American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 10- Smoldering Children

**This post contains spoilers**

I know I said I would finish off Murder House in April, but some unexpected things changed in real life. Oddly enough, the changes kicked in after that post. lol. Nothing serious, just a lot of time consuming stuff, and I don't know how it happened, but this weird foot injury threw a monkey wrench in a lot of my plans.

Finishing Murder House is a day to day thing for the time being, and I'll try to wrap things up as quickly as possible, and I'll put the finishing touches on this review series with my final overall thoughts in a separate post. Now let's get to the review!

Synopsis: In 1994, Constance (Jessica Lange) returns to the Murder House with her son, Tate (Evan Peters) and her daughter, Addie (Jaime Brewer) to start a new life with Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare). Larry had plans to leave his wife, Lorraine (Rebecca Wisocky) and their two daughters, Margaret and Angela, but an enraged Lorraine committed suicide by locking herself in a room upstairs, and Lorraine started a fire to kill herself and the girls.

Larry refused to ignore his obsession and never-ending love for Constance. One night, Larry and Constance celebrate the return to the Murder House and their new union as a family with a grand dinner and a honey roasted ham as the centerpiece, but Tate breaks his silence before the dinner. Tate isn’t buying Larry’s nice guy act, and he’s disgusted with Larry and Constance’s relationship as lovers. Tate knows Larry murdered Beau (Sam Kinsey) under Constance’s orders, and Tate scolds his mother, because he will never be Constance’s “perfect son.”

One morning, Tate prepares for the shooting at Westfield High School with cocaine and an array of guns. But Tate surprises Larry at his job with a can of gasoline and a match before the shooting. A befuddled Larry temporarily ignores Tate to finish his work. Tate takes advantage of Larry’s defenseless position, and without hesitation, Tate dumps the can of gasoline on Larry, and Tate uses a lit match to burn Larry in his office. After the attack on Larry, Tate casually walks away to complete his mission.

In the present, Detective Granger (Charles S. Dutton) and Detective Barrios (Malaya Rivera Drew) surprise Constance with a visit at her house. Granger and Barrios show Constance the grisly pictures for Travis’ (Michael Graziadei) mangled corpse. After his death, Travis is labeled the “Boy Dahlia,” and Travis accomplishes his goals for success with posthumous fame.

But a heartbroken Constance doesn’t care about headlines and news reports. Constance immediately suspects Larry as the culprit for Travis’ murder. Constance believes Larry murdered Travis out of jealously, but Larry tells Constance the truth: Larry moved the body out of the Murder House, but he didn’t kill Travis.

Constance is stuck in a seemingly inescapable dilemma, because Granger and Barrios suspect Constance as the murderer after a talk with the local shopkeep, and Constance drops her unregistered gun in front of the detectives. They need a face for the popular Boy Dahlia case, and Constance is the perfect fit to complete an infamous story about a crime of passion and betrayal.

Meanwhile, Ben (Dylan McDermott) visits Vivien (Connie Britton) in the asylum. Ben tells a devastated Vivien the truth about her pregnancy: Ben is not the father of both twins, and the Rubber Man is the second father. Ben believes Vivien’s story about the rape, and Ben promises to fight for Vivien’s release, but Vivien refuses to take one step inside the house after her release. Ben supports a fragile Vivien, and Ben won’t stop until he uncovers the identity of the Rubber Man.

At the house, a cop visits Ben with an unsettling report about Violet (Taissa Farmiga): After sixteen consecutive absences at school, Ben is one absence away from a trip to juvenile court. Ben tries to help Violet during a self-imposed exile inside her room, but Ben runs into another problem with an unexpected infestation of flies.

Ben scouts boarding schools for Violet’s fresh start. Tate is terrified at the thought of losing Violet forever, so Tate reawakens his alter ego as the Rubber Man to stop Ben’s plans for relocating Violet………

Review:  “Let it go, Larry! She doesn’t love you!”

I almost stood up and shouted every word above during this episode. It’s obvious Larry will do ANYTHING to capture Constance’s heart, but Constance doesn’t share Larry’s feelings. Need proof? There’s a scene, where Constance surprises Larry at his apartment to confront Larry about Travis’ murder. Larry throws himself at Constance with another “I love you” speech, but Constance responds with “that’s your problem.”

It’s funny, because towards the beginning of the season, I wanted to feel some sympathy for Larry. After all, here’s another guy, who succumbed to the evil forces at the Murder House, and the evil forces forced Larry to burn his family alive. But any feelings of sympathy for Larry disappear, when the truth behind Larry’s lies are exposed. For starters, Larry wasn’t a victim of a fire. Tate set Larry on fire. On top of that, we’re talking about a guy, who willingly kicked his wife and two daughters to the curb for Constance.

The relationship between Constance and Larry? Well, there is no real relationship. A delusional Larry believes in a happy relationship with Constance, but Constance is just using Larry, and he’s a doormat for Constance to wipe her feet on. She used Larry to murder Beau, and she used him to move into the Murder House again after the fire.

