‘The Terror: Infamy’ Recap – ‘My Sweet Boy’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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I have to admit, that I am thoroughly impressed with how AMC’s The Terror: Infamy continues to tell its chilling tale. Because most horror stories that feature a dynamic and unique setting, stay within the confines of that place until the story comes to its logical conclusion. But this particular tale, is willing to change things up and move our characters around location wise, and take risks with what’s happening within the story and last night’s episode of the show reinforced that second ‘rule’ I just made mention of, since our characters dealt with some incredible and life changing moments, the kind that took them, and in turn the audience, on quite the wild and terrifying ride when all is said and done. Which is something that took me by surprise, since ‘My Sweet Boy’ started out in such an upbeat manner.
 
For Chester had settled nicely into his new life in New Mexico and some creative maneuvering from Luz’s grandmother allowed for the two lovers to reconcile and finally admit to one another that they belonged together, prompting them to tie the knot at last. And back in the camp, everyone was preparing to say their goodbyes to this unfortunate place since the Supreme Court deemed these places as illegal, which meant that everyone was going to leave and start over, and the positivity present in this tale, didn’t end there. For Amy seemingly faced no repercussions for sending the tape to Washington since Major Bowen was perky and joyful around her and everyone else and well, these happy moments definitely lulled the audience into a false sense of security, since it really seemed as though we were going to be venturing into some happy territory for a change.
 
But this is a horror story through and through, and once our nerves were settled and our minds were comfortable, the darkness rolled in and both Chester and Amy’s respective storylines took a turn for the worse. In Amy’s case, her concerns about Major Bowen’s overly cheerful attitude were justified, since it was all a front on his part to get her comfortable and in a vulnerable position. Because he did indeed find out about her sending the tape to Washington, only because a good and loyal friend intercepted it first and that prompted the Major to drug her and capture her and exhibit the evil that resides within men’s souls. For it seemed as though Amy was going to suffer greatly for her ‘betrayal’ and likely lose her life for her actions and this was just an unsettling sequence to watch. And while it ended with Amy using her smarts to escape what seemed like an impossible situation, the death of Major Bowen at her hands will have lasting repercussions, regardless of the fact that she made the right call. 

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​While Amy dealt with the evils of prejudice however, Chester’s seemingly joyful new life hit a bit of a road bump thanks to the spirit world. Because Luz came to learn that her father was missing in this tale, and that prompted her grandmother to try and conduct an ancient ceremony that would reveal his fate. It was a notion that Luz quickly brushed off, but Chester instead embraced it. Because this would allow for him to find out whether or not his brother was alive and well, and his decision to take part in the ceremony took him into the spirit world; where he learned some heartbreaking news. For it turns out that Jirou died long ago and to make matters worse, by traveling into this other realm, Chester awakened the spirit of his mother and immediately drew her to Jirou’s location in the afterlife and she quickly dragged her other son’s spirit to her perfect little world. 
 
Yet, while that was chilling and harrowing in its own right, crossing paths with his mother uncovered a terrifying secret about what Yuko has planned for Chester. For shortly after coming out of his voyage to the afterlife, a grand discussion with Luz’s grandmother allowed for everyone to come to a greater understanding of Yuko and what she is capable of and to complicate matters further, Chester came to discover that his mother was at his wedding, disguised as a friend of the family. Which prompted Chester to check on her and discover that Yuko killed her as well. And the only clue at this point as to why she bothered to possess this sweet woman was clutched within the grip of her cold dead hands, and the baby jumper she knitted before she died, along with a glimpse of the afterlife, revealed Yuko’s grand plan. For it turns out that she plans to take Chester to this place, and his unborn child, since Luz is pregnant once again, so she can have generations of her broken family with her for all eternity.
 
Which was a chilling reveal for certain, and it just goes to show how far Yuko has been driven to madness thanks to her guilt and her power and well, this sets up quite the conundrum for Chester. Because at this point, I don’t know how Chester is going to stop her in the slightest. But in the here and the now, it’s best we take a moment and offer up a little digital applause for one hell of a quality episode. Because this was a unique and inventive tale that offered up some incredible challenges for the characters to face in multiple locations, and I really am impressed with how the camp is beginning to take a backseat in this story, and there’s good reason for that. Because it is clear now, that a grand showdown is coming between mother and son, one that is either going to end in triumphant relief, or outright sorrow. Until next time.      

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