NOS4A2 Episode 9: Sleigh House is definitely not a jolly place

It’s been an exciting ride, and the first season of NOS4A2 has ended with an action-packed two-part finale. Since we now know that the series has been renewed by AMC, there is sure to be more of this intense story to come next year.

NOS4A2 opens with Craig picking up his baseball bat to go after Bing, despite his promise to Vic (he must have had his fingers crossed). Bing is happily making Christmas cookies while listening to festive holiday music, so he is definitely caught by surprise. Although Craig puts forth a noble effort, Bing manages to knock him out.

We cut to Vic, who has a vision of that awful Millie Manx standing in front of her, sword in hand, sharp teeth bared in an evil grin. Millie tells Vic she should come to Christmasland, but our gal isn’t buying it. Maggie shakes her awake, and the vision is gone.

At breakfast, Maggie tells Vic that she caused Joe’s death by going after Charlie, and Vic says she fears the same for Craig. He’s not answering her texts, and that’s not like him. The two decide to look for him at Bing’s place, but first, Maggie consults her Scrabble tiles. They tell her that, yes, The Brat can find the Wraith, but is The Brat ready? According to the tiles, that’s a big no, but Vic’s not taking no for an answer.

We see Bing standing outside of his car, waiting for Charlie. He is convinced that he can get himself off the Naughty List by giving Craig to Charlie, who is royally pissed off at the current time. He gives Bing a pass however, because upon questioning Craig, old stick-in-the-mud Charlie finds out that Vic isn’t “pure”, and will no longer be a suitable mother to his dentally-challenged children. They throw Craig in the trunk of the Wraith, and Manx instructs Bing to get some more gingerbread gas and leave town.

Vic arrives at the bridge on her bike, and sees “Sleigh House” painted on the interior wall. When she gets to Charlie’s humble home, she sees the Wraith parked outside with sweet little Bradley sitting in the back seat, begging her to save him. She attempts to do so, but he quickly turns into a sharp-toothed demon child and tries to eat her.

Though she can hear Craig in the trunk, she can’t get to him, so Vic goes inside the Sleigh House (where the Chipmunks’ Christmas Song is playing over and over on an old-fashioned record player…creepy) to find the keys. She sees Charlie grab her bike and throw it into the Shorter Way Bridge, which then disappears, thus making her inscape unreachable. Vic is suffering from a massive headache, and passes out.

When she comes to, Charlie is coming in after her, and she hides out in the laundry room, barricading the door. In a nice little moment, Manx takes a picture drawn by Millie off the refrigerator before dousing the house in gasoline and setting it on fire with Vic still trapped in the laundry room.

NOS4A2 is cast really well. Ashleigh Cummings gives a fantastic performance here, we can physically feel how hard it is for her, but she manages to escape via a laundry shoot, jumps out of a window, and limps away, only to find that the Wraith, Charlie, Bradley and Craig are gone.

All of this brings the first part of NOS4A2’s season finale to a close, but keep your eyes open, I will also be recapping the second part very soon! Stay tuned for Episode 10: Gun Barrel.

Did you like the breathtaking pace of episode 9? Let me know your thoughts in the comments section.