Apple TV+’s The Changeling Delivers a Haunting Perspective on Parenthood

Apple TV+'s The Changeling, starring LaKeith Stanfield and Clark Baoko, uses the horror genre to comment on the challenges of parenthood.

Apple TV+'s new horror-fantasy series, The Changeling, stars LaKeith Stanfield and Clark Baoko as Apollo and Emma, respectively. Based on the award-winning novel by Victor LaValle, the series centers on a married couple who find themselves entangled in seemingly supernatural events. While parenthood is often depicted as a gift, this series deliberately highlights its challenges and surfaces the genuine horrors that can accompany this journey, providing greater depth to the themes it explores.

The Changeling centers on the relationship between Apollo, a rare bookseller, and his Librarian girlfriend, later wife, Emma. They experience the trials and tribulations of parenthood while seemingly dealing with otherworldly occurrences outside their control. While The Changeling can be somewhat directionless at times, it is most successful when it delves deeper into themes surrounding supernatural elements and unsettles audiences by tapping into the raw emotions underlying these various topics. The struggles involved with being a parent are primarily explored through Emma's declining mental state, as she appears to exhibit symptoms of postpartum depression and finds difficulty in caring for her son. The series takes this a step further by also commenting on how having children can adversely affect marital relationships.

Apple TV+'s The Changeling Reflects the Challenges of Parenthood

Monsters within the horror genre are often used metaphorically to symbolize or represent certain aspects of society, such as social issues, fears and anxieties, to help audiences understand them in more accessible ways. The technique can also be observed in the anthology series American Horror Story, which leverages horror tropes and supernatural elements as metaphors for contemporary issues. For instance, Season 12, titled "Delicate," which teases a feminist thriller, also includes a pregnant mother who, in this case, fears that someone is attempting to prevent her pregnancy from reaching full term. The Changeling similarly applies this method as the title suggests that their child is a supernatural entity, symbolizing the challenges of parenthood.

When audiences are first introduced to Apollo and Emma in Season 1, Episode 1, "First Comes Love," they appear to be a sweet and endearing couple, with the two of them getting married and having a baby. However, a hint of something sinister to come is delivered earlier when Emma visits Brazil on a trip and meets a witch by a waterfall. The witch explains that her three wishes will be fulfilled if she leaves a string she tied around her wrist until it falls off. Upon her return, Emma meets with Apollo, who boldly declares that he will grant all her wishes and cuts off the string. This string can be interpreted as representing the initial wishes parents have for their marriage and relationship with their children. Yet, these preconceived notions don't always align with the realities surrounding parenthood, as parents aren't always prepared for the emotional and psychological toll it can take.

This is something that Apollo and Emma become all too familiar with. Emma, in particular, illustrates the challenges mothers face when trying to form connections with their children, manifesting through her sleep deprivation and exhibited symptoms of postpartum depression. There are many depictions of complex mother-daughter relationships within the media, such as Gaal and Salvor in Foundation, but Emma's relationship with her infant son, Brian, represents a different set of challenges. In Season 1, Episode 2, "Then Comes a Baby in a Baby Carriage," Emma receives texts with pictures of them and the baby. But, when she tries to show these pictures to Apollo, they are deleted from her phone. Later, she starts to believe that the baby isn't hers, which draws upon real feelings that mothers can experience, suggesting that these situations should be treated professionally and tactfully.

Apple TV+'s The Changeling Exposes Parenthood's Toll on Relationships

There are various factors that can impact a relationship, as demonstrated in different ways by various narratives. Harley Quinn, for instance, illustrates how diverging work paths can fracture romantic relationships by focusing on Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy. On the other hand, Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse touches on how complications can arise from other love interests through Miles Morales and Gwen Stacy. On a different note, The Changeling highlights how parenthood can fragment existing relationships through Apollo and Emma. Initially, the couple seemed to be in a happy and healthy relationship while raising their son. However, as they grapple with the challenges of parenthood, it starts to take a toll on their relationship.

Apollo does not believe Emma when she says that someone is stalking them and that something is wrong with the baby. As her mental health continues to decline, Apollo almost rejects her in favor of protecting their son from any potential danger she may pose. While Apollo initially appears interested in getting his wife help from a trained professional, his determination seems to fade as the story progresses. These events come to a head in Episode 2 when Emma beats Apollo and ties him with chains to a pole and a chair. The series doesn't reveal what happens to their infant son, which is likely the result of its non-linear storytelling, but what audiences do know is that Emma was somehow involved.

At the outset of Season 1, Episode 3, "Asterisk," audiences learn that Emma has disappeared in the aftermath of the event, with Apollo not knowing where his wife went or how she is doing. This situation illustrates how easily parents can transition from being in a loving relationship to experiencing intense conflict due to the pressures of parenthood. Without a clear understanding of the time and emotional capacity needed for this task, relationships can suffer. The Changeling may not be a perfect series by any means, but it effectively addresses the challenges of parenthood through the lens of horror.

Created by Kelly Marcel and directed by Melina Matsoukas, the first three episodes of The Changeling are available to stream now on Apple TV+, with new episodes released on Fridays.