Towards the end, Larry visits the Murder House to hide Travis’ belongings. At the house, Larry runs into Lorraine, Margaret, and Angela. Margaret and Angela are playing tea time with Travis, and Larry promises vengeance on Constance for ruining his family. But Lorraine isn’t buying  into Larry’s pleas for forgiveness. Lorraine reminds Larry he’s the one, who willingly turned his back on the family, and Larry made a willing choice to start an affair with Constance. Larry begs and begs for a second chance, so Lorraine issues an ultimatum. You want forgiveness? You want to show me and our daughters you’re really sorry for what you did? Okay, “prove it.”

Larry’s solution to his problems? Larry takes the blame for Constance, and he confesses to the murders for his punishment. That’s right. Larry kills two birds with one stone with his confession. Larry clears Constance’s name, because Granger and Barrios were determined to pin the murder on her no matter what. And with the jail sentence, Larry can serve his time for abandoning Lorraine and the kids.

But it’s not over yet. As a prisoner, Larry requests one last visit from Constance before a transfer to Illinois to serve the rest of his sentence. The sight of Constance isn’t enough, because Larry wants Constance to tell him he loves her. He doesn’t care if it’s the truth or a lie. Larry wants to hear the words “I love you” out of Constance’s mouth. Larry puts his hand on the window, waiting for a response from Constance. Constance touches Larry’s hand from the other side…..but she pulls away at the last second, and an ungrateful and cruel Constance walks away from the visit, leaving Larry all by himself with no comfort.

Larry was more than willing to live a lie in his own fantasy world, but Constance wouldn’t give him the satisfaction. Larry needed Constance’s lies for comfort during a lonely life sentence, but Constance flipped one more proverbial middle finger to Larry in the end. Yeah, Constance is ruthless and nasty, but I’ll say this again, it’s hard to feel any sympathy for Larry, because he’s too gullible and foolish. Fool me once? Shame on you. Fool me twice? Shame on me, and if you sucker me or stab me in the back after that, then I’m just an idiot for not learning my lesson.

So what’s going with Violet? She’s missing school, she locked herself in her room, and Ben has plans for a non-negotiable trip to a boarding school. Violet promises Ben one more shot at public school, but Tate stops Violet before her departure one day. Tate convinces Violet to agree to a suicide pact, but Violet backs out at the last second. Violet tries to run…..but she can’t leave the house, and you know what that means. Violet is dead (remember, if you die at the Murder House, you’re stuck on the property forever).

Remember Violet’s failed suicide attempt in “Piggy Piggy”? Well, Violet swallowed too many pills, and unfortunately, Violet succeeded in her attempt at suicide. After her death, Tate hid Violet’s rotting corpse in a crawlspace to spare Violet the shock and all the pain from dying , and Violet’s dead body is the magnet for the flies. Oh, and Tate murdered the exterminator after he discovered Violet’s body, because Tate was trying to guard the secret from Violet.

Violet is dead, and Ben is on a mission to catch the Rubber Man, but the Rubber Man surprises and attacks Ben after a shower. During the fight, Ben pulls off the mask to see Tate’s face, but Tate incapacitates Ben with a beating and a rag with chloroform.

For now, Violet confides in Tate as her only companion in the afterlife at the Murder House, BUT Violet doesn’t know about Tate’s alter ego as the Rubber Man, and she doesn’t know Tate is the one, who raped Vivien, and Tate is the father for one of Vivien‘s twins.  And what about Ben? Will he retaliate for Tate attacking Vivien? Or will Ben ignore Tate for the time being to focus on Vivien? For the first time in a long time, you get the feeling Ben and Vivien are on the same page. They’re focused on the twins, and moving out of the Murder House at all costs, but the evil forces (Chad, Patrick, Teddy, Hayden, Nora, etc.) are determined to sabotage Vivien’s plans for a clean escape with the twins.

It’s hard to say anything meaningful about Malaya Rivera Drew and Charles S. Dutton. They’re pursuing Constance, but in the grand scheme of things, they’re stuck in bit parts, because they’re taking a backseat to Constance, Larry, Ben, Violet, and Tate. 

Murder House closes another chapter with Constance and Larry’s story, and any man, who crosses Constance Langdon learns a hard and lasting life lesson. Remember Hugo? Constance refused to bury Hugo with his “lover” (young Moira, Alexandra Breckenridge), so Constance chopped Hugo into pieces, and Constance served the pieces of Hugo’s body to a pack of dogs as a meal, because Hugo was as worthless as “dogs***.” Also, the gruesome flashback with Constance feeding a dismembered Hugo to the dogs? Nasty stuff.

Smoldering Children is a progressive and satisfying episode, and they tie up a lot of loose ends with Travis, Constance, and Larry here. We’re only one episode away from the finale, they’re moving the pieces in a big puzzle to set up the finish, and we’re still in the pins and needles stage, because you don’t know what’s going to happen with Vivien, the twins, and Ben. Will they allow a delivery for the twins at the Murder House?  Will they have a choice? What happens if they run out of time for a safe delivery? And what’s going to happen, when Violet explains the complications attached to her death? 

