The Changeling is a powerful mystery thriller about the loss of a child.

Changeling premiered on Apple TV+ on September 8th. The first three episodes are enjoyable and make you look forward to new episodes.

The project is based on the novel of the same name by American writer Victor Laval. The showrunner is Kelly Marcel, known as the screenwriter of the three parts “Venom” and “50 Shades of Grey.” Starring LaKeith Stanfield (Atlanta) and Clark Bako (The Handmaid's Tale).

Apollo is a rare books dealer in New York. Together with his beloved, librarian Emma, ​​he has a child. However, parents are overtaken postpartum depression and doubts about the correctness of their decisions. Emma begins to suspect that her son is not human. Gradually, Apollo realizes that his current problems are closely connected with his childhood, in particular with the mysterious disappearance of his father.

What's good about the Changeling series?

Brilliant interpretations of old stories

Changelings in various forms are one of the creepiest parts of European folklore. On average, the story looked like this: some mystical creatures steal a baby, and in its place they leave either a doll or a copy devoid of a soul. After a while, the changeling died, and the parents believed that their child was alive, they just took him away. It is now generally accepted that these legends arose due to too high

infant mortality - in fact, this is a consolation for the mother.

The novel (and therefore the series) incorporates these stories. Moreover, he weaves them into the modern world. The death of a child is too shocking an event, forcing a person to look for alternative versions of what happened. The conclusion that the heroes of the project draw is quite strange, so the viewer does not understand whether what happens on screen is a consequence of the characters’ mental disorder or they are shown supernatural history. It is this feeling that makes the show most interesting - it easily lends itself to different interpretations.

Encyclopedia of Parental Fears

“The Changeling” juggles parental fears quite boldly. From the fear that the child is not his own to the feeling that he is in mortal danger, a minimal amount of time can pass. And this is not to mention the persecution mania or the feeling of shame in the mother, who doubted whether she loved her own son. It's rare for TV series to tackle these topics, so Changeling stands out from the pack.

At the same time, the project echoes classic horror films about parental problems - certain scenes are reminiscent of the films “Rosemary’s Baby” and “The Omen”. Despite the abundance of mysticism, “The Changeling” refuses jump scares, rather focusing on post-horror.

Strong emotional contrasts

"Changeling" constantly switches between different modes in the first episodes. A warm and very pleasant scene can coexist with a creepy and repulsive one, and in both cases the execution is excellent. For example, love for a child, turning into hatred, is demonstrated not only with the help of lines, but also with changes in camera angles, light, and music. And this only increases the emotionality.

Of course, actors play a huge role in the perception of history. First of all, Clarke Bako, who, as if in a click, turns from a loving mother into a suicidal one psychopath. She is also wonderful in warm scenes - Bako gives the series good, but then ruins it. LaKeith Stanfield gives the story nerve and a bit of naivety. Subsequently, it becomes clear that he is not so simple when his life is overshadowed by tragedy.

What are the potential problems with the Changeling series?

The dubious part of the series (more precisely, the first three episodes) seems to be the supernatural side. Where mysticism does not demonstrate itself, it is terribly frightening - for example, when it becomes clear that there are some evil forces, but they are not shown. But the more unambiguous the supernatural (in footage with witch), the less fear it causes. Here we can draw parallels with Rosemary’s Baby, where the suspicion of mysticism is more frightening than its manifestation. Considering that the hero is looking for a solution, we can assume that in the next episodes there will be more specifics, and it is not a fact that it will benefit the series.

Another potential problem is time jumps. Episodes from the protagonist's childhood regularly appear on the screen. And there are a lot of hints that in the future, flashbacks will not provide many answers, but will take up most of the screen time - something similar happened in the second episode. But perhaps in the future such scenes will complement the story rather than obscure it.

"Changeling" is one of the most ambitious autumn premiere. This is a creepy, nervous and eventful series that you want to watch in its entirety. We can only hope that the entire season will be as bright as the premiere three episodes.