Escape to the Dark Tunnels
In her room, Jo is telling Vic she’s going to be late. She tells her to grab her skates and they can go. Vic gets her into a wheelchair and asks how fast they need to go. She tells her fast and the two take off down the hospital hallway as the lights start to flicker. Within seconds, much like when Manx was chasing her in the beginning of the episode, they disappear.
They end up in the Dark Tunnels, where Jo shows Vic a wall of missing children that seems to go on for ages. She tells her that she’s been tracking Charlie since the 50s and that none of these children have been seen since. That is absolute insanity to think that he has gotten away with it for that long and no one has noticed except for a select few.
We also learn in this scene that your knife can change. Roller skates used to be Jo’s, but when Charlie stole them, she had to use the wheelchair. Jo admits that no other strong creative has ever seen Christmasland other than Manx.
Vic asks Jo what her magic trick is and replies, “Up for a ride?”
Up for a Ride
Vic takes Jo’s hand and their eyes turn static white before they both collapse, and they seemingly jump into the same static their eyes turned to. Unfortunately, this noise also starts to play in the Wraith, where we see Charlie sleeping near a barn. The music that is attached to Jo starts to play and wakes him up.
Quick shots of Jo seem to tease Charlie as she continues to mess with his radio, car horn, and windshield wipers. The music taunts him and we see a flash of Vic watching, too. Exhaust of some sort begins to fill the barn where he was resting, making it hard for him to breathe, but the door is locked. Is this the end of Manx? Is this why he wanted Jo locked up?
It would seem she has the power to make his life hell.
He escapes the car with seconds to spare and crashes out of the barn… but the damage is done? Charlie begins to age rapidly in front of Vic, losing his hair and his skin wrinkling. He continues to breathe heavily as he splashes water from a hose on the Wraith. He tells Jo that he knows she is there and calls her a dirty little whore, but it is Vic who is standing in front of him.
The Aftermath
The two strong creatives collapse back in the tunnels where Vic admits she feels fantastic after watching him age. Jo admits that she destroyed his engine, but it was the best she could do. What does Vic need to do to stop Charlie Manx? Destroy the car entirely.
Vic wants her help, but she tells her that her fight is long over. She is tired, but she knows that Vic can stop him. After all, Charlie visited her to see if she knew who had “the Shorter Way”. Jo says he fears her.
Jo tells her that she isn’t coming back, but Vic needs to tell the doctors what they need to hear so she can escape. She also explains that she once loved Charlie, but he paid the deepest price as a strong creative, he gave his soul. She hoped one day he would be the father to her kids, but now she wants him dead. It is up to Vic.
She tells her that it is up to Vic to stop the cycle, then she dies.
Free to Go
Vic does what Jo tells her and explains that Charlie Manx was a part of her imagination created to deal with the stress of her life and having no control over saving people who were hurting in it. The doctor tells her that he will release her on two conditions: she has to fill a prescription for lorazepam and change her living arrangements.
When Vic protests, he tells her that her emotional health is just as important as her physical health and that she cannot save her father, either.
Vic says she has somewhere to go, and we see her meet up with Maggie who is also being released. But, much to Vic’s surprise, Maggie is done. She doesn’t think they can beat Manx and wants to give up. She says she saw Daniel when she was out and that he was not the same child. Despite Vic’s begging, Maggie says she’s going home. We see her get onto a bus, but before that tosses her tiles into the garbage.
Vic heads home with her mother and stands over the sink, holding two capsules. It seems she contemplates taking them but then dumps the bottle down the sink. She isn’t ready to stop chasing Charlie Manx, clearly.
Thoughts
This was an awesome episode, the best of the season actually. Besides some kick ass special effects, it was packed full of information and basically nonstop! We learned a bit about how strong creatives work and how everything isn’t as rigid as it seems. We also see two powerful women teaming up to kick Manx’s ass, even if it’s temporary. I love that Vic is now on board.
It also gave us a little background on Manx, and I hope we get more of that in the next few. It would seem he wasn’t always the person he is today. But, It also shows us that he can be killed, too. Taking away the knife is the key.
Will Maggie change her mind? I hope so; she is a powerful asset to Vic and I truly think they can do more together. With only a few episodes left of the first season, will the demise of Charlie Manx happen, or will our young strong creative fail?
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