The Lake House

**The Lake House** is the fourth episode of the second season of AMC's *NOS4A2*. It is also the fourteenth episode of the series overall.

## Synopsis

With Charlie Manx on the hunt, Vic and her family go into hiding with Maggie. Wayne suffers mysterious nightmares while Tabitha chases a lead on Bing.

## Plot

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

Wayne wakes up to the sound of children singing Christmas carols outside of the house. He looks outside the window to see the children of Christmasland. They tell him to come play with them. As it turns out, Wayne is sleepwalking. Vic awakens to find Wayne humming *O Holy Night* by the window. She calls him, but he doesn’t answer. He instead opens the front door, where only he can see Charlie Manx. Vic tries to wake Wayne up, but he remains asleep. Manx welcomes him to Christmasland. He tells Wayne that unhappiness is against the law and only the most special of kids are allowed. Wayne can come if he does Manx one small favor. Wayne then suddenly wakes up. Vic tells him that he’s at aunt Maggie’s house and that he was just having a bad dream. In his hand, Wayne holds the candy cane that Manx previously gave him. He looks out the window again to see the moon smiling at him.

The following morning, Vic and Lou ask Wayne about his sleepwalking. However, he’s more concerned about when they’re going home. Vic tells him that they’re about to leave for his grandpa’s lake house. Lou compares it to the bat cave. Vic then tells Wayne that they can’t mention Manx to grandpa or anyone else they meet. Wayne explains that he already knows. Lou then gifts Wayne a brand new phone and tells him to get dressed. Vic and Lou go into the hallway, where Vic expresses her concern for Wayne. He’s never sleep walked before. Lou chalks it up to the fact that they’re on the run.

Tabitha hands two F.B.I agents, Ash and Chen, a folder containing information about the McQueens, as they’re to watch over them. Maggie then reveals to Tabitha that she’s going with Vic. She intends to use her Tiles to predict when the Wraith is coming. Tabitha is worried, as Maggie has barely recovered from her last seizure. Maggie insists that she’s fine and reminds Tabitha that Vic needs her. Tabitha replies that there’s a cost for everything, including having Vic back in their lives. Maggie asks Tabitha to trust her and promises that she won’t do anything stupid. She then kisses Tabitha goodbye.

Vic, Lou, Wayne, and Maggie arrive at Chris’ lake house. He greets Maggie and Lou, meeting them both for the first time. Lastly, he meets Wayne, glad to have finally met him. Wayne remarks that the house looks creepy. Chris turns his attention to the lake and tells Wayne that Vic liked to fish when she was his age and asks if he would like to try. While no one is looking, Wayne pulls the candy cane from his pocket and looks up at the tree, noticing the Christmas ornaments hanging.

Vic asks Chris about the access points to the cabin. He tells her that there’s only the lake and driveway. Should they come under threat, he has a 9mm and a rifle, as well as a couple cans of gas in case they have to run. Vic asks if he has any ANFO to keep any cars from getting too close to the house. Vic knows that she sounds crazy, but she repeats the question. Chris admits that he does. They can bury it in the driveway, but they have to do it without the agents noticing. So, they agree to do it after Wayne goes to sleep. Chris assures Vic that everything will be okay.

As Lou pumps air into a blowup mattress, Vic brings him donuts. She tells him that her father is on board with the ANFO. Lou reveals that he wants to adopt Wayne officially. He fears that he’ll lose Wayne should something happen to Vic. She agrees that this is the right call. Lou explains that Wayne needs stability, which they can’t count on Vic for. Lou understands that she is traumatized from her previous encounters with Manx, but she can’t continue to use it as an excuse. He wants them to work, but if Vic can’t work out her problems, he fears the worst.

Tabitha cross-checked the alias that Bing gave to Lou with businesses that deal in sevoflurane. She found three places in Maine with gas on site who employ someone named Ethan Andersen. One of them could be Bing. Chitra argues that the attack happened in Colorado and that they have no reason to suspect that Bing is in Maine. Tabitha explains that Bing’s ID was from Maine. If she can get one of the businesses to ID him, they can retrieve his address and capture him. Chitra reminds Tabitha that women like them are few and far between in their field office. Last time she investigated Bing, she broke protocol and told her girlfriend confidential information. Tabitha insists that won’t happen again and that she’ll be smart.

