Yuko’s Trump Card
The Terror feels like a show that’s been going through the motions since its dramatic sixth episode. Last week saw the show settle down for a more subdued dose of historical drama and while this week does inject a bit more tension and horror to proceedings, the pacing has been questionable throughout the series. While there are glimmers of brilliance nestled in this 10-part drama, Infamy really needs to step it up and deliver a dramatic finale to justify its run here that seems to have abandoned its horror roots. While Chester and Luz awkwardly dance around their feelings, we begin the episode with Chester telling her he’ll leave shortly as the Yurei awakens and begins her tireless pursuit. After a night together, Chester decides to tie the knot with Luz and they have a beautiful marriage ceremony. Only, one of the witnesses happens to be possessed by the Yurei. Meanwhile, the prisoners in the camp are assigned work duties while Amy becomes anxious around the Major, who returns after his trip to Washington. The troops return shortly after too, including Lieutenant Yoshida whom Amy greets and discusses matters with. However, she’s interrupted by the Major himself who invites her along for a supply trip to gather resources for an upcoming party. Before we get any answers to the Yurei situation from earlier, Luz learns her Father is missing. Her grandmother suggests conducting the Curandero; an old magic that invokes the spirits to find out if loved ones are still alive or not. Chester decides to use this to his own advantage, desperate to find out if his brother is still alive. The ritual begins and Chester finds himself in a strange, muted world devoid of colour or substance. Sitting down is Jirou, his little brother. Greeting him as Taizo, he starts playing catch with him until the ritual is interrupted by Chester experiencing strange spasms. Luz tries to interject but the Yurei invades him, contorting his body awkwardly as Chester fades out to be replaced by the stitched-up Yuko. She hugs Jirou tightly and refuses to let go as she drags him into her own personal hell. As Chester regains consciousness, and the Yurei lets him go, he tells Luz what happened. Back at the party, the Major appears to have spiked Amy’s drink and as she stumbles outside, he takes her away and ties her up, forcing her to listen to the Major as he antagonizes and tortures her. However, Amy manages to start talking back and turns the situation to that of the Yurei and Yuko. It’s enough of a distraction for her to break free from her binds and choke him out while he’s lying helplessly on the ground. Chester learns the truth about Yuko’s possession soon after and begins searching for Dona Maria, the lady possessed by the Yurei at the wedding. As he heads to her house, Chester begins searching around, only to find her dead on the chair holding a white baby bodysuit. As he heads back and shows it to Luz, she realizes with horror that Yuko is after their baby, not Chester. As the episode closes out, Jirou awakens in Yuko’s personal hell and as the camera pans out, this shocking revelation is backed up by showing an empty cot-bed. With Yuko’s true intentions finally revealed, The Terror sets the foundations now for a dramatic finale to come. Yuko’s motivations are certainly believable, thanks to the creative sixth episode, but beyond that most of the series has failed to really live up to expectations. Still, there’s enough here to keep watching and the production design and setting certainly help keep this one interesting. I said it earlier on while covering this show but personally I would have preferred a more claustrophobic feel to really hammer home the power of the Yurei, with all our characters remaining inside the claustrophobic confines of the camp, echoing that of the ship in the first season. Japanese folklore and mythology absolutely fascinates me and the story of the Yurei is certainly an interesting and unusual one. I just wish the platform to showcase this had a little more bang for its buck. With two more episodes to go, there’s still time for this one to pull it out the bag and deliver a compelling finale but only time will tell whether it actually will or not.
