The Terror - Season 2 - Infamy (2019)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐½

I only recently binge watched AMC's second season of their horror anthology series The Terror - Infamy which was telecast in 2019. This series' uniqueness lies with its ambitious approach to present an independent standalone story each season that is set and based on real historical events which they then inject with a fictional horror element. This was very effectively done in Season 1 which was based on the documented unexplained lost expedition to the Artic in the 1840's. The fictionalization involved the presence of an often unseen menace that terrorised the crew of the ill fated ships in addition to facing the threat of food poisoning, madness and cannibalism. Added to that we have the amazing stillness and whiteness of the unfriendly artic providing images that are both beautiful and haunting. The end result is a gripping season that is so original, and atmospheric creating the best of what modern TV programming can offer.

I am happy to report that the high production values and strong performances of its cast continues in Season 2 Infamy. Season 2 takes place during the World War II specifically centering on the Japanese immigrants in the USA who were rounded up in concentration camps following the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbour. The season's title "Infamy" is in reference the speech made by the US President Franklin D Roosevelt declaring the day of the attack as "a day that will live in infamy". This carries a double meaning as infamy is also used to describe famously evil or terrible people or events, which references well with the Japanese ghost haunting in the story.

The story focus mainly on some Japanese family who are immigrants in America that have somehow conjured an evil and revengeful ghost that was beginning to haunt the small fishing village community. In the midst of this the Pearl Harbour attack triggered a series of events in America resulting in the cruel rounding up of all Japanese immigrants into concentration camps. Like in Season 1, there is the combined threat from the cruelties of the concentration camps, and the haunting from the ghost. Admittedly this mix struggled a bit to become coherent, with the plot involving the real life struggles of the Japanese under the heavy handed control of the American solders being more interesting. Indeed at times, it felt like the inclusion of Kwaidan style Japanese horror was a different movie all together! Nevertheless this mix eventually had its emotional resonance as the episodes progressed and I for one was mesmerised and intrigued with the Japanese ghost story. 

Much of the series' dialogue is in Japanese and at times it felt like you were watching a foreign movie. I could see that the producers were very authentic in their portrayal of the culture, and historical events. Perhaps it is not surprising since much of the cast were Japanese including some of its episodes directors and many of the production crew members. The photography was consistently superb. The scenes depicting a Japanese environment were especially outstanding with the burst or colours and beauty. It is a unusual feeling to see such beauty amidst the horror that is actually happening at that time!  The performances for all the principal characters were top notched. If I have to find fault in this area, I would say that the actor Derek Mio playing the pivotal role of Chester the main male character in the story, gave the weakest performance. Somehow his range appeared limited in a role that carried a lot of weight to the overall story. Perhaps inspite of or because of this, Chester comes across as a selfish, weak and a bit annoying .. not someone you really have sympathy for despite the hardship he is facing throughout the show! 

The Terror Season 2 had some pretty nasty and negative reviews which I strongly disagree. Many of these reviewers seem to compare it with high standards set by Season 1 which to me is really irrelevant given that each season is really an independent story and hence would have its own style and story to tell. For me, Season 2 can stand proudly on its own as a remarkable piece of original TV entertainment with a superior standard that is not often seen on commercial television fare. I look forward to what Season 3 has to offer but unfortunately when I last checked, there has been no news regarding a Season 3 although there has also been no news saying the series has been terminated. One thing's for sure is not to expect a Season 3 to come out in 2020.