Lou, Wayne, and Chris go fishing in the lake. Wayne is reluctant to stab the worm to use as bait and so Chris offers an alternative.

Vic and Maggie watch the boys go fishing. Maggie asks Vic if she’s okay. Vic doesn’t know how to be normal like them. Maggie replies that none of them are normal, pointing out that Lou dresses like a storm-trooper for fun and her dad has "gone all Bear Grylls in a spooky horror cabin." Meanwhile, Wayne is cooler than them all. Vic replies that they don’t have a Bridge. Maggie retorts that neither did Vic for eight years. For a long time in her life, the Tiles were the only consistency in Maggie's life. And then, she fell in love. Tabitha is her home because she chose her. Vic questions if Maggie actually chose Tabitha considering she’s at the cabin with them.

That night, as planned, Vic and Chris create bombs with ANFO, to bury in the driveway. They joke that this is the first thing they’ve done together in eight years. Chris notices Vic’s hands shaking from the withdrawals with liquor and helps her. She wonders when he stopped drinking. They are alarmed by the sound of the floor creaking. Chris grabs his gun, and they investigate. They find Lou exiting the room, as he is looking for Wayne. He is sleepwalking again. She approaches Wayne, who while still asleep, whispers that "sometimes mom doesn’t like us." Lou takes Wayne back to bed, and Vic walks away disheartened.

Tabitha tracks Bing down to a clinic in Maine. A dentist recognizes him and informs Tabitha that he works as a janitor, but he disappeared last week. And all they have on him is a P.O. box. But the techs used to say that he lived in an abandoned church. There are several in the area. Tabitha then asks the dentist to take her to where they store Sevoflurane. They open the closet to find it completely empty despite getting a shipment just last night.

Maggie calls Tabitha. She hasn’t heard from her since she left, and Tabitha isn’t answering. So, she's becoming worried.

Vic finds Chris sitting near the lake. She joins him. While she may not have slept much, he remarks that at least she doesn’t have a hangover. He then tells Vic that they can bury the bombs after Wayne goes to sleep tonight. Vic reveals that she’s worried about Wayne. Chris is certain he’ll be back to normal once everything is over. He adds that Wayne is tough, like Craig. He’d be so happy that Vic found a stand up guy like Lou to help raise his kid. Vic fears that Lou will leave her. Chris tells Vic that the biggest mistake he made with her and her mom was never choosing between staying and going. It tore everyone apart. He warns Vic against making the same mistakes he did. If she truly wants Lou, she’ll have to fight for him.

Vic takes off her shoes and joins Lou and Wayne in the lake, splashing them both with water and enjoying time together as a family.

Vic watches from inside the house as Chris puts the bombs into the back of the truck. She is approached by Wayne, who tells her that he wants to find some kids to play with tomorrow. Vic explains that they’re in hiding and tells him to get ready for bed. Lou enters the room, and Vic thanks him. She recalls the time that she broke her ankle at the reservoir. Wayne was only two years old. The shop was busy, and Vic was laid up for weeks, but Lou kept everything under control. He and Wayne even dressed up as Madam Neutron and the Eternal Assassin, just to make Vic laugh. And no matter the mess she made, he’d always been kind and thoughtful She just doesn’t want to lose him. He wonders if she had chosen him if they had met randomly instead of her escaping from Sleigh House. She’s not sure, but she’s glad she did and she'd do it again. She then tells Lou that she wants to quit drinking and be the person that he and Wayne deserve.

Vic, Lou, and Chris bury the bombs at the driveway. They notice the agents headed their way, and so Chris tells the two of them to leave while he finishes up, giving Lou and Vic the detonator. They look over at the dock and notice Wayne sleepwalking towards the lake. Unbeknownst to them, Wayne is talking to Manx, who is filling his head with the joys of Christmasland. Wayne is tired of hiding and his parents being messed up. He wants to go home. Manx tells him that Christmasland can be his home. He’ll be happy and loved, more than he ever was with his parents. All he asks is that Wayne tell him where they are hiding. As Vic recovers Wayne and takes him back inside, he reveals to Manx that he’s at Lake Passamaquoddy. Wayne then starts humming again, causing Vic to notice the candy cane in his hand.

