“All the Demons Are Still in Hell” is the second episode of the second season of the TV show “The Terror”, which was named “The Terror: Infamy”, and follows “A Sparrow in a Swallow’s Nest“. It’s broadcast in the USA on AMC Studios and in other nations on Amazon Prime Video.

Note. This article contains some spoilers about “All the Demons Are Still in Hell”.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Terminal Island’s residents of Japanese origin are evicted from their homes. Henry Nakayama (Shingo Usami) and others are interned in a camp, others get moved around. Meanwhile, Chester Nakayama (Derek Mio) worries about the strange events that struck the community but above all has to think about his personal problems.

After a first introductory episode, the historical plot comes fo full life to show what actually happened to people of Japanese heritage after the attack on Pearl Harbor. Some members of the community were immediately sent to an internment camp and Henry Nakayama, who at the beginning of the second episode repeats that he’s not a spy, he’s a simple fisherman and loves the USA gives an idea of ​​his situation.

For the rest of the community’s inhabitants of Japanese origin things don’t go well either because a good part of “All the Demons I’m still in Hell” shows them while they’re forced to move around from place to place until they too arrive in an internment camp. Even the children of an orphanage are taken away and one of the soldiers says that it’s for safety and anyone who has even a drop of Japanese blood must go with them.

The theme that emerges in all its strength is that of the dehumanization that struck the Americans of Japanese origin after the attack on Pearl Harbor. In the tragedy of World War II, they too became victims when their government started suspecting everyone indiscriminately – men, women and children – of being spies at the service of the Japanese Empire, thus justifying the decision to lock them up in internment camps.

Chester Nakayama is still a protagonist, in this case of the subplot concerning the Americans of Japanese origin moved around, but in my opinion the part where he meets Luz Ojeda (Cristina Rodlo) again is also the weakest since it’s based on the fact that Chester succeeds to escape the soldiers who guard him and the others to join Luz. There’s a clear idea of ​​focusing on the emotions connected to Luz’s pregnancy and the relationship between her and Chester but that relationship seems rather superficial.

The element of historical drama remains definitely the strongest in “All the Demons Are Still in Hell” as well and the supernatural element has little room with just one really important scene. For the rest, some characters speak of the possible type of evil spirit that’s persecuting them and someone sees it but it’s still far from clear where that story is going.

Overall, “All the Demons Are Still in Hell” is used to summarize what happened to the Americans of Japanese heritage in the period after the attack on Pearl Harbor adding Chester Nakayama’s personal story. The historical part is still by far the most interesting.

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