NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 4 The Lake House Review And Recap- The House Of Sleep Gives Me Nightmares

Season 2 Episode 4 of NOS4A2 proves there is nowhere Charles Manx can’t get them as everyone scrambles to protect those they love.

Time is running out for Lou, Vic, Maggie, and Wayne. Charles Manx is drawing closer and closer, and like a well-skilled pedophile, he uses manipulation and lies to get at the weakest link. He’s a monster and behaves as such. There is nothing sacred, except for his mission. He has become such a zealot after decades of killing that he doesn’t even care about his own kid much less anyone else’s regardless of what he says. NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 4 was a brief reprieve before Manx descends on Wayne and the battle for his soul begins.

The episode opens with Wayne being caroled by the children in Christmasland in a dream. Wayne is kind and sweet, but he has been through the literal fire with his Mom and is vulnerable. He wants a normal life with friends to play with and a Mom who doesn’t burn the house down. Curiously that is all Millie wants too. She was missing from the opening scene and remained absent from the entire episode. Where is she and what is she up to? Is it possible she could be changing her ways and could someday be an ally for our group? Manx ought to check in with his daughter before she turns on him.

Relationships are important. In the world of NOS4A2, they are essential. They keep their loved ones safe, provide stability, and in Manx’s case, act as Renfield for their master. For all the horror of Manx’s razor-toothed vampiric children and candy cane luring, the series is grounded in the emotional gravity of family, both made and born. Vic’s father, Chris(Ebon Moss-Bachrach), represents everything Vic is scared of.

He is both a parent who tries and a parent that fails miserably. Moss-Bachrach does quality work in NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 4, walking that delicate balance between remorseful and accepting. Chris wants to help Vic at all costs but fears she needs more than he can give. He acts as a sage advisor reminding her of all she has in Lou and Wayne. He advises her to go all in. If she loves Wayne, be with him entirely or if she doesn’t let him go.

Sometimes even when a monster hunts you, you need to appreciate what is right in front of you. A beautiful moment between Vic, Lou, and Wayne in the lake is just that. A respite from the terror Manx brought to their life. Chris instinctively knows all the ANFO in the world can’t protect Wayne from Manx, but the love of family potentially can.

Found family members Vic and Maggie are sisters forged in war. Maggie sees exactly what Vic is and knows all her faults yet chooses to go with her anyway. She even tries to shore up Vic’s flagging confidence. When Vic questions her on leaving Tabitha she says it’s complicated because it is. Tabitha is tough as nails and doesn’t need her protection while Vic and Wayne need all the help they can get. Now that Tabitha has been pulled so closely into the fray however I am curious how Maggie will respond.

The two key peripheral characters this season, Lou and Tabitha are the heart and soul of the show. Both their behavior, skill, and care they show to their loved ones is necessary for the horror of the plot to hit home. They are both ordinary people living with extraordinary partners in unlikely circumstances. They each contribute in their own way. Lou is breathtakingly kind and patient, dealing with Wayne and Vic. She is a mess. She is perpetually drunk and suffering from PTSD almost to the point of death. Lou stays and parents Wayne, who is someone else’s biological child, and forgives Vic time and again.

Vic can’t care for herself much less a child, and both Wayne and Lou know it. Lou loves her anyway, though. My heart breaks for the great big teddy bear of a man who worries he isn’t good enough for Vic. Fans of Joe Hill’s novel knew he would be a likable character. No one could have foreseen how good Jonathon Langdon(Lou) would be. He embodies everything the novelized version of Lou was and more. Gentle and quietly powerful, he is Lou Carmody, and no one doesn’t love him.

Maggie’s girlfriend, Tabitha Hutter(Ashley Romans), is just as caring as Lou but comes with FBI resources. She is useful and resourceful. Tabitha also is terrified for Maggie. She knows the toll using the tiles takes on her. Her career makes her all too aware there are monsters in the world, supernatural or not. Thankfully her showdown with Bing and Manx did not kill her. It was close, though, and everyone’s cards are on the table. There are no surprises anymore. Romans did brilliant work with her face covered though the final violent scene with Bing. We felt her fear, rage, and pain even through her covering.

Sound work continues to define NOS4A2 as a whole. Everything from the staticky fade out as the opening sequence began to the distorted sound that always accompanies Maggie’s tile usage helps create an atmosphere and feeling to highlight who is on screen and what is happening.

NOS4A Season 2 Episode 4 was all about exposition and build up. Charles Manx is coming. He knows where Wayne is and he wants him bad. Vic needs to climb back on her bike and get back to Wayne before it is too late. Catch up on all our NOS4A2 coverage here before the slow march to Christmasland begins.

Stray Thoughts:

• As scary as Christmasland and the Wraith are, I always thought there was something terrifying about Bing’s House Of Sleep. It looks and acts like a world-class serial killer’s lair.
• Manx is a vampire and very scary, but Bing is easily the creepiest character on the show. He could easily be the guy everyone says seemed a little off when being interviewed on the news about the twenty people buried in the backyard.
• What happens if the Wraith hits that ANFO?
• Is Millie still hanging out with her mother at the house on the hill? Manx is not going to be very happy about that. That naughty list is getting longer by the minute.