Hello and welcome back to Multiversity’s coverage of Netflix’s Sweet Tooth! Last week covered the beginning of Gus’ journey into the world with his newly found guide, Tommy Jeppard AKA The Big Man. Now whether Jeppard likes him tagging along is an entirely different conversation. Let’s just jump right into it episode two of Sweet Tooth, “Sorry About All The Dead People.”
1. Family In The Woods
Episode two of Sweet Tooth brings Gus and Jeppard’s in search of food where they then find a cabin in the woods that a family has occupied and managed to hide from society. After Gus accidentally gets trapped inside the cabin, the family invites the two of them for dinner and a bed to sleep in for the night. Although they are cautious of the two of them, especially Gus since he is the first hybrid any of them have seen, it does feel odd that there is no real confrontation. Throughout the visit, there is very little animosity or even a kind of “you get your stuff and get out of here” kind of vibe to the visit. The parents have a child about Gus’s age that they even let play with him, so it feels very confusing that a family that has not seen anyone else in the world is so open to strangers. The only creepy thing about them, in this post-apocalyptic world, would be their kindness. This kind of positive interaction for Gus in his first real-world experience, will fuel him, rather than force him back into his homemade cabin.
2. Hidden Burns
The Mother sees burns on Jeppard’s chest and immediately becomes fearful of him. She confronts him when he is alone to ask how many people he has killed or kidnapped. Jeppard keeps his cool but his agitation hints that he did things that he may not be proud of, but he knew that they were going to keep him alive. At a time in the world when everyone is dying and scared of a disease, I’d think that everyone has stuff they wish they could do differently, but if it means survival, how can she judge? The more interesting thing that comes from this interaction is that one of the key things she says to Jeppard is that Gus believes that he will be safe with him. That kind of statement leads the audience to believe that the mark is connected to people that may hurt hybrids, rather than protect them. Jeppard’s reluctance at the beginning was not out of selfishness, but out of fear for Gus. This is a man who has seen how horrible the world truly can be and Gus’s sheltered upbringing will not have prepared him for it.
3. Dr. Singh Update
When we last saw Dr. Singh, his wife was taken into the hospital because she seemed to contract the virus that has plagued the world. Turns out she still has it, but has found a medical cocktail to help her live. The world is still ravaged but Dr. Singh and his wife are surviving in their same small neighborhood that has military guards and a repurposed fast-food spot as a medical clinic. Although this scene is meant to showcase Singh’s push back into medicine, it has an underlining message; the rich are still going to survive. The chaotic world outside of their bubble is of no real thought to them. These people don’t have to worry about where their next meal is coming from or someone attacking them. Instead, they get to make jokes about getting snacks from the store and taking medicine that most of the world probably does not have access to. I just can’t help but be a little disgusted at these reminders that, even with the world burning and everyone is affected, if you’ve got the money in your pocket you’re a little safer than those that don’t.
4. Maybe Pubba Didn’t Know Everything
While talking with the boy before going to sleep, Gus sees the book The Velveteen Rabbit and mentions that his Pubba wrote that book and pulls out his version of it. While it is adorable in its attempt, Gus slowly realizes that his Pubba may not have written it. The seeds of doubt in his upbringing are starting to grow, first with this fun interaction with strangers, and now this nugget of truth.
Continued belowAs children, we see the world through the window that our parents show us, but as we get older we start to see more details. This realization of what our parents were hiding can lead to questions but for Gus they are unable to be answered because Pubba is gone. His entire life he was bound to a patch of land behind a fence and now that he is far past it, he will start to question why he was hidden away in the first place. The coming-of-age storyline continues for Gus with every new interaction.
5. The Abbot Code
In the final confrontation of the episode, a group of armed men comes to the cabin looking for Gus and mention “Abbot’s Code.” This is briefly defined as a justified reason to entire the premises to search for hybrid or “animal children.” This kind of law feels reminiscent of The Patriot Act and treats these literal children as second-class citizens or terrorists. The fact that they have a small army coming after one child, hints at the type of terror and chaos they are willing to cause to get what they want.
Jeppard makes his peace by deciding to keep Gus by his side by taking the small army out and show how he got those burns. It was also a strong point for the family to see that his strength and abilities can be used for good, not just for survival in the cruel world. Gus got a small glimpse into the world that his father was trying so desperately to keep him from. This episode was a good point to move our characters in the right direction and giving both new lessons to learn. Now that they are leaving the family in the woods, they move towards the next town.
