‘Small Prophets’ Finale Explained: Is Clea Alive? Michael Gets His Answers

The season finale of Small Prophets brings Michael’s (Pearce Quigley) experiment with the Homunculi to a chaotic conclusion, as he finally gets the answers he’s been searching for about Clea. Before he can ask his questions, though, just about everything that can go wrong does. Warning: Spoilers ahead for Season 1 Episode 6 “The Wise Man’s Song.”

While Michael is out collecting rainwater for the jars, Clive (Jon Pointing) sneaks into his shed and discovers the tiny creatures living in jars. Convinced that Michael is keeping monkeys in his shed, he reports his discovery to the authorities. Meanwhile, Kacey (Lauren Patel) decides to shoot her shot and finally ask the Homunculi a few questions of her own, including whether she’ll ever appear on Neighbours.

The answer: “YES.”

She then asks the King for six numbers.

Unfortunately, something is wrong with the Homunculi. Kacey denies knowing anything but insists that he needs to ask about Clea before it’s too late. To make matters worse, one of the little creatures has figured out how to escape its imprisonment.

Meanwhile, Michael discovers that a mysterious missed call on his phone came from British Columbia, Canada. He also has an unexpected reunion with teen loner Elliot (Adam Wright), who happens to be wearing the same Modest Mouse T-shirt as Michael. The two embrace as the band’s song “Float On” plays.

Things aren’t going much better back at Michael’s house. Roy has broken in, convinced there are monkeys inside, while Bea begins clearing out the house. Michael and Kacey also pay a visit to his father, Brian (Michael Palin), who has just won a motorbike through one of his many competitions. Brian explains that once the Homunculi have passed the divination stage, they begin to deteriorate, meaning Michael is running out of time to ask his questions.

By the time Michael returns home, his house has become the center of a bizarre treasure hunt. A crowd has gathered in search of a valuable meteorite, while brother-in-law Roy (Paul Kaye) is particularly interested in a rare bird book reportedly worth £10 million, lost among the many items hoarded in Michael’s house.

Inside the shed, Kacey catches the King of the Homunculi attempting to escape and free the others. The creature attacks her, leaving Michael and Kacey scrambling to get it back into his jar.

According to series creator Mackenzie Crook, the hectic scene was inspired by an ancient text. “All of the stuff with the homunculi came from this original manuscript from Paracelsus in the 16th century, and the King escaping from his jar, that’s all in the original piece that I found that inspired this,” he told TV Insider. “In my head, as long as they’re in their jars, they are compelled to tell the truth and be subservient. But when this one manages to get out, he wants to escape.”

As for their dual nature of being both prophetic spirit and chaos gremlin, Crook states that “they’re not from this world; they live in a different realm, but once he gets out of his jar, into the real world, into this shed, he wants to escape.”

Meanwhile, Roy and the police have made their way into the Christmas room, shocked at the forever frozen moment. One officer is having the time of his life while another is brushing Barbie’s hair. Roy sits in wonder at his own childhood memory coming to life.

With the police closing in and the Homunculi dying, Michael finally asks the questions he’s been waiting to ask: “Is Clea alive?” The answer is, “Yes.”

The Queen dies, leaving Michael with the King and just enough time for two more questions. “Will Clea ever come back home?” The answer: “No.”

And the final question: “Does Clea love me?” And with that, his last question is answered: “Forever.”

As the police bang on the door, Michael pours poison into the jars, bringing his experiment to an end.

Outside, a large and agitated crowd is waiting for him, hoping to get their hands on either the meteorite or the valuable bird book. Rather than fight over either treasure, Michael hands them both over, revealing that the meteorite landed on the book and now is embedded in the priceless tome, possibly rendering it worthless. “Here you go,” says Michael. “Fight amongst yourselves.” Problem solved with irony.

When Kacey asks what he’s going to do next, Michael finally has a plan. “I think I have to go to Canada.” And Kacey? Well, she has to go to Australia, as she was prophesied to appear on Neighbours, despite it being canceled many years ago.

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Plus, what about Kacey’s dream of making it to Australia? Well, it turns out the King provided six winning lottery numbers, so both of them now have the money to make their dreams a reality.

Although Michael doesn’t get the happy ending he originally hoped for, he finally knows that Clea is alive and that she will love him forever. And with a possible clue pointing to Canada, his search for her is far from over.

Although Michael doesn’t get the happy ending he originally hoped for, he finally knows that Clea is alive and that she will love him forever. So with a possible clue pointing to Canada, his search for her is far from over.

As for what happens next, series creator Mackenzie Crook is already hard at work on a Season 2, which will continue to explore Michael and Kacey’s unlikely friendship. And he’s also hoping that Kacey’s prophecy might help bring Neighbours back to television.

“I really hope so. I want to hope that people in Australia will see this show and then get Neighbours back on the screen. That’s how I wanted to end,” Crook told TV Insider.

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“At the moment, I’m deeply involved in writing the second series. I’m possibly halfway through, and I’m answering all of those questions. I think Michael and Kacey’s friendship that’s going to inspire Michael to be more open to things, be more positive. She’s a good influence, a positive, optimistic influence in his life. We’ll see where it goes. I’m as intrigued to know as, hopefully, you are where it goes, because right now, I’m figuring it out.”

Small Prophets, Season 1, Now Streaming, Apple TV