‘NOS4A2’ Recap: ‘Bad Mother’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

THIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM. YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

For the most part, horror stories in every medium, tend to be pretty complete in nature. In that, we meet our forces of good and forces of evil, and we watch those elements clash in a brisk and exciting manner, before the story comes to a close in a logical and satisfying fashion. Because horror is perhaps one of the purest genres out there, and it is designed to create stories that take us on a complete journey. And even the stories that work to buck this norm, by way of sequel stories, still find a way to follow that baseline formula because we love the idea of watching evil fail on a regular basis thanks to the forces of good, since it provides us with a wonderful escape from reality. Where sometimes evil wins, despite the best efforts of the finest people out there.
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But while this is the norm, and while we all thoroughly enjoy this formula, because it works and it provides us with endless entertainment, there are stories out there that look to shun this design so that something quite powerful can come to life. Take AMC’s NOS4A2 for instance. For this particular series, one adapted from Joe Hill’s rightfully acclaimed novel, did a phenomenal job of breaking down a lot of horror related walls in its first season. Because it took it’s time in telling its tale, so that it could properly flesh out the characters and the world they populate. All while providing us with some genuinely unsettling and horrifying moments before closing out season one in a semi-traditional fashion, since Charlie Manx was vanquished at last and relegated to a coma for apparently the rest of his days.

Which is why last night’s season two premiere of the series is so incredibly important to the genre, because ‘Bad Mother’ is a story that takes the time to finish the job in shattering clichés and tropes by offering up a supremely unique follow up story. For often times in these tales, the evil is immediately lurking and looking for revenge when people believe it is defeated. But in this tale… we instead jump into the future by eight years, wherein we find that everyone who took part in this grandiose battle of good versus evil, has seemingly moved on from the nightmare. Take Maggie for instance, who is once again handling library duties back in Haverhill, and she’s even found a stable and happy relationship since she’s dating Tabitha Hutter, who is moving up in the law enforcement world since she’s an FBI agent now and what makes this so unique is that you just don’t see a ‘happily ever after’ in horror and this is a courtesy that appears to be extended to Vic McQueen as well.

For when we catch up with her here, she’s still living in Gunbarrel, Colorado with Lou and her son Wayne and they appear to be living a solid life, one where they get along and get by just fine and all seems quite normal, until a unique report comes across the television. Because officials in Denver have confirmed that death’s sweet embrace has finally wrapped its arms around Charlie Manx, and while that should be cause for celebration, it bothers Vic to no end. After all, Maggie’s tiles once said that she would be the one to bring down this monster and the thought of him dying of natural causes sends Vic into a tailspin, one that motivates her to look twice as hard to find a new knife so she can find Manx’s broken body and see a lack of life with her own eyes. Which at first glance makes this recap seem contradictory because being haunted by the baddie and expressing a desire to see them dead is something we see in horror often.

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But here, it is taken to a whole new level. Because Vic’s first showdown with Manx, and all the horrible loss that came from it, has left her in an incredibly shaken place. One where PTSD rules the day and one where she believes that conquering the monster that brought about such pain, is the only way that she can properly heal, rather than dealing with the trauma embedded in her soul and this was just… a brilliant angle to inject into this particular tale. Because normally the heroes that stop evil are grizzled and ready to roll if and when they encounter it again. For they know what they’re up against and how to stop it. So, to see Vic suffering while trying to use happiness in the same manner as a security blanket is quite powerful, as is the other surprise change to her character in this tale.
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For her inability to deal with Craig’s death and her inability to embrace the happiness surrounding her, has forced her to latch onto negative behaviors that she is quite familiar with. Because she has adopted her mother’s ability to deflect and push people away and she’s also embraced a great deal of the negative traits that her father exhibits, including his drinking. Which makes her a supremely flawed character in this leg of the journey and that’s quite powerful and sobering. Because it serves to remind the audience that anyone can stumble and fall at any time, and how we pick ourselves up from that is what is paramount to our future and these changes bring about some important questions. In that, will Vic be able to deal with her pain and rise above it? Or will it hamper her ability to move forward in life and for that matter, will it give Manx the upper hand now that he’s returned to the land of the living. 

Because despite the fact that this particular episode is so incredibly unique by genre standards, it cannot betray what horror stands for. For in this universe, evil is undying and finds a way to thrive and Manx is once again breathing. But how he returns from the void of death was handled in its own special manner as well. After all, sometimes the hero wills evil back into existence with their obsession upon it, but in this case, its ability to engender its rottenness unto others is what allows for it to prevail. For Bing has been searching for the Wraith for the past eight years and in this tale, he manages to find it and after playing nice at length to get his hands upon it, he finally takes the more aggressive route and is able to put the heart of this newly restored vehicle back into its chest. And because of Bing’s dedication, evil is alive once again and it won’t be long before Charlie is healthy enough to return to his old ways and he will also undoubtedly work to exact a little revenge upon the strong creative that put him out of commission for nearly a decade.

If anything, this was an absolutely brilliant way to kick off season two of this magnificent series. Simply because it took a lot of risks storytelling wise, the kind that paid off in spades since everything that happens in this particular tale is captivating and powerful and it serves to remind us that sometimes, the monsters we carry in our hearts are just as dangerous as the creatures that lurk in the shadows. And really, we need to take a moment and offer thanks to writer/showrunner Jami O’Brien for her magnificently layered script, since it adds incredible nuances to Joe Hill’s already powerful source material and the quality of this particular script, makes it clear we are going to be in for one powerful and chilling ride this season. For now, the stage is set, evil is back, and Vic McQueen has some incredible challenges ahead of her and that is going to make the wait for next Sunday’s new episode, a difficult one indeed. Until next time.

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