DISCLAIMER: This recap of Teacup Season 1 Episode 5, “I’m a Witness to the Sickness,” contains spoilers. Proceed at your peril.
Episode five provides much-needed context and backstory for the enigmatic McNab, and we see how his arc intertwines with Travis (RIP) and Olsen (RIP). We also see how the Navarro tragedy played out and how the alien tree came to be. This episode is a whopping 20 minutes longer than the average episodic runtime we’ve had thus far, but the length is necessary. I hope the alien/sci-fi angle pays off narratively, but so far, I’m a bit meh about it. Time (and three more episodes) will tell, I suppose.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Teacup episode, “In the Heart of the Country”
Teacup, “I’m a Witness to the Sickness”
We open with Ruben (Chaske Spencer) in the silo on the Navarro property. He stares at the rainbow-colored, seemingly sentient alien tree, utterly entranced. He finds himself inexplicably pulled toward it as he reaches out his hand. Then, the tree branches extend, snaking around him toward the door to block his exit.
In the basement, Travis (Jackson Kelly) holds James (Scott Speedman) captive. Travis smokes a cigarette after removing his gas mask. He coughs, and we see that he has a few bullet wounds in his chest. James explains his encounter with McNab, who Travis knows by name. James refers to the space outside the spray-painted blue line as a “force field.” Travis corrects him, referring to it as a “trap” and their “cage.” Then, we learn how Travis met McNab and what led them to the Navarro property.
A Meeting
We flashback to an undisclosed time wherein Travis works as a bartender at a bar McNab (Rob Morgan) frequents. McNab rattles on about alien visitors and how they’re all in trouble. The owner takes McNab’s car keys and gives him the boot. McNab asks Travis to drive him home. Naturally, McNab tries to make a believer out of Travis. Once Travis parks in front of McNab’s trailer, he spots a vehicle suspiciously halt and drive off nearby, as if they were keeping watch.
RELATED: It’s a Tempest in a Teacup in New Trailer for James Wan’s Horror-Thriller Series
Next, Travis heads inside McNab’s trailer, where he sees a pile of gas masks. McNab snoozes on his bed. Travis pockets McNab’s knife (we see him doing the same with cash in the pub earlier). Someone’s got sticky fingers. McNab shoots up like an arrow, training his gun on Travis. We return to the present — James tries to convince Travis that he’s not an “alien in disguise.” Travis doesn’t believe him. At this point, blood pours out of Travis’s mouth and his chest wounds. He doesn’t do much to stanch the bleeding.
James reveals that his wife is a doctor. She can treat his wounds. Again, Travis is incredulous. However, Travis wonders if James is telling the truth. Perhaps James does need help. It’s hard to tell who’s fully human and who’s not, though. Travis admits that all he wanted in life was control, and joining forces with McNab to hunt the “bad” alien visitors gave him that.
The Good, the Bad and the Alien
Then, in Flashback Land, McNab discloses everything he knows about the aliens. They’re noncorporeal entities — airborne, formless creatures who move from host to host. Since they don’t have bodies, they don’t need a spaceship. So, they attach themselves to meteors that fall to Earth. There are “good” and “bad” alien visitors. When a good one lands, a bad one arrives to hunt it down. The harbinger in Arlo is good; the alien who jumped into Ellen is bad.
RELATED: Yellowjackets Season 3 Adds Hilary Swank to Cast Roster
One evening, McNab and Travis spot two meteors as they streak across the sky. McNab admits that they could be something; they could be nothing. Then, Lt. Olsen (Bill Heck) arrives. He’s part of McNab’s team. The following day, they take Travis out for target practice. Olsen shows him how to fire a gun. They use photos of themselves for said target practice. Why? Because you might have to shoot a friend to get the entity out of them.
However, a gun won’t kill the alien visitors; they’ll simply hop into another host. As of now, our trio has their sights set on Mary Alice Ducker, who’s been acting strange of late. Her daily routine has changed significantly. Recently, she purchased guns and zip ties.
Why Does McNab Believe?
Later, McNab tells Travis the story of how he lost his daughter a decade ago. One night, she walked into the woods. Then, a man dressed as an EMT approached McNab, offering to help locate her. But something was off about him. McNab couldn’t put his finger on why, though. The gruesome tale ends with the man pulling a gun on McNab before dragging his daughter away. McNab found her dead the next day, her throat slit. This tragedy compelled him to dig deeper into the alien thing.
