REVIEW: ‘The Terror: Infamy,’ Episode 9 – “Come and Get Me”

The Terror: Infamy is reaching its end. The second season of AMC’s horror anthology series has blended the historical horror of Japanese American internment with Japanese and Mexican mythologies, most prominently the ghost stories that are staples in Japanese horror. And Episode 9, “Come and Get Me,” continues this theme.

Through it all, we have followed the community of Terminal Island as they’ve struggled and have been subjected to both humiliation and violence at the hands of the United States. In the last episode, the Terminal Islanders had finally been released only to come back to nothing. No homes. No land. Nothing. Running tangential to this historical story is Chester’s story. Stalked by a yūrei named Yuko (Kiki Sukezane), Chester (Derek Mio) has struggled through issues of identity in multiple forms. He has felt too American, too Japanese, and wholly not enough. When he discovered that his parents are not his real parents and that Yuko was his mother, his identity was sent into flux again which led him to escape the camp and reunite with Luz (Cristina Rodlo), abandoning his parents for her family.

Now, in episode nine, “Come and Get Me,” Yuko’s threat is closer as she attempts to steal his child again, hovering around Luz’s house like a vulture for the birth. Having taken Chester’s twin through the magic of Luz’s Abuela (Alma Martinez) and her curanderismo last episode, Yuko is now attempting to complete her set and take the last of who she sees as her children. This episode is tense from the very beginning. Having completed the story of the camp, “Come and Get Me” focuses entirely on Chester, Luz, and their protection.

In the opening, Chester is reunited with his parents, but only after the episode shows us the life that the Nakayama’s have returned to after the camps. When they rejoin their son and Luz’s family it’s tense, and not just because they know Yuko is still out to harm them. When they last met, Chester pushed his parents away for hiding the secret of his birth, but now he needs their help.

“Come and Get Me” is best watched with little information. The use of possession in this episode is the peak for The Terror: Infamy and the emotional weight in the episode keeps you guessing. From Asako (Naoko Mori), Chester’s mom, confronting Yuko, her sister, to Chester and his father discussing how to save his son, it all hits. And it’s that emotional core that makes the horror hit hard.

Episode nine also continues to utilize Luz’s Mexican identity as more than just a prop. The blending of Chester into her family is beautiful to see and to see his parents brought in, even in the midst of the evil creeping in, is a welcoming we have not seen in the show. The Nakayamas are never outsiders; they’re family right down to their use of Spanish.

There is a beauty to the fact that when Luz is stressed she only speaks Spanish. Reverting back to the language you’re the most comfortable with during times of great stress is reflective of reality. Beyond that, Spanish is used to differentiate between those possessed by Yuko and those not. This allows for further expansion of the lore and ultimately makes you think about when you’ve seen Yuko in past episodes when the characters point out that Yuko can only speak Japanese. It’s what makes the possession in the second act of the episode all the more unsettling.

While every actor in this episode put forth performances with such depth and heart to make you buy into the supernatural story, it was Francisco Trujillo as Father Ysidro who stole the show. Possessed by Yuko, Trujillo must not only speak Japanese but also work to make his own accent fade, providing astonishing voice work that dials the terror up to 100 in “Come and Get Me”.

Overall, “Come and Get Me” is a wonderful episode that raises the stakes for our characters, putting them all in danger and setting up for a grand finale in episode 10 next Monday. I’m on the edge of my seat waiting for it because currently, The Terror: Infamy stands as one of my favorite series of all time.

The Terror: Infamy airs every Monday night on AMC at 8 PM/9 PM CT.

Photos Compliments of Ed Araquel/AMC