WiC Watches—The Terror: Infamy

Episode 203: “Gaman”

It’s May, 1942, and the Japanese-American prisoners at the Colinas de Oro internment camp are doing their best to live their lives as normally as possible. The Terror: Infamy likes to deliver its supernatural punches early, and this time it comes at the camp screening of a John Wayne movie, with the Japanese translation and special effects being delivered live (a cool sequence). Chester is struck by visions of Yuko’s victims that seem to emerge from the images he sees onscreen.

Chester and Luz remain a major focus, and their relationship faces unkind reactions from the Japanese-Americans around them. Chester discovers the US Army is recruiting prisoners to work as military translators, and spurns the idea of working for his jailers. The previously separated elders arrive in the camp, with Henry physically damaged by frostbite and in a state of paranoia, certain that the facility is full of spies. In his current condition, Henry’s immediate rejection of Luz is predictable.

George Takei’s contribution to the show as Yamato-San has thus far consisted mostly of whispering about old-world spirits such as bakemono and yurei, and when he and Chester witness the damaged Furuya-san choking his own son Toshiro (Alex Shimizu) in the mess hall while muttering about swallows, that once again confirms all suspicions. Furuya-san appears to have been possessed by an antagonistic spirit, and later, that spirit (Yuko) ends him.

Thinking he’s the target of the phantom’s rage and fearing for Luz and his family and friends, Chester believes the best way he can protect them is to leave. The only way out is to defy his father and sign up as an army interpreter and be posted far away. But Yuko is on a mission, and her motives remain obscure.

The Terror: Infamy excels in depicting its environments, and the spotlit interment camp feels as restricted and intrusive as it should. The belittling of the unmarried, pregnant (and Latina) Luz by the Japanese-American girls, and Chester’s belligerent response to the disapproving glances he gets for being involved with her, provide a nuanced angle on the theme of prejudice. We discover there are wealthier detainees in the mix, and they carry a higher social status than their more modestly-employed brethren from Terminal Island. The Chester/Luz relationship remains the show’s most engaging interpersonal story and it is fortunately given room to breathe.

Cristina Rodlo as Luz Ojeda – The Terror _ Season 2, Episode 2 – Photo Credit: Ed Araquel/AMC

There continue to be some problems with Infamy that I was hoping would smooth out as the story progressed. Despite a lot of strengths — including the performances, historic realism and atmosphere — the show hasn’t been able to swap a distinct by-the-numbers plotting structure for a more organic and unpredictable dramatic flow. And while the ghostly elements supply a decent punch, the old-fashioned devices of cold, ominous winds and blurred photographs feel, well, old-fashioned (I won’t use the word ‘cliche‘). The mysterious being that is Yuko remains deliciously unknowable, however, and that’s a plus.

Many shows start out on uneven ground as the storytellers work out their groove. The Terror: Infamy has a lot going for it, but when you’re operating in limited 10-episode lifespans, you’ve got to find your mojo quickly. If Infamy wants to live up to the critical success of its predecessor, to be something more than just “pretty good,” it needs to make a leap to the next level, to a more developed, unique and unpredictable dramatic vehicle, and do it soon.

Note: “Gaman” is a Japanese Zen Buddhist term that can be described as a kind of silent, heroic endurance in times of great distress and suffering.