Rating: 8/10

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American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 7- Open House

**This review contains spoilers**

Synopsis: In 1994, Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare) is obsessed with Constance (Jessica Lange). Larry lives in the Murder House with his wife, Lorraine (Rebecca Wisocky) and their two daughters, but Larry can’t control his urges to indulge in an affair with Constance.

One night, a grieving Constance asks Larry for a favor. After Tate’s death, the state has plans to take Constance’s disfigured and feral son, Beau (Sam Kinsey), and Constance will go to jail for charges of criminal child neglect. Beau lives alone in the attic, and he’s shackled in chains. The favor? Constance wants Larry to go to the attic and murder Beau before the police arrive. Larry is willing to do anything to please Constance, so Larry surprises Beau in the attic, and Larry murders Beau.

During dinner, Larry announces his plans to leave Lorraine and his daughters, because he can’t deny his feelings for Constance. Larry promises financial support for Lorraine and the kids, but Lorraine locks herself in the girls in a room upstairs, and Lorraine sets the room on fire. Larry breaks the door down, but Larry ran out of time, and a helpless Larry watches the horrifying demise of his family.

In the 1920’s, Nora (Lily Rabe) tries to adjust to Charles’ (Matt Ross) creation. Charles used the beating heart from one of the abortion patients to resurrect the Montgomery’s dismembered and deceased son. But Nora walks into an unpleasant surprise in the nursery. The new Thaddeus (Ben Woolf) is a savage monster, and Nora is ashamed of Charles’ creation. Nora is overwhelmed with guilt, shock, and grief, so Nora murders a defenseless Charles with a gunshot to the back of the head. After Charles’ death, Nora turns the gun on herself, and Nora commits suicide without hesitation. 

In the present, Marcy (Christine Estabrook) hosts an open house for the Murder House with Vivien’s (Connie Britton) help. A wealthy Armenian developer is interested in buying the Murder House with a ridiculous lowball offer, but Vivien is desperate to sell, so she considers the offer.

The younger version of Moira (Alexandra Breckenridge) seduces the developer, with hopes of building a swimming pool in the backyard, and Moira persuades the developer to tear down the gazebo, and release Moira’s (Frances Conroy) remains, so she can move on to the afterlife with her mother.

But there’s a big problem with the developer’s plans for a swimming pool: He’s lying. The developer plans to tear down the house for a bigger profit, and his actions force Moira and Constance to seriously consider a temporary partnership to stop the developer.


Larry shows up to the open house to ask questions as an interested buyer. But an irritate Ben (Dylan McDermott) surprises Larry at his home, because Larry ignored Ben’s “If you step foot on this property again, I’ll kill you” warning.

Vivien is still furious with Ben, but a shocking announcement  from the doctor changes Vivien’s thought process. Vivien is healthy and safe, but new test results reveal Vivien is pregnant with twins. Ben is happy, and Vivien wants to express her joy with two new children in the family, but one question bothers her: How is this possible?

Violet (Taissa Farmiga) experiences a series of strange occurrences after her suicide attempt. Violet can see dead victims, who share a dark past with Murder House, but Tate (Evan Peters) offers a solution for Violet’s problems: Violet needs to stand up to the dead Murder House residents and victims of the past, and if the fear is too much for Violet to handle, Violet needs to shout “Go away!” to send a clear message with no mix-ups. Tate is Violet’s shield of protection from the malevolent forces at Murder House, but what’s going to happen, when Tate disappears? 

Review: Larry Harvey is a liar. Larry wasn’t the one, who tried to burn down the Murder House years ago. Lorraine is the one, who started the fire, and she’s responsible for the deaths of Larry’s daughters.

On top of that, Constance is using Larry. Larry is obsessed with Constance, and he’s head over heels for her, but Constance doesn’t feel the same way. Constance sees a weak and pathetic man with no self-respect, because Constance knows she can use Larry to do her bidding (i.e. murdering Beau) with no questions asked.

Ben? Yeah, he’s not worried about Larry anymore, and you can see it with Ben’s demeanor during the surprise visit to Larry’s apartment. Throughout the first half of the season, Ben was always unnerved, frustrated, and angered by Larry’s presence.

Here? Ben is cool and calm, because he knows Larry is nothing more than a sniveling weasel, who’s obsessed with the house and Constance. To put an end to Larry’s constant harassment and surprise visits at the house, Ben files a restraining order against Larry, and Ben will report Larry to the police. And Ben leaves Larry’s home with two words to crush Larry’s hopes for a $1,000 loan and a chance at moving into the house again: “Game over.”

The end to Nora and Charles’ story? Gruesome. It’s the best word to describe it, and Nora couldn’t shake the guilt for ruining the lives of the young abortion victims. As far as Thaddeus goes, we never see Thaddeus, when Nora visits the new and improved version in the nursery. You’ll hear a lot of hissing, and you’ll see Lily Rabe’s petrified facial expressions, but that’s it.

