DISCLAIMER: This recap of Teacup Season 1 Episode 8, “This Is Nowhere, Part Two,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
The season finale is here, folks, and just in time for Halloween. “This Is Nowhere, Part Two” ties up very few loose ends, leaving several narrative threads for a potential Season 2. I mean, there has to be a second season. Is James still alive? (Remember the sacred TV rule: No body, no death.) Who are Hayden and Izzy? How many more assassins are truly out there? Will our heroes make it to Belknap Mountain so the harbinger can complete its mission?
All in all, Teacup Season 1 has been plagued with pacing and storytelling issues, but there are plenty of things I enjoyed about it. Yvonne Strahovski is a queen — undoubtedly my acting MVP. She gives her all, and it’s brilliant. There’s significant potential here, so long as Peacock gives the series another shot at finishing the story.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Teacup episode, “This Is Nowhere, Part One”
Teacup, “This Is Nowhere, Part Two”
We open with a young woman, Carol (Juliene Joyner), pouring a cup of tea for herself. She resides in a small, quaint neighborhood. Then, she heads into the trees near her yard to unearth a backpack. She places the backpack in the trunk of her vehicle and calls a mysterious someone. The woman informs the person on the other end that she has “it.” She asks the person to tell her where McNab (Rob Morgan) is.
Speaking of McNab, he hands Ruben (Chaske Spencer) the small vial of rainbow poison. Donald (Boris McGiver) watches as he consumes it. After this, Ruben dons gloves and heads into the burning remains of the silo, where the almost unscathed alien tree still stands. Ruben removes a tree branch, crying out in pain as he does this. Then, he quickly places the branch in McNab’s jar, which melts into the rainbow liquid. Now, they’ll have enough of it for everyone to drink.
A Personal Moment
Meanwhile, Maggie (Strahovski) and James (Scott Speedman) get personal. James explains what led him to cheat on Maggie with Valeria. Like the late Travis, he craved control over his life. Oh, this is such a lame (and trite) excuse. James compliments Maggie’s ability to exert control over every aspect of her life. He wonders if they can go back to the way things were — before he royally screwed (literally) it all up. Maggie mentions it’s a possibility, but it’ll take time.
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Next, Arlo (Caleb Dolden) wonders how they’ll capture the assassin. Beyond that, they must travel to Belknap Mountain in New Hampshire so the harbinger can turn on the machine (and destroy the other assassins). Meryl (Emilie Bierre) watches as Arlo places a marble under his teacup. Perhaps this is how they’ll entrap the assassin. Meryl spies an injured Nicholas (Luciano Leroux) outside and runs toward him.
Then, Nicholas informs Meryl that his mother told him the identity of the assassin. She also scratched him in the face. Meryl tries to head back inside to check on Arlo, but Nicholas opens his mouth, unleashing the assassin so it can hop into Meryl. Once Meryl becomes assassin-ified, she knocks Nicholas unconscious. Arlo witnesses the act and makes a break for it.
Meryl versus Maggie and James
After this, Meryl wanders through the house. Thankfully, the assassin leaves Duke, Donald’s dog, alone. At least the doggy — the most important character — is safe. Maggie confronts Meryl after Arlo tells her and James about the assassin finding a new host. Maggie trains her rifle on her daughter. The assassin threatens to kill Maggie before turning on Meryl, holding a blade to her throat. Maggie drops her weapon.
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Next, James barges into the kitchen with a gas mask. He grabs Meryl. The bathtub is full of water. Meryl struggles for a spell before Maggie, who now wears a gas mask, grabs her legs. Then, they shove Meryl into the bathtub. Meanwhile, Ruben, McNab and Donald return to the farmhouse. Ruben rushes to Nicholas’s side after finding the latter in pain. He definitely has a concussion. Nicholas mentions that Meryl houses the assassin. Before they head inside the house, though, Ellen (Kathy Baker) urges them to steer clear. She takes Arlo inside the barn.
At the same time, Maggie and James drown Meryl in the bathtub. Meryl continues to put up a fight. She knocks off James’s gas mask. However, she eventually ceases and dies underwater. They pull Meryl out, and Maggie immediately proceeds to administer CPR. James stumbles out of the bathroom. Maggie tearfully continues the CPR. Right as she loses hope, Meryl coughs. She’s alive!
The Assassin Has a New Host
In the barn, Ruben asks Nicholas about Valeria. Nicholas claims he doesn’t know where she is. He’s missing a chunk of time from when the assassin was inside him. Ruben decides to search for Valeria. He urges Nicholas to stick with McNab and the others.
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Later, Maggie and Meryl discover that the assassin is now in James. James manages to gain control of himself long enough to urge his wife and daughter to run. Outside, Nicholas stumbles upon Valeria’s corpse. He lets out a bloodcurdling scream. Ellen embraces him.
Then, James makes a beeline for Ruben. He almost kills Ruben, but Maggie steps in, firing her rifle at James. She continues shooting at James, aka the assassin, muttering to herself the advice Ruben gave her regarding guns. She refuses to let the assassin anywhere near Arlo.
A Terrible Solution
After this, James searches the barn until he discovers Arlo. Maggie arrives in time, urging her son to hide. She injects James with ketamine. Maggie and James square off. He tries to take her out. Thankfully, she thinks quickly on her feet. Maggie pushes James into an empty freezer and uses all her strength to keep the lid closed. Ruben barrels into the barn and grabs bags of horse feed to put on top of the freezer.
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Initially, Meryl protests this, reminding Maggie that James is family. He’ll suffocate in there. However, it’s the only way to keep the assassin imprisoned. Meryl, Maggie and Arlo embrace as they weep. Outside, McNab pours the rainbow liquid into multiple glasses for everyone to consume. Just a little sip will do the trick. McNab does the honors and goes first. Once he makes it safely to the other side of the blue line, Donald follows suit.
Then, the others cross after consuming the rainbow liquid. Ellen has volunteered to stay behind to care for the animals, including sweet Duke. Maggie vows to return as soon as they can. She gives Ellen a gun after they embrace.
Getting Away
The gang hops into Olsen’s van and drives off the land. The plan is to go to the fire station in New Hope (for now). They might eventually head to Belknap Mountain, but I imagine that’ll take some persuading on Arlo’s part. While en route to the fire station, Meryl reaches for Nicholas’s hand. Arlo tells them that they should be driving to New Hampshire. It’s part of the harbinger’s mission.
RELATED: Read our Teacup recaps
Suddenly, Carol waves them down in the woods. She’s with her friend, Miles. Carol asks to speak with McNab. We learn they’re online buddies and are all part of the same resistance organization. McNab reassures the others that Carol is cool.
Then, Hayden (Jeremy Conner), Olsen and McNab’s former friend, speeds into view in his orange Corvette. He barrels into Carol, sending her flying. He also hits Miles, who crashes into a tree. Both of them look pretty dead. Hayden’s passenger, Izzy (Alice Kremelberg), exits the vehicle and speaks to our heroes via megaphone. Hayden empties a backpack, revealing a jar of the rainbow liquid, zip ties and ketamine.
Don’t Trust Anyone
Izzy reveals that these people can’t be trusted. These “bastards” (the assassins) are everywhere, and they’re now waking up. She encourages our crew to stick with them. By doing so, they’ll survive. Maggie trains her gun on Izzy. She looks back at her group before replying that she wants to know what the hell is going on first.
Who are these people?
Teacup is now streaming on Peacock.
Book Review: HORROR FOR WEENIES
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
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