Summary
Not one of the best Creeped Out episodes, but plenty to keep you gripped; depending on your family situation and whether you’ve seen similar stories before.
This recap of Creeped Out Season 2, Episode 7, “Only Child”, contains spoilers.
“Only Child” is another Creeped Out episode about the sibling bond, but with a much wider age gap than the previous one. In this story, Mia’s Mum and stepdad bring home a baby brother and — understandably — assume she is expressing some jealousy when some unpleasant things start to happen around the kid. But she says the baby is the one who wants her gone.
Not everyone, of course, has grown up with another baby around the house; and I think those who have will relate to the story much more than those who haven’t. If you have, you’ll know that the whole family dynamic can change, not just one’s relationship with parents; and the house can smell, feel and look different too. In “Only Child”, Mia (Shechinah Mpulwana) seems to think she is pretty open-minded about what to expect, but clearly finds the mess and “Mr. Stink” distasteful. But does she just have to sacrifice some comfort for the sake of family harmony, or her integrity?
There are some very significant similarities with the Goosebumps story “Strained Peas”, and if you’re a fan of that episode, I’d still encourage you to give Creeped Out Season 2, Episode 7 a watch: the different treatment of trust between generations is fascinating; more than the ending, though that is radically different. Having seen both, I found the resolution to “Only Child” much more sinister than that of “Strained Peas”. A good deal of the episode was creepy simply because the viewer found out what was going on at the same gradual rate as Mia (whereas the Goosebumps story spoon-fed viewers fairly early on) and personally I found that air of mystery pretty tense… perhaps this shouldn’t be surprising, considering it’s another Creeped Out episode directed by Bruce McDonald of Pontypool fame.
The special effects, overall production, and acting are not brilliant, but certainly a notch above, say, the typical Doctor Who adventure. But one of the things I especially appreciate about Creeped Out was apparent in this episode: the blend of established and more novice actors. Martin Roach and Raven Dauda who played Mia’s parents have both played myriad film and TV roles and gave the episode a little extra weight with their presence.
I do hope there are more original stories to come, though.
