It’s season 1 finale wrap-up time and The Whispers has a bunch of things to wrap up without much time to do it. Drill’s signal boomed out loud and clear through the mouth of Cassandra and the airwaves of live television. His signal to his fellow aliens was sent. Now it’s up to Wes, Claire and the team to stop an alien invasion and, most important, save their children.
The creepy-meter is upped in the finale, titled “Game Over,” as The Whispers ends things with all the children doing bad things, Drill going kaboom and random adults following Drill’s commands like he’s got some special Kool-Aid. And that’s all in the first 30 minutes.
The Whispers Recap: Which Child Does Drill Control? >>>
Drill Spills Some Secrets
An ET has taken over a child’s body — that of the President’s daughter. That’s the lead story all over the news, and everyone seems pretty darn calm considering they’re witnessing a possession firsthand and the end of the world may be imminent.
Cassandra’s being shipped off to a secure location, with Claire in tow. The agent wants to talk to her/him/it and get some answers. The main one being, what do you evil aliens want with us?
The little one is in a Silence of the Lambs-like holding cell confronting Claire. Evil kids equals extra-terrestrial creepy. Her voice even echoes as she tells Claire they want “domination.”
“If parents paid more attention to them … they’re always alone.” Amen, Drill. These kiddos are kind of raising themselves, with mom and dad too busy to be bothered by their little ones. Alien’s got a point.
Drill exemplifies smug confidence, telling Claire and Wes that they should have “sacrificed” the last child he possessed, adding, “Your wife would still be alive.” Ouch. Way to rub some electricity in those wounds.
Drill’s had enough with the banter and gets a strained look on his/Cassandra’s face. He blows himself up in a ball of fire, disintegrating before the pair’s eyes. What? Drill’s dead?
Children of the Corn Reboot
The kids start off oh-so-sweet before things turn sour. The Whispers is at its best when it lets the children get under our skin. They get way under in “Game Over” following Drill’s instructions and manipulating the very pliable grown-ups.
But first, the sweet … Henry apologizes to Minx, saying he should have believed her when she said she wasn’t Drill. It’s a sad little scene, with Henry admitting that he’d give up his hearing to get his friend’s mommy back.
The cute redhead is teaching Minx some sign language when both kids suddenly go limp. Harper’s in her bedroom going limp as well. Did Drill just enter all the darn children? Tell me Drill did not just possess all the cute kids.
Yes, he did! Flashes to random children show that Drill is making all of them do some really bad things to their parents … one drugs her mom’s drink, another locks his parent in a room. They’re in an alien haze being led somewhere fast.
Stepford Wives Reboot
Claire sees three shady looking kids at a gas station and logically gets out of the car to follow them. She’s got her hands full as a few Children of the Corn surround her, joined by some Stepford Wife wannabes. It looks like she played right into their hands.
Sean’s doing his own investigation, coming to the realization that his tattoos mean something. “Do you think they’re a sort of Rosetta Stone” we could use to understand Drill? Interesting theory.
Because creepy kids are never enough, let’s add some creepy adults to the mix. A Stepford shows up to kidnap Sean and his tattoos, taking him to a kidnapped Claire.
A knitting Stepford Wife talks calmly to her captors (a tied-up Sean and Claire) about what a great friend Drill is. “Once you’re friends with Drill, you’re friends for life.” It turns out these grown-ups were all little Drill minions as children.
Drill is dead, with his death triggering his adult followers into action. This was just Drill #156 (or something like that). All the “visitors” were called Drill, interchangeably. The knitting continues as calm, crazy lady talks about “The Coming.” The adults have lost their stinking minds! They’re not possessed. They just believe in the power of Drill and his ability to make the world a better place. What? Anyone else getting a cult vibe?
Let’s Blow Up All the Drills
The President is briefed on a set of moving stars, destination Earth. Only, they’re not stars. They’re aliens headed our way!
The President’s solution? Bomb the crud out of the coming invaders because what guy doesn’t like a good explosion? They think it’s a success, until Henry runs outside to point to the sky. Henry’s not answering his mom, acting like he’s in some catatonic state. Claire figures out he’s deaf (again) and signs, “What is the message” they’re sending?
The little boy signs, “The message is a question. Are the children ready?”
They’ve Come for the Children
The aliens want our babies?! They’ve come to take the children!
Claire, Wes and Sean figure out that the kids all have designated spots where they’re supposed to wait for lift-off. The search for Minx is on. The trio wanders through some woods enveloped in fog (of course), with Henry pointing the way.
It’s all a ruse. Henry is in on it. He’s just trying to get to his spot. Beams of light shine down on hundreds of children as they disintegrate upward, presumably transported to the aliens above. Poof, Minx, gone. Poof, Harper, gone. Poof, Henry, pushed out of the way by Claire who gets snapped up.
Thousands of children are taken. And I guess one adult. Fade out and The Whispers ends on a cliffhanger with no guarantee of a season 2. Disappointing? Yes! The build-up was so intense with each week promising a big showdown. The big problem with the big showdown? The out of the blue, random adults thrown into Drill’s game seemed a stretch even for The Whispers. But the biggest letdown is the showdown that doesn’t go down. Beams of light steal the children in an episode that reads more like a mid-season finale than a possible series finale.
Was The Whispers a fun summer ride? Yes. Did it creep us out with possessed children? Yes. But did it end with a satisfying conclusion? Not really.
Here’s hoping there will be another season to answer those nagging questions that remain. Where did the children go? Why did the aliens need them? Will Sean and Wes team up to track down Claire and Minx? C’mon, ABC, don’t leave us hanging. Whisper a few answers in our ears next summer.
(Image courtesy of ABC)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
