Based on Victor LaValle’s award-winning novel. A fairy tale for grown-ups. A horror story, a parenthood fable and a perilous odyssey through a New York City you didn’t know existed. A television series by Kelly Marcel, starring LaKeith Stanfield, Clark Backo, Adina Porter, Alexis Louder, Jared Abrahamson, Amirah Vann, and Teca Pereira

A horror fantasy TV series based on the novel “the changeling” by American author Victor LaValle, first published in June 2017.

Apollo Kagwa (LaKeith Stanfield), an antiquarian book dealer, is beguiled by Emma (Clark Backo), a librarian at a library in Queens, New York. He has asked her out seven times, and she has declined each time. However, Apollo is unyielding. He believes that his father’s marriage to his mother was the result of his father’s perseverance. Finally, Emma agrees to go on a date with Apollo. They have a delightful dinner together, and Apollo is confident that he is making progress. However, after the dinner, Emma explains that the reason why she refused when he asked her out, is because she is moving to Brazil and she does not know how long she will be gone.

The story flashes back to 1968, when Apollo’s father, Brian West (Jared Abrahamson), a parole officer, met his mother, Lillian Kagwa (Adina Porter), a secretary at a modeling agency. Brian was persistent in his pursuit of Lillian, even after she repeatedly rebuffed his advances, citing her refusal to date white men. However, Brian never gave up, and eventually, they went on a date and eventually got married and had a son named Apollo. Tragically, Brian disappeared when Apollo was four years old. Lillian never explained why her husband left, and Apollo was left to grapple with the mystery of his father’s disappearance. To make matters worse, Apollo began having recurring nightmares about a stranger wearing a blue mask.

Apollo is overjoyed to reunite with Emma when she returns from Brazil. She tells him about a strange woman she met at Lagoa do Abaeté, a lagoon in Itapuã, Salvador, a place that the locals warned her not to go. The witch (Teca Pereira) tied a red string bracelet around her wrist and granted her three wishes. The witch told Emma that when the string falls off on its own, her wishes will come true, but she must never cut it. Apollo does not believe in superstitions, so he cuts the red string and promises Emma that he is the person who will make all of her three wishes come true. They get married and start a family together.

After their child is born, strange things begin to happen. Emma and Apollo are exhausted from the sleepless nights and the physical and mental demands of taking care of a newborn. Emma finally returns to work at the library after her 8-week maternity leave, but she is still worried about their child. She repeatedly receives photo messages from Apollo, but there are no texts attached to the photos. When she tries to show the photos to Apollo, they disappear.

A baby is a dream made real. But a dream is a fairy’s favorite meal. There at the window they watched as it slept.

Emma learns the truth about the death of her parents from her sister Kim (Amirah Vann), that it was not an accident that burned down their house, but it was that their mother set fire to their house and perished in the flames. Kim is concerned that Emma is on the verge of doing something terrible, like their mother used to do.

Emma’s descent into madness is swift and terrifying. She captures and tortures Apollo, and then does the unthinkable by killing their child. She no longer resembles her former self. After the incident that leaves Apollo hospitalized, Emma vanishes into thin air. She is nowhere to be found. Apollo is furious and frustrated, but he also has no idea how to find her.

Apollo is stunned to learn that his father did not abandon him. In fact, it was his mother who forced his father to leave. Apollo had always believed that he was the reason why his father left, but now he realizes that it was not his fault.

LaKeith Stanfield and Clark Backo deliver superb performances. The music and cinematography are also excellent, creating a dark and atmospheric tone. The storytelling is fragmented, jumping back and forth between past and present without any clear indication of how the scenes connect to each other. I hope that history is not simply repeating itself.

A changeling, also historically referred to as an auf or oaf, is a human-like creature found in folklore throughout Europe. A changeling was believed to be a fairy that had been left in place of a human (typically a child) stolen by other fairies.

The CHANGELING is a very long slow-burning mystery that unfolds without any clear direction of where it is going. This can be frustrating for some viewers, who may feel like they are not getting enough information to piece together the story. However, it can also be part of the its appeal, as it creates a sense of suspense and unease. The viewer is left to wonder what will happen next, and whether or not all of the details from the past are really necessary. Only time will tell if the series will pay off in the finale. I will update this entry again once I have seen the whole thing.

The CHANGELING premiered on Apple TV+ on 8 September 2023.