Something Burrowed, Something Blue
Written By: Todd Spence & Zak White
The elderly Frank Cochran (Tom Atkins), nearing death, writes a letter to his estranged daughter Allison (Kristy Dawn Dinsmore), stating that it's been 15 years since they'd last seen each other and inviting her to Sunday brunch, hoping to see his only child for a final time. Allison and her fiancé, Ryan Lee (Curtis Lum), read the letter in their small apartment, sweltering in the 104-degree heat within. Allison is highly distrusting of her father, since he was a manipulative parent who shipped her off to boarding school rather than comfort her after her mother died. Ryan thinks that they should go so his wife-to-be can be freed of regret once Frank passes, but Allison tells him that it'll take more than brunch to fix their relationship, and that she never wants to see her father again.
Ryan and Allison end up making the drive to Frank's large and lavish mansion anyway, the former persuading Allison to at least give repairing her relationship with Frank a chance. At brunch, Frank acknowledges that he was a horrendous father to Allison and can't change the past, but he hopes to try and make his daughter's future more bearable in his final days. Already blinded by Frank's wealth, Ryan is gobsmacked when Frank tells them everything he has will be theirs when he dies. His only condition for this exchange is that Allison and Ryan have their wedding at his mansion on June 27th. Allison reveals that she and Ryan plan to elope, prompting a passive Frank to rake her over the coals, alluding that her job as a substitute teacher will leave her being poor forever. Having had enough of her father's attitude, Allison storms off to wait in the car. Left alone with his son-in-law, Frank asks Ryan if he's prepared to do anything for Allison's love, then takes him to a secret room in his basement.
They arrive at a locked vault door, inside which is a deep hole with a slotted grate atop it. Frank reveals that the hole is the den of the Minhocão, an insidious insectoid being that lays dormant below the surface of the earth, and has been since the beginning of time. Frank refers back to a newspaper article framed in his hallway advertising a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in 1926. Frank claims that the Minhocão is the cause of said quake, as it needs to be fed a single human being every 15 years, or it will go on a rampage and devour/destroy everything it sees. Having been guarding the creature since he was 16, Frank reveals that he invited Ryan and Allison primarily so he could pass his responsibilities onto the former, insisting that they hold the wedding at his manor to meet the creature's feeding deadline while also telling him that Allison can never know. Ryan is horrified by the prospect, but Frank unleashes his manipulative side to persuade Ryan to take on the task, promising that if he does so, he will leave his entire fortune to him and Allison. Should Ryan refuse the call, Frank psyches him out by telling him Allison will realize he can't provide for her and will start resenting him over time, forcing Ryan to choose between his standards or his and Allison's future. Back in their apartment, Allison and Ryan talk about Frank, the latter wanting to know why she didn't tell him her father was still alive or that she was from a wealthy family. Ryan tries telling Allison that all of Frank's property is rightfully hers as payback for his absence in her youth, but she vehemently refuses to have their wedding at Frank's estate.
Sure enough, three weeks later, the ceremony is underway, with Allison and Ryan being pronounced man and wife to great enthusiasm. During the reception, Frank tells Ryan that feeding time is rapidly approaching, telling him to act normal and find someone to feed to the Minhocão, preferably someone who won't be missed. When Ryan asks how to lure the victim to the basement, Frank hands him a tiny packet of white powder to slip in their drink so they'll go without fuss. Steeling his nerves, Ryan decides on his cousin Darryl (Bernie Yao), currently making a fool of himself on the dance floor. Ryan spikes Darryl's drink and waits for the powder to kick in as they get caught up. Meanwhile, Allison sits down and thanks her father for everything he's done as Frank wishes her mother could see her. She also notices how weird it is to see Ryan having fun with Darryl, as he hates him, but she decides not to get too into it. The drug finally kicks in as Ryan takes Darryl away, ready to fulfill his duty. Once in the vault, Ryan has last-minute reservations about what he's about to do. Drunk and drugged, Darryl sits on the edge of the hole and falls into it by accident. Ryan attempts to save him by grabbing his belt, but the belt slips off as Darryl becomes the Minhocão's latest meal. Frank comes down to congratulate Ryan on completing the job, offering to share some whiskey to celebrate. As the men drink, Frank starts getting woozy and passes out.
