Scott Speedman and Yvonne Strahovski, respectively)—are reeling from James’ affair with a neighbor. There is also a guy in a gas mask hunting the alien who spray-painted a blue line around the farm to stop them from crossing over because really gross stuff happens if you do. Oh, and Stephen King loves the show.
TEACUP: If you like FROM or LOST, I think you’ll enjoy this. It’s strange, creepy, claustrophobic, and scary. Beware the Gas Mask Man. Short episodes. All killer, no filler. (Peacock–bows October 10th)
— Stephen King (@StephenKing) October 1, 2024
This week, even more info is unloaded (as are some guns), and the body count ticks up by a few. Will one of them be at the hands of James and Maggie?
As you can see from the above clip, the couple is torn over possibly drowning someone who needs to be purged of Assassin, before reviving said victim to return their humanity. One of the two would have to perform CPR and thus potentially become the evil alien’s newest host. For added tension, there is also the subtext that Maggie’s detached nature may have driven James into another woman’s arms. So yeah, things are not going well for these two.
Having seen the finale, we assure fans it only gets worse for the Chenoweths and everyone else left standing by the closing credits, especially once it becomes clear how close Assassin is to accomplishing its mission.
“By the end of the season you realize, ‘Oh, this is far bigger than just [what we’ve seen]’,” previewed showrunner Ian McCulloch during our set visit in Atlanta, adding that a possible next chapter would expand the story beyond the tight-knit setting.
“The trick at the end of the season is how do we make it bigger, if we’re lucky enough to have a Season 2, while keeping it as grounded as Season 1? By widening the iris, but not throwing out all the rules,” he says. “That’s how you keep it in ongoing series…you go, ‘Oh sh**, it’s out of the fire and into the frying pan.’”
Teacup, season finale, Thursday, Peacock
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