The less is more thought process/approach works here, because Thaddeus as a monster is horrifying and hideous, and they can’t show the audience a full view, because it’s too much to handle. And there’s a nasty shot of Nora’s bloody chest after a failed breast feeding attempt, because Thaddeus wasn’t interested in milk. Also, the shot for the splatter of blood after Nora turned the gun on herself is genuinely sickening.

The Armenian developer lied to the younger Moira for sexual favors. He never had any plans to build a swimming pool. Nope. The Armenian developer is going to tear everything down for his future projects, so what’s going to happen to the dead residents and victims from the past, who reside and walk the earth at Murder House? Will they fade away into nothing? Or will they answer for their crimes with an eternity of punishment? Tate “hates” Constance, but Constance believes in a second chance to fix her relationship with Tate. Beau can’t comprehend the situation, and with a happy Addie resting in the afterlife, Constance is terrified at the thought of an eternity full of loneliness and despair.

The thought of the unknown after the destruction of the house  is enough to scare Moira, and together, Moira and Constance agree to bury the hatchet (temporarily) to work together. And a delusional Larry provides a helping hand, because he’s clinging to the hopes of buying the Murder House for a second chance with Constance.

The plan? The young Moira lures the Armenian developer into the basement with the promise of oral sex. But Moira ends the pleasurable experience with dismemberment. Larry pops out of nowhere, and Larry uses a plastic bag to suffocate the Armenian developer. But Constance orders Larry to remove the developer before he “expires,”(you can walk the earth as a dead person, if you die at the Murder House) because Constance doesn’t like the idea of a confrontation in the future.

Ben is stuck in no man’s land, but he reaches out to Tate for help with a disgruntled and suicidal Violet. Tate offers his advice to Ben, but there’s a bigger problem with Violet: She can’t control sightings for dead victims (including Beau) of the past. Tate offers a solution, and when Violet tells the ghostly figures of Murder House’s past to “Go away,” they disappear without a trace. Violet has a temporary solution for the “I see dead people” problem, but that’s not going to last for long. The evil forces of Murder House are persistent, and “Go away” won’t solve the problem in the long run.

Towards the end, Violet is going through some pictures from the attic. Vivien joins Violet in her room to look at the pictures, and Violet shocks her mother with a grainy black and white picture of Nora, Charles, and Thaddeus from the 1920’s. Remember, Nora took a tour of the house with Vivien as an anxious buyer in episode 3, and Violet wasn’t around, so she doesn’t recognize Nora’s face.

Vivien’s eyes are stuck on the picture with this stunned look, because she gave a tour to a dead woman, and the screen cuts to black with Vivien looking at the picture to end the episode. It’s another great cliffhanger. How is Vivien going to handle the Nora problem? Will she tell someone? Or will she keep the secret to herself out of fear? Because Vivien’s going to have a tough time convincing others to believe in a story about a dead woman from the twenties walking around the house.

Open House ties up some more loose ends for Charles and Nora’s story, and you’ll see how far Moira, Constance, and Larry are willing to go to protect the house. They’ll do ANYTHING to save Murder House, and the union between Moira and Constance is a nice surprise, because they’re bitter enemies stuck in a never-ending feud. The Armenian developer? It’s kind of hard to feel sympathy for his death, because he crosses the line for unlikable characters. Basically, he’s a suave and soulless businessman, who’s obsessed with money, and women are just disposable sex objects for him.

Also, you have to believe Ben is on the verge of forcing his way into the house again. Vivien is clearly having trouble carrying the load on her own, and Ben needs to put in some more work for the redemption zone, but Vivien is struggling  alone. On top of that, Vivien has to deal with the Nora problem, because Violet is not alone in the boat for witnessing dead people walking around the house.

You’ll see another excellent performance from Jessica Lange in Open House. Yes, Constance is a heartless and manipulative person, but I could feel a little bit of sympathy for her in this episode. You can see the devastating look of heartbreak on Lange’s face, when Tate dismisses Constance’s pleas for reconciliation. And Lange’s passionate and emotional talk with Moira about losing the Murder House? Amazing. You can feel Constance’s desperation and fear, because Lange’s performance is spot on.

Larry is reduced to a hollow shell of a man here. He’s not a creepy and intimidating menace anymore. Now, he can’t bully Ben, because Ben knows the truth about Larry, and Larry is Constance’s punching bag. And the twins? Wow. Another legit shocker, and remember, we still don’t know if Ben is the father, because the stranger in the latex suit seduced an unsuspecting (on the pilot episode) Vivien during Ben and Vivien‘s romantic day/night. Open House features another jaw-dropping cliffhanger, and the story is progressing at a nice pace. I thought about a lower score, but I’ll give this one an extra bump for Lange’s top notch performance.   

Rating: 9/10

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American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 6- Piggy Piggy

**This review contains spoilers**

Synopsis: In 1994, Tate Langdon (Evan Peters) walks into Westfield High School with a set of guns. Tate goes on a vicious shooting spree with no mercy, as the entire school desperately seeks shelter. In the library, Tate corners five students. Stephanie Boggs (Alessandra Torresani), Kevin Gedman (Jordan David), Amir Stanley (Alexander Nimetz), Kyle Greenwell (Brando Eaton), and Chloe Stapleton (Ashley Rickards) beg for their lives in the library, but Tate murders everyone after a series of pleas for mercy, failed attempts at reasoning with Tate, and one act of defiance from Kyle.

