Season 2 picks up eight years after the events of season one. Vic McQueen remains more determined than ever to destroy Charlie Manx. Charlie, having faced his own mortality, emerges desperate for revenge against Vic. This time, he sets his sights on the person who means most to Vic – her eight-year-old son Wayne. The race for Wayne’s soul sends Vic and Charlie on a high-speed collision course, forcing both to confront the mistakes of their pasts in order to secure a hold on Wayne’s future.
Last season, “NOS4A2” ended with Vic (Ashleigh Cummings) escaping Charlie’s Sleigh House and her nearly slaying the ancient vampire by setting his car on fire with him in it. Charlie Manx (Zachary Quinto) is in a hospital bed after nearly losing his life and his prized 1939 Rolls Royce Wraith in the fire. With a mind of its own, Charlie’s Wraith is more than a gorgeous antique automobile, it can self-drive, it’s necessary for his teleportation, and acts as his life force. To further complicate things, Vic discovers she’s pregnant and meets a new romantic partner Lou (Jonathan Langdon). Charlie’s abducted children that he turned into little vampires are all alone and hungry in Christmas Land without victims to feed on and they’re desperate for their “father” to return.
Season 2 begins eight years later, Vic is living in Gunbarrel, Colorado with Lou and her son. Things look pretty stable on the surface but all that changes after a news bulletin proclaiming Charlie Manx the serial killer is dead. She immediately rushes out of the house and downs an airplane bottle of some nice looking whiskey in her pickup truck. After relaxing a bit, her phone rings and it’s a mechanic looking to sell a Triumph Motorcycle, just like the one she lost last season. The Triumph is like Charlie’s magical Wraith, it’s used like a “knife to inscape.” “Inscaping” means they are capable of cutting through the physical earthly landscape and can enter different realms and secret routes. Although these powers have some nasty side effects, if Vic uses the bridge too often, she gets bloodshot eyes or sometimes very sick. It’s very Promethean that there are consequences for using such omnipotent, godlike methods.
Bing (Olafur Darri Olafsson), one of my favorite characters from last season, is back. He likes to use gingerbread scented toxic gas to anesthetize victims on “the naughty list,” and is more than happy to assist Charlie with his kidnappings for the promise of living in Christmas Land. Needing to be disguised, Bing is sporting a new look with shorter parted hair, and he approaches an artist that’s putting the finishing touches on his art installation. The medium used for the installation is none other than The Wraith, perfectly restored except for a bed of flowers on the beautiful shiny hood. Bing declares, “I’m a Rolls Royce enthusiast” and is disappointed to hear that the price is too expensive for him. After staking out the artist studio, Bing begins humming “Silent Night,” pops on his gas mask, and puts the artist to sleep with his gingerbread scent. After stealing The Wraith, all Charlie needs to heal is a child in the backseat and for all three of them to reunite at Christmas Land.
The psychic medium Maggie Leigh (Jakhara Smith) is living somewhat peacefully with FBI agent Tabitha Hunter (Ashley Romana) who she met midway through the last season. Maggie still has her scrabble bag full of clairvoyant clues with the ability to ask almost any question and the bag will spell out an answer. Unfortunately, if she’s inquiring about powerful dark forces, she’ll have seizures. I like this aspect of the story, and there’s something appealing about a velvet scrabble bag solving mysteries.
Vic is not doing well, she has a drinking problem, just like her father, and is constantly being bombarded by psychic messages from Christmas Land. Lou is as supportive as can be but it’s not easy working fulltime and taking care of someone else’s child. I love his character and it’s nice to see an interracial relationship that feels natural and loving. After scaring her son, Vic takes off on the Triumph and floors it across a familiar dilapidated covered bridge. Going fast enough she begins “inscaping” and the camera nicely zooms in on her helmet with the motorcycle’s headlights startling some bats. Next, the bridge leads right into the hallway of the morgue hosting Charlie’s body, she needs to check if he’s dead or not.
The story jumps back in the second episode to show more of Charlie’s mysterious and somewhat tragic origin story. He never seemed to have luck in the capitalist rat race that so many are forced to endure. He married a woman from a wealthy yet unsupportive family and the two had a daughter named Millie (Mattea Conforti). Millie was introduced last season but it’s good to see more development and backstory, the actor playing her is quite talented for being a child. As these arrangements normally go in a horror genre, things end tragically. Quinto plays Charlie perfectly detestable but he’s also capable of sympathy and it’s clear his human character initially had decent intentions.
“NOS4A2’s” surreal settings, thanks to the production design and cinematography, are spot on. With an excellent arrangement of lighting and sets, along with the use of Christmas decorations and music, it’s a great approach to the unpopular but existing holiday horror genre. Also in a clever design, there are chapter breaks each episode with beautifully illustrated title cards showcasing the aesthetic of the original book it’s based on. The series is directed by a variety of filmmakers but every outing has a consistent stylistic approach. I really enjoyed the makeup and gore effects that looked more practical than relying entirely on CGI. Charlie’s old man makeup and his murders are very well done, splendidly macabre and bloody. One scene in particular shows the incredible makeup effects on Charlie’s leathery bat-like body. Having been dissected in the typical post-mortem autopsy, he wakes up and kills a security guard. After the murder, he begins crudely stapling his loose skin back together and stumbles around regaining his strength. It’s a gross but effective moment.
Throughout the series, there’s a consistent disdain for capitalism and the failure of its institutions to provide any support or positive impact. The story was created by Joe Hill, son of Stephen King, and they seem aware of America’s issues. Both Father and son frame stories in smaller towns which are always an insightful microcosm of the American experience. Loss of prospects leading to child neglect, substance abuse, misogyny, and violence are constantly mentioned but the repercussions are worth repeating. Sadly, this show, full of potential, was canceled and won’t return to haunt my dreams. At the same time, I’m thankful for wanting more episodes of a series rather than wishing it had ended earlier.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD October 20th
