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Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
Following last week’s limited series premiere of HBO and Sky’s The Baby, the titular child picks off a new victim, while the story itself establishes some of its other primary characters. The second episode is titled, “The Seduction”. It is written by Siân Robins-Grace and directed by Stacey Gregg (Here Before).
In this review, I will be discussing The Baby Episode 2. There will be no spoilers here, as the title of this article suggests. Nonetheless, please read ahead at your own discretion to avoid any possible revelations.
Plot Synopsis
According to WarnerMedia’s pressroom, here is the logline for The Baby Episode Two— “The Seduction”.
Inexplicably reunited with the baby, Natasha (Michelle de Swarte) scrambles to locate his mother and uncovers an alarming pattern of events on a thumb drive. Later, after her friends confuse the situation further, Natasha reaches out to her estranged sister Bobbi (Amber Grappy).
Discussion
NOTE: It should be known that I got to view the first six out of eight episodes of The Baby early two times before the publication of this article. This will be my third time having seen the episode.
Running a few minutes shorter than “The Arrival”, “The Seduction” is an alluring episode that begins to unveil the wider scope of the Baby’s (Albie Pascal Hills and Arthur Levi Hills) power. Could it be more than just baby fever? Perhaps. The comedy is still prominent here, yet the narrative transitions the overall story to something possessing more drama than it conjures laughs. The soundtrack and the scoring are both potent, anxiety-inducing in some scenes — such as that between Tash (Michelle de Swarte) and Rita (Isy Suttie) — and calming down nerves in other scenes.
Not much happens in terms of death, and Tash doesn’t travel to many places compared to the premiere episode. With that said, the writing continues to stay strong as we learn more about the previous women who have had to deal with the Baby. In this regard, the writers suggest there is a repetition transpiring: a woman finds the Baby, eventually the woman dies in his presence, then the Baby is picked up by another woman. In other reviews I’ve published here at The Cinema Spot, I refer to this as the spiral; the Baby endures a metaphorical change and returns as something uncanny. We only get a teaser for this in this second episode, so we will have to wait until the fourth episode of The Baby to see it in graphic detail.
With both the music and the writing, we get a neat balance of both comedy and horror throughout the episode. In one scene, there is a strange interaction between two characters, then we see Tash’s scenes at the cookie shop as she investigates Lydia’s death. Something tragic happens and so Tash has to keep her composure by vibing out to Etta Jones. The episode ends on an ominous note, and that’s pretty much it. I felt the pacing to be brisker here, and I love how every scene puts us in slightly different moods.
The Crew of The Baby
Lucy Gaymer serves as the producer of The Baby. Naomi de Pear, Jane Feathersome, Carolyn Strauss, Siân Robins-Grace, and Nicole Kassell serve as the executive producers. Katie Carpenter serves as the co-executive producer, while Emma Parsons is the co-producer.
Aisha Bywaters serves as the casting director. Kate Reid is the episode’s director of photography. Mike Holliday serves as the editor.
Lucrecia Dalt composes the music for the show, while Peter Saville and Zoë Ellen Bryant serve as the music supervisors. Ed Hamilton serves as the music editor.
Paulina Rzeszowska is the production designer. PC Williams serves as the costume designer, while Misty Dee Griffiths is the assistant costume designer. Kate Benton serves as the hair and make-up designer; while Robert Worrall and Lily Sumner are the hair and make-up artists.
Steph Odu serves as the art director; while Illia Boccia is the assistant art director. Rachel Garlick and Rob Pybus serve as the storyboard artists. Hannah Spice is the set decorator. Kitty Katalina Lyons-Walker serves as the assistant decorator.
The Cast of The Baby
Michelle de Swarte portrays the series’ protagonist, Natasha “Tash”. Albie Pascal Hills and Arthur Levi Hills play the titular baby of the show.
Amira Ghazalla returns as Mrs. Eaves, while Amber Grappy is introduced as Bobbi, Tash’s younger sister.
Divian Ladwa plays Fooze, an employee at Crookies Cookies. Shadow plays his pet dog, Bruv. Sophie Reid returns as Lydia. Angela Yeoh appears as Yolanda Ray, the woman who had the Baby before Lydia.
Shvorne Marks and Isy Suttie play Mags and Rita, Tash’s respective friends. Roanna Appleby appears as a woman with a pram.
Performances and Character Developments
De Swarte’s Tash is not much of a family type of person. She does keep in touch with her father, as we’ve seen in the first episode, but that is just about it. The character does not totally hate the Baby, and we see that she begins to form a special bond with him throughout this episode. She shows that, deep down, she still has compassion for others, and this is confirmed when in her interactions with the Baby in the final several minutes of the narrative.
Mrs. Eaves returns and Bobbi is introduced, foreshadowing their respective roles in the limited series. While we do not yet see Bobbi, it is Mrs. Eaves who is keeping a close watch on Tash and the Baby. Keep an eye out for her, especially; her backstory, in relation to the Baby, runs deeper than you would begin to believe…
Final Thoughts on This Week’s Episode of The Baby
“The Seduction” has its ups and downs but I can assure you that from here, it does get better. The only other work I have seen that is directed by Stacey Gregg is Here Before, a psychological drama thriller film that I covered at South by Southwest last March. I also got to interview her about that project, and so I see some similarities between that movie and The Baby when dealing with a mother and child’s connection.
Gregg is a fitting director for this second episode, which exhibits more darkness than comedy and shows that taking care of children is a huger risk than is expected. My two favorite scenes involve Fooze’s dog fetching a ball and Tash cooking along to “Bye Bye Blackbird”, although that is all I can really say about it without spoiling the story.
You can watch The Baby on HBO and Sky!
Have you seen the premiere episode of this limited series? If so, what will you be expecting? Let us know! For more comedy and horror-related news and reviews visit and follow The Cinema Spot on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Managing editor & film and television critic with a Bachelor's of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Minor from the University of Guam. Currently in graduate school completing a Master's in English Literature.
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