*- As the third episode of The Changeling begins, Apollo (LaKeith Stanfield) is bloody and chained up. Emma (Clark Backo) seems to be in a trance so Apollo desperately tries to talk her out of hurting Brian. After grabbing a scalding hot pot with her bare hands, Emma picks up a hammer and hits Apollo with it. He asks her not to hurt the baby, but Emma says it isn’t a baby. After the intro, Apollo rides in a corrections bus while the narrator (Victor LaValle) talks about recovery. Once he is dropped off, Apollo goes back to the park where he is confronted by other fathers.
One is angry that Apollo came around their kids. They mention that he went in there with a gun. They’re sorry about what happened with Brian, but they’re just trying to be good dads. Later, Fabian (Anthony Ruiz) wakes him up thinking he is a vagrant. He saw Apollo’s mom around there. She cleaned up his place after the cops trashed it. Apollo tells Fabian that his mom used to work for a lawyer so he got out in three months. Fabian came by that day because number 47 told him about an odd odor. He tells Apollo what it was like when he entered the apartment and found him first. When he found the baby, he said a prayer for him right there and every week since at church.
In a flashback, Lillian (Adina Porter) learns that her boss may have a thing for her. One day, she finds The Police tickets on her desk. She doesn’t want to go with him so she tries to give them back. He tells her to keep them but informs her she’ll have to work Saturdays from now on even though it is impossible with Apollo. At home, Lillian pleads with Mrs. Ortiz (Daphne Rubin-Vega) to watch Apollo on Saturday. Mrs. Ortiz can’t because she always sees her mother on Saturday. Lillian calls her boss who agrees to let her leave at lunch. She tells Apollo that she is going out for a short while and she’ll let him watch television the entire time she is away.
In the present, Apollo joins The Survivors just in time for Vivian to continue speaking. Vivian (Alison J. Palmer) talks about how anything can set her off. Julian (Emidio Lopes) says his loved one was texting on the phone when their car rolled into an intersection and got hit by a moving truck. His fiancé died on impact. Apollo blurts out that he still has his wedding ring on before apologizing for interrupting. He remembers what Emma said about Brian now being a baby. Once he mentions that she was a librarian, the others ask why she did it and why he did it. He thinks he lost his mind. A news report says Apollo Kagwa was rushed to intensive care after being found with extensive injuries.
A report indicates that police are still looking for Emma Valentine. While Apollo is in the hospital, he imagines seeing black smoke come under the door. Then, Apollo is shown rushing into the library with a shotgun. He yells for Emma and Yurina. After he shoots out a window, the women begin telling him that they’re sorry. Apollo doesn’t want to believe Emma just disappeared although the women insist she did. He is comforted as the police arrive. During the Survivors meeting, Apollo says it is crazy that they all testified on his behalf. If the librarians had known where Emma was, Apollo confesses he would’ve killed her, himself, and anyone who got in the way.
After the session ends, Apollo returns home and questions what happens now. He has a dream about his father. Next, Apollo visits Patrice (Malcolm Barrett) and his wife Dana for dinner. Apollo thanks them for going to the funeral. He shows Patrice the expensive copy of To Kill A Mockingbird and confirms it has the certificates. Apollo knows he can’t get a house for Emma and Brian now so he wants Patrice to have it. After Dana says they’ll take it, Apollo and Patrice talk about their friendship outside. Patrice says he is breaking protocol by talking to him as straight as he ever has. He is going to soak that book in the toilet if Apollo kills himself tonight. Patrice has seen that look before.
He is going to put the book online. If Apollo isn’t around, he’ll never know how much someone paid for it. A flashback shows Lillian leaving Apollo so she can go to work. Once she gets home, she finds him sleeping on the couch. One day, she comes back and sees smoke coming from under the door. In the present, Apollo returns home to find his mom there because Dana called her. Lillian wants him to come to Port Washington tomorrow morning to see Brian’s grave, but Apollo says he isn’t ready. Later, Apollo questions who he is. While he thinks about Brian’s birth, Lillian scares him and says she woke up with the worst feeling he had disappeared.
