The Nakayamas have been torn apart, and Chester searches for the person he believes can help, even if it means taking drastic action. A tuberculosis outbreak in the community forces Amy to act, though she's caught between doing what she's told and doing what's right.
In 2018, there were 495 scripted shows airing amongst the linear channels and streaming services. The way people are consuming content now is so different than it used to be. It happens according to one's own schedule. As such, there is less necessity to provide ample coverage of each specific episode in any given season from a show. Moreover, it is simply impossible to watch everything. As such, this site is making the move to shorter episodic reviews in order to cover as many shows as possible. With all of that being said, here are my thoughts on the next episode of AMC's The Terror: Infamy.
"My Perfect World" was written by Danielle Roderick & Tony Tost and directed by Meera Menon
No matter where you go terror and tragedy have the ability to find you. That appears to be the bleak message at the heart of this season. The narrative has sent its characters to many different corners of the world. Sometimes a supernatural threat really did follow them to those new locations and caused a ton of destruction. Other times, it was simply the fear of something spiritual that motivated the characters until something tragic occurred. That can be absolutely crippling. It shouldn't keep these characters from living their lives. And yet, the Japanese Americans are being tortured and contained by their own government. They are constantly looked at with suspicion. Sure, some sympathy may be apparent. Families are kept together. But there is still the inevitable tragedy that comes from the leaders not looking at the prisoners with any sense of compassion. Major Bowen refuses to let any medical personnel into the camp despite an outbreak of tuberculosis. This is a disease that can be treated. People can bounce back from it. Without the treatment though, it can be fatal. That's the fate Bowen is willing to condemn the people of this community to. He doesn't believe he needs to do more to keep them healthy. He doesn't want to be assigned to this position. So long as he is in charge though, this is the way that things are going to be run simply because there have been too many breeches already. In turn, that inspires the conversation of if words go far enough to confront the abuses of this word. It is important to speak up. It's also insightful to know just how far you can go with certain actions. Sometimes, drastic measures need to be taken. Ken doesn't go to Bowen's cabin in order to hold him at gunpoint until he allows ambulances to transport the sick to an actual hospital. That's simply the fate that befalls him because Bowen has suddenly become terrified of the spirit that roams the camp. Yes, Yuko is still alive. She has reassembled her body as well. She is on a mission to find Chester. He is no longer at the camp though. That is the breech that heightened Bowen's security concerns in the first place. Bowen is also the only person taken over by Yuko who doesn't ultimately end up dead. That should be a blessing. Instead, it's only an excuse for him to commit more horrors on the Japanese Americans. He wants to believe that Amy is the only good one. The one who knows how to fall in line and listen to him with the respect he deserves. He has Ken killed simply because it's convenient. He doesn't see anything that can be done to ensure he is rehabilitated. It's a monstrous action though. It isn't up to him to decide what happens to Ken. There is a camp for prisoners with attitude issues. The system has been set up that way. Instead, Bowen wields all that power for himself which inspires Amy to take more bold actions. Now, he may notice that his recording device is missing sooner than later. She may not know what to do with those recordings just yet. However, it does allow a bit of optimism into the proceedings because the audience understands because of history that the civil rights lawsuits Ken mentions are actually successful in forcing the government to admit the internment camps were wrong and the falsely imprisoned are compensated for the abuse. That may not be enough. It may not cover all the damage that was done in this world. Humanity can be awful to one another. When Chester returns to the camp, he isn't seen as another soldier for the American government. He's simply another Japanese man who could be a spy and has a proven track record of breaking the rules given to him. He does so because he can't escape the feeling that his life isn't full with family and love. Henry and Asako do care about him. But he views their secret as the one action that withheld so much from him for his entire life. He has this extreme reaction. One where Luz can't immediately fill this yearning he has for more. Of course, the narrative quickly reveals that he also has a twin brother. That's a shocking twist designed mostly to shock the audience. It's not something Yuko has ever mentioned before even though it's clear that she would. That is awkward and takes some of the sting out of the drama so far. This hour may mostly come across as Chester successfully escaping to a new world while the threat still lingers not too far beyond. That's not all that new. It's a pattern the show has embraced many times already.
