DISCLAIMER: This recap of Teacup Season 1 Episode 2, “My Little Lighthouse,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
The horror kicks into high gear on episode two of Teacup. “My Little Lighthouse” digs deeper into the mystery introduced in the series premiere. This time, one poor wild dog and Claire are the victims of whatever’s beyond McNab’s blue line. The makeup and special effects are done well here, and the gore is quite squirm-inducing. Little Arlo is creepy (and cute) as all get-out. I can’t wait to watch this narrative unfold.
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Teacup, “My Little Lighthouse”
We open interior shots of the Chenoweth farmhouse as the lights flicker on and off. We see the same thing happening in Maggie’s clinic and the surrounding area. The radio emits that high-pitched, static-like noise. McNab (Rob Morgan) watches from afar with his gas mask on. Meanwhile, Maggie (Yvonne Strahovski) cradles an unconscious Arlo (Caleb Dolden) in her arms.
James (Scott Speedman) tries to start his vehicle so they can take Arlo to the nearest hospital. However, said vehicle won’t start. Ruben (Chaske Spencer) attempts the same, but no dice, as does Donald (Boris McGiver). Donald grabs his gun and heads into the woods, hellbent on finding whatever or whoever harmed Arlo and taking them down. This person could still be out there, waiting to attack them all.
Examination
Now stuck at home without electricity, a cell signal or working cars, Maggie decides to examine Arlo herself. She notes that he might have a concussion, but otherwise, his vitals are normal. Initially, Valeria (Diany Rodriguez), Meryl (Emilie Bierre) and Nicholas (Luciano Leroux) wonder if Arlo might be faking it. After all, the blood on his face and hands isn’t his own. Maggie believes someone tried to take Arlo, though.
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Maggie assigns tasks to the other three so they’ll leave the room. She asks Arlo to be honest with her. What happened? He doesn’t know (or remember) much, but he does know this: They need to get the hell out of dodge. Maggie insists they aren’t going anywhere until she cleans him up. Then, Arlo blurts out the same weird string of words as Carmen, with particular emphasis on “murder maker.”
After this, Arlo speeds out of the room, knocking Nicholas down in the hallway. He smacks his head against the wall. Meryl takes Nicholas into another room after he notices his head is bleeding. Maggie embraces Arlo and tries to soothe him.
Cat Scratch Fever
Meanwhile, Ellen (Kathy Baker), Valeria and Claire (Holly A. Morris) hang out in the kitchen. Claire paces about nervously. What should they do? Ellen regales them with a story from her formative years. She literally contracted cat scratch fever for a month after the house cat, you guessed it, scratched her. She turned out fine. Arlo will be fine, too.
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Next, we see Meryl clean and dress Nicholas’ head wound. Nicholas panics about all the weird sh*t happening (I don’t blame him). Meryl tries reassuring him but soon admits she’s scared, too. We’re all scared here. At the same time, Ruben and James saddle the horses, planning to ride Arlo to the nearest hospital. However, they spot McNab emerging from his vehicle. They rush over to him, but he gestures at the spray-painted blue line he created. It’s not straight, either — it zigs and zags somewhat.
Naturally, the duo wants to borrow McNab’s car since it’s operable. McNab holds up a sign that reads, “Don’t cross the line” to deter them. When James gets too close, McNab trains his gun on him. Elsewhere, Maggie reaches for more tape and gauze. Arlo lunges at her with the scissors, but she ducks out of the way. He’s clearly possessed by whatever “spirit” Carmen passed onto him. “Run, hide, wasp, died, gunshot,” he mutters. “Run, ran, hide, woman, go,” he adds. Then, Arlo yells at his mother to “go.” Maggie refuses to budge. Instead, she embraces her son.
Marbles in a Teacup
Arlo seems to be back to his usual self. Maggie admits she’s terrified and tells him about when Meryl got lost. As it turns out, she was hiding in the oven. Arlo asks her to sing “the song.” Maggie sings “My Little Lighthouse” with tears in her eyes. After this, Arlo grabs a handful of marbles and places them under a teacup.
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Later, Donald searches the woods, his gun at the ready. He trips, dropping his weapon. Then, he discovers Carmen’s body and the wild dog, which hovers over his gun. Donald scrambles to his feet and flees. Meanwhile, McNab draws a circle on his dry-erase board and two “Xs” to represent Ruben and James. He’s trying to explain that they can’t cross the line. “F*ck this, we need your car,” James declares as he marches forward. McNab raises his gun above his head and fires it.
Donald barrels out of the woods as the dog pursues him. He leaps through the fence, the canine hot on his heels. Then, the dog starts biting his arm. After Donald shakes off the animal, the dog runs across the gravel road to the other side. Suddenly, we hear the poor thing whimper as it sounds like he’s being burned alive, his skin sizzling under a sun we cannot see. The flesh peels back from the dog’s bones, his skeleton protruding through his body. The skeleton breaks through the flesh until the dog seemingly freezes in place (and dies). Gruesome as hell.
Don’t Trust Anyone
Next, Ruben and James demand answers from McNab. McNab shows another sign that reads, “Don’t trust anyone,” before hopping in his car and zipping away. Inside the farmhouse, Claire is through with waiting around. She grabs her dog, Duke, and heads outside despite Valeria and Ellen’s vehement protests.
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Outside, the men spot Claire with the dog. They try to prevent her from crossing the line. Claire is insistent about going home. Duke takes off running in the opposite direction. Claire moves closer to the spray-painted line. Donald grabs her arm, but she wriggles free and loses her balance, tripping on the other side of the line. The flesh on Donald’s arm burns off, and his fingers disintegrate. James and Ruben pull him backward so the rest of his body is spared.
Claire isn’t so fortunate. Like the wild dog, Claire’s skeleton pokes through her flesh, with said flesh peeling away. Her organs spill out of her body. She freezes in place like a macabre statue. Donald sobs.
It Kills Everything
Meanwhile, Maggie tells Arlo they should probably head downstairs. She hears the ruckus outside. Arlo opens a dictionary while muttering nonsensical phrases again. He points to the word “trap.” “Trapped, run, men, hide,” Arlo says to his mom. “He says we need to hide,” Arlo adds. He clarifies that the man in his head has given him this instruction. Apparently, they’re all trapped. Why? “It’s coming, and it kills everything that gets in its way,” Arlo explains.
Well, that’s not terrifying at all.
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Teacup releases two new episodes weekly every Thursday on Peacock.
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