AMC's The Terror: Infamy - Episode 2.08 "My Sweet Boy"
Chester and Luz have reached a turning point in their relationship, one that causes an evil force to catch up to them. Amy must take matters into her own hands as she's tormented by a powerful nemesis. Chester meets a boy who gives him answers.
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 Sweet Boy" was written by Alessandra Dimona & Shannon Goss and directed by Toa Fraser
The fear of the monster can be just as powerful and destructive as the monster itself. Major Bowen doesn't know how or if his internment camp is haunted. The Japanese Americans do though. They understand that they need to stay far away from the evil spirit that wishes them harm. They know not to mess with a yurei. Bowen only had one major encounter with Yuko as well. It was still terrifying and paralyzing for him. And now, Amy can use that to her advantage after he abducts her as retribution for her recent actions. He previously stated that Amy was "one of the good ones." He was lucky to have her as his assistant because she understood the ugly truths of what had to happen in this world. She was just terrified though and did whatever it took to survive this grueling experience. She has lost friends and family due to this confinement. The American government is the true monster here. Major Bowen becomes even more heinous here as well. He's furious because Amy sent a recording of him trying to justify his murder of Ken to Washington, D.C. He intercepted it before it created too many problems for him. He does have friends in high places despite this being a lackluster job for him. He has the power and influence in this situation. Amy is heroic for trying to speak truth to power and expose the harsh realities of this internment. The citizens confined in the camps for years deserve more than $25 for their suffering. Amy is unlucky because no one in the outside world has sponsored her for work yet. It seems like the only opportunities afforded to these people are helping the government just to prove their loyalty beyond question. It's sickening and it forces Amy to take lethal action. She kills Major Bowen before he can kill her. It's tragic and is likely to hold major consequences for her moving forward. She tried to do the right thing but had to embrace a monstrous action. She got the upper hand by playing into Bowen's fears. She can work within this environment much better than he can. He's more at home elsewhere. That's where his influence looms large. In this situation though, he is the pressing threat. He is the monster amongst humanity. All of this is thematically powerful. Of course, it also feels like the show just keeping these supporting characters busy while trying to increase the tension heading into the season's conclusion. It doesn't particularly feel as if two years have passed. The plots have all started to blur together. Yes, enough time has passed for Luz to give birth and for Chester to serve overseas. But now, it's apparently been years since Yuko's spirit was burned in an attempt to rid her of this world. Chester just feels compelled to cross over between realms once more to see if his twin brother has died as well. It's futile looking for Jirou in the present. He died as a child because he was forever sick. That's why Henry and Asako didn't adopt him. They didn't even know that he existed. Similarly, Luz didn't know the truth about Yuko's connection to Chester. All of these secrets seem to have been kept just to keep certain characters in the dark. That means Luz and her abuela are shaken when Yuko takes over Chester and manages to get ahold of Jirou. But it also feels like the show is repeating a pattern by once again stating that Luz is pregnant and an evil spirit is coming for her baby. That story has already happened. Will things end differently this time around? It's the show's responsibility to honor the past and evolve. Luz knows that Yuko can't be trusted now. That's a major improvement from the family secrets kept in the camp. It just feels unlikely that things will change all that much even though some of the characters have gotten out of the camps at this point in time. What world awaits Henry and Asako? And will these characters and their stories ever come back together to make a cohesive whole? It's doubtful which is unfortunate.