Lillian talks to him about existing in two worlds at once. Apollo grabs To The Waters And The Wild. He told himself he was going to read it every night, but he didn’t because he didn’t have time. Apollo says his last words to Brian were, “You’re coming with me.” After he was born, Apollo started having those dreams again. Lillian wants to tell him something. She explains that Lubbick, Weiss, and Blackwood had a very good dental plan. Lillian didn’t know what to do so she eventually had to leave him at home when he was four. It worked well for a while until things changed. Apollo begins having nightmares about his father coming to him.
Lillian admits that those weren’t dreams and instead were memories. One day, she got back in time, found Brian there, and sent him away. When asked why, Lillian says she had filed for divorce. She explains that his dad was not so good with slow and steady. Lillian had to put him in daycare at two months old so she could return to work. She admits that Brian didn’t abandon them. Apollo gets upset, but Lillian says she did her best and that’s all she could do. Apollo doesn’t know why she couldn’t let him be part of his life. He didn’t know what else to think than that he was a disappointment. Lillian gives him the address so he can go to Brian’s grave.
Next, Apollo catches up with Father Jim Hagen (Tom Rooney) who reveals Emma came there to baptize their son. Jim agrees to sign the paperwork for his parole after the meeting. During the survivors group, Apollo says his father used to read him stories at night. Another woman says she saw her daughter on the computer. The photo is from an apartment window. She doesn’t know who would take a picture of her child from there. There were texts as well. Every time she tried to show them to Gary, they were gone. Lina says she printed it as soon as she saw that one. After looking at it for so long, she realized that the girl in the photo is not her daughter, Monique.
Once she told Gary, he told her to go on medication. She found help from the Wise Ones and Cal told her how to get her daughter back. Apollo blurts out that she is going to kill her baby. If they don’t do anything about it, they can’t say they didn’t know this time. Lina begins shouting that it is not a baby. After Apollo runs out, William Wheeler chases him until he finally catches up with him. William (Samuel Herring) says Patrice sent him because he wants to buy the book. Apollo hears sirens and realizes they called the police. William admits it was a pretty bad scene in there. They agree to get coffee. At the restaurant, William tells him that To Kill A Mockingbird is one of the two books he ever read for pleasure.
He asks how Apollo found the book. Apollo says he found it in the seventh moldy box in a basement in Riverdale. Soon, he learns that William recorded the woman during the survivors meeting. Apollo notices the woman mentions the mothers and the wise ones. He continues listening to it as the woman talks about Cal. William finds that the wise ones came from a book. Apollo learns that they’re talking about witches. He remembers what Emma said about being told not to go to the beach. Apollo imagines watching himself cut the string from Emma’s wrist.
The Changeling Review
The third episode of The Changeling had some interesting revelations as Apollo learns more about Emma’s shocking turn and the death of Brian. In particular, he found out about the “wise ones” which are likely witches. Patrice was worried Apollo would kill himself so he tried to find a way to prevent him from doing that.
The series has a lot going for it, but certain aspects hold it back from being spectacular. The performances are pretty good with LaKeith Stanfield leading the way through three episodes. It is usually easy to know when the series is in the present or past. That is even easier now that the present Apollo has scars on his face due to the attack.
The biggest issue with the series is the fact that it incorporates everything that tends to be bad about Apple shows. The pacing is just really slow and that will probably get worse since there are eight episodes this season. I personally haven’t been able to really connect with any of the characters making it difficult to get emotionally invested.
The story is interesting for the most part, but it may unfold too slowly for many viewers. Otherwise, The Changeling is well-made and decently acted. The episode scores a 6 out of 10. Recaps of The Changeling are available on Reel Mockery here. Find out how to support our independent site at this link. Learn more about advertising on Reel Mockery here.
