Channel Zero: Candle Cove – Season Finale “Welcome Home” Review. What’s Done is Done.

Mike finale comes face to face with The Tooth Child

Season 1, Episode 6 (Season Finale)

Airdate: Tuesday, November 15, 2016, 9/8c on Syfy

Rating: ★★★★★

“Welcome Home,” the season finale of Channel Zero: Candle Cove (CZ:CC) is a fitting end to the first installment of creepypastas for the Channel Zero anthology series. The story of Dr. Mike Painter’s (Paul Schneider) return to Iron Hill has been a disturbing journey—at times, blurring the lines between fantasy and reality. Before watching “Welcome Home,” I had several preconceived ideas of what might happen to the deranged schoolteacher, Mrs. Frances Booth (Marina Stephenson Kerr), and the children of Iron Hill, which included the unexpected arrival of Mike’s daughter Lily (Abigail Pniowsky). What I did not expect are the scattered, poignant moments throughout the episode.

Windmills of Your Mind

In “Guest of Honor,” the penultimate episode that served as a major turning point, we not only received a glimpse into the mindset of Mrs. Booth, but discovered the full extent of Eddie’s (Luca Villacis) supernatural abilities. Eddie created Candle Cove in his mind after suffering an attack by the school bullies in “You Have to Go Inside.” It appears more than just bones snapped the day Eddie broke his finger. “Welcome Home” elaborates on Eddie’s powers, including the revelation that he is the horrifying Tooth Child (Cassandra Consiglio).

What CZ:CC manages to do well is make the paranormal elements very grounded in a way. It’s obvious Eddie’s spirit is using Mike and Mrs. Booth to exact his revenge. Mrs. Booth’s devotion to Eddie for curing her seizures makes me wonder if he uses her as a conduit too. I guess what it comes down to is I wanted a bit more of an understanding of how the spirit side of Eddie’s world functions. How does he manage to manifest himself in our world and transport people?

Even the afterlife Eddie remains on the outside looking in on the world

Although the backstory for Eddie is a little dry, it doesn’t negatively impact my reaction to “Welcome Home.” In fact, I love the way we see how Eddie has existed since his death, watching the world through a TV into the outside world—observing his brother and the rest of the town move on while he was stuck. And the manifestation or “darkness” Eddie tells Mike about after following The Tooth Child to Candle Cove is completely the stuff of nightmares.

The amazing performances by the cast, the direction by Craig William Macneill, and the attention to production design are necessary elements in creating an enthralling television experience. I love how the big moments are not loud or shocking, per se. There is violence and bloodshed, but CZ: CC is more like a psychological horror where the elements of the paranormal are not as important as the themes they address. For example, the various ways in which people deal with past traumas and inner demons, the concept of retribution, and the way revenge plays out in Mike and Eddie’s story line are the heart of the show.

Memento Mori

Sacrifice has been a major theme throughout most of the season. When Mike decides to embark on saving Lily, he makes his mother, Marla Painter (Fiona Shaw), swear to fulfill a promise. Although the promise isn’t elaborated on at first, it becomes clear towards the end as Eddie plans to switch places with Mike.

Marla is one of my favorite characters; she is a mother who has suffered great loss but finds a way to live with the painful truth of her sons’ problems. She manages to stay strong even when fighting someone as bat-crazy as Mrs. Booth. Shaw is effective in making Marla a character to root for; she will do anything for her family. The range of emotions Shaw displays in “Welcome Home” stands out in the quieter moments as well.

Overall

The horror genre can be an unforgiving realm for television where too much gore and a thin story line can be campy. Oftentimes, too many characters and a convoluted plot can be boring. CZ: CC has the advantage of having source material that stems from the original creepypasta. The challenge with CZ: CC is watching how the series builds upon the mystique of the creepypasta and establishes its own identity. “Welcome Home” does an excellent job of creating nightmarish visuals, such as the costuming for the Skin-Taker, played by performance artist Olivier de Sagazan, who is well known for his unsettling video, “Transfiguration.”

Although CZ:CC is a limited six-episode series, the approach works in favor of the show because it leaves little room for extraneous subplots that propel the main story lines forward, allowing the content and flow of the story to be balanced. Yes, the earlier half of the short season is slow, but ultimately, the ebb and flow of pacing serves to add more tension in the overall story arc. Make no mistake about it, the setup of the methodically pieced scenes between Mike and Marla pays off as their story line reaches a sad end. Meanwhile, Mrs. Booth prolongs her reign of terror as she continues to mesmerize the town’s children into committing acts of murder and violence. The scenes where the children are in the woods holding knives are far more chilling than any bucket of blood thrown at the screen.

I’m sad the Candle Cove story line is over, but I’m thankful the ending is slightly open, with the possibility of a continuation in one form or another. What makes CZ: CC compelling is the idea of an otherworldly place that creates real life bogymen. I had no doubt Mike would sacrifice himself for those he loves. I didn’t imagine, however, an Eddie and Mike reunion would happen. That said, what works for the series is the atmospheric tone, acting, and direction. Villacis is an actor to look out for in the future; his performance while playing young versions of Mike and Eddie was seamless. At times, I forgot it was the same actor playing both roles. All the actors involved have a great onscreen presence together, and Schneider is effective in portraying Mike’s complicated personality.

What did you think of the season finale “Welcome Home?” Post your comment below or on Twitter @conallen.