Tate returns to the Harmon’s future home with his mother, Constance (Jessica Lange), but a SWAT team invades the house. The SWAT team forces Tate into a surrender at gunpoint, but Tate reaches for a gun under his pillow at the last second. Tate tries to pull the trigger, but the SWAT team murders Tate, leaving a distraught Constance to grieve over her dead son in the hallway.

In the modern world, Constance introduces Violet (Taissa Farmiga) to a medium named Billie Dean Howard (Sarah Paulson). Constance and Billie have a plan, but they need Violet’s help. Tate is dead, but Tate is oblivious and he refuses to accept his place in the afterlife, and Ben (Dylan McDermott) couldn’t help Tate. Constance paid for the sessions with Ben to help Tate cope with his death, but Tate’s obsession with Violet complicated the patient/doctor relationship, so Violet is Constance’s last resort. The plan? Violet needs to convince Tate to cross over into the afterlife, and accept his death with no questions asked.

Meanwhile, Ben is living alone, and he’s trying to help a new patient named Derek (Eric Stonestreet). Derek can’t shake his fears for urban legends, and the “Piggy Man” urban legend is ruining Derek’s life. The Piggy Man was a butcher from Chicago in 1893. He wore a mask made of flesh from a pig’s face, but the Piggy Man suffered a gruesome death one day after an accident in his peg pen. According to the legend, whoever speaks the Piggy Man’s name repeatedly, while standing in front of a mirror will unleash the Piggy Man’s wrath. In the end, the Piggy Man will return to the living world, and murder the victim, who speaks his name.

Vivien (Connie Britton) opens up to Luke (Morris Chestnut) about the split  from Ben, and Luke shares a story about his problems with infidelity and his ex-wife to help Vivien. Money is a big problem in the Harmon household, so Vivien tries to fire Moira (Frances Conroy), but Moira refuses Vivien’s demand.

Instead, Moira will work for free, because she won’t leave a pregnant mother alone without a man in the house to take care of her. Together, Constance and Moira continuously feed Vivien a series of strange meals for a raw meats only diet to help the baby with Moira as the cook. Vivien is trying to move on after life with Ben, but she wants some answers from the ultrasound technician, who fainted on Halloween night during Vivien’s emergency trip to the hospital………

Review: Murder House opens the door to reveal more details about Tate’s past here. Now we know Tate is the one, who murdered the group of five from Halloween night, and Constance reaches out to Violet for help, but there’s one big problem: Violet is afraid of Tate.

Violet uses her computer to research the details behind the shooting, and Violet questions a teacher, who was paralyzed by Tate in the shooting. Violet is clearly shaken up and disturbed after the personal investigation. At first, Violet gravitated towards Tate, because she was attracted to the loner and the misunderstood outcast. Now? Violet sees a cold-blooded murder.

Although, Violet’s faith in Tate is restored after a failed suicide attempt. Violet is having trouble sleeping, so Leah (Shelby Young, the bully from the pilot)  offers Violet some pills for the problem. But a distraught Violet pops one too many pills. Luckily, Tate was in the house (Violet was alone), and Tate rescues an unconscious Violet.

Vivien hits a few bumps in the road during the early stages of her life without Ben. She’s lonely, but Luke is a reliable support system for security, and he’s around, if Vivien needs someone to talk to. Constance and Moira? There’s something fishy about the mission to “help” Vivien. All the raw meat meals, Moira choosing to work for free, and Constance’s perky attitude? Yeah, something’s not right, and you have to believe Constance and others are working to together to complete some kind of diabolical plan for Vivien’s baby.

Remember the ultrasound technician? She quit her job at the hospital, because the image from Vivien’s visit is still haunting her, but she agrees to meet Vivien at a church (it’s the only place, where she feels safe from Vivien). So why is she afraid of Vivien and her baby? The ultrasound technician spotted something evil in Vivien’s womb. The ultrasound technician recalls sightings of hooves from a small demonic figure. Vivien dismisses the technician’s sightings, and the technician scolds Vivien with foreboding warnings after the talk.

Wait. A woman, who’s possibly carrying a demonic baby? The pregnant mother developing a taste for raw meat? And a kooky (Constance) neighbor, who’s trying to lend a helping hand with a secret agenda for the evil baby? The similarities to Rosemary’s Baby in this one episode are almost impossible to ignore, and the doctor is an ideal candidate to add to the list of suspects. Sorry, but she’s too cheery, and she’s dismissing all of Vivien’s concerns as harmless hiccups? But I’ll say this, the only big difference (for now) is the husband (Ben) is not apart of the scheme to help his career.

The Piggy Piggy stuff? It’s a sinister twist for the Bloody Mary folklore legend, but don’t get your hopes up for something special. A robber murders Derek after a “face your fears” mirror test from Ben, and if I’m using this episode as a measuring stick, it’s safe to say the Piggy Piggy storyline is a one and done deal.

