NOS4A2 Episode 2
Graveyards tell the story of someone’s life after they’re gone but not the graveyard of what might be. This one tells a whole different story.
Meanwhile…
Charlie Manx is at it again, but this time he’s after an adult.
Bing Partridge – (Played by Olafur Darri Olafsson)
Bing works as the janitor at Vic’s school and as a shipper for a chemical company.
He seems to seek the attention and admiration of others as he mentions the principal at the school always saying he does a great job.
A nod to Christmas perhaps, his name is a play on two holiday classics. Bing Crosby (known for his holiday songs) and Partridge, y’know, in a pear tree.
ChristmasLand
Bing sees an ad in the back of the ChristmasLand comic Vic lent him in the first episode. He writes a letter saying that he would love to be on the staff and guess who shows up? Mr. Manx.
Before that? Mr. Manx takes over his dreams with the help of our new vampire child, Daniel. There may be a glimpse of Bing’s past in these dreams. Manx is dancing with a body in the dream, is it someone from his childhood? More on this later…
An offer
After telling Bing he got his letter, he invites him on a drive. With devious reasoning, he asks Bing what chemicals he works with and finds out he works with a chemical called Sevoflurane or what they call “gingerbread smoke”. It is named this for how it smells. Another nod to the Christmas theme here, and it’s used as general anesthesia by dentists.
Because that isn’t creepy at all.
Manx is excited when Bing says it “leaves you open to suggestion” if you breathe in a little. A perfect way to capture more children, of course. He’s a little bit psycho. (Juuuuuust a little.)
The Graveyard of What Might Be
After putting Bing to sleep, he takes him to a graveyard. As they pull up we see a snowman turn its head and give them a menacing look. This is kind of creepy, kind of cool if you’re into the horror genre (and of course you are, if you’re watching this show). We see the faces of children looking up from the ice. Um… what?
Manx says those are the children who seek his help and whose parents take their childhood away.
He also tells Bing he wished he could have saved him. Is this in tune with the dream? We really don’t know much about Bing’s childhood, but as an adult, he seems to crave attention, perhaps a hint he was ignored by adults as a child. And with that Bing agrees to help him on his quest.
Vic
After Vic has a face-to-face with her father who says that they are better off without him, she heads home. How did she find out where he was? That’s the million dollar question. Vic seems to be figuring out she’s got access to something but doesn’t know what yet. She returns to her mom who asks her how she knew how to find him leaving, Vic dances around the question.
Meeting with Craig
Craig (played by Dalton Harrod) finds Vic just staring where the shorter way bridge used to be. Did she ask him there? Does she want someone else to truly know what this bridge does? Or does she want validation that she isn’t losing her mind?
Upset about her parents, Vic asks Craig about his old bunny, Leonard. With Craig confused, the bridge appears and she’s gone. Craig, looking quite dumbfounded follows and gets knocked out closer to the bridge.
When he wakes, Vic is there and she hands him Leonard. He tells her not to use the bridge, that it must be dangerous. He makes a valid argument, as there is blood coming from her right eye. She plays it off and leaves.
Craig clearly cares for her and she cares for him… but in this small town, is he truly going to be the person she needs most? I suspect we’ll see our fancy rich boy from the party again soon.
College
While cleaning the Brewster house Angela comes in and congratulates Vic for applying to RISD: Rhode Island School of Design. Welp. This isn’t going to end well.
Mama (still) isn’t supportive
Another argument ensues and continues at lunch where once again Linda is unsupportive of her daughter.
Vic’s parents are driving a wedge between them and her. Chris only cares about himself but is supportive of Vic’s dreams while Linda is a good caretaker but doesn’t seem to care at all about Vic’s ambitions. She just wants her to be miserable like she is. This is an interesting dynamic regardless. It almost seems like they purposely won’t agree on their daughter so that there is more tension.
Visiting Haley
Vic visits Haley (played by Darby Camp) and gives her the art set she’s always used. Giving away possessions? That isn’t a good sign, though we know that Haley seems to be ignored… AND…
Haley doesn’t feel as though she has any friends. At one point Vic visualizes the chalk in the girl’s hand as a candy cane.
I think Haley is Manx’s next victim. It’s a shame but something’s got to push Vic into wanting to find him. This makes the most sense for future episodes, too.
Moving in with dad and his girlfriend
Vic decides to move in with her father that supports her college dreams but sucks as a parent. She goes to live with Chris and his bartender girlfriend (who isn’t good for a recovering drunk) Tiffany. At first, Tiffany doesn’t seem to want her there but allows her to stay.
Another crushing blow
Vic asks Chris if he might ever go home to her mom. He says that he and Linda grew up together but no longer feel the same way. So, a big fat no.
Linda comes to Tiffany’s house
Linda comes over and tells Vic that she’s coming home with her and Linda and Chris start to fight. This is cringeworthy and hard to watch. The arguments get worse each time they happen, which also seems to drive Vic into finding out more about her new abilities.
Vic takes off on her motorbike and goes through the tunnel ending up falling onto a road in Iowa.
Maggie
Maggie finds “The Brat” and tells her that she is in Here, Iowa. Of course Vic, like anyone in that situation, can’t believe she was in Iowa when she was just in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
She must need to find something there. Vic learns that the headaches and eye bleeding are a side effect of her power: being a creative. Maggie’s side effect is that she stutters; this seems to vary with each person. She tells her about a knife and inscape: how she is able to control her powers. The bridge is her inscape and her bike is the knife that controls it.
We also learn everyone has an inscape–a world you dream up in your imagination–but only creatives like the girls can tap into them. What would yours be?
A lot like mom
When Maggie tells her she needs help finding Daniel, Vic just leaves saying she didn’t want to search for anyone and she wished her luck. It seems like Vic is freaked out and pushing away what she has learned. After all, it’s hard enough to be a teenager. Do you really want to be the teenager tasked with saving the world? Maybe some, but Vic has a lot to deal with on top of it.
Haley again
When Vic returns from Iowa, Haley is right there. She is searching for her missing cat, whom Vic says always comes home. My guessing is with Manx watching her, the cat is no longer alive. Haley sees him as her only friend, so this is going to be heartbreaking.
Telling Haley not to mention what she saw and she takes her home. I think Haley really needed more Vic time but Vic is too much in her own head to notice. This guilt might be why Vic agrees to help later on.
Final thoughts
It just keeps getting better and I’m glad I decided to check out this show. If you’re not watching, now is the time to tune in!
Watch NOS4A2 on AMC, Sundays at 10/9c.
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