The perfect small town has one major defect – a horrible bully named Trevor Larkin.
Some Spoilers Ahead
1. The American Nightmare
On the surface, Larkinville is the idyllic Small Town America setting, but we know that something will be off about it – aside from the dangerous level of 1950s nostalgia built into it. From jump, as soon as the quaint narration, and Trevor Larkin’s actions show us that he is a purposeful menace, and not just a doofy idiot, it’s clear how awful this place truly is to live. I did initially think it was going to be a spin on the episode “It’s A Good Life” from the original The Twilight Zone, and maybe that’s where they wanted your mind to go. I applaud that sort of set up, just to have the rug pulled out from under you. Keeps those of us who have seen far too much horror and sci-fi guessing and ultimately interested. The themes played with here are scarier, and putting the supernatural power in the hands of someone other than the villain was a great detail.
2. Eat The Rich
That’s it, that’s the Thought.
3. We Get It, Disney Owns Marvel and Star Wars
Every time a line like “My dad is like Thanos.” or “Welcome to the Resistance!” gets dropped it pulls me right out. And for a story about a singular rich family/corporation that owns everything being the bad guy, inclusions like this should fall flat for anyone over 10 years old. There are some less egregious ones in other episodes, and of course other properties under the Disney umbrella, but they seem to be getting worse. My arm is still sore from all the elbow nudging.
4. Drag Me To Hell, Jr.
Trevor beats up the new kid, new kid’s grandmother puts a curse on him, and while making him a much smaller 13 year old than he had been, also makes him better looking? Not much a curse if you ask me. His physical appearance may take some of his emotional power away, it wouldn’t ever change the fact that his father is a capitalist nightmare who would still ruin everyone’s life just for finding out what had happened to his son. The twist on this episode is the one outcome that could happen and actually have the story work in any capacity, but it does feel like a slight cop-out. However, the magic grandma element is a nice excuse for her not getting tricked by Trevor’s apology. This story really works from start to finish. It continuously plays with audience expectations, both implementing plot twists unexpectedly, and moves away from anticipated twists or outcomes in some really great ways.
5. Slapstick Bullying
All real-life darkness aside, the bullying in this episode is chock-full of silly bullying. It’s a greatest hits of everything you’ve ever seen in a teen comedy. And as disgusting as Cyrus Arnold’s version of Trevor is to look at, (No shots at Cyrus, the production and his performance do an outstanding job at making him the “ugly bully.”) the montage of him bullying various kids throughout is hammy fun and only heightens your want of him to get taken down. It all feels silly in a 80s teen comedy kind of way while still keeping the real threat of Rick Larkin financially crippling this town in the back of your mind.
