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NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 5 Bruce Wayne McQueen Review And Recap- The Hourglass And

The battle for Bruce Wayne McQueen starts now as NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 5 places a ticking clock on “Bats’.

NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 5, which is split between two perspectives, was the tensest of the season. Perfectly paced, every moment drove the tension higher. Watching the terrifying kidnapping happen twice forced the viewer to see things from both mother and son’s POV. Through flashbacks induced by drugging or injury, we see how much these two love each other. Vic wasn’t always a mess, and she always loved Wayne even when she wasn’t able to care for him as she would like. They are connected in a way that Manx never can connect with his children. Maybe at one time, he felt love for Millie, but those days are gone. The love Vic and Wayne feel for one another is a weapon they can use.

Manx’s day has come. He has put all his plans into place and is finally coming after Wayne. It doesn’t matter that there are two FBI agents and two grown men protecting the house. He and Bing arrive and take what they want courtesy of a little help from The Hourglass. They did take some damage of their own but not before claiming Wayne and inflicting a lot of pain on Vic and company.

When Charlie Manx brutally beat Vic after running her down, he showed the coward he is. Everything about his personal mission is about proving he is right. He isn’t a failure. Manx desperately has been trying to make others believe he is not worthless by creating a monster that is a horrific savior. He takes the children to “save” them from their bad mothers. He couldn’t admit in his early days, and certainly not now that he is worse than anyone ever thought. He’s a vampire and a bully. He is judge, jury, and executioner. It doesn’t matter that he is a killer; having sex and drinking a beer is a bigger sin. Manx calls Vic a coward because he is incapable of recognizing that’s what he is.

The self-aggrandizing man doesn’t just want to protect his children; he wants them to worship him. Zachary Quinto is at his best this week when Manx delivers his lengthy soliloquy to Vic. It is the classic horror mistake, too much talking. It gives Vic the time she needs to regroup and fight back. All of her fear and rage she unleashes on Manx and his evil car. She is ultimately unsuccessful, but it demonstrates that the diminutive Vic and her tough kid are eventually going to be too much for Manx to handle.

NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 5
Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Chris McQueen, Ashleigh Cummings as Vic McQueen – NOS4A2 _ Season 2, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Jojo Whilden/AMC

Jonathon Langdon impresses in an episode that forced him into a position he can’t defend. He isn’t a small man, and yet Bing towers over him, and Manx is a vampire. Despite all of this, his Lou is a natural protector. He is kind and gentle, accepting to a fault, and always knows the right thing to say. Langdon is so good because all of his interactions feel real. They aren’t ever contrived. He is the grounded goodness that Vic’s frenzied energy needs. Langdon manages to make Lou believable and lovable in equal measures. Vic hasn’t lost everything, and Chris gives her an unexpected ace on the hole. He wasn’t able to save Wayne, but he did shoot Bing and ran him off before he could take Lou.

NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 5
Paul Schneider as Jonathan Beckett- NOS4A2 _ Season 2, Episode 5 – Photo Credit: Jojo Whilden/AMC

We finally know what The Hourglass can do. The man can make anyone do anything he asks until the sand in his totem runs down. Once that happens, they commit suicide. Like Maggie has her tiles, Manx has his Wraith, and Vic has her bike the hourglass is his tool. It’s an impressive power that thankfully doesn’t work for very long. Manx sent him to grab Wayne and kill Chris and Lou. The two FBI agents who were protecting them were turned against them.

Chris is good with a shot and can buy Lou a little time. Unfortunately, Lou is no match for Bing and Manx. Vic got to the lakehouse right as Manx is leaving with Wayne, but she can’t stop the Wraith. With Wayne in the Wraith, the fight for his soul starts now. Next week we get The Hourglass’s backstory and hopefully learn of his weaknesses. He seems to be a mercenary for hire, and Manx is paying.

As good as Ólafur Darri Ólafsson is as Bing, he is one bucko I’ve had enough of. I jest, I can’t get enough of the enormous killer. He is definitely the most inventive villain to come to the screen. The imposing man is easily manipulated and evil. That poor sick fella truly believes Manx will take him to Christmasland. It doesn’t make him any more sympathetic, just oddly scarier. Chris shot him, but the man can take a punch so as he ran off looking heartbroken. We can be assured he won’t stop hunting for Manx.

Vic)Wayne is slowly being drained in the Wraith, Lou has been badly hurt, Chris was shot, and Vic was beaten and in not one but two accidents. The heroes took some losses this week. Her bike is broken, but not her will to fight for Wayne. Our girl won’t give up that easily. Ashleigh Cummings(Vic), who is always emotionally raw, really shined this week in the closing moments. Her pain was palpable, especially for anyone who is a parent. Manx may have won the battle, although in doing so, he awakened a warrior.

Easily the best episode of either season NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 5 was as close to perfect as possible. Car chases, shoot outs, and more than a few ridiculous speeches made this the most entertaining episode. It will be tough to top this episode but a much-needed introduction to another gifted person with supernatural abilities. Catch up on all our NOS4A2 coverage here while the minutes drain away like sand until Episode 6 and The Hourglass reveals his backstory.