Frank wakes up tied to a chair in the middle of the woods. Allison and Ryan stand before him to reveal that this is the property line of Ryan's great-grandparents' estate, rendered dilapidated and destroyed in the "earthquake" of 1926. Ryan turns out to have told Allison all about Frank's plan after their brunch three weeks ago, and she also came to the conclusion that Frank fed her mother to his Minhocão 15 years ago and sent her to boarding school so she wouldn't find out, so they plotted against him as revenge for both of their ruined/fallen family members. Ryan's family is also revealed to have a Minhocão in their basement (the mother of Frank's, in fact), which he told Allison about on their first date. After noting that he made a promise to his family to feed their Minhocão, Ryan ties a rock to Frank's chair and tosses it into the pit, taking Frank with it and feeding the mother Minhocão for another 15 years.
As a happy Allison and Ryan return to their new home to start their wealthy new lives, Darryl, bloodied, covered in slime, missing his tux, and still raring to party, comes out the front door to greet them. After describing that he escaped the creature's innards and climbed out of the hole, Ryan hurriedly checks his phone just as midnight strikes, clarifying that Frank's Minhocão has not been fed. Realizing what's about to happen, the couple bolt from the house as the baby Minhocão shoots up through the roof. It pounces on the couple, no doubt planning to devour them and unleash itself onto the unsuspecting world once again.
This episode contains examples of:
- Abusive Parents: Frank, who fed Allison's mother to his Minhocão and shipped her off to boarding school so she wouldn't find out. When he writes a letter inviting her and Ryan to his mansion and pleads with them to hold the wedding there, it's not out of actual concern for her, but just so Ryan can take over his duty of feeding someone to the creature.
- Actor Allusion: There are a few to Tom Atkins, who plays Frank:
- After playing Billy's abusive dad in the original film, Tom once again portrays an abusive father who is offed by his own child.
- Frank's family name of "Cochran" is a reference to Conal Cochran, who Tom previously went up against in Halloween III: Season of the Witch.
- Even the Creep gets in an allusion in his printed narration, inviting the story and the viewers themselves to "Thrill me".
- All for Nothing: Thanks to Darryl climbing out of the Minhocão's lair, everything Frank does, and all that Ryan and Allison go through to get revenge on him, is rendered meaningless when the eldritch horror bursts out of the mansion's roof and eats them.
- Armor-Piercing Question: Just before he's thrown to Ryan's Minhocão, Allison offers one last chance for him to prove how much he loves her by asking what her married name is (Lee). He rattles off several different names that Ryan complains aren't even close, being tossed into the pit just as he gets it right.
- Been There, Shaped History: In-Universe. The rampaging Minhocão is said to be responsible for a 9.1 magnitude earthquake in 1926.
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: After hearing the stories Allison tells about him, Ryan believes that Frank is remorseful about how abusive he was to her and is offering to try and make the couple's future better for them in the little time he has left. It turns out to be a complete sham, as he's still a manipulative and emotionally abusive bastard who insisted the couple hold their wedding at his house just so he can pass his responsibilities of feeding his Minhocão to a new person and feed it one more time before he dies and/or it goes on another rampage.
- Black Eyes of Evil: The Minhocão is said to have "countless black eyes" by Frank.
- Cannot Keep a Secret: Played with. Ryan has trouble handling his duty as the new caretaker of Frank's Minhocão and struggles not to tell Allison as per Frank's insistence. This turns out to be an act, because as soon as he and Allison got home, Ryan told her everything about Frank's plot, and is also revealed to have told her about his own family's Minhocão on their first date.
- Covers Always Lie: The episode's cover features Ryan and Allison being wed while tentacles emerge from an altar behind them. Though the supernatural threat of the episode is indeed something eldritch, it's more insectoid than cephalopodic in appearance.
- Daddy Issues: Allison has serious misgivings regarding her father, as he threw her into boarding school rather than comfort her after her mom died (by his hands, since it's hinted he also sent her to school to keep her from finding out).
- Deadly Closing Credits: The episode ends just as the baby Minhocão bursts through the roof of the couple's new house and pounces on them, preparing to eat them.
- Disowned Parent: In their first scene, Allison tells Ryan that her father is dead to her, since he threw her in boarding school instead of comforting her when her mother died. It's all-but-stated near the end that he fed Allison's mother to the Minhocão and likely shipped her off to keep her from finding out.
- Double-Meaning Title: At the end of the episode, the title can easily be seen both as a wedding reference and a description of Frank, as he wears a blue tuxedo at his daughter's wedding and is tossed beneath the Earth's surface to become Minhocão chow.
