In This Together – As the second episode of The Midwich Cuckoos begins, Nora (India Amarteifio) works with the horses at the stable. The horse begins bucking while Ellie’s mom worries about her in the background. Ellie is knocked to the ground before Nora touches her stomach and realizes she is pregnant. After the intro, we’re taken to July 6th which is two months after the blackout. Paul Haynes (Max Beesley) gets dressed while remembering his wife. When he leaves, he arranges a meeting for tomorrow at 2 PM. He catches up with Jodie (Lara Rossi) moments later to discuss a police matter. Once they go inside, Jodie reveals Steve is coming over because they’re giving it another go. She reminds Paul that he was mean to her after the funeral. Paul asks whether there is any particular reason she is back with Steve and he believes she knows what he is hinting at.

She questions how he knows about that. Paul asks her to cancel tonight because they need to talk because this isn’t what she thinks. Sam Clyde (Ukweli Roach) and Zoe Moran (Aisling Loftus) go to the clinic for a checkup. On their way to the right ward, Zoe stops Sam to say this isn’t the same as it was in London. Zoe can feel life growing inside of her. They go inside and join a bunch of others, including Susannah (Keeley Hawes) and Cassie (Synnove Karlsen). Dr. Colin McAfferty explains he is an advisor to the government’s Medical Response Council. They need to talk to everyone about what happened on the night of Friday May 6th. Bryony Cummings (Cherrelle Skeete) and Bernard Westcott (Samuel West) watch everything from another room. The doctor says it appears that every woman of child-bearing age who was in the zone is now pregnant.

Although they don’t know how it happened, it appears everything is normal. Zoe doesn’t like that they’re making assumptions about her body while Curtis (Lewis Reeves) asks whether it is a joke. Bernard tells Bryony that this was always going to be the tricky bit. Paul makes it clear that this cannot go outside of this room. Everyone will have to sign the Official Secrets Act since it has been classified as a national red level threat. It could’ve been the result of a hostile attack from a foreign or domestic agent. They ask whether it could be terrorism and how it could be a hostile act. Paul says the force that caused the blackout might’ve caused them to conceive as well. Curtis begins asking about the camera and who is watching them. Paul says the police have been assigned temporary extrajudicial powers by the Home Secretary.

Bryony and Bernard watch as Curtis gets louder and more outraged. Everyone realizes that their phones are no longer working. When some of them try to leave, soldiers enter the room to stop that from happening. Susannah asks if they can tell the soldiers to leave since they’re likely not very helpful. She tells everyone that she is a family therapist in the town. She goes on to say Cassie is her daughter and she found out five days ago that she was pregnant. When Cassie swore she didn’t know how it had happened, Susannah didn’t believe her. She questions what has happened. Zoe argues she and her partner made love that night. Susannah believes something odd has happened since everyone woman in this room is pregnant regardless of their sexual experience or orientation. Mary-Ann stands up to say she is pregnant despite not having sex with a man for years.

The others don’t want to believe it even though Mary-Ann insists it is the truth. As for Sarah, she isn’t pregnant because she was out of town that night with Charlotte. Susannah says the same is true for her.  Paul reveals some younger women are coming up with their parents and some were at a house party on Lichfield Road. Since they were under 18 when it happened, they wanted to speak to them individually first. Those women enter seconds later. Paul tells Susannah that he really needs everyone to sign the paperwork. Susannah tells everyone that they don’t have to do anything and they’re free to leave. She thinks they need to accept that May 6th happened.

Whether they like it or not, they’re all in this together now. Once she says she will be signing, the others decide to join her. Mary-Ann talks to Nora and suggests that is one party she wishes she hadn’t gone to. Zoe learns they’re going to perform a NIPT to isolate the fetal DNA from their own. They usually perform this test to check for paternal DNA. Jane (Marianne Oldham), Jodie, and the others hear the same thing. Paul joins Susannah who says she is sorry for his loss. She is taken to Bernard who is with the Home Office. She learns that they’re still working to find all the impacted women and they expect many terminations. The women who choose to keep the children may need psychological support so they want Susannah to help those women on their journeys. Bernard says they have a responsibility to protect the women and everyone else.

