‘The Terror: Infamy’ Recap – ‘Into the Afterlife’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

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

Normally, as we near the end of a particular horror story, how the villain is going to be defeated starts to reveal itself to our main characters. For everything evil in this genre has some kind of glaring weakness that can send it back to the hell from whence it came, and much of the finale is dedicated to uncovering said weakness so that good and evil can indulge in an epic, by the numbers, final showdown. Unless of course that story just so happens to be The Terror: Infamy. For this particular horror tale has done everything within its power to defy the norms present within the framework of the genre, including everything we’ve just discussed.
 
Because at no point has it ever been clear how Chester is going to defeat his mother or figure out how to get her spirit to rest. For her evil has been unstoppable from the get-go. But, with the final episode upon us, there simply had to be a way to end her reign of terror and the quest to uncover that answer, is one of the big reasons as to why ‘Into the Afterlife’ turned out to be quite the fascinating season two finale. Because this particular tale saw Chester and his father working on the fly to figure out how on earth to save Chester’s newborn baby from a horrendous fate and how to keep Yuko from ever attacking the family again, and well, despite their best efforts, they continually came up short when it comes to the answers they were so desperately seeking.
 
But while said search didn’t offer up anything new, it did bring them face to face with Yuko and the baby, and in a bloody and angry confrontation with the spirit, one that cost Henry his life, a stalemate in the fighting finally gave Chester quite the wild idea. Because clearly his mother’s lost soul was searching for some semblance of happiness and peace, meaning that perhaps the very ritual that allowed for Yuko to find Jirou’s soul could potentially be used to give her a genuine taste of joy, and the prompted Chester to travel with his mother to a day long ago. Wherein Yuko felt nothing but hope and wonder for the future and that was a place she actually wished to stay and bask within for all eternity and just like that, the nightmare was over, she had found peace and Chester and his new family were safe, but at quite the price. 

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Yet while that was a unique and powerful way to dispatch an evil spirit, one that I cannot say I’ve ever seen accomplished in horror before, this finale had far more to offer than a satisfying conclusion to the fight between mother and son. For the magnificent commentary that was present early on in this story made a triumphant comeback, and it had a lot to say in this particular tale. For example, the show was able to remind us that there really isn’t anything to celebrate when it comes to war. Because while there is nothing but celebration on the victor’s side, the losing side still has to pick up the pieces, and some are fully aware of the fact that innocent lives were lost in the process, something that was hammered home by Yomato’s moment of reflection when he came to learn that Hiroshima had been wiped off the map by an atomic bomb.
 
But what truly impressed me about this part of the story, is what it had to say about the future and what allows for history to repeat itself. For the closing moments of this tale saw Chester and his family and friends enjoy full lives and forge new memories and the lesson here was pretty simply since it reminded us that time heals all wounds and that life does indeed go on. And by injecting a more simplistic message into the finale, a stronger one took hold in that; while it is important to move forward in life, one can never forget about the events and places that bring us to where we are today. Because to do so, allows for important stories and lessons to be lost, and that’s a notion that has some serious weight in 2019.
 
Because in many ways, we have forgotten some important lessons as Americans, specifically in regard to what’s happening on the Mexico/U.S. Border right now. For these camps are an unfortunate case of history repeating itself and we need to remember why these were such a poor idea in the first place. Which is a powerful way to end a horror story for certain, since in a different way, evil still prevailed and that is sobering and brilliant all at once. But that’s what good horror does, it makes you think and that’s why I fully enjoyed the second season of this series, because it made one ponder while it entertained and honestly, it’s a shame this journey came to an end so quickly. Because this season was powerful and moving and eerie and truly, I cannot wait to see what other parts of our history this saga will explore in the future because this was terrifying art through and through and the world needs more scary stories that feature this level of depth and intelligent. Until next year.

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