- Eldritch Abomination: The Minhocão, a colossal insectoid being that's resided on Earth since time began. Frank notes that the creature eats humans, and must be fed one every 15 years. If it is not fed in that time, the creature will burst out of its den and go on a complete rampage, devouring everyone and destroying everything in its path.
- Evil Old Folks: Frank, who has fed a person to his own Minhocão every 15 years, including his wife, then sent his only daughter to boarding school to keep her from getting wise. It's shown that he still doesn't actually care about Allison at all, and only invited her and Ryan to have their wedding at his house to feed the Minhocão before its feeding deadline passes, then take up the responsibilities that come with taking care of it.
- Foreshadowing: Ryan telling Frank that he "read about" the "earthquake" in 1926 turns out to be more accurate than Frank realizes, as the Minhocão destroyed his family's house, and this spurs him towards his own revenge on Frank, along with Allison's abuse and her mother's death.
- Gilligan Cut: This occurs twice with Allison's refusal of her father's demands. First, as she vows that she'll never see her father again, there's a comic transition to her and Ryan driving up to Frank's mansion for brunch. Second, when she vows not to get married in his yard, the episode skips to three weeks later, where the ceremony is in progress.
- Gold Digger: Ryan clearly sees dollar signs when he arrives at Frank's house for the first time, and he's easily persuaded into feeding the Minhocão when Frank promises that he and Allison will get everything he has when he dies.
- Hard-Drinking Party Boy: Ryan's cousin Darryl, who he hates, is seen with a beer in each hand as he spazzes out on the dance floor and makes a fool of himself. It's this display that makes Ryan and Frank consider using him to feed the Minhocão, as Frank decided that its victim should be someone who won't be missed.
- Hated by All: Allison hypothesizes (and is most likely correct) that Frank only chose to reach out to her and Ryan with his little situation because he has no one left to turn to, being the "major-league asshole" he is.
- Hate Sink: Frank, who fed his wife to his Minhocão and sent Allison to boarding school to get rid of her before she could find out. When he invites them to the house and offers to have the wedding ceremony there, it's not because he genuinely wants reconciliation with Allison, but because he wants her fiancé to take up feeding the Minhocão when he finally dies, as well as feeding it before midnight passes, all while he claims Allison can never know.
- History Repeats: Just like the earthquake of 1926, Frank's Minhocão gets loose and goes on a rampage after not being fed.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Frank is drugged by the same powder he gives to Ryan, who then feeds him to his family's own Minhocão after revealing he's told Allison, the daughter Frank thought incredibly little of, threw out of his house to keep her from finding out about her mother's death, and used as a bargaining chip for Ryan to give into his demands, everything.
- Horrible Housing: Allison and Ryan spend the first half of the episode living in a cramped apartment blanketed in 104-degree heat, so it's little wonder that Ryan desires Frank's huge mansion.
- Human Sacrifice: Frank has spent years sacrificing people to the Minhocão, but largely so it doesn't break out and cause mayhem.
- I Did What I Had to Do: Frank's reasoning for feeding people to the Minhocão, as it goes on a rampage when it isn't fed.
- I'm a Humanitarian: The Minhocão (and its mother) feed exclusively on human beings, eating a single person and digesting them slowly over the course of 15 years.
- Kick the Dog: Frank does this to Allison after pretending to be polite and apologetic to her, telling her that her job as a substitute teacher means she'll be poor forever.
- Monster Is a Mommy: The Minhocão Frank guards is actually one of its babies. Its mother has been guarded by Ryan's family, and it's hinted that he's been planning to exact revenge on Frank's family ever since the 1926 earthquake (caused by his Minhocão not being fed) destroyed their house.
- Mythology Gag:
- Tom Atkins, Billy's father Stan, he who delivered the very first lines in the entire Creepshow franchise, returns in a prominent role for this episode. And just like the original film, he plays an abusive father who gets what he deserves.
- The fact that Tom's character, Frank, is a villainous old man who lives in a huge mansion and is killed partly so his wealth can be divided is highly reminscient of "Father's Day". There's even a split screen effect showing Ryan and Allison's car arriving at the mansion from two different angles, just as there was in the original segment.
- No Honor Among Thieves: Though Ryan agreed to Frank's demands to take over feeding the Minhocão while never letting Allison know, it turns out that he told her everything right after the brunch they had with the old bastard. What's more, he knew what he was up to all along because his family also guards a Minhocão, which he told Allison about on their first date. Subsequently, Frank is drugged by the powder he gave to Ryan and fed to the latter's Minhocão as revenge.
