‘NOS4A2’ Recap: ‘The Hourglass’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode 206 of ‘NOS4A2’.

The last time we settled in to discuss the wondrous AMC series NOS4A2, we were left with one grim situation. After all, Charlie Manx was outright successful in capturing young Bruce Wayne McQueen within the confines of the Wraith, and he even managed to leave Vic and the majority of her family in near ruin with the help of Bing, and well, seeing evil secure quite the victory left all of us in quite the stunned place. Because that just so rarely happens in storytelling and to complicate matters further, this kind of epic win on evil’s part leaves the audience out of sorts since no one has a clue what is coming next. Especially when something this big happens in the middle of the season.
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But rather than hammer the audience further with dark and dreary moments, this week’s episode changed things up. Because ‘The Hourglass’ not only took the time to give everyone a chance to catch their breath and regroup, but it found a way to ease our pain over the horrors that happened last week and well, perhaps the best place to start in our discussion of this particular tale, is to take a moment and reflect upon the down time. Because it really did offer up some much needed tender and heartfelt moments. Especially when one considers that this story took the time to fill us in on the fate of Lou Carmody. For if you recall last week, he was in rough shape and the implication was strong that something horrible might happen to him, which would have been heartbreaking to say the least since he is a genuinely wonderful character. 

But thankfully, it turns out that Lou just had a little scare with his heart, and a stent made him right as rain once again and that was quite the relief. As was coming to learn that Chris and Vic were going to recover as well. Granted, they had their bumps and bruises too, since Chris clearly has stitches galore and Vic has a bruised and battered spleen but knowing that they are going to heal really did provide wonderful comfort and peace. And to add to that feel-good experience, Vic was finally able to teach her parents about her gift and convince them to help her rebuild her bike. Because the clock was ticking in regard to the fate of young Wayne and really, it was just nice to see this family bury a lot of their troubled past and come together to save a life. To the point where Linda even went so far as to offer up her kitchen to serve as a triage center for Vic’s destroyed motorcycle. 

Yet while it was wonderful and lovely to see Vic’s family finally unify after years of turmoil, there was mention of this tale making amends for the horrors we were forced to bear witness to last week. Something that was brought forth by way of a couple of plot threads, and the first one, involved Maggie. Because a surprise attack on Vic in the hospital, left her wondering who was trying to kill her best friend, and despite Tabitha’s wishes, she used her tiles to hunt down the Hourglass Man in the hopes of learning how his powers work. All so she could put a stop to him, and this led to one fascinating sequence for certain. One where we were able to learn how these incredible powers can corrupt a person since the Hourglass Man (whose real name is Jonathan Beckett) truly relished in the power of control and oddly enough, his time with Maggie actually proved to be somewhat worthwhile.

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For he was able to teach her, that there is a way for her to use her powers and not slip into a horrific seizure. Granted, it’s a horrible method for certain since it involves either self-harm or the harm of others, but this discovery does give Maggie license to finally use her tiles in a ‘safer’ manner and really, that’s the only measure of good that Jonathan was able to provide. For we did come to learn that his gift has turned him into a genuine monster, one that cares little about anyone or anything and that of course led to a dangerous confrontation. The kind that forced Maggie to fight for her life, and thankfully, she was victorious in the battle and was able to put Jonathan down for good by plunging a hunk of glass into his guts and by smashing his Knife. Providing some semblance of safety for her closest friend and giving the world some sense of justice for what Jonathan allowed to happen to young Wayne.

Speaking of that young man, the show was kind enough to catch up with him as well and as it turns out, there might be hope for him after all. Because as his journey back toward Colorado continued along, we came to learn that the Wraith’s power is far greater than we've ever known. For it can retain the souls of those that die inside of it, as evidenced by the fact that the spirit of Craig is residing within its metallic frame. For he visited Wayne here and there to offer him tips and to build him up and it was quite wonderful to see father and son meet at last, albeit it under horrible circumstances. But while it is nice to know that there is an important ally hiding within the Wrath, what truly engendered hope in our hearts, is the unexpected twist involving justice and payback, that outright came out of nowhere at the end of this tale. 

Because it turns out that Bing is apparently quite distraught over how things went down at the Lake House. For he was supposed to be on this journey with Mister Manx and Wayne and being left behind is simply unacceptable and that brought him to the very hiding place that Manx was using in this tale. All so that he could negotiate safe passage to Christmasland, in the most violent way imaginable. Because when he was given the opportunity, he knocked Charlie Manx out with his favorite gas and damaged the Wraith. Which allowed for Wayne to call his mother and get some kind of reassurance and well, hopefully that break in the Wraith’s power and this assist from Bing, and whatever help Craig can offer, will give Vic all the time she needs to get her Knife ready so she can find her son and bring him home, safely. 

If anything, this story really was quite the pleasant surprise. Because at no point did it seem as though any good was going to come out of how last week’s episode ended. But seeing Vic be honest with her mother and forge a new bond, all while seeing her love and her father rally behind her and try and prop her up, alongside a little bit of payback and karma, made for one satisfying tale. One that lets hope spring eternal, because now there is a genuine chance that Vic can save her son. And who knows, this could even lead to a sliver of redemption for Bing since he’s clearly turned on his master and well, in the end, this is another story that really does leave us eager for more. Because now we have to know if Vic can beat the clock, and that means we will be counting down the minutes to next week’s episode, to see how the next phase of this fight shapes up, now that there’s a genuine opportunity for good to reclaim the upper hand. Until next time.    

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