Piggy Piggy is another solid episode for American Horror Story’s first season, and it’s nice to see a debut appearance  from Sarah Paulson here. From what I remember, Paulson’s role is limited in the first season, but she’s a mainstay for American Horror Story, and Paulson’s characters receive prominent roles in season 2 (Asylum) and season 3 (Coven).

The flashback for Tate’s backstory is genuinely dark and disturbing, and Violet and Tate’s relationship is put to the test after Violet learns the truth about Tate’s past. Ben? He’s on the outside looking in for the first time in years. There’s a scene with Ben, and he’s walking by the house. From the outside, an exiled Ben watches Vivien and Luke share a friendly chat, and you can clearly see a happy Vivien. And Vivien’s not in the mood for forgiveness, because she’s “disgusted” with Ben and his relationship with Hayden.  

What’s going on with Vivien and her baby? I find it hard to believe Moira and Constance are trying to help Vivien with the hopes of a positive outcome. They’re taking advantage of a vulnerable and lonely woman, who’s desperate for companionship, and hopefully we’ll learn more about the stranger in the latex suit, because there’s a GOOD chance he’s the father of Vivien’s baby (remember the pilot episode).

Rating: 7/10

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American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 2- Home Invasion

**This review contains spoilers**

Synopsis: In 1968, The Harmon’s home is used as a dormitory for young women. Maria (Rosa Salazar) is a nursing student. The rowdy group of women in the dormitory invite Maria to a concert for The Doors, but Maria is a dedicated bookworm, so she refuses the invitation for a quiet night of studying with another nursing student named Gladys (Celia Finklestein).  Franklin shows up on the doorstep for help. Franklin flashes his bloody forehead through the peephole, so Maria opens the door. But Franklin reveals  his true colors, when he attacks Maria and Gladys.

Vivien (Connie Britton) and Ben (Dylan McDermott) find some peace in their lives after Vivien’s announcement, but Hayden (Kate Mara) disrupts the happiness in Ben’s life with one phone call, because Hayden announces her pregnancy during the call. Ben can’t take the chance of upsetting and betraying Vivien again, so Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare) comes up with a simple solution for his troubles: Ben has to lie about the trip to Boston to save his marriage and his family. Ben takes Larry’s advice with a story about a patient, who tried to commit suicide, and Ben uses the fake story as a cover to meet Hayden in Boston.

To add to his growing list of problems, Ben treats another troubled patient named Bianca, and Bianca shows an unnatural obsession with the house and the murders. Constance (Jessica Lange) is looking for revenge with Addie’s (Jamie Brewer) help, but Vivien reaches out to Constance for help and advice for the baby after a few warning signs for another miscarriage.

Violet’s (Taissa Farmiga) relationship with Tate (Evan Peters) is at a standstill after the bizarre incident in the basement. A petrified and disfigured Leah (Shelby Young) confides in Violet, but Vivien and Violet run into some trouble one night, when three intruders invade the house…..

Review: Fear motivates Vivien and Ben to make some uncharacteristic choices. Ben listens to Larry Harvey, because he’s terrified at the thought of Hayden ruining his new life. And Vivien is willing to burry the hatchet with Constance for the time being, because she NEEDS advice and help.

Hayden? Yeah, she’s a clingy nutcase. There’s a scene with Ben and Hayden, and they’re at Hayden’s apartment to discuss options about the pregnancy together. Ben pulls out his phone every other minute to check on any updates from Vivien or Violet. Hayden catches Ben looking at his phone before a pizza arrives, and she flips out over Ben’s lack of consideration and neglect.  Ben refuses to hand over the phone, but Hayden bursts into tears, and she hugs Ben to end the scene.

Remember Franklin, Maria, and Gladys? Well, on that night in 1968, Franklin posed as a victim to enter the house. Franklin forced Maria to wear a nurse’s outfit with both of her hands and feet tied behind her back. Franklin had some nasty encounters with nurses as a child, and as a man, Franklin uses Gladys and Maria for revenge. Franklin murders Maria with a knife, and Gladys suffers a brutal demise after Franklin uses the upstairs bathtub to drown her.

The intruders? They’re a group of three, who reenact famous murders. Violet and Vivien will fill the roles of Maria and Gladys, and Bianca is a member of the group. That’s right. Bianca used the cover of a patient to study the layout of the house, but the group runs into some trouble, when Tate shows up.

Bianca eats a homemade cupcake (the cupcake was a peace offering for Violet, but she refused to eat it) from Constance during the preparation process. Unbeknownst to Bianca, Constance’s cupcake contains two secret ingredients: A laxative and Addie’s spit. Bianca is suffering from stomach problems and uncontrollable vomiting, so Tate takes advantage of Bianca’s mistake. Tate murders Bianca, Vivien escapes her captor, and Tate convinces Violet to lure her captor into the basement. Tate, with help from the supernatural forces in the basement, murders the remaining intruders.