Manx awakens in his Wrath to find Bing standing just a few feet away. He tells Bing to get the gas. It’s time to load up the Wraith.

Vic tucks Wayne into bed. She asks him about the candy cane, but he is reluctant to reveal where he got it from. Vic promises that she won’t get mad, and so Wayne admits that he got it from Manx. Vic warns him against taking anything from Charlie Manx, explaining that he’s a bad man. However, Wayne argues in Charlie’s favor, claiming that Vic is a liar who makes Lou sad. Wayne simply wants a regular life with a regular mom. Vic apologizes for scaring him. She tells Wayne that he is the best kid, deserving of the best mom, and she’s going to try her best to be that mom. She assures Wayne that he can tell her anything and pinky swears to never get mad at him again.

Tabitha stakes out one of many abandoned churches. She watches as Bing exits with a gas tank. She radios in for backup, but they’re 20 minutes away. And so, Tabitha goes in solo, ignoring Maggie’s call just before heading inside.

Maggie leaves Tabitha another message, begging her to call back. Maggie reveals to Vic and Lou that she hasn't heard from Tabitha since she left the house. Both she and Vic know what happens to cops who cross Charlie Manx. She refuses to let Tabitha die and looks to her Tiles for answers.

Tabitha enters the not-so abandoned church in search of Bing. Inside, she finds a shrine of newspaper articles regarding Manx.

The lights flicker, as Maggie asks her Tiles if Tabitha is okay, much to Lou’s amazement. She spells out "HOUSE OF SLEEP." Vic realizes that Bing has Tabitha, just before Maggie has a seizure. Maggie recovers and reveals that she and Tabitha looked for the House of Sleep for years but could never find it. However, Vic can. Lou encourages her to go, and Maggie joins her. Vic gives Lou the detonator and kisses him goodbye.

Tabitha heads into the basement with her gun drawn. She is attacked by Bing from behind. Though he outweighs her in size and strength, she manages to fight back. Using a candle holder to her advantage. She knocks Bing to the ground and recovers her gun. She hits him with her pistol and handcuffs him. However, Bing is not alone. Manx arrives and strikes her in her left shoulder with the bone hammer he stole from the autopsy lab. Fortunately, Tabitha manages to draw her gun and shoot Manx in the head. She pulls herself to her feet and limps outside of the church, falling to the ground in pain.

The bullet lodged inside of Manx brain only incapacitated him momentarily. He awakens and removes the bullet, much to Bing’s relief, as he was worried that Manx was dead.

Vic and Maggie arrive at the Sleigh House on the Shorter Way. Maggie rushes to find Tabitha, who is alive but is being hauled away on a stretcher. Maggie explains that she got scared when Tabitha didn’t call her back.

As Lou stands by the window with the detonator, Wayne wakes up from his sleep and reveals that he told Charlie Manx where to find them.

Tabitha looks to Vic and sarcastically asks if she’s Maggie’s ride. Vic replies that she’s glad Tabitha is okay. Tabitha reveals that she had Bing and Manx, but they slipped away. Vic then gets a call from Lou, who reveals that Wayne has been talking to Manx in his dreams. Vic realizes that he must’ve done this through the candy cane. Manx knows where they are. Vic tells Lou that she is on her way and that he must protect Wayne from Manx at all cost.

## Cast

* Olafur Darri Olafsson as Bing Partridge
* Jahkara Smith as Maggie Leigh
* Ebon Moss-Bachrach as Chris McQueen
* Virginia Kull as Linda McQueen (credit only)
* Jonathan Langdon as Lou Carmody
* Ashley Romans as Tabitha Hutter
* Mattea Conforti as Millie Manx (credit only)
* Zachary Quinto as Charlie Manx

Co-Starring* Sweta Keswani as Chitra Surinam
* Rhys Cote as Demon Girl
* Beth Petrou as Agent Ash
* Michael Tow as Agent Chen
* Jennifer Dorr White as Dentist

## Trivia

* The Lake House refers to Chris McQueen's house at Lake Passamaquoddy.
* Lou references Lucius Fox.

## Multimedia

### Videos

'Time to Wake Up, Buddy' Sneak Peek Ep. 204 NOS4A2'You Didn't Call Me Back' Talked About Scene Ep. 204 NOS4A2