NOS4A2 Episode 1: The Shorter Way

Christina Horton

5 years ago

NOS4A2 Episode 1

Have you ever felt alone? With no one who cares for you? Would you give up your soul for someone to be with? Let’s find out.

NOS4A2

The title itself is a play of words. It’s said Nosferatu, sometimes known as Dracula.

This isn’t about him in general, but it plays off myths surrounding him.

Instead we get…

Charlie Minx (played by Zachary Quinto)

We first meet Charlie when a man enters the home of Daniel Moore (played by Asher Miles Fallica) who is feeling alone.

This is a much different role for Zachery Quinto when you look at his role as Spock in the Star Trek Movies. Spock is the sign of peace between two races where Charlie is the one who brings death.

I think he’s doing a great job and is a much better role than the ones he had in Horror Story in my opinion.

Wanting his mom

When Daniel goes into talk to his mom, she sends him away because she is having sex with someone.

Christmas in July

Well, Daniel gets some Christmas music after Daniel’s cartoons turn off.

Candy canes and presents

Daniel heads toward the music where he finds a candy cane on the doorstep and a car full of presents with its door open.

Asher Miles Fallica as Daniel Moore – NOS4A2 – Photo Credit: Zach Dilgard/AMC

Trapped

Daniel is trapped in the car by Charlie who says he’s up way past his bedtime.

Killer in the house

Inside, Daniel’s mom and the guy she was sleeping with, are killed by an intruder.

His mom tries to get to Daniel, but wasn’t able to before she was killed.

Now, you would think Daniel would see that his mom did care by how she was trying to get to him as she was dying. He begged to go to his mother at the time, but as time passed he never mentions her again.

Off to ChristmasLand

Charlie says he’s taking Daniel to ChristmasLand. On the way Daniel says he starting to feel bad and that Charlie is looking younger.

Now anyone who’s ever really watched horror already knows this guy stealing the kids soul to make himself younger and live forever, but hey, they can’t tell the audience that yet.

Instead, Charlie says that Daniel’s bedtime passed a long time ago and to go back to sleep.

I think by now we can sadly see what has happened.

Entering ChristmasLand

Next time we see Daniel and Charlie they’re entering ChristmasLand and when Charlie sits up, we can see that he has become some kind of demon or dead thing.

R.I.P: Daniel Moore

The Savior

Every good show needs a hero and ours is eighteen year old Victoria “Vic” McQueen. And she is having her own really bad time at life.

Ashleigh Cummings as Vic McQueen – NOS4A2 – Photo Credit: Zach Dilgard/AMC

Dead End Parents

Her mom, Linda McQueen (played by Virginia Kull), cleans houses and is positive that’s all Vic is going to do after high school. Meanwhile her dad, Chris McQueen (played by Ebon Moss-Bachrach), is an abusive alcoholic who is also sleeping around. Not a good place for Vic.

The only thing I give her dad, and maybe I’m a bit biased because I tried the show for Ebon (because he amazed me in The Last Ship and The Punisher), is that he told Vic to never let anyone tell her she can’t follow her dreams.

Even though he played a bad guy in The Last Ship, it’s real hard, but interesting to see Ebon playing this abusive man towards his wife. He played such a loving, caring husband and father in The Punisher.

The Shorter Way

One day taking a ride on her motorbike to get away from her parents fighting about a lost credit card, she finds a bridge that seems to take her where she needs to go.

First it gave her the name of her friends house, where she finds out her mom lost her credit card while cleaning it.

Then it takes her to the diner where her dad left his watch, which had led to another fight Vic tried to qualm.

Ghost Bridge

The problem is the bridge was destroyed by her fathers demolition team when she was a child.

The second time she uses it, she looks back and it’s gone. But now she has her very own personal travel tunnel.

Fourth of July

At her friend Willa’s Fourth of July party things don’t go well. She is teased by the other kids for being poor and the one guy who tries to be nice to her she doesn’t trust. I don’t really blame her.

Willa’s mom even mentions a woman’s shelter her mom and her could go to if needed. Even though she was coming from a good place, she also used it to show off her money as she mentioned she donated monthly to it.

A hard truth

Vic goes and joins her parents and their friends at a hotel and while her dad sang she notices the bruise he left on her mother’s face.

I feel bad for Vic. On one hand her dad is supportive of her, unlike her mom, but on the other hand he’s abusive and a drinker. What does one do?

The Fever

Also, on her way back the second time, she collapses with a high fever and sees good ole Charlie, which scares Charlie awake himself.

She’s coming for you Charlie.

Betrayal

When she wakes up her mom, she tells her that her dad left and she didn’t know where.

Getting on her trusty motorbike, Vic heads through her magical tunnel and finds him laughing and drinking with another woman.

I doubt he will be getting a very nice Father’s Day card next year, being that it’s July in the show and after Father’s Day.

JJ Smith as Maggie Leigh – NOS4A2 – Photo Credit: Dana Starbard/AMC

Scrabble Tarot

We also meet Maggie Lee (Played by Jahkara J. Smith) who babysat Daniel.

She has the ability to use scrabble pieces for clues which she has used her powers to help the police solve crimes before.

When she asks how to find Daniel the first time – it mentions Charlie’s car. The last thing they spell out though is The Brat, which is what Vic’s dad calls her.