The Terror: Infamy (2×04) The Weak Are Meat Review

Chester writes a letter to Luz about his time as a translator in the army. He finds himself unable to sleep at night, scared of what demons might have followed them off Terminal Island. He decides to take some pictures of their camp during the night, believing that the Yurei followed him there. Here’s what went down in “The Weak Are Meat.”

Chester works with his bunkmate Arthur (Marcus Toji) in decoding messages. He opens up about the Yurei and feeling like he is being haunted. Turns out these demons have a hunger to seek revenge after their death. They arrive at base camp where they are watched by a number of wary American soldiers. They are brought by a pit of dead POWs and briefed on the situation: Sergeant Crittenden disappeared six days ago and since their ongoing battle has been brutal. He drops into the pit and examines the bodies where he finds a hidden code on one of their belts prompting the officers to send the rest of the soldiers to inspect the bodies.

While Chester and Arthur decode where Crittenden is, he has a nightmare about being stabbed through the chest. Luckily this rush of adrenaline causes Chester to question where they might be able to find the missing Sergeant. They manage to find him, but Crittenden is in a catatonic state. He is speaking fluent Japanese and instantly takes a disinterest in Chester. They talk back and forth revealing that whatever happened to him will happen to those who are deemed weak. That evening, Chester is attacked by a group of American soldiers for what happened to Crittenden. However, the still delirious Sergeant uses a flamethrower to torch all of the men, but Chester. He turns to speak with him and learns that Crittenden was sent to kill white devils for Admiral Takahashi.

Meanwhile at the internment camp, Luz tries to feel included by Chester’s family and friends. As everyone talks and laughs, Luz continues to see Henry disapprovingly look her way. She visits her midwife, Yuko in disguise, who decides to talk about Luz’s loneliness and Chester’s absence. Luckily some of Chester’s family is warming up to her as she starts to bond with his mother. However, that evening at the camp a soldier is attacked by a disfigured Yuko as she possesses his body and forces him jump off of one of the watchtowers. This causes the American guards to toss the entire camp in search of who might have “poisoned” the soldier. Major Bowen (C. Thomas Howell) manages to find some alcohol in the Yoshida house and Walt takes the fall for Henry.

As Luz returns to her midwife, Yuko reveals to her that she is carrying twins. However, Asako believes this to be a bad omen and the family starts to let superstition take hold of them. Luz decides to visit Henry and read off a monologue in Japanese to him in the hope of reconciliation. Suddenly, she goes into labour and the Nakayamas take her to the camp’s doctor Dr. Kitamura (Hiro Kanagawa). However, he has never done a birth with twins. Meanwhile the nurse is visited by Yuko who enters her body and takes control for the procedure. The brutal labor process ends in the birth of two stillborn boys. Afterward, Luz stays at the makeshift hospital while their family and friends come by to check in on her. She asks for her midwife Yuko, but no one knows where she is. That evening, a masked woman visits the doctor. As he asks her to leave, she removes her mask to reveal a decayed face. She possesses his body, grabs a scalpel and slices his stomach open as if telling him that a C-section would have saved the babies.

The Weak Are Meat was a surprisingly good episode. With its letter-based storytelling, the series is able to better format its two ongoing horror narratives through the eyes of an internment camp and the front lines. The brutality of both situations allows for some dark commentary on both events while tying them together with the struggles of family drama. After three weeks of slow world-building, the story finally dives a bit deeper into its supernatural horror elements bringing the best scares since the season’s opening scene. With more questions than answers, can Chester and the Nakayamas discover why they are being haunted and how many people this demon plans to terrorize.

• • • What is so special about Chester Nakayama?
    • Which ancient creature is attacking the prisoners?
    • What did the elderly men do to Yuko?
    • Why didn’t “it” attack Chester?
    • Where does Yuko’s motherly persona stem from?

What did you think of “The Weak Are Meat”? Let me know in the comments below!

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Dylan Phillips