Underground - Cradle - Review: "Growing Up is Hard to Do"

This week’s episode focused on the children. (All of the songs on this week’s soundtrack were sung by children.) It also had more of a vignette structure than the other episodes of the series.

James:

That opening sequence was a heartbreaker. Ernestine’s quest to have James sent to work in the shop with Sam was derailed by the escape and the arrival of Reverend Willowset. James was sent to the fields. (Sam is even in the fields now.) Sam and Ernestine’s near frantic need to teach him everything he needed to survive just tore at my heart.

Even with those tips, he was completely unprepared for the reality of spending a day picking cotton. Meekes decided to scare him by asking if he’d been told the punishment for not ‘making weight’. James learned that lesson after his brother switched bags and took James’ whipping. After listening to his mother and brother talking about James’ lack of success in dealing with his new world, James faces day two with a new determination and a bit of deviousness worthy of his mother.

Ben:

Ben and August arrive at the mental hospital looking for Ben’s mother. Ben proves that he has been listening to his father’s teachings about tracking. He grabs the keys and storms into her room. It’s Ben’s first real awareness of his mother’s illness.

His mother has scribbled the words to the songs she sang him all over the walls. This leads him to the realization that his mother left the hospital for a stage. Indeed they find her in the woods singing. Ben initially sees his mother as an angel with a strong comforting voice. The reality isn’t pretty at all. Once they return her to the hospital, Ben gets a moment alone with his mother. He asks her the question that’s been with him for most of the series. Is his father the good wolf or the bad wolf? I don’t think even August could answer that question.

Boo:

Boo makes it to the Hawkes property. Luckily it’s Elizabeth who finds her. The only problem with this is that Elizabeth’s maternal instincts override her common sense. She gives Boo a bath, puts her to sleep in one of the beds, and plays dress up. The child should be hiding in the room they built under the house.

Boo can talk! I was really surprised to find out that Boo can talk. Sadly, what happened to Moses wasn’t a real surprise. They covered enough distance for Boo to be able to make it to the Hawkes property ahead of Noah and the others. But Moses was killed in front of Boo and she was left to fend for herself.

Elizabeth suffers for her lapse in judgement. Her old flame, Marshall Kyle Risdin, finds Boo. Elizabeth finds herself having to put her money where her mouth is with regard to protecting Boo and all of her cargo. She does do ‘whatever it takes’ and has sex with the Marshall to ensure he will keep his mouth shut. When Boo finds her sitting in the tub filled with regret, the little girl offers Elizabeth comfort. Boo is the youngest of the kids in the episode, but her strength is evident.

Henry:

Henry, at 15 or 16, is the oldest. In some respects, there still seems to be an innocence about him, like he’s still looking for something; perhaps a place to belong in the world. He follows Legder around the camp as he sets up the signal to let their Underground Railroad guide know that there is cargo waiting to be picked up. Henry drinks in every word even mimicking the way Ledger moves through the woods.

When he sees Rosalee and Noah sharing a moment together, he walks away feeling he’s been replaced. But when Noah accepts Henry’s suggested name, ‘Henry Hampton’, Henry’s ecstatic. He has a place in the world. He has a family. That place gives Henry the strength to sacrifice himself to save his family. The Macon 7 is down to 4. (Note: I’m counting Boo here)

TR:

The boss’s son is no different than the other children in the episode; he too faces the harsh realities of growing up. TR misses his playmate and wonders when he’ll return. No one gives him a straight answer. This changes when Reverend Willowset, a character I am growing to dislike more every time he opens his mouth, declares that it is time for the boy to put away his toys and become a man. Tom decides it’s also time to start teaching TR to accept his role as heir.

When Sam tries to buy Jame’s freedom, TR looks like he’s trying to will his father to accept this offer and release his friend. Tom turns Sam down but promises to put him back in his shop. TR visits James to promise him that when the plantation is his he will fix everything; make it all better. Unfortunately, James has had more time in the real world than TR. In fact, TR is still looking at the world from a child’s perspective. When James rebuffs TR’s offer of half his candy, TR’s feeling are hurt and he lashes out. He tells his father that Sam has run.

I was a little worried about how the intensity of the show could be maintained after the slaves made their escape from the plantation. I feared that they couldn’t keep me interested once their story became a weekly near miss type of story. That phase would, for me, quickly become boring. (This was one of my major issues with Prison Break’s second season.) By loading the show up with really interesting, compelling characters on all areas of the canvas, they’ve avoided this problem.

This episode allayed all of my concerns permanently. This week characters that have largely been background/overlooked characters took the centerstage and gave us some really interesting and compelling stories. I’m disappointed with the loss of Henry, though I wasn’t really surprised.

I am really curious to see Ben’s continued growth. He’s a very interesting character. Can he maintain his core values – especially those that differ from his father’s – as he grows into a man? I loved that scene where, when they found his wife, August steps in, moves with her and becomes part of her song until she realizes he’s there. It was yet another moment that added to the enigma that is August.

This episode was a different structure than other episodes. What did you guys think about the format? What did you think about the stories?

About the Author - Prpleight

Prpleight is a screenwriter and senior software engineer with solid geek cred. When not writing code, screenplays, or watching TV (sometimes she does all three at the same time), she uses her broadsword Bessie to battle evil. She's been a frequent contributor to the SpoilerTV discussion boards for several years now.

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