RELATED: 6 Terrifying Books From Fans Need to Read
After this, McNab, Travis and Olsen prepare to tail Mary Alice (Ashley Shelton). Travis sings “Heart of the Country” to himself. We see her pull up in a van and release a black dog into the woods — the same canine who died in episode two after crossing the blue line. The dog is clearly hunting Carmen, who possesses the “good” alien, aka harbinger. Then, our trio spots the same vehicle Travis saw the first night he drove McNab home. McNab and Olsen reveal this man was part of their group until he left them.
So, they follow Mary Alice to the Navarro property. Her husband and son emerge, along with Carmen. McNab and Olsen instruct Travis on differentiating between a “good” and a “bad” alien. Carmen looks uncomfortable, as if she’s aware that an alien inhabits her. Meanwhile, Mary Alice looks stoic and cold. Once everyone is inside the house, our trio dons their gas masks so the entities can’t hop into their bodies.
A Violent Confrontation
Next, Olsen and McNab prepare to head inside with their weapons. The plan is to track down Mary Alice. Travis asks about Carmen. Do they kidnap her? The man simply urge Travis to get out the kiddie pool and fill it with water. Travis hears gunshots from inside the house. He panics as he grabs said kiddie pool. At one point, Mary Alice shoots Carmen outside before heading to the silo. She plants the alien tree by pouring a gallon of rainbow “poison” on the ground, which grows before Travis’s eyes.
RELATED: The Netflix Flanaverse Shows, Ranked
After this, McNab barrels outside and tries to get Carmen, who’s back on her feet, inside his vehicle. She wrestles free of his grasp and makes a break for the woods. McNab spots the alien tree inside the silo. Horrified, he shouts to Travis that it’s useless now; they’re too late. He peels out of the driveway. Travis quickly calls McNab, but the signal is jammed.
Then, Mary Alice approaches Travis. This is after he removed his gas mask. Mary Alice opens her mouth as the bad entity escapes, diving into Travis’s body. His eyes glow that peculiar kaleidoscope of colors, same as Mary Alice’s. Mary Alice returns to normal. She looks at Travis in terror, unsure of who he is. She fires two bullets into his chest. Travis kills Mary Alice with a blow to the head.
It Takes Over Olsen
Next, Olsen spots Travis on the ground, looking worse for the wear. He tries to help Travis, even (foolishly) removing his mask. The entity flees Travis and takes up space in Olsen. Olsen downs the strange rainbow liquid “poison.”
RELATED: Read our Teacup recaps
In the present, Travis explains that the alien tree pulls anyone and everything toward it. You can’t escape its thrall. It’ll wrap itself around you and ensure you can’t break free of it. Travis collapses on the ground, a rifle in his lap. He’s covered in blood now. James begs Travis to free him. Travis tearfully admits he doesn’t want to die, especially like this. However, at least he’s not alone.
Travis reminisces about the one person in his life who cared about him — his late aunt. She believed in aliens. Perhaps he can tell her that they are, in fact, real. Travis shoots himself. James frees himself from his restraints and clambers out of the basement, making a beeline for Ruben.
A Reunion
James takes an ax to the wall of the silo and creates a hole so Ruben can climb out of it. Then, Ruben lays the smackdown on James, which is deserved, to be fair. James apologizes for, you know, ruining Ruben’s marriage. The two decide to leave the property on their horses. Once they’re in the woods, they spot Arlo (Caleb Dolden), with Meryl (Emilie Bierre) and Nicholas (Luciano Leroux) hot on his heels. They’re holding up McNab, who has a gnarly stab wound courtesy of Nicholas.
Teacup releases two new episodes weekly every Thursday on Peacock.
Book Review: HORROR FOR WEENIES
[email protected]
What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
Bylines in: Tell-Tale TV, Culturess, Sideshow Collectibles, and inkMend on Medium.
Critic: Rotten Tomatoes, CherryPicks, and the Hollywood Creative Alliance.
- Samantha Brown on FROM Season 3 and Playing Acosta - October 25, 2024
- Sony Sets Release Date and Director for SPIDER-MAN 4 - October 25, 2024
- TEACUP Recap: (S01E06) You Don’t Know What It Means to Win - October 24, 2024
