Follow TV Tropes

Following

Recap / The Outer Limits 1995 S 7 E 20 Dark Child

Go To

The Control Voice: They say you are the sum of your experiences. But what happens when an event from your past prevents you from defining your future?

A woman who claims to have been abducted and raped by an alien struggles to raise her daughter, then the daughter's teacher becomes close to both of them.

The Control Voice: Fear can be a powerful and driving emotion but it is no match for the love between mother and child.


Tropes:

  • Alien Abduction: Laura Sinclair was abducted by aliens in 1984. Her friend Susan, whom Laura met during her voluntary stay at a psychiatric institution, also claims to have been abducted.
  • Child by Rape: An alien abducts Laura, rapes her, then returns her to Earth, where she gives birth to a daughter, Tammy. Although deeply traumatized by the experience, Laura does her best to raise Tammy. Years later, when Tammy is a teenager, the alien returns and reveals his previous assault on Laura was a ploy to create a powerful Half-Human Hybrid to use as a weapon against humanity. Just like any deadbeat dad, the alien's attempt to get Tammy to join him fails, then mother and daughter team up and kill him.
  • Flashback Nightmare: Laura Sinclair has been plagued by nightmares about her abduction by aliens for 17 years.
  • Gay Bravado: An Alpha Bitch harasses Tammy and accuses her of being a lesbian. Tammy drives her away by claiming she actually is one and then hitting on her.
  • The Greys: Laura Sinclair was abducted by The Greys in 1984 and impregnated, which resulted in the birth of her daughter Tammy. Clips from "Beyond the Veil" are used to represent her nightmares.
  • Half-Human Hybrid: Tammy Sinclair was conceived when her mother Laura was abducted and raped by an alien in 1984. The relevant alien, posing as the English teacher Marcus Fellows at Fairmont High School, entered Tammy's life around the time of her 16th birthday. He tried to convince her to join him but she decided to stay on Earth with her mother instead.
  • Voluntary Shapeshifting: The Greys who abducted Laura Sinclair in 1984 are shapeshifters.
  • We Can Rule Together: In the climax, Laura and her daughter Tammy are confronted by an alien who reveals that he is Tammy's biological father, who was conceived when he abducted and raped Laura years ago. He puts an apparent brainwashing necklace on Tammy and offers that she and Laura join him. They are family, and Tammy's status as a Half-Human Hybrid makes her potentially more powerful than a regular member of his race, so she will be a valuable asset in his race's invasion plans for Earth. Laura's encouragement gives Tammy the strength to remove the necklace. The alien loses his temper at their rejection and attempts to telekinetically strangle Laura, but Tammy angrily knocks him away and Laura stabs and kills him.

Top