Utterly magnificent. This has been a stunning debut season so far, but with this episode, American Horror Story elevates itself into a whole other level of awesomeness with a deepening mythology and an eclectic range of players.
Mena Suvari is an intriguing addition to the cast. I’ve always found her fascinating. Unfortunately, her role here as the Black Dahlia (a welcome surprise) was much too short and underwhelming. However, we did at least get an extremely gratuitous scene with her and Moira making out and trying to seduce Ben. Talk about desperation.
This episode also brought several characters to a whole new low. Constance was such a mess here with her Travis troubles, although I adored her beating on Tate after we discovered that one of the twins was his (an insanely sick twist). Moreover, Ben wasn’t very likeable in this one. His monologue to a comatose Vivian was just horrible and it’s bizarre how she’s become such a negligible part of the show. However, I did enjoy the flashback of Ben’s first meeting with Hayden where they were a surprisingly charming couple. She was actually a fantastic villain in this one, putting Ben at odds with the policeman and sleeping with Travis (and of course brutally killing him). Definitely looking forward to seeing what she does next.
Finally, I adored the ending with Ben finally seeing Moira’s true appearance and Constance’s medium telling her of “The Pope’s Box” and the antichrist (which will be Vivian’s spawn). It was just beautifully directed and supremely ominous.
Conclusion
Haunting and fascinating, this was another magnificent hour of American Horror Story.
Nad Rating
A