During the fiasco, Addie tries to warn Constance about the intruders, but Constance scolded Addie for interrupting her romantic night. To punish Addie, Constance locks Addie in a closet surrounded by mirrors, because Constance knows Addie can’t stand the sight of her own reflection.

After a text message about the break-in, Ben rushes home to check on Vivien and Violet. But there’s one big problem with Ben’s sudden departure: He left Hayden at the abortion clinic by herself. Ben and Hayden agreed to an abortion, but Ben abandoned Hayden at the clinic without a good-bye.

But it’s not over yet. Towards the end, Tate, Constance, and Moira are standing together in the basement with the intruder’s corpses. Constance directs traffic, and together, Tate and Moira split the responsibilities (bleach and chopping) for clean up duty.

Ben is stuck in a tough spot, because Violet resents Ben for abandoning the family during the intrusion. Hayden is in Boston, and to end the episode, a flustered Vivien issues a demand to Ben: They’re selling the house, no questions asked.

Another good cliffhanger to end the show. Murder House pulls the plug at the right moment, because Ben doesn’t have a chance to respond to Vivien’s demand for selling the house. Also, we learned more about Moira, Constance, and Tate here. Clearly, all three of them are working together, and Constance is the leader, but why? What are they planning?

And call me crazy, but I’m not the only one, who noticed the Carrie connection here, right? The deranged and overbearing mother (Constance) locking her daughter (Addie) in a closet for punishment? Yeah, it’s almost impossible to ignore the similarities for Constance’s methods of tough love.

Home Invasion is a solid follow up to the pilot. Murder House continues to build the dark mystique surrounding the Harmon’s home with flashbacks of grisly murders from the past. Violet is still a brat, who’s holding a grudge against both of her parents, but after the break-in, Violet shows a softer side to Vivien. On the flip side, Ben is in Violet’s dog house for leaving the family.

Vivien trusting Constance was a nice surprise, and you can say the same thing about Ben trusting Larry. Ben has to keep the Hayden situation a secret from Vivien and Violet, and Larry offers a shoulder to lean on. Vivien needs advice from an older woman, and a perky Constance is more than willing to help. But Larry and Constance are two shady characters with troubled pasts, so in the long run, you have to consider the possibility for taking a big risk with two untrustworthy sources of comfort.

The follow up ends with another good cliffhanger, and after a series of strange and near death experiences, you have to believe Ben is seriously considering Vivien’s demand, right? The basement is a death trap, and for some strange reason, Tate falls into a home field advantage comfort zone with the supernatural and evil forces in the basement. Also, watching Constance channel her inner Margaret White (i.e. the closet scene with Addie) provides a surreal moment for any Stephen King fan. And Ben should reconsider his new strategy to treat patients at the house after Tate and Bianca….. 

Rating: 6/10


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American Horror Story- Murder House- Episode 1- Pilot

**This review contains spoilers**

Yeah, I know. I've been talking about TV reviews for a while, but they're here now! This is my first go around with TV reviews, and I'm still tinkering with the style I want to use, so I won't do minor spoiler reviews for this season. There's a chance I'll do minor spoiler reviews in the future for other TV series, and I hope you enjoy this review series for one of my favorite shows on television. Let's get to it.  

Synopsis: In 1978, a young Adelaide warns two rambunctious twins about the dangers of trespassing in an old abandoned house. The twins are looking for some fun with their baseball bats, so they ignore Adelaide’s warnings, and together they enter the house for a day of vandalism and mischief.

In the basement, the twins find an assortment of fetuses and preserved human body parts in jars. Suddenly, one of the twins (Troy) disappears, and the twins suffer a gruesome death at the hands of a mysterious and evil force.

In the modern world, Dr. Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott), a psychiatrist, is looking for a second chance from his wife, Vivien (Connie Britton). One day, Vivien caught Ben in the act during an affair with one of his students. Vivien mistook Ben and his lover, Hayden McClaine (Kate Mara) for a pair of intruders, and a distraught Vivien stabs Ben with a kitchen knife. And Vivien is stuck in a gut wrenching emotional slump, because she’s trying to recover from a miscarriage.

Reluctantly, Vivien accepts Ben’s apologies, and she accepts Ben’s plans to start over. To erase all the bad memories, Ben, Vivien, and their daughter, Violet (Taissa Farmiga) move from Boston to Los Angeles. The old abandoned house is their now home, and the Harmon’s receive an awkward welcome from their next door neighbor Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange), and her daughter, Adelaide (Jamie Brewer).

Ben treats his patients at the house, but a series of strange disturbances and intrusions disrupt Ben’s plans for a fresh start. Apparently, Marcy’s (Christine Estabrook), the realtor, story about a murder-suicide was just the tip of the iceberg. Adelaide (or “Addie”) issues a foreboding warning to Vivien about the dangers of the house, and Ben learns more about the house’s dark history after a one on one chat with Larry Harvey (Denis O’Hare), a burn victim, who’s suffering from a severe case of brain cancer.

