NOS4A2 Recap episode 7: Scissors For the Drifter

This week on NOS4A2, we finally found out how to play Scissors For the Drifter …and it’s not a game any sane person would play. We also said goodbye to a recurring character.

Episode 7 of NOS4A2 begins with Vic answering the phone. An angry Haley asks Vic where Father Christmas is, since he hasn’t been home in a while.

Vic tells Haley that Manx is really evil, and is definitely NOT Father Christmas, but Haley says she likes being in Christmasland with her new friends. Another girl takes the phone, saying Manx hasn’t been seen since he went in search of the Shorter Way Bridge.

She tells Vic that Manx is going to bring her to Christmasland, and all of the children will play Scissors For the Drifter with her. This doesn’t make for a good night’s sleep, and the next morning is even worse when Vic finds out that Mom sold her bike while she was in the hospital.

She calls Maggie for help finding her bike, only to be told again that Maggie wants out. Furthermore, she couldn’t help even if she wanted to, because she threw away her magical Scrabble tiles. Vic guilts Chris into taking her to to find a new bike.

NOS4A2 ep 7 – Courtesy AMC

Waiting for Chris to pick her up, Vic hangs out with pretty boy Drew, who throws some painful truth at her. He says she doesn’t owe her father anything, since he hasn’t really been there for her. Vic throws some truth at Drew: it’s easy to be there when you have cash to provide essentials like food and heat.

At Bike Week, a suitable replacement seems to be a no-go. Vic tries out a few bikes, but not a single one of them feels right, and she loses her temper with Chris at lunch. She confronts him about being an alcoholic, then stomps away in a huff. She hears the public phone ringing, and when she answers it, it’s Haley’s vicious little friend Millie Manx, who torments Vic with a nasty little rhyme.

Back at the table, the confrontation continues, this time with Vic’s buddy Craig standing by. Vic pounds a beer, then lays into Dad, telling him that he never put her first, he only bought her the bike because he had hit her mom the night before, and felt guilty.

Vic storms off with Craig following, and he tells her he doesn’t care about anything else, he just wants to know that she is ok. This calms her down, she goes home with Craig, and falls asleep in his bed.

Cut to Maggie, who is having problems of her own. Joe tells her he’s worried about her. Maggie has addiction issues and is on pain pills, but tells him not to worry.

NOS4A2 ep 7 – Courtesy AMC

The Wraith is out of commission, thanks to Jolene, and Manx hitches a ride with a father and son to find a phone. We get a hint that the kid may be Manx’s next victim.

Getting older and weaker, a desperate Manx calls Bing for help. Vic tries to convince him that Manx will end up killing him, but Bing agrees to help anyway. Manx leads him to the old lady that Maggie and Joe visited earlier, since he thinks she may have the part they need to repair the Wraith.

Mrs. Meyers remembers Manx, however, and calls the police while Bing races to get the Wraith in working order before Manx dies. Hearing sirens, he pauses before adding oil to the car, and forces Charlie to promise he will allow Bing into Christmasland.

When Mrs. Meyers sees Charlie instantly growing younger, she keels over in shock, possibly from a heart attack or stroke. By the time the cops arrive,  Bing and Charlie are inside the Wraith, and are not even noticed by them as they attend to the stricken woman.

NOS4A2 ep 7 – Courtesy AMC

Joe finds Maggie passed out on a bench with a bottle of pills in her coat pocket, confirming his worst fears. He tells her he will to take care of her, and brings her to his house.

Maggie wakes up the next morning and finds a note Joe left for her, telling her that he has faith in her, and will be there to help. She goes downstairs to thank him, and to finds Joe’s police car outside, lights flashing. Joe is nowhere to be found, and there’s a candy cane tucked into the windshield wiper. Uh-oh.

Manx and Bing arrive at the gates of Christmasland, and unload a woozy Joe from the Wraith’s trunk. Forbidding Bing to pass through the gates as of yet, Charlie assists Joe so that he can meet Christmasland’s hungry children.

They are delighted to see“father”, and excited to play Scissors For the Drifter with poor Joe. Spoiler alert: Joe is the Drifter, each child has a pair of scissors, and it doesn’t end well. Little Millie stands smiling psychotically by Charlie’s side.

I’m happy to see some more scary stuff emerging from NOS4A2, how do you feel? Will Joe’s disappearance will put Maggie back in the game? Tell me your thoughts in the comments section.