‘The Terror: Infamy’ Recap – ‘Weak Are Meat’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

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There are a lot of reasons that we tune in to horror themed television shows. It could be for the social commentary that the genre provides, or it could be because a particular cast member has joined the show in question, or because the plot has piqued one’s overall interest. But while our individual reasons for watching may vary from series to series, there is one reason above all else that we enjoy these shows; because we want to be completely and utterly terrified, and tuning into every single episode is the only way we discover exactly how scary the series in question is going to be. And while often times a scary show on T.V. does just enough to unsettle us since hey, it’s television and it is supposed to appeal to everyone, sometimes a particular series throws caution to the wind and goes all out when it comes to the scares.
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Case and point, AMC’s The Terror: Infamy. Because for some time now I expected this saga to be much like its predecessor, filled with peaks and valleys when it comes to the ugly stuff in question and it has indeed lived up to that expectation, all while offering up some fascinating commentary on race relations in modern America. But this week’s episode of the series surprised me to say the least. For ‘Weak Are Meat’ ended up being a true clinic in scary storytelling since it took the time to unleash unsettling horrors upon the audience, the kind that quite frankly left me in silence when this episode came to an end, and truly the biggest surprise when it comes to this particular tale, is the sheer fact that this raw sense of terror came out of the blue since the episode started off in the most traditional of fashion.

For this story once again took the time to explore what life was like within the Internment Camps of World War II, and once again the one central to this story, was filled with ups and downs as everyone tried their best to survive in this strange and uncomfortable environment, and thanks to the Yurei, that was constantly made difficult. Because her twisted machinations took more lives, with an emphasis on American soldiers this time around, and that put the Major on alert and prompted more violations of privacy and joy. And while the good people of the camp dealt with that problem, Chester dealt with the specter of the specter in Guadalcanal, along with the deep-rooted disdain of the Japanese in that period in time since he was surrounded by American soldiers who questioned his loyalties and his abilities. 

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Which truly made it seem as though it was time for more commentary, followed by some genuinely eerie moments. But that’s as far as this tale went when it comes to the structure it established. For once Chester was able to decipher the location of a missing sergeant, his safety came into question. For the Yurei possessed the sergeant in question, and the men felt the need to punish Chester for the actions of the Japanese soldiers that captured their brother-in-arms in the first place, which led to an uncomfortable and disturbing showdown in the middle of the night, where prejudice was brought to an end with fire when the sarge used a flamethrower to murder his own troops, supposedly all in the name in the name of Admiral Takahashi.
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Yet while all of that was creepy in its own right, it paled in comparison to what happened within the camp. For the time drew near for Luz to give birth to a pair of twins, something that brought the Yurei great joy. But a complication led to the twins arriving as stillborn, and that brought about the Yurei’s fury and in a horrifying sequence of events, she seemingly revealed her true form to the Doctor and made him pay for not doing more to save the children, forcing the audience to watch his untimely and painful end. And really, while it’s fine to recount these moments in written word, it’s difficult to properly recapture their horror simply because how they played out on screen was horrific perfection. For everything bad that happened felt akin to a nightmare and the Yurei’s power and influence over others brought about a sense of inhumanity and that’s what truly made what happened so horrifying.

Because these poor souls resembled wild animals, and the monsters that haunt our greatest fears and well, this little twist was brilliant in so many ways. For by letting loose and drenching the story in terror, this series has surpassed its predecessor when it comes to the scare factor. But more importantly the sense of safety that horror often features has been eliminated from this particular tale. Because the Yurei’s fury knows no bounds and her reach is seemingly infinite, and now that she is angry, no one is safe and well, I really loved this episode when all is said and done. For this was horror at its finest since it pulled out all the stops to bring genuine fear into our hearts and I get the feeling that this was just the bare beginning when it comes to this style of storytelling and I have to admit that I’m quite nervous and excited to see what scares await us in the weeks to come as the Yurei continues to make her presence known. Until next time.    

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