#NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 9 Review: Welcome to Christmasland

Christmasland is not for the faint of heart. 

On NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 9, Vic and Maggie were ready to take on Charlie Manx, once and for all. Unfortunately, their plan reeked more of desperation than strategy. 

When you’re fighting a vampire with an army, you’re going to want to be prepared for anything that can happen. The bombs were a nice touch, but they already failed on NOS4A2 Season 2 Episode 8. 

If they worked, then Chris McQueen would be alive and kicking. Still, I get the need for the stakes to be raised. 

Vic always seems to be losing something or someone, and it’s a real shame. She’s desperate to be a good mother, but she understands the true extent of Charlie’s grasp. 

He successfully turned Wayne against her, resulting in the child stabbing her when she thought the madness was over. I’m certain there’s no way Wayne and Vic will be able to put the horrors of Christmasland behind them. 

The only way Wayne will be able to grow up and live a normal life is if the action in Christmasland can be wiped from his mind. 

Vic’s mission to save her son has put a lot of lives on the line, but I loved how Maggie said she would be embarking on the mission with her. 

I can’t be the only one who forgot Maggie was pursuing Charlie long before Vic was, and that made it all the more brutal when she witnessed the tree with the heads. 

Maggie hasn’t had the best start in life, and I hope she can get some semblance of closure after defeating Charlie. All of the good characters deserve happy endings on this show. 

Charlie is a bit of a wildcard in that he can be earmarked for death one minute, and recover the next. It certainly helps to give a feeling of uncertainty as far as the show is concerned. 

I like the idea of Charlie not knowing the house of horrors existed because it’s been hidden in plain sight all this time. His reaction to meeting some of those horrors helped to highlight that he was somewhat remorseful. 

If you watch NOS4A2 online, you know Charlie carries on with his life as though he is making strides to save children from wayward parents. 

This was the first time he’s been put in a position in which he’s had to face up to his actions, and I hope that results in another layer to the villain when he inevitably enacts another revenge plan. 

The last thing he expected was for Millie to want to leave Christmasland behind, but it helped highlight the fact that he’s not been too good a parent himself. 

He holds women up to these high standards in terms of looking after their children, but he doesn’t hold a candle to the people he’s manipulating and killing. 

Could his weakness be his own daughter? 

Millie was faced with a mirror image of herself, but the image was brighter and filled with aspirations. This was the exact Millie he wanted to keep locked away from his mind. 

With Millie exiting Christmasland, it will be exciting to see what she plans to do with her life. Let’s face it: She’s just a kid, and she’s going to need a parental figure in her life. 

She spent so long forced to hold the fort at Christmasland. This suggests a time jump could be on the way, and that could kick off a game of cat and mouse between her and her father. 

I’m not sure where Vic fits into all this unless Millie ultimately lives with Vic. However, I’m leaning more towards Maggie and Tabitha reuniting and taking Millie into their home to raise her. 

In terms of storytelling, it would work, and everyone would live with the fear that Charlie Manx could escape from, well, his Inscape, and wreak havoc all over again. 

The ice maze could have been the place Maggie or Vic died, and it would not have been surprising. While I loved the two women getting the upper hand, it seemed bizarre that they left the hammer behind. 

Did they forget that there was a horde of merciless kids waiting to chow down on them? 

The bombs actually working allowed for some nice visuals, and I loved witnessing the decline of Charlie is Christmasland was obliterated. 

Another thing that was cool was the writing the name in the book because it seems like anyone who leaves will have to take a decoration with them, or they will fade into oblivion. 

We knew it wasn’t going to be as easy as exiting the place, but there’s so much up in the air right now. 

What I do know is that I would like Charlie to be put down, but that could signal the end of the series. 

What did you think of the action in Christmasland? Do you think the vampires biting the humans will result in something terrible happening?

Hit the comments below. 

Paul Dailly is the Associate Editor for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.