SPOILERS: Small Prophets.

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This is a thread for those who have watched the series and are desperate to post and discuss. It seems that the no spoilers free thread is being inundated with those who understably love it. Post away! I love it.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt38504111/

Been having a scroll through and haven't read every post so apologies if this has come up before: I love Mackenzie Crook and everything he does, so I was looking forward to this for months, but I found it unsettling. Specifically the animated "creatures" (loved everything else). But it felt jarring (no pun intended) when they were shown. A friend said she felt the same, like a sense of horror (not fear?) - anyone else?

Just interested in opinions. No real idea of why I felt that, I mean yeah you could say it was a bit creepy but not something an adult would be scared of?

The homunculi were slightly creepy but I didn't find them horrific.

I think Mackenzie Crook writes friendship really well. There were lovely friendships in Detectorists between quirky characters who liked each other faults and all and I think it's the same here.

I liked the understated malevolence of the Prophets and who could blame them? Dragged into being for the needs of selfish humans. Quite telling that Brian only remembered that they weren’t just a fairy story he’d told Michael as a child when his dementia advanced. It’s the sort of desperation that drives the parents in The Monkey’s Paw to their ill advised actions.

The one who attacked Kacey and then Michael was pretty awful. I was shocked as I thought they would be passive creatures tbh.
She didn’t put the lid back on properly though , so I guess it was her fault too that it escaped tbf.

They all looked like they had been dragged from somewhere against their will, poor things. It was like a mistreated animal fighting back. I hated how Michael and Kacey kept asking them questions and not noticing how much it exhausted them. A metaphor for humans taking advantage of the natural world?

I did find it strange that Clive tapped the glass bottles as if he knew they were in there. It wasn’t see through , but he seemed to know what to do to make them appear. Bev told him they were fish , but most people seeing those bottles wouldn’t think to tap them. I wouldn’t anyway!

I think so.

It was all the questions that made them upset and maybe that’s why the King one attacked once he got out. Too many questions in one day , the dad told Kacey that’s why they looked poorly. Poor things were exhausted.

I got the feeling they were used to more reverence, as supernatural oracles made flesh, in the Olden Days. Turning out to be vicious little buggers if mistreated must be a ‘thing’, as the poison provided is seen as essential. Basically, FAFO with added stop motion

I loved them, proper otherworldly. And the stop motion was great, glad it wasnt CGI

https://www.cpre.org.uk/discover/mackenzie-crook-on-his-love-of-the-landscape/

I found this lovely piece by him.

Mackenzie Crook wrote and directed an adaptation of Worzel Gummidge too. The music for that was lovely and the writers of it provided some of the music for Detectorists too

People often tap fish tanks. I've no idea why.

I liked the modest mouse song.
Elliott and Michael both had the same t shirt on with the modest mouse logo.

Yes, it’s true about fish tanks ! My old dentist had one in the reception area and people used to tap it.

I didn’t know this, il look for it, thank you!

I think to alert the fish so they come out of hiding or come closer

I agree they were a bit creepy though they didn't really bother me. I was more bothered by the exaggerated sterility of the neighbouring houses, and the fact that Micheal's supposedly neglected garden was still full of lovely flowers!

I don't like the young male neighbour one bit - coercive controller? Definitely signs of it.

I thought the name Clea was odd. Like an anagram of Alec, or points to something else maybe?

Clea is one letter short of being Alice and I think she’s vanished into another realm not of this world.

Does anybody happen to know Morse code? It suddenly struck me last night that the security lights on all the houses in the cul-de-sac seemed to be flashing on and off in a pattern whenever they were shown - I wonder if there's some sort of message buried in there...

Could be Morse code. It did seem odd and some strange goings on generally

Ew. Weird conclusion to arrive at. I don't think she has any sexual interest at all in this kind but eccentric beardy man who is about 30 odd years older than her.