S02.E02: All the Demons Are Still in Hell

[jewel21]

Airdate: 2019.08.19

Quote

In the wake of Pearl Harbor, the Terminal Islanders are evicted from their homes by the US Army and must find shelter elsewhere. While Henry, separated from his family, faces injustice at the hands of the government, Chester engages in a paranoid search for answers surrounding the mysterious events of the past weeks.

[foxfreakinmulder]

I'm having a hard time getting into this season. I thought this episode was kind of boring. I don't understand why the spirit is picking on these people, what did they do to her?

[iMonrey]

It seems like the show would be stronger if they eliminated the supernatural element. The evacuation and internment of the Japanese is horrific enough as it is. They're living in horse stalls, for crying out loud. Do we really need some weird ghost attacking them too?

My initial criticism remains about the show's poor job of establishing who the characters are. I have to look most of them up on IMDB just to learn their names. So Toshiro is Fuyura's son and is living with Chester's mom. And Amy and Walt are, what - were they just their neighbors or something? 

The story is sloppy as well. They're all being herded into the race track and then Chester sees the kids and goes "Oh, I can't do this, I have to go protect Luz." And . . . they just let him go? WTF? Was this voluntary at that point? Or did he escape somehow? Because a few scenes later the military came and scooped him up for being in violation of the evacuation.

Also, they had just gotten their horse stalls all cleaned out when they were all put on a bus to go elsewhere. I guess the race track was just temporary, but they're just not explaining anything very well.

[Dowel Jones]

Santa Anita Track was just an assembly point, among many others in California.  I was expecting them to go to Manzanar, or maybe eastward, but the sign indicated north to Oregon.  That would be one hellacious ride on an old bus.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

The story is sloppy as well. They're all being herded into the race track and then Chester sees the kids and goes "Oh, I can't do this, I have to go protect Luz." And . . . they just let him go? WTF? Was this voluntary at that point? Or did he escape somehow? Because a few scenes later the military came and scooped him up for being in violation of the evacuation.

They had two days to report to the horse track.  He was in line on the first day with his mother when he dropped out.  The FBI came for him because it looked like he was hiding from authorities to defy the order to report.  Which he was.

The camp they are using is made up for the show.  The closest real one was at Tule Lake, CA near the Oregon border.  There were no camps actually in Oregon.  All the camps that I've seen are in dry, low vegetation areas, not nice thick pine forest.

I'm having trouble telling people apart, but I had the same problem with the sailors.

Loved the 3 guys handling the spy by leaving him stranded on the ice.

[Corgi-ears]

8 hours ago, iMonrey said:

They're all being herded into the race track and then Chester sees the kids and goes "Oh, I can't do this, I have to go protect Luz." And . . . they just let him go? WTF?

I know! I was, like, "If you can just leave, MAYBE TAKE YOUR MOM WITH YOU, CHESTER, so that she doesn't have to sleep among horse poop."

[tennisgurl]

So do the older generation actually know this ghost? Did they do something to her and this evil spirit is getting revenge? 

That bit with the three older guys leaving the spy on the ice was cold, no pun intended! I mean, yeah duh he isn't finding spies, because there weren't any, so just go ahead and throw some other innocent guys under the bus! 

An issue I am having with the show is that its hard to tell how exactly people know each other or are related to each other, and what their relationships are to each other. I am also having some trouble really getting into most of the characters yet, but it took me awhile to warm to a lot of the characters last season too and as the season went on I got to know and care about them a whole lot more, so maybe the same thing would happen here. I mean, last season every wore the same freaking outfits even, at least here they get different jackets!

Of course the irony is that, as the US is going to war with a country that famously rounded up and imprisoned people based on their ethnic background...and they are right here doing the same thing. I mean, the scene with the FBI showing up to arrest Chester and saying how they have to arrest "everyone with a drop of Jap blood" could easily be some cackling Nazi bad guy looking for Jews. Yeah you can say that they never went as far as the Nazis, thank God, but...

[Starchild]

On 8/19/2019 at 11:36 PM, foxfreakinmulder said:

I'm having a hard time getting into this season. I thought this episode was kind of boring. I don't understand why the spirit is picking on these people, what did they do to her?

I don't get it either. It seems everyone was fine until Mrs. Fuyura drove a stick into her brain. Options?

1. Her suicide triggered the appearance of a vengeful spirit (like she had some kind of unfinished business)
2. The spirit made itself known to her for some reason, and triggered her suicide
   1. It came after her because of her willingness to assist an abortion (which never actually happened)
   2. It followed her (and her family and friends?) from the old country, though it took time to find them

Why attack the Fuyura family, but somehow center its purpose around Chester? So far the only thing the two families seem to have in common (besides acquaintance) is Chester's unborn child, whom Mrs. Fuyura was willing to help abort.

[MaggieG]

On 8/25/2019 at 4:38 PM, Starchild said:

I don't get it either. It seems everyone was fine until Mrs. Fuyura drove a stick into her brain. Options?

1. Her suicide triggered the appearance of a vengeful spirit (like she had some kind of unfinished business)
2. The spirit made itself known to her for some reason, and triggered her suicide
   1. It came after her because of her willingness to assist an abortion (which never actually happened)
   2. It followed her (and her family and friends?) from the old country, though it took time to find them

Why attack the Fuyura family, but somehow center its purpose around Chester? So far the only thing the two families seem to have in common (besides acquaintance) is Chester's unborn child, whom Mrs. Fuyura was willing to help abort.

I'm confused by this as well. Why would the one guy who saw the ghost (I can't remember his name but he went nuts, took the gun and was then shot by the guards) yell at Chester that he needs to leave? Why not his own son? Why was he so sure the ghost was after Chester?

[Lamima]

So the lady, at very beginning, didn't kill herself, per say. The spirit made her do it. Like grabbed her or possessed her and did it. I think it's about Chester's baby. Maybe it's some evil spirit baby and the goal is to save it. The first lady made the abortion potion. The guy who went blind...he was punished for beating his wife (the stab herself in the ear lady). Don't know why have the other guy go running with the gun to get himself shot...like why punish him. Maybe because he'd know who she is (the bad spirit lady). But the bad spirit lady talked Chester into wanting to keep his baby (in the whorehouse with the tea leaves). So something with this baby. Or could be the birth will kill the mother (she said her own mother died birthing her) and that will destroy Chester and that is the goal of the evil spirit. Anyway....I am digging it. Some acting is good and some is not. But so far it's keeping my interest (I have only watched the first 2 episodes). 

Oh, and, I think Chester's dad is an evil spirit maybe. The other guy said anyone can be one...you never know. And we see his dad sitting alone and repeating those phrases. And when told to ice fish, he sits there very creepy still and holds up the fish. Maybe he is some spirit and Chester's baby is also.

Edited September 3, 2019 by Lamima