- Offscreen Teleportation: Right after Darryl falls into the Minhocão's den, Frank appears next to Ryan to ask if the deed is done.
- Oh, Crap!: Ryan and Allison, when the former notes that June 27th has ended and the Minhocão hasn't been fed.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: During the reception, Allison notes how her new husband is dancing with his cousin Darryl, thinking that something may be up because Ryan told her he hates Darryl.
- Passing the Torch: Since Frank is close to death, he attempts to have his daughter's husband-to-be take up his duties of guarding the Minhocão and feeding it a sacrifice every 15 years.
- Race Against the Clock: The Minhocão must consume a live human being every 15 years, and the date of Ryan and Allison's wedding is the last day before the deadline is over. Since Darryl escapes the Minhocão's stomach by the time the couple get back to the house, this counts as it not being fed, prompting it to go on another rampage.
- Sadistic Choice: Frank gaslights Ryan with one of these to take up his "sacred duty": either sacrifice innocent people to the Minhocão for all his wealth and his estate, or keep his morals and continue to be broke forever, therefore not good enough for Allison.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Minhocãos evidently reside in pits with a red glow deep below the earth, and feeding them a human sacrifice is the only way to ensure that they don't break out and wreak havoc on the surface.
- Secret Secret-Keeper: Allison turns out to have known about the Minhocãos all along, since Ryan told her that his family guards one on their first date, and also told her why Frank really wanted her wedding to be held at his house after their brunch.
- Shotgun Wedding: Frank and Ryan pigeonhole Allison into accepting holding the wedding at Frank's estate, mainly because the former two need to find someone to feed to the Minhocão before midnight arrives.
- Shout-Out:
- The reveal that Frank's Minhocão is only a baby and Ryan's family guards its (unseen) mother, is sure to bring vibes from Cloverfield.
- The Minhocãos' digestive process, keeping their sole human victim within their innards until they completely dissolve, borrows heavily from the Sarlacc, especially since both creatures digest their meals in underground chambers.
- On seeing Frank's estate for the first time, a gob-smacked Ryan calls the place "Wayne Manor."
- Slipping a Mickey: Frank gives Ryan a special powder to slip into Darryl's drink so he can be rendered woozy enough to be thrown to the Minhocão without a fight. After the deed is done, Frank himself is spiked by the powder as part of Ryan and Allison's revenge.
- Spanner in the Works: Darryl, Ryan's beer-guzzling party boy cousin, who he drugs and feeds to the baby Minhocão. The ending reveals that while Ryan and Allison were dealing with Frank, he was escaping the Minhocão's stomach and climbing out of its den, preventing it from being fed. Ryan and Allison learn this just as midnight strikes, prompting the rampaging Minhocão to ravage the world again, starting with the two of them.
- Strange Minds Think Alike: Both Frank and Ryan's families are revealed to guard Minhocãos, having been sacrificing people to it every 15 years.
- Sudden Downer Ending: After Frank is taken care of and the happy couple prepare to start their new lives of luxury, Darryl suddenly comes to the front door, revealing that he managed to escape the Minhocão's clutches. Ryan checks his phone to discover that midnight has arrived and the Minhocão technically hasn't been fed, prompting the creature to burst through the roof and pounce on the couple, no doubt killing them and going off to ravage the surface again.
- Villain Has a Point: Frank is an atrocious and manipulative human being, but he's not wrong by clarifying that the Minhocão needs to eat people to be rendered dormant and not destroy everything. Furthermore, he raises a point that Allison could potentially grow to resent Ryan for not making enough cash for a somewhat-decent living, as she herself barely makes ends meet as a substitute teacher.
- Wedding Episode: Ryan and Allison are pressured into having their wedding at Frank's mansion so Ryan can take up the old man's responsibility of feeding the Minhocão a human sacrifice every 15 years.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: While he's a despicable father to Allison and an emotionally abusive manipulator to Ryan, Frank makes it clear that he feeds people to the Minhocão because if he didn't, it would go on a complete and utter rampage.
- When the Clock Strikes Twelve: The episode ends just as Ryan finds that midnight has struck on his phone. As his cousin Darryl managed to escape the Minhocão's chamber, this means it hasn't been fed by the end of the deadline, prompting it to kill the couple and go on another rampage.
