GENERAL INFO:
Creators: Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk
Producers: 20th Century Fox Television
Channel: FX
Starring: Jessica Lange, James Cromwell, Evan Peters, Zachary Quinto; ft. Chloë Sevigny, Joseph Fiennes
TV Rating: MA SLV
Genre: television, horror, drama, insane asylum, possession, exorcism
Scare score: C
Rating: B+
Plot overview: In this week's installment, we are briefly taken back to the plight of horror honeymooners Teresa (Jenna Dewan) and Leo (Adam Levine) who are trapped and killed, respectively, by the real "Bloody Face." Moving back to 1964, Lana Winters' (Sara Paulson) plight is worsened as she is administered electroshock therapy which begins to affect her memory. More light is shed on the dark practices and habits of Dr. Arden (Cromwell) as he hires a prostitute to enjoy dinner with him and then perhaps even become victimized by his sadistic fantasies. The main plot of this episode follows a young boy named Jed (Devon Graye) who has been brought to Briarcliff because of his strange and potentially harmful behavior. Against the protests of Dr. Oliver Thresdon (Quinto), who has been recently sent by the court to work with Kit Walker (Peters), two priests are called in by Sister Jude (Lange) to perform an exorcism.
Now that we're an episode into the season, we are already beginning to learn more about each character, especially Sister Jude and Dr. Arden. I am very happy to announce that I have concluded the show is probably taking place in rural Massachusetts, as both Lange and Peters' speech were more notably [attempts at] Boston accents. Quick side note: it's beyond me why movie and TV producers keep forcing non-native actors to imitate Boston accents because in many ways it's tougher than a New York or a Southern accent. Watch out for stickers of dialect because you'll run into some criticism there for small mistakes/ unnatural pronunciations.
I like that we see more of Bloody Face in this episode - he is creepy. I don't like those bright eyes popping out from behind his, um, bloody face, which is a worse (read: more moist, bloody, fresh) version of what our old pal Leatherface made famous in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre. Also, methinks we had some hints (or red herrings) thrown at us as to what his true identity might be. Nothing is certain, but we do know that he seems to haunt Briarcliff across the decades, and that I'm not quite sure what the name of that tool/ murder weapon of choice is.
The growing relationships between Lana and Grace (Lizzie Brocheré), Grace and Kit, and Lana and Kit are slowly giving us several protagonists to stand behind and root for as this season continues to progress. Each one is clearly dealing with his or her personal demons, innocence, and guilt, but as we know from horror plots, guilty doesn't necessarily mean that someone is deserving of an awful fate. I am very suspicious of Grace because we know nothing about her, but I'm sure that will change soon. Who thinks Lana will start trusting Kit down the line? Lots of action and adventure to come in this trio.
Lange is like a whole new character in this episode. We are more aware of Sister Jude's difficult position not only at Briarcliff but inside of the Church as well. While we are led to believe she is the smartest and most driven worker around, in many situations she becomes powerless because she is a woman in an institution led my men. Possessed Jed fills us in on Jude's horrible and sinful past which makes her devotion to penance and the projection of this repentance unto her patients much more understandable. Speaking of which, she really is a bully in this episode as she continues to bend her own morals and force the hands of others.
I loved Jed's character and malady. The possession was so well depicted and performed, not only through acting but via special effects as well. Of course any possession these days becomes reminiscent of The Exorcist, but I think this really held its own. The speaking in tongues was odd and convincing, much as we assume and religious or occult 'speaking in tongues' to be. His coarse and vulgar speech and gestures were fun and even a bit frightening. This was an interesting plot for an episode, introducing both a new type of horror as well as a myriad of new questions about Briarcliff and where this season might be heading. My only concern would be if we keep having distinct types of stereotypical horror (aliens, exorcisms) thrown at us each episode as a plot. What's next, a witch and a werewolf? Don't want this season to drift into anything over the top or completely unbelievable. On the other hand, we can only assume that Jed's possession is the beginning of an ongoing antagonistic force for the season.
Quinto is already doing better things for me this season than he did last season. Similarly to what the producers wanted to do with Lange and Peters, Quinto has seemingly made a 180 because he seems sympathetic, understanding, and generally good in this season, unlike his spiteful jerk of a self last time around. We can only hope that he doesn't get too caught up in Briarcliff's evil antics.
Is it just me, or is anyone else getting more suspicious of Dr. Arden? More of his private life and sadistic behaviors were explored in this episode. I loved the contrast we see between his various interactions with Shelly (Sevigny), the call girl, Sister Jude and also with Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe who we should certainly expect lots of plot from). His fantasy with the call girl adds quite a bit of depth to his character regarding his opinion of Sister Jude. All in all, his scenes were creepy and we're going to have to keep an eye on him from now own.
Final critique: This week gave us less scares but more depth. I am only getting more excited to learn about the variety of characters, their evil plots, and their hopeful plans. Only critique I can really think of is that I want more scares next week (it's Halloween, people), and I want more stability in the plot. Lastly, "Tricks and Treats" was a cute title for the episode, very appropriate for this time of year, but I find myself still trying to see how it really related to the plot. Maybe it will make sense down the line; we can only hope there are some real tricks and treats in next week's episode.
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