The Changeling Review: A Lyrical, Gut-Wrenching Tale About The Horrors Of Parenthood
When you hear the phrase "fairy tale," images of Tinkerbell, glass slippers, or delightfully wicked witches might fill your head because the Walt Disney version of these centuries-old stories, where the original tales' sharp edges have been sanded off, has a firm grip on pop culture. Because of this, many of those who only read the beginning of the marketing copy for Apple TV+'s "The Changeling," which calls the show "a fairy tale for grown-ups," will be in for a surprise.
"The Changeling" channels Brothers Grimm, not Disney, and the series — inspired by the fable about fairies who steal babies for their own delight and leave doppelgangers made of twigs in twine in their place — sharpens the edges of the original story rather than dulls them.
Apple TV+'s "The Changeling" is a contemporary fairy tale, yes, but it's one that rips open the underlying horror about parenthood that drives the fable that inspired the 2017 award-winning book by Victor LaValle the show is based on. The story takes place in New York City, where we follow Apollo Kagwa (LaKeith Stanfield), a bookseller who falls in love with a librarian, Emma (Clark Backo). The two get married after Emma has some adventures in Brazil, and they have a baby named Brian, named after Apollo's long-absent father.
Those familiar with the concept of a changeling can probably guess the show's inciting incident. But the series, adapted for the small screen by showrunner Kelly Marcel ("Cruella," "Venom") goes beyond the horrific plot point of a mother who appears to have committed an unspeakable, unforgivable act, and taps into a relentless, seemingly contradictory truth: Becoming a parent scrapes away part of who you once were and fills that void with unbridled joy and abject terror.
Spoiler alert: Parenthood is horrific
To love someone else with such consuming intensity is horrifying. It changes you. It makes you terrified and helpless, but it also makes you stronger than you ever thought you could be. Parenthood is, in a word, horrific. And "The Changeling" reflects that. The show burrows deep into the timeless terror of parenthood through the lens of our current world, rife with social media and dad dates at the local playground.
The cadence of the narrative, which unfolds in a world of smartphones, however, is almost lyrical and reflects traditions from oral storytelling. LaValle, who is also an executive producer on the series as well as its narrator, interjects at key moments in the first season's eight episodes to remind us of the larger context of the story, and several phrases — "Tell me your life's voyage and I will tell you who you are," "If you're looking for a sign, this is it," and "You are exactly where you need to be," are just a few of them — are repeated continuously. We're invested in the character's specific struggles, of course, but "The Changeling" is at its core a fable. And as a fable, its focus moves beyond the plot-driven to delve into who and what has shaped its characters — parenthood, yes, but also intergenerational trauma, among other things.
That focus makes the series an introspective endeavor more often than not, even when the dark creatures who go bump in the night become real. It's not a simple show, nor is it an easy one to watch for myriad reasons. The mindfulness required to absorb everything, however, pays off, in no small part due to Stanfield and Backo, whose performances effectively twist and tear your heart in all the proper places.
A story about people and place, and intergenerational trauma
"The Changeling," however, isn't just about developing its character and making you an emotional basketcase — the show is also a story about place, and that place is primarily New York City. Even before things get more fantastical at a certain inflection point, the city is foundational in shaping not only the mood and tone of the series but also the characters who chose to live there. NYC has earned its moniker as the city that never sleeps, and the show gives us glimpses of its labyrinthian nature, a place full of secrets despite the millions who live there.
Through the course of the first season, "The Changeling" shows us some of the city's hidden places. And even as things become more surreal and blurred as to what is possible, the sides of the city we see still seem plausible. The show celebrates how NYC contains multitudes, even when some of those multitudes have an insidious underbelly.
As "The Changeling" becomes more fantastical, it also takes bigger creative swings. Most of them land, by and large, but there will no doubt be moments that will have more than a few viewers wondering what the heck is going on. The show is intentional with this disorientation, however, and those who stay on for the ride will see how it all comes together.
For the most part, at least. Without getting into spoilers, the fairy tale is not finished by the end of the eighth and final episode, and the ending is more abrupt than I'd have liked. Here's to hoping the show gets picked up for another season, so we can follow Apollo and Emma on their odyssey through the liminal landscape of New York City, both driven by their intense terror for their son as well as their terrifying love for him.
/Film Rating: 8 out of 10
The first three episodes of "The Changeling" premiere Friday, September 8, 2023 on Apple TV+, followed by one episode weekly through October 13.