You know you're watching an excellent episode of television when you don't realize that the show is about to end. You see the end credits pop up and you check, and you say "what?!?" That was this episode of television. It wasn't the best episode of the season (the second half of Anne Frank is probably going to be tough to dethrone), but it was perhaps the most exciting. Almost every character showed up (at least those that are still alive), and we saw the truest of colors from some of our bravest and our most cowardly of protagonists.Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't mention our guest star this week. While nothing can top last week's return of the beloved Frances Conroy, Ian McShane's psychotic, Santa-obsessed serial killer was a step in that direction. Seriously-those opening moments, with McShane's fa-la-la-la-la murderous rage, was pure AHS at its most macabre. I kept wondering how he would come back into the episode-would he become the newest patient at Briarcliff?
It turns out, he was already a seasoned veteran of Briarcliff, he had just been in solitary confinement for a year. It was interesting that this turned out this way, because it was yet another odd layer in the finely-tuned character of Sister Jude (Ryan Murphy tends to have his favorites amongst his characters, and the ones he clearly adores are the ones that get more character development-Sister Jude is one of his favorites). We've been rooting for her for weeks, but for all the focus on her drunken car crash of a spiritual reawakening, she had been headed down a slippery slope once again before this series started, this time of needless discipline and semi-sadism. Not that, clearly, McShane's Leigh didn't have it coming, but Kit didn't, and he got the harsh end of Sister Jude's wrath.
We also got yet another introduction into the evil turns of the Devil inhabiting Sister Mary Eunice this week. She seems once again to have some sort of master plan that no one but she knows, and showed further true colors by killing off Frank, the policeman, and continues to focus on Dr. Arden. It's worth mentioning that Lily Rabe is clearly tackling this character with a moxie I don't think the non-NYC public knew she had in her (her Tony nomination proves the theater community was fully aware). I suspect that if this show goes Best Miniseries again, Rabe may be enjoying an Emmy nomination.
Dr. Arden, after a confession in a church that I foolishly believed, seemed to have partnered with Sister Jude, but unfortunately for the Sister, this was a trap to prove his loyalty to the Devil. This was one of those rare horror story twists I didn't see coming-in hindsight, I obviously should have, but I truly believed Dr. Arden's changed man speech. Probably my own darn fault, considering the man is still destroying people in his laboratory.
We also got the return of Kit to the action, at least somewhat, though I again question why we have the Alien storyline on this show (which was hearkened back to briefly when Grace was abducted before Dr. Arden could dispose of her to his creatures)-between current and future Bloody Face, the Demon possessing Sister Mary Eunice, and the creatures in the backyard, we've got more than enough horror to get us through the rest of the season. I digress, though, because I adore Evan Peters, and Kit is one of my favorite characters this season. This week, he teamed up with one of the only people who knows the truth-Lana Banana. And I must say, after weeks and weeks of Lana being at the mercy of Sister Jude, then Dr. Thredson, it was good to see her end on a win. After Dr. Thredson showed up in that room with her, and tried to strangle her, I thought this is it-he's going to figure out a way to bring poor, poor Lana out of that hospital once again and to torture her again. However, thankfully Kit came with backup (was that a toaster?), and they now have him tied in a closet of some sort, gagged and bound, and with Lana proclaiming that she will kill him someday. I mean, this is a horror show, so clearly he's going to figure a way out of there, but still, it was a marvelous moment in a season that has seen little victory for our largely imperfect, but still rootable-for heroes (Sister Jude, Kit, Lana, the departed Grace and Shelly).
And since the episode chose to end there, so shall I, in respect to Lana. There's still more to discuss, so if you're interested, bring Leigh's unholy night into the comments, or perhaps the Monsignor's still mysterious intentions, or what do you think that Dylan McDermott is up to, in therapy as the patient this time, in next week's previews?
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