Violet tries to balance her issues with depression, her troubles at school, and a relationship with one of Ben’s patients. Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet develop a bond, but Ben doesn’t like the idea of his daughter dating one of his patients.  To add to Violet’s list of problems, she’s stuck in an unwanted feud at school with a bully named Leah (Shelby Young), the ring leader for a clique of pretentious snobs.

Moira O’Hara (Frances Conroy) is a local maid, who worked in the house for years, and she offers her services as a housekeeper. Vivien accepts Moira’s offer, but Moira brings more trouble into the Harmon’s complex situation. Unbeknownst to Vivien, Ben is trying to avoid and ignore Moira’s alter ego as a persistent seductress. To make matters worse, the Harmon’s shot at a second chance takes another bizarre turn during an impromptu investigation in the attic……

Review: Vivien and Ben are normal…..when you compare them to the rest of  the cast. Yes, Vivien is trying to move on and put her life together again after Ben’s infidelity, and Ben is trying to fight his urges for Moira (more on that later). Violet? She’s a foul-mouthed rebel. Tate is a disturbed child, who fantasies about murdering the good people in his life, and Moira is the kooky maid, who won’t stop until Ben succumbs to her requests for sexual pleasure.

Constance and Addie are the nosy neighbors. Constance is the failed actress (because she refused to show nudity on the screen), who offers perky (and unwanted) advice, and Addie constantly warns Vivien about her impending demise.

First impressions are crucial, and there’s no way around it. American Horror Story: Murder House? The pilot takes the no holds barred approach to shocking the audience. Language (“s*** and p****), violence, gore, partial nudity, a sex scene, a scene where Ben feels the need to “relieve” himself after an encounter with Moira, everything. American Horror Story: Murder House’s toes touch the boundary line, and you’ll see a few jaw-dropping moments in the pilot.

Need an example? Well, after a fight with Leah, Tate comes up with a solution to help Violet. Tate convinces Violet to lure Leah into the basement of her house for a free sample of crack cocaine. In the basement, Leah is attacked by Tate and a ghoulish woman with fangs. Leah runs away with a scarred face, and a petrified Violet scolds Tate for taking things too far.

Some will use a “too tacky” or “too hokey” tag to describe Tate’s attack. Me? I’ll remember it as a highlight moment in the pilot episode. The flickering lights, Tate’s demented cackling, the grotesque ghoulish woman. It’s a freaky series of events, and during this scene, you‘ll see another (the twin’s demise at the beginning) example for the house’s evil powers.

And there’s a nice cliffhanger to end the episode. Vivien takes a step on the path to forgiveness with Ben, and Vivien announces her pregnancy with a taste for Indian food (Vivien has a thing for Indian food, when she’s pregnant). Ben is overjoyed, because the baby provides a chance for a fresh start…but Ben and Violet are missing the answer to one crucial question: Is Ben the father?

Remember the attic? Well, during the investigation, The Harmon’s discovered a latex bondage suit on a mannequin. One night, Ben (in a sleeping walking phase) wanders into the kitchen. Oddly enough, Constance pops up a few seconds after Ben’s arrival. Meanwhile, a stranger in the latex suit and Vivien have sex upstairs without any questions, because Vivien believes the stranger (the suit comes with a mask) is Ben. The stranger disappears, Ben returns to the bedroom, and the married couple with newfound hope to end the night with an “I love you.”

So many questions. What’s wrong with Ben? Who is the stranger? Why is he targeting Vivien? Is Ben the father of the new baby? After the ending, I had to see the next episode, because the cliffhanger is just perfect.

American Horror Story: Murder House packs a powerful punch in the pilot, with enough tantalizing unanswered questions to pique your interest for a follow up episode. Will Violet trust Tate again? Will Ben rethink his new plan to treat patients at his house? Is Larry Harvey an ally or is he a deranged and delusional man? Long story short, Larry Harvey lived in the house years ago, and Larry burned his entire family to death under the influence of a mysterious evil force in the house. Now, Larry urges Ben to leave the house, so she can save his family from a horrible, gruesome death.

To add to that, you KNOW Constance and Addie are hiding something, and there’s a chance they’re working with the supernatural and evil forces in the house. Also, it’s clear Moira will do anything to break and lure Ben into another affair. And Ben has to overcome a tough hurdle, because Moira’s appearance changes for Ben. In front of women, Moira is an old, withered woman (Frances Conroy), but Ben sees a young and attractive version  (Alexandra Breckenridge) of Moira.

They never come out and say it in the pilot, but you have to believe Moira possesses the power to seduce and control men with her young appearance. On the flip side, the trick doesn’t work on women. That’s why Vivien’s decision to hire Moira shocked Ben (i.e. trusting Ben after the affair), because Vivien can’t see what Ben sees.

American Horror Story: Murder House’s pilot gives die hard horror fans hope for a bold show that’s not afraid to push the limits. Others will see a show that tries too hard to be extreme, or something that’s too hokey, and you’ll hear some “I can’t take this show seriously” complaints. It’ll take some time to adjust to the schizophrenic style of pacing and storytelling, but Murder House’s pilot is a wicked treat, and I’m looking forward to the rest of the season.

Rating: 8/10

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