LaKeith Stanfield’s strange new show ‘The Changeling:’ review

nypost.com:

AppleTV+ on Friday, Sept. 8, the show (starring and executive produced by Stanfield) is a fantasy-horror that’s captivating, even if the story is all over the place.

Based on a novel by Victor LaValle and helmed by showrunner Kelly Marcel, “The Changeling” calls itself a “fairy tale for grown-ups.” The plot follows Apollo (Stanfield), a rare book dealer in New York who is haunted by his missing dad (who abandoned him when he was four), as he starts dating librarian Emma (Clark Backo).

The show frequently jumps around in time, and includes flashbacks within flashbacks. For example, on Apollo and Emma’s first date, the story jumps back to New York in 1968, and follows Apollo’s parents as they meet, flirt, and finally get together in 1977.

His dad, Brian West (Jared Abrahamson), seems smitten with his mom, Lillian (Alexis Louder), so it comes as a shock when the narrator reveals that Brian left when Apollo was young.While the show is already flashing back to Apollo’s parents in the ‘70s, there’s another flashback within that, as his mom remembers a harrowing incident of violence from her youth.The show takes some time to build up to the fantasy and horror elements.It seems to take place in contemporary New York, but in one scene, Emma is hiking through the forest and stumbles upon an old crone – which seems straight out of a fairy tale.