Summary
Chapter two may be formulaic and lacking in real suspense, but this sci-fi drama still intrigues. The Lost vibes continue as their captive wakes, and the story’s scope broadens.
This recap of the Amazon Prime Video series Night Sky season 1, episode 2, “La Capilla,” contains spoilers.
Check out the archive of recaps, news, and reviews for Night Sky.
It’s a great time to be a geek with an Amazon Prime subscription. The streaming giants are releasing a ton of sci-fi fantasy productions this year with the likes of Outer Range, The Boys, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, and now Night Sky to nerd out on. The latter, a sci-fi drama, formerly known as Lightyears, returns for a second installment, where the Yorks find out more about their mystery captive, and a new subplot opens up in llama country, Argentina.
Night Sky season 1, episode 2 recap
“La Capilla” (which means chapel in Spanish) introduces us to a llama farm in South America and single mother Stella. It doesn’t take much head-scratching to figure out how this random storyline will connect with the alien portal in Farnsworth, Illinois — yes, you’ve guessed it, Stella is also a guardian of her very own teleportation device. Hers is hidden under the church on their ranch, which is rigged with an alarm system and cameras for good measure. Stella and her daughter Toni work on the farm, unable to leave, trapped by their duties. This links nicely with the York couples’ own predicament, where an aging duo seems unable to give up their magical secret even when their health is in jeopardy.
Toni wishes for a normal teen life but feels imprisoned on the ranch. She sneaks out at night and meets up with a boy, although he only arranged the rendezvous as part of a dare. An overprotective Stella barges in on this embarrassing set-up, which only angers Toni further into running away. It appears Stella wishes to impart her monumental secret on her child, but can’t quite bring herself to do so. Maybe the timing isn’t quite right or she just doesn’t want Toni cursed with such responsibility. Either way, this storyline comes to a head when an intruder is spotted on their land.
Stella returns with a gun raised, demanding the intruder show himself. She finds a man seated at her dinner table, helping himself to her cooking. This clichéd villain talks in hackneyed riddles and smugly chomps away on the meal. It’s an eye-roll-inducing moment, which cheapens the whole narrative. This style of bad guy is really starting to feel oversaturated in the TV market these days. Night Sky unfortunately overflows with these formulaic constructs that just aren’t necessary, following tried and tested beats, always ending in the same big reveal. The villain talks of shared history and quips about Toni growing up so fast, delivering your stereotypical bad guy banter.
Back in the States and Irene wakes a disorientated Franklin to come help with her latest discovery. The premiere ended on a cliff-hanger when the retired teacher found a stranger in her alien viewing chamber. Franklin drags the body back to their home and the couple debate their next move. The creators continue to separate the couple into two polar opposites. Episode one started with their physical ailments and chapter two focuses on their differing problem-solving skills. Franklin always wants to take the easier, more logical route, whilst Irene suspects something more complex and otherworldly at play. They agree to shield the stranger from the police, deciding to look after the victim on their own, nursing him back to health.
The ending
Once the drifter called Jude has recovered, the stranger is questioned. He says he’s lost his memory, but Franklin doesn’t trust him one bit. Irene cares for him like one of her own though. This allows for some rare suspense as Franklin retrieves some ill-gotten medicine and later, the captive escapes. “La Capilla” sounds brimming with character development and tension, but don’t be fooled, personally the show already seems to be dragging, only two episodes in. The mysteries and alien technology feel like filler and the overall plotting is verging on the predictable. Hopefully, the series is still just finding its feet and picks up from here on out.
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