'El Deafo' Episode 1: Cece loses one of her senses, realizes she has a superpower

Tragedy strikes when a young Cece loses her hearing, but worry not as she has a powerful new device to help her through
PUBLISHED JAN 7, 2022
Lexi Finigan voices Cece in 'El Deafo' (Apple TV+)
Lexi Finigan voices Cece in 'El Deafo' (Apple TV+)

Spoilers for 'El Deafo' Episode 1 'Everybody Sounds So Weird'

Apple TV+ is here with a brand new animated kids show called 'El Deafo' and the series is a charming, thoughtful watch. Based on a novel of the same name the show chronicles the experiences of the author Cece Bell who lost her hearing as a child.

The Apple TV+ show will take audiences on the imaginative journey of Cece as she walks confidently through life with her superhero hero alter ego El Deafo! The series features voices by the author who serves as the narrator, Lexi Finigan who is deaf too, as Cece, Jane Lynch and more. Read on to know what happens in the series premiere and how Cece became a superhero!

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The first episode of the series sees the heartbreaking moment when Cece develops an infection and sadly loses her hearing, Life is tough for the little girl when she has to get hearing aids but it's just not the same. The aids make everyone and everything sound weird and different and not having anyone in the family relate to it makes it even more frustrating. Her initial years see her learn to lip read and attend a kindergarten for deaf kids which makes her feel comfortable.

But when she's a bit older Cece gets a shock when she learns that her new school won't have anybody like her which affects her confidence. Add to it a huge new hearing device with a microphone and the young girl gets even worried about what the other kids will think. Before school, while watching a tv show with her siblings she sees a character call another deaf character 'deafo' as a way to mock their disability. Cece for some reason finds the name hilarious even though she knows it is mean.

Lexi Finigan voices Cece in 'El Deafo' (Apple TV+)

At school, she hesitates to give the teacher the mic which will help her hear better but finally does so. The hearing aid called the Phonic Ear surprises Cece when she finds out just how brilliantly it works! And when her teacher Mrs Sinklemann (Jane Lynch) goes about the school forgetting to switch off the mic, Cece is able to hear EVERYTHING! Looking at the device with newfound respect Cece compares it to superhero equipment that gives her superpowers and embraces it. She also starts imagining a version of herself as a superhero called El Deafo who can do anything she wants. Along the way she even makes a new friend Ginny who she hopes will be her best friend. In this way, Cece may have lost a power but then gains a superpower!

'El Deafo' is now streaming on Apple TV+.

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