Before she goes, Bryony stops her to say there was one thing that came up on her background checks. It has something to do with Cassie in 1999. Bryony wants to ask her a few questions about that. Paul takes Jodie home. Jodie is going to keep the baby because she thinks she needs to. Paul reminds her that it is her choice and he understands. When she asks if he is okay, Paul admits he doesn’t know how to answer that question. He hears her upstairs crying before stepping outside. Susannah brings her daughter tea and checks to see how she is. She admits it is disturbing although her daughter says it all makes sense. She knew that night had to be for something. It felt like she was visited that night. Susannah reminds her that this isn’t an ordinary situation so she needs to ask herself if she is ready for this. Cassie argues her mom doesn’t think she is mother material and wants her to get rid of it.

She gets one thing of her own. When Zoe gets off the phone with the hospital, she tells Sam that they’ve got the test results. Sam learns that the baby has Zoe’s DNA but not his. There is no evidence of paternal DNA of any kind. Since he isn’t the father, he doesn’t have the same legal rights. They’ll have to sign something to give him those rights. Zoe wants to get abort the baby since this isn’t what they want, but Sam believes this is their best chance of having a baby. He pleads with her not to get rid of the baby. Cassie thinks about what she wants to do. Jane tells Susannah this is about her religion. Although she is disturbed by this, she doesn’t want to interrupt God’s work. Cassie leaves him. Zoe tells someone on the phone that Sam has been amazing about everything. Sarah calls Mary-Ann the Virgin Mary.

Charlotte (Darcie Smith) asks Stewart (Mark Dexter) who is messaging him. He claims it is just someone from the council. The message tells him that she has missed her period.  Cassie sits next to Nora who says her mom can’t cope because it is too weird for her. Cassie doesn’t think anyone can cope since it is so weird. Nora reveals her friend Sadie tried posting about this on Facebook, but it got taken down and the police came down. They realize they’re being watched all the time. Rachel (Hannah Tointon) arrives and sits down. They come for Cassie. She tells them that she has decided to get rid of the baby and it was her choice. She is instructed that she’ll have to take two pills. Cassie is told she’ll need to sign the consent form while they get everything ready. Rachel and Nora go through the same process before they return and sit next to Cassie.

After the lights blink, they all drop their pens, get up, and leave. Bryony tells Paul that it has happened again. We jump ahead five months in time as Cassie’s belly gets bigger due to the pregnancy. Bryony opens an envelope that says something about NORDOSK. At home, Susannah looks at the Midwich Women’s Post Blackout Group on her computer. Zoe tries to get on the train, but something seems to be holding her back. She visits Susannah who says they should talk in the study. Nora and Cassie hang out together upstairs. Cassie was thinking about calling her baby Eve after the first woman.

That is too mystical for Nora. Jodie goes shopping and runs into Mary-Ann. She tells Jodie about a rental in the area. Nora believes they’re too big and her mom thinks it is weird before she leaves. Zoe tells Susannah that she was at the station and just couldn’t get on the train. Although Susannah tries to explain it away, Zoe argues that it controlled her body. Zoe goes on to explain that it doesn’t want her to go to work and wants her to stay here. It has a will of its own. As Jodie’s water breaks, the lights in the store begin flickering. Mary-Ann helps her outside and says they can call Paul so he can come get her. Before they can get outside, Mary-Ann’s water breaks too. Cassie and Zoe experience the same thing. The women give birth at the hospital.

Zoe seems shocked about something. Paul watches over Jodie’s baby while she sleeps. When he walks away, the baby’s eyes turn open and turn yellow.

 

The Midwich Cuckoos Review

Many of the same issues from the first episode persist in the second, but the episode count is probably the biggest issue. The pacing is tedious when it could’ve easily been condensed to four or five episodes. There might be too many characters competing for the screen time making it difficult to connect to any of the characters who feel shallow so far. While a lot is happening during each episode, there is very little of significance.

The pacing and direction are bad so far. The series could improve now that the babies have arrived. Right now though, it feels like this is just going through the motions to get from point A to point B. The second episode scores a 5.5 out of 10. Recaps of The Midwich Cuckoos can be found on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our work at this link.