All eight episodes of Teacup are now streaming on Peacock and I definitely recommend giving it a watch. It’s a scary new supernatural thriller that is, in many ways, a new take on The Thing, the classic 1982 John Carpenter horror film about an evil alien body-snatcher at a remote arctic station. Light plot spoilers follow.
Teacup takes place in a bucolic rural setting of green farmland and picturesque forest. It’s hardly the cold, grim, lifeless terrain of The Thing, but the predicament our cast of characters finds themselves in is no less terrifying despite the summery vibe.
The series, created by Ian McCulloch, is based on the novel Stinger by Robert R. McCammon. It stars Yvonne Strahovski and Scott Speedman as Maggie and James Chenoweth, a married couple in rural Georgia who find themselves and their family and neighbors trapped in a bizarre and deadly scenario where nothing makes sense and death lurks around every corner.
There are some survival elements similar to shows like Lost or FROM but The Thing is still the best comparison I can come up with. The big difference between this show and that film is that there’s more than one body-hopping alien to contend with, and not all of them are evil. Harbinger is an alien presence on a secretive but dire mission, and he’s being hunted down by Assassin, a killer trying to prevent Harbinger from completing his quest. The aliens don’t have bodies of their own, but live inside whoever they inhabit, controlling their every move and accessing their every thought and memory.
There are some surprising twists and turns and you genuinely don’t know who might die next, or who will find themselves possessed, which makes for some great tension.
Where the show fumbles is in its sometimes silly character decisions, forcing the group to split up at times when they know perfectly well how stupid that is. But I suppose this kind of thing just comes with the territory in the horror genre. The acting is mostly fine with a few exceptions, but the writing is mostly solid and the characters are mostly fine, if a little undercooked still.
The end of the season opens the door for a very different Season 2, but I won’t spoil where it goes. Suffice to say, it ends on a brutal cliffhanger and I’m hopeful that we get a second season. It’s not perfect, but it’s definitely entertaining and worth a watch. Good end-credits music choices, too.
Check out my weekend streaming guide right here.
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