'The Changeling' review: Apple TV+ fantasy mines parental anxiety in standout horror fable
Moms and dads need fairy tales, too – even dark ones. And in that, vein the Apple TV+ series “The Changeling” delivers with modern trolls, witches and New York City, depicted as a vibrant and multifaceted fantasy kingdom.
Based on the exceptional 2017 novel by Victor LaValle, a one-man Brothers Grimm for the 21st century, the well-acted drama (first three episodes streaming now, then weekly; ★★★½ out of four) weaves elements of horror, mystery and adventure in the story of a couple going to otherworldly lengths to save their child. Featuring dynamic performances from Oscar nominee LaKeith Stanfield and Clark Backo, the sprawling eight-episode fable is a fascinating and sometimes unsettling exploration of love, parenthood and the up-all-night anxieties that spawn from them.
Apollo Kagwa (Stanfield), a zealous hunter of rare used books, meets spirited librarian Emma Valentine (Backo) in Queens, and after several failed attempts she finally says yes to a date. But alas, they have to put their love story on hold when she moves to Brazil. Many months later, she returns with a three-knot string tied to her left wrist, the result of three wishes made to a strange old woman by a lagoon. Emma tells Apollo they’re supposed to come true when the string falls off but it’s not to be cut – and he cuts it anyway. (Uh-oh, indeed.)
They marry and have a baby boy, and that’s where things become dicey. Apollo takes little Brian − named after his father who left when Apollo was 4 − to the park and shares pictures of him on social media. Yet Emma struggles with postpartum depression and insomnia, and she has a hard time connecting with her child. The situation slowly grows worse, especially when a mystery person starts creepily texting pictures of the couple and their baby to Emma that disappear before Apollo can see them.
It all comes to a head one fateful torturous night, when something ghastly occurs involving the child. In the aftermath, Emma goes missing, Apollo has a severe mental breakdown and, while he's the show's central focal point, both begin separate quests toward truth and self-discovery.
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Adapted by writer Kelly Marcel (“Venom”) and featuring episodes directed by Melina Matsoukas (“Queen & Slim,” Beyonce’s video “Formation"), “The Changeling” creates a mythological landscape hidden in plain sight, with an army of online trolls taking form via a singular frightful being and an underground city just around the corner from a subway stop. (A train car is also ground zero for a harrowing childbirth.)
Frequent fable tropes are twisted in new ways, and the show exudes a love for literature with a beloved storybook (featuring baby-eating fairies on the first page) and a first-edition copy of “To Kill a Mockingbird” that are integral to the narrative. There are “Lost” vibes, with monsters, metaphors and multiple timelines aplenty as the show builds out LaValle’s stellar source material. "The Changeling" loses some momentum with nonlinear storytelling when it steps away from Apollo, though episodes spotlighting Emma and Apollo’s mom, Lillian (superbly played by Alexis Louder in the past and Adina Porter in the present), deepen the tale.
Stanfield’s the kind of actor who makes everything he’s in better, and he is brilliant as a man navigating romance, tragedy and ultimately a mind-blowing revelation. “Letterkenny” regular Backo is another standout, playing Emma as a fierce force of nature. And newcomer Samuel T. Herring, frontman for the synth pop band Future Islands, crushes his first acting gig as a nerdy customer who tells Apollo he’s the key to finding Emma.
LaValle plays the show's warmly omniscient narrator. Instead of unfurling a “happily ever after” − at least not yet, because there’s seemingly much more to tell after the season finale − the author guides the audience through the song-filled fantasias, tangential histories and frightfully traumatic moments, investing them not only in the fairy tale’s personalities but also its significant lessons and palpable wonder.
