Amazon Prime’s The Feed season 1, episode 9 recap

Episode 9 of Amazon Prime’s The Feed sees Kate jeopardized by a Taker possessing a loved one, and Danny takes a major risk.

If you’ve kept up with The Feed, you’ll know that a virus is coming through The Feed, with its users’ minds being overrun by people called “The Takers.” Basically, they are body snatchers. Episode 9 begins with Danny Morris (Shaquille Ali-Yebuah) concerned for Cass (Ursula Holliday), who has been incarcerated under suspicion of being possessed by a Taker. Meanwhile, Kate (Nina Toussaint-White) is busy trying to escape Martha (Carlyss Peer), who is now smashing through a door with an ax, Shining-style.

The Taker Martha wants to know where Tom Hatfield (Guy Burnet) is. Simultaneously, we also see the fake Taker Max (Osy Ikhile) trying to escape from the bathtub he’s been tied to (Max’s Taker has referred to himself as “D”). Back at The Feed prison center, Sue Cole (Tanya Moodie) and Amanda Javad (Sheila Atim) summon Eve (Clare-Hope Ashitey) to address the Takers. Additionally, Meredith Hatfield (Michelle Fairley) offers multiple cures for metabolic disease to corrupt President Quan (Art Malik), so she can start a new competitor to The Feed in his country (and he gives off vibes of being a tinpot dictator).

The Feed: Thought unification modulator

Meredith wants to create a network to compete with The Feed, though even attempting it puts her in possible danger. As these initial meetings take place, Tom and Ben (Jeremy Neumark Jones) examine the hidden, underground lab of their dead dad (David Thewlis). They accidentally trigger a system called ALBA. As an added element of tension/distraction, Danny is trying to ask Tom for help.

Back at President Quan’s, Meredith is being watched by Quan’s sister, Sen (Shereen Martin). As the episode progresses, we variously hear terms one might attribute to Warner Bros.’ Marvin the Martian, such as a thought unification modulator, fetal intelligence monitoring, and genetic replacement surgery (hello, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th Century!).

Specifically, we learn that the “SAVEYOU” program involved consciousness manipulation and study stored thoughts and emotions. The “Takers” are learning by themselves and ALBA cannot delete them because the file is corrupted. While these story elements aren’t crystal clear, it’s obvious that “The Feed” isn’t dealing with souls in the strictest, most religious sense of the term, but instead the concept of copying and storing intelligence, personalities, emotions (and hangups) electronically. Unfortunately, these entities haven’t exactly been playing nice.

Kate’s crisis

Let’s not forget about Kate. Naz (Wasim Zakir) shows up to find her but, unfortunately, Martha greets him. After he asks about her bleeding forehead, she tells him that she fell down the stairs. She is skeptical and wrongly thinks Kate might be a taker who attacked her. However, Martha ends up chopping Naz up, much to Kate’s horror. To make matters worse, her Feed is not currently working so she can’t immediately call for help.

However, Ben and Tom eventually leave to help her, not quite knowing what to expect. When Kate sneaks into her car, Martha stands in front of her with an ax, looking ready to take out her aggression. Of course, Kate has a car and doesn’t want Martha to endanger baby Bea, so she strikes Martha. Still, in true horror movie fashion, Martha doesn’t quite die, and jumps at Kate!

Ben and Tom finally show up for Kate and Bea, and as the imposter Martha distracts Ben with bizarre rambling about the inferiority of AI, Tom finds Kate hiding in the woods. However, after Martha offers to improve Ben’s standing by giving greater access to his father’s research, he actually leaves with her!

Saving Cass?

While The Feed‘s team is working to solve the SAVEYOU encryption, Danny, Leon (Pete MacHale), and Marcus (Toheeb Jimoh) visit Jonah (Laurie Kynaston) about rescuing Cass. They even project (via The Feed) into a room with Tom to initiate a plan, but it proves ineffective. Instead, Danny decides to get arrested to find her, getting punched intentionally and cooking up a story about possibly being a Taker.

Amanda Javad warns prisoners that they know the “SAVEYOU” program is involved in the Taker’s very existence. Also, Sue Cole utilizes a high-intensity pain device to keep them in line. Ultimately, though, Cass ends up dying in his arms as Takers are executed in their cages. It’s another solid reminder that those working for The Feed are not the good guys, either. In fact, nobody really is, which is part of what makes this such a complex story.

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