NOS4A2 Episode 5
Vic just wants someone to trust in her. Hell, we all do. Her dad was the one person she could count on to always have her back, but he has failed at that now.
What happens when Vic loses the one person who has her back? When she adds alcohol to the equation and a psychotic child kidnapper? Let’s find out, shall we?
The Garage
After a late night chat with Maggie about the police and Sharon, Vic can’t sleep, so she becomes creative. She heads out to Tiffany’s garage creating hundreds of pieces of Charlie’s face.
She is found in the morning by Chris and Tiffany, who doesn’t look thrilled.
The Talk
Inside Chris’s car, he tells Vic during his first tour in Kuwait that he witnessed his friends being killed. He tells Vic that he wished he had talked to someone and asks if she’s okay. This is the first time we actually see Chris being somewhat open with her. It also explains why he may abuse alcohol today.
Well, she has learned well to close herself off to people and tells him she’s alright. But does he believe her?
The Knife
When Vic goes to pick up her bike her mother says she should sell it for a car. Unaware of her daughter’s bike’s powers, of course, and Vic was having none of that.
But, the dirt bike would have to wait because Detective Tabitha Hutter (played by guest star Ashley Romans) walks up and asks to speak to Vic.
Questioning
Tabitha asks Vic about her story on how she found Sharon’s body in the field. Previously, Maggie urges her to stick to her story, as people tend to frown upon their “real” world. If they notice the giant hole in what she says, it could get dangerous for them.
Now even I wouldn’t believe the story she gives. I mean Vic’s explanation was that she went to Bing’s house to return a comic, which to no surprise made Tabitha a little edgy.
She asks Vic if she was friends with the 42-year-old janitor and all that was returned, “we aren’t friends anymore.” Next, she says that Bing said he was going to make Sharon “clean” and then talks about crows and finding Sharon’s body. Tabitha is skeptical about all of it.
Things Don’t Get Easier and the Final Blow
Vic’s day goes from bad to worse. She returns to Tiffany’s garage and finds her throwing away the art she made.
Now, all Tiffany does is complain about her linoleum being destroyed that she bought for her kitchen, even though Vic offers to replace it. Instead of asking if Vic was alright, she continues to berate her. We see very quickly that Tiffany really doesn’t care much for Vic even before she says she didn’t sign up for this. Chris walks into the middle of it and Vic tells him what she said. He attempts to tell her it isn’t true, but Tiffany walks out.
I was starting to give Tiffany the benefit of the doubt but she is just not a good person at heart.
Instead of being pissed off and saying that Vic always comes first to him, he basically takes Tiffany’s side and suggests living at her mom’s house would be better.
I wanted to punch him in the face. He’s taking Tiffany’s side over his own daughter’s? That’s beyond low.
Art Class
At school during art, Vic is once again making an art piece of Charlie. She literally ignores Craig when he tries to tell her that without her, he doesn’t know what his life would be like. Vic just wants out of this town, not that anyone can blame her. Trying to lighten the mood, Vic tells him about a party at Willa’s which he abruptly turns down and leaves.
I really hope that Vic is just not interested in Craig that way and is choosing to ignore him instead of actually being that short-sighted.
The Party
Vic goes to Maggie’s hotel room and talks Maggie into accompanying her to Willa’s party. As she enters she finds out everyone knows about what happened and quickly garners attention. She even breaks her own no drinking rule and gets drunk.
Vic goes over and sits next to Drew. She tells him about when she was eight that she almost drowned after Willa’s two teenage cousins held her under the water in the pool. She also tells him about her power as a creative in a slightly roundabout way. Vic tells a lot of people about this, and surprisingly he believes her. He says with the existence of multiple dimensions and versions of them, anything is possible.
And they kiss. It’s Vic’s first kiss and they’re about to go for round two when a song starts to play and they go to dance.
Willa and Maggie chat
Maggie chats with Willa who starts talking about how Vic’s parents and her own aren’t very good parents. There may be some flirting going on here, actually.
Maggie looks like she’s gonna go insane but just mocks her by saying they got her a nice house, nice things, and a nice education. To which Willa retorts that she gets that Maggie thinks her parents are perfect.
A mix of horror and anger crosses Maggie’s face and she replies that she’s an orphan. When Willa asks how old she was when her parents died, we learn that Maggie’s parents disowned out because of her powers. They said she was unholy, basically the same thing Bing said to Sharon.
Then the craziest thing happens: Maggie shows Willa her powers. After she’s done, Maggie grabs a very drunk Vic and heads back to Maggie’s hotel.
A moment of peace for both girls
Back at the hotel, Vic tells Maggie about what happened with her dad and Maggie tells her how her mom sent her to a priest the first time she used her powers.
