‘NOS4A2’ Recap: ‘Parnassus’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

If there’s one thing I’ve always found fascinating when it comes to the horror genre as a whole, it’s how these scary stories are often viewed as therapeutic or a safe space of sorts. Which sounds wild when you first think about it, but there’s a lot of truth to that. Because you’re often treated to a satisfying ending in a horror story when all is said and done, one that features the end of evil and fulfillment and growth for some of the characters, allowing for the reader or the audience to merely dip their toes into raw terror and escape its clutches the wiser and free from harm. But there are horror stories out there that choose to not subscribe to that particular trope, they wish to truly take us on an experience, one that leaves us unsettled long after the story has come to an end, and that’s why I’m such a fan of AMC’s NOS4A2, since it subscribes to that particular line of thinking, and for proof, look no further than last night’s episode.
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For ‘Parnassus’ removed the safety filters that the genre sometimes clings to, in order to enhance something, it is supremely great at; exploring the human condition. But this time around, rather than merely look at what makes us tick and what drives some of our fears and concerns in life, this episode decided to go full bore and explore the dark recesses of our souls. That place where evil can be unleashed upon the world, or in less extreme cases, where we draw inspiration to hurt those we love, ourselves included, and the decision to go that route, made for one fascinating and brilliant and bleak episode, one that saw some of our favorite characters in their outright lowest places, as was the case with Maggie.

Because she was alone and afraid in this tale, and without Joe Bly trying his best to guide her, she made the desperate attempt to turn to her family in the hopes of finding some sense of salvation or refuge. But that quickly turned out to be a bad idea and opening up old wounds is what allowed for all of the fear and pain in Maggie’s soul to bubble to the surface and she embraced the darkness and fed off of her anger and turned back to her old ways to try and find some kind peace in her soul, and it took an act of the Brat and the return of her tiles to bring her within an inch of the salvation she so desperately craved. And truly, the most powerful moment of this particular storyline was when Maggie was able to look at herself in her current state, because you could feel the anguish and the shame over her decision to simply give in to everything she fought so hard to keep at bay and it’s just rare to see that kind of reflection present in a horror story, or see the character sink further into the void after reaching the epiphany she did and thank heavens Vic was able to get there when she did.

Speaking of Vic, her journey in this tale also helped to add to the bleakness surrounding this particular episode, but not in the way that one might expect. For Vic wasn’t doing anything outside of trying to find a little joy in her life, when some genuine wonder dropped into her lap by way of the good news that RISD had accepted her application and that she was getting a full ride, and while none of that should relate to anything dark or dreary, her darling mother is what brought out the ugly in this storyline since Linda did not handle the news all that well. Because her little girl going off to school meant that she would be on her own for likely the first time in her life, and the fear of loneliness and the lack of control she currently had over anyone or anything, brought out the worst in Linda. For she lashed out at her daughter often in this tale, firing off any mean thing that would upset her daughter to satiate the pain, and the revelation that she hid Vic’s bike was equally as fascinating, since it reinforced how desperate Linda is to find some semblance of control at this point. But the true highlight of this segment, is the showdown that happened between mother and daughter. Because seeing Vic call Linda out on her actions and cut through her crap was magnificent to say the least, since it once again shows us how quickly Vic is growing into her own.

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Which is something that also proved to be incredibly important to the fabric of this tale. For I also made mention of the fact that unfettered evil was present in this story and that came about by way of Bing and his continued downward spiral. Because when we catch up with him here, he feels as though he truly belongs in Christmasland and that he had done wrong by not following Mister Manx’s instructions to a tee in the last episode, prompting him to offer up the greatest apology in all the land; Vic McQueen on a platter. Which meant he began quite the terrifying hunt for Vic, going so far as to break into her house and rummage through her things to deem her naughty and justify his plans and thanks to one of the many arguments that Linda and Vic endured in this story, Bing was able to get his hands on her and show us just how far he has fallen.
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Because Vic was tied up and put in the same position as Sharon, and Bing was happy to express the truth in regard to what he did to his parents as a teenager and that was chilling to say the least. For this confession had a tinge of pleasure and pride to it, as did anything he had to say about Sharon and it was obvious that murdering others and doing Charlie’s bidding was empowering and encouraging for Bing and that right and wrong no longer applied to him since he would soon be in joyous Christmasland, and that was bad news for Vic. But I made mention of her being something more now and thanks to her growth, she was quick on her mind and her feet in this situation and dangled the possibility that hurting her might anger Mister Manx, and that little mind game, combined with the pin that Craig gave her, ended up saving Vic’s life since was able to escape and beat the hell out of Bing on her way out the door.

Yet, while all of this was engrossing in its own right, what would this series be without a touch of the fantastical? And thankfully, that was also on display in this tale since we learned that Parnassus, lives up to its namesake. For it is a place where Strong Creatives come to share a drink and the company of another and Charlie swung by there to have a little chat with an old friend, and that was a conversation that once again revealed a great deal about Charlie. In that, he’s obsessed with creating a flawless family unit, one with a mother for his endless children and that everything he does, stems from his childhood since it would seem that Charlie comes from a supremely broken home and the negative view of his mother is what drives him in his quest today and that, is just about as fitting as it gets for a villain such as Charlie.

But, if a nexus for creativity isn’t fantastical enough, some of the patrons of this place helped to inspire awe and wonder in all of us since there were hints of Freddy Kruger and Pennywise to be found at various points in this segment and really, in the end, I have to admit that I was quite impressed with this episode. Because this was just phenomenal storytelling through and through, and the terror just kept coming, especially during the sequence involving Bing and Vic and everything that happened here was so juicy and poignant and unsettling that the hour simply flew by and well, what I find equally as fascinating as the story in question, is how this one ends in uncertain fashion. After all, Vic’s home life is a mess, Bing and Charlie are undoubtedly coming for her and her best friend and confidant needs to heal in every way imaginable and what comes next for Vic is anyone’s guess, and that, is a unique way to set the stage for a season finale, and I will definitely be counting down the minutes and days to next Sunday, when the show dedicates two hours to wrapping up the first year of this utterly brilliant series. Until next time.

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