Childhood’s End - The Deceivers
Previously on Childhood’s End, ‘The Overlords’
Shit got real, y’all.
I’ve decided that I’m either going to hate this ending or be epically moved by it. We’ll see.
Last night’s two-hour installment jumped another five years (2035) into the future with mankind flourishing under the watchful gaze of The Overlords: there’s no illness or war, there’s plenty of food for the entire planet, and they have renewable, clean energy. People still die, but everyone lives longer and healthier, and the birth rate is soaring.
One thing is waning though: scientific inquiry. And this worries Milo, especially since Dr. Rupert Boyce (Julian McMahon) has become quite chummy with Karellen, even supplying him with an arc of animals which were sent to the aliens’ home planet. Boyce is gifted with a room (which Karellen has built attached to Boyce’s home) which contains a mysterious communication device. How to use it and why isn’t explained, but Boyce is overjoyed all the same. Later, Boyce warns Milo not to rock the boat by bombarding Karellen with questions and accusations as it might screw up his chances of eventually being taken to Karellen’s home planet.
We’re introduced to a family we only saw briefly at the end of episode one: Jake and Amy Greggson, and their young son, Tom. Concerned about Amy’s weird dreams and Tom’s odd behavior, Jake reaches out to Peretta (Yael Stone; Orange is the New Black), a counselor who has always been suspicious of the aliens and disturbed by diminishing religious faith due to their presence. Tom tells Peretta the aliens take him to a dark and fiery place at night. This sends her running from the home in fear, and his parents don’t believe it. They are soon distracted by Amy’s sudden pregnancy and Tom’s behavior also improves overnight.
Meanwhile, Karellen makes his first visit in years to Ricky’s farm to inform him that his visits to their ship years prior has stricken Ricky with an incurable illness, which is to blame for Ricky and Ellie’s infertility. Ellie is furious, but Ricky insists it’s no one’s fault.
Boyce invites the Greggsons to his home under the guise of offering Jake a job. There, they mingle with the other job candidate’s and their families and a surprise guest: Karellen. The supervisor becomes fascinated with the pregnant Amy and has Boyce arrange a private meeting with her in the room he built. Amy is drawn to the communication device and touches it, giving Karellen a way to communicate with the baby inside of her, Jennifer. Jennifer has to accept what she is (which is still not clear to the audience) and fulfill her purpose. Freaked out and unable to explain what happened, Amy allows Jake to usher her and Tom out of there, with Jake insisting that Boyce stay away from his family. Later, Amy gives birth to baby Jennifer.
Karellen pays Ricky another visit, this time to offer him the device which cured diseases 20 years ago. But before Ricky can use it, both Ellie and Peretta interrupt their discussion in the barn. Peretta gets Karellen to admit that he made the couple infertile on purpose, but he adds that he did it to spare them pain for what’s to come because “it will be harder on parents.” When Ellie fails to shoot Karellen, Peretta does and Ricky uses the cure to save the alien’s life.
Karellen stands before Peretta and says that whether he is alive or dead, it will not change what’s to come. Later, Peretta commits suicide.
What do you think is to come? What are your thoughts on the second installment of Childhood’s End? Leave your thoughts below and we’ll read them on our Premium podcast tonight.
This whole show reminds me of that first treehouse of horror episode of the Simpsons . The one Where Lisa thinks the aliens are trying to eat them but they were honest in their intentions to bring them to a better world.
My main problem with this show is that they seem to gloss over allot of details that would develop the characters allot better .
We have Jake saying there a place called New Athens where people still hold on to the old ways. It would of been nice to see it , but I’m assuming since it’s a three night event they probably didn’t have the time . Parretta left her faith and went into psychology but we never find out what finally led her to that decision. The wise homeless black makes and appearance but we never really now what relationship him and Milo had. All these thing will probably be addressed in the finale tho.
Back to Kurellen I think he does seem to have some actual affection for Ricky by the way he was checking on him to see he was ok as well as in his own words ….sparing him from this upcoming fate involving the children ….but any thought that he had good intentions went out the window literally when he Caused Parretta to jump to her death.
My theory is that Kurellen’s race was here thousands of years ago and probably left something genetically in our DNA that ultimately resulted in Jennifer . Like they’re scientist and this is a long experiment and their back for the results. All the other stuff is just a distraction so that they can come in get what the came for and leave with out any resistance.
My other theory is that the overlords themselves are sterile and this is the only way they can reproduce. Anyway still enjoying it even with its flaws .
P.S everyone stop watching blindspot that shows garbage and start watching the Expanse .
Charles Dance totally pulls of the whole leathery skin, horns, and tail look. Not many actors of his calibre could, in all fairness.