When Vic tells Maggie that she doesn’t fit in, Maggie tells Vic that they have each other and that they have to stick together. Taking Maggie’s hand in hers, they both fall asleep.
Tomorrow is the big day meeting with Mr. Manx, but first…
Bing
Bing is frightened in his basement when Charlie comes to the door. Telling Charlie he’s sorry for messing up, Charlie assures him not to fear and that disposing of bodies is a very hard job. He also lets Bing know that he is to go to the police. The look on Charlie’s face though when Bing tells him his favorite show on tv was Monster Trucks is truly hilarious. He doesn’t know what to make of that.
The Police Station
At the police station, Bing plays the gentle idiot. He tells Detective Hutter that he went to work, then home, and watched monster trucks all night.
When asked if anyone could confirm his alibi, he says his supervisors and also drops Vic’s name. She asks Bing if they were dating and he says no.
Then, she throws a curve ball by mentioning the youth facility he was in when he was a little younger than Vic. He keeps repeating those records are sealed and when she asks if his crime was sexual in nature, something changes again. Bing keeps repeating that he was at work, then went home and watched monster trucks all night.
I think that Tabitha is going to go insane by the end of this.
Now to…
Charlie and Vic
Vic ends up sneaking out to meet Charlie alone at a bus station (despite Maggie asking to go with to get his license plate). She sees him sitting on the bench, his pointed, creepy nails snapping as he waits for her. The bus station is eerily quiet and they are the only two in the room.
He is very protective of his Inscape and he also mentions that he has learned to replenish what his Inscape takes from him. Mr. Manx offers to teach Vic. Trying to pull the old “I understand you when no one else does trick” Charlie continues to try to entice Vic to his side. She’s not stupid; she knows he is evil and isn’t going to fall for it.
A Proposal
Charlie tries hard to talk Vic into coming to Christmasland and becoming a mom to the kids there. He even suggests he belongs there, maybe a nod to how messed up her parents are. I wonder now, how does Mr. Manx pick children? Was Vic ever on his radar as a child?
He wants her to be with him. Vic says, “I’d rather go swimming at Amity Island”, the same thing Craig said to her as he left the art room earlier. When Charlie looks at her confused she says it means “I’d rather die” and in a very Charlie way he retorts “That is an option.” It also highlights how old he might be… Jaws is a classic and most people know what Amity Island comes from.
Getting to watch Charlie just sit and have a conversation and getting to see his little quirks was really fun and enjoyable. It also doesn’t make him any less creepy; it feels like he could snap at any moment if he wanted to or was provoked.
It Doesn’t Last Long
Maggie, pissed that Vic snuck off without her, goes to the bus depot. When she gets there she sees Vic talking to Charlie and takes the opportunity to look for the Wraith. She finds it and we have a nod to our show title, NOS4A2 the plate she sees.
When she tries to break in, the car door slams her onto the ground. Meanwhile, Manx feels someone touching it and the lights flicker inside. The car comes alive and begins to pursue Maggie, who is screaming for Vic’s help. She comes outside just as the car runs Maggie over.
Charlie doesn’t seem surprised by this. He steps into the car and Vic holds Maggie and tells her to hang on.
Cars that come alive? Wow. That is something you don’t see every day. Is Mr. Manx so powerful that his car has the ability to run without him, or does he have the power to control it? Either way, it may become more menacing with this new trait.
The Hospital
While at the hospital with Maggie, Vic’s new friend Detective Hutter comes in and asks Vic if she planned on leaving town when she went to the bus depot. She also asks her if she dated Bing which then receives the most confused and somewhat disgusted look from Vic.
Learning Bing hasn’t been arrested due to lack of evidence, Vic just tells the detective the truth about everything. I think seeing Maggie hurt makes Vic want solutions right away. But, it doesn’t seem this sort of thing fixes easily, as we may guess. Well no shock, Tabitha looks at her like she is crazy.
The scene switches and Vic is alone in a hospital room. Chris brings in a form for Vic to sign, a voluntary commitment to a 48-hour psychiatric stay.
My heart broke when Vic asks him who it’s best for. He keeps saying it’s for the best and when he stumbles and says everyone, she takes the paper and signs it. She never looks at her dad. This is probably one of the saddest scenes except for when she found Haley’s cat.
Final thoughts
Each week the writers bring in something new and enticing. We always have something great to look forward to in the coming weeks. I can’t wait to see what happens with Vic in the psychiatric ward of the hospital.
Be sure to catch up and watch NOS4A2 on AMC every Sunday at 10/9c.
Don’t Miss: Our interview with series creator, Jami O’Brien!
Ariel B. contributed to this review
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