The Belko Experiment (2016)

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In Bogota, Colombia, the employees of Belko Industries normal work day is interrupted, when a mysterious voice over the intercom instructs them to play a game. The game? Two employees must be murdered within a strict time limit, or they will face severe consequences. 

Mike Milch (John Gallagher Jr.) immediately jumps to the worst possible conclusions, while the COO Barry Norris (Tony Goldwyn) dismisses the threat as a prank. But it’s quickly revealed the unknown voice was not joking around, when four employees are murdered.

Mike, his girlfriend, Leandra Florez (Adria Arjona), the Human Resources manager, Vince (Brent Sexton), the security guard, Evan (James Earl), and others join together to find a more peaceful resolution. But Barry, Wendell Dukes (John C. McGinley), Antonio ( Benjamin Byron Davis), and Terry Winters (Owian Yeoman) decide to take a more aggressive approach. 

My Thoughts- The Belko Experiment features a real solid cast from top to bottom. Gallagher Jr. does a terrific job of portraying the compassionate and levelheaded Mike Milch. Milch doesn’t even want to consider murder as an option, and he’s horrified at the thought of his fellow coworkers feeling the need to go down that road. Gallagher Jr. also shows believable emotion and panic, when Mike starts to realize the experiment won’t end with a peaceful resolution.

Tony Goldwyn absolutely nails Barry Norris. Norris is ruthless, when he decides there’s no choice to do what has to be done. Goldwyn is intense as Norris. The anger and frustration Goldwyn brings to Norris really ties everything together, and Norris becomes more serious and relentless as the game winds down.

John C. McGinley delivers a near show stealing performance as Wendell. Wendell Dukes is a violent lunatic, and he’s Barry’s trusted right hand man. But McGinley also brings an awkward goofiness to the character. Wendell’s whacky side is really not meant to bring out laughs. You’ll mostly see this side of Wendell in the scenes he has with Leandra, because Wendell is so delusional and aggressively creepy that he can’t comprehend the fact that Leandra has absolutely no interest in him for romantic reasons.

Sean Gunn and Abraham Benrubi provide a lot of the comic relief here. Gunn is this quirky stoner, with wild conspiracy theories, and Benrubi basically plays the part of his loyal sidekick. They’re a hilarious duo, and they both deliver some of the best comedic moments throughout the movie.

A lot of the kills and deaths in this one are brutal, but I honestly don’t think anything tops the explosives planted in the heads of all Belko employees. Early on in the movie, Belko employees are lead to believe the bombs in their skulls were tracers. A safety precaution for possible kidnappings, but they’re actually tiny bombs that explode with a simple flick of a switch from The Voice (Gregg Henry). The deaths from the explosives are instant. No time for goodbyes or any last words, just an abrupt and random ending with no chance to brace yourself. That is truly terrifying, when you stop and think about it.

Things get serious, when the Belko employees basically split into two groups. Barry leads Wendell and others, while Mike is still searching for a peaceful solution. The split raises a lot of thought provoking questions and issues. True, Barry, Wendell, and Antonio are ruthless with their methods. There’s the big execution scene in the lobby, where Barry has plans to kill thirty people to avoid The Voice killing sixty as a penalty. Also, Barry and Wendell were military guys. “Special forces trained to kill” to be exact, so that’s a big advantage over everyone else.

If you’re just focusing on Barry, you can see the conflict in him, while he’s carrying out the executions. Samantha (Luna Baxter) tells him he’s going to “rot in hell” for the killings, but is Barry really a bad person? He’s a man with a family, who’s stuck in an impossible situation, locked inside a building with no way out. Sure, he probably likes his employees, and he doesn’t want to murder anyone, but he’s also not willing to die or sacrifice himself for the people he works with. That is a reasonable mindset to have, and Goldwyn does a great job of showing Barry’s internal struggle, because you can clearly see it’s tearing him apart to do the killings in the execution scene.

Terry is another good example of seeing how the tough decision to kill his fellow coworkers affects the cast of characters. You get the feeling Terry reluctantly joined Barry’s group. He’s a jittery and blubbering mess, when things get serious, and he’s put into a position where he might have to kill Mike, who’s also his best friend. Still, similar to Barry, you can understand Terry’s need to do what needs to be done, because he simply doesn’t want to die and leave his family behind. 

Wendell and Antonio are really the only two characters who enjoy the large amounts of blood shed. Wendell is just completely nuts, and Antonio had a brig grin on his face, when Barry was handing out the guns from the armory.

On the other side, sure you can say Mike is being a naive fool about all this. Mike was literally willing to take a bullet to hang the SOS banners as a last resort to avoid killing. But Leandra makes a great point, when she sternly tells Mike people are out for themselves, especially when their lives are on the line. You can try and cling to morality and doing the right thing all you want, but when people are scared for their lives, their primal survival instincts will kick in. Just look at what happened with Vince. He really tried to stay on the peaceful side, but when Vince realized the situation was nearing the point of no return, he picked up a gun and was hurling Molotov cocktails, because his life depended on it. 

The gore and violence is something else here. The scene where Leandra hacks into Wendell’s face with an axe, and the close up shot of Barry examining the back of a Belko employee’s head that’s been blown wide open are just a few highlights. The gore ties in with the desperation of almost everyone at Belko being forced to do horrible things, so it really works. 

The final fight coming down to Barry and Mike wasn’t a huge surprise. You could tell the story was going in that direction, the big final showdown between the leader of peace vs the leader of violence. It took Barry killing Leandra to make Mike finally snap, gain the upper hand in the fight, and viciously beat Barry to death. Leandra bleeding out and telling Mike she loves him for her final words takes the top spot for emotional moments. It’s really the only scene here, where someone had the chance to say goodbye, and it’s easy to see why Mike lost it. 

There’s a surprise, when Mike finally meets The Voice at the end. Mike is the sole survivor and he’s declared the winner, but he delivers the final blow, when he secretly stashes a handful of bombs on The Voice and his armed henchmen. Mike detonates the explosives and kills The Voice and the rest of his research team.

There’s a lot of questions packed into the finale with an intriguing cliffhanger. It’s revealed that other Belko games are being played, and Mike is just one of many sole survivors. The Voice told Mike about his team and their research and why these kinds of experiments need to be conducted with no restrictions or outside interference. Was the local government actually involved? Is it possible The Voice played the same game in the past, and he made it out alive as the sole survivor? The Voice has some noticeable scarring on one side of his face, so it is a possibility to consider. 

Can we really believe The Voice legitimately selected random Belko employees to kill? If The Voice’s choices to set off the bombs were truly random, then why didn’t Mike, Leandra, Wendell, or Barry die early in the movie? I simply think about it this way, The Voice kind of looked at the things like a twisted reality show. He wanted to keep all the compelling characters and storylines alive for as long as possible, while eliminating the more ordinary or boring people.

With the cliffhanger, it’s announced stage two of the game is about to begin for all the survivors. For a long time I wanted a sequel to The Belko Experiment for more answers, and to see how this cliffhanger would play out. But now I go in the direction of just leaving things alone. I don’t think a sequel is necessary. The Belko Experiment’s many questions make you think, and that’s a good thing. Just enough was revealed here, this was a good film, and I do believe it’s better to protect that mystery behind Belko, and who’s behind the curtain and why. 

The Belko Experiment also features a few entertaining side storylines. The newbie Dany (Melonie Diaz) is resourceful and well, she has a lot of luck throughout the movie. She escapes one close call after another, and you start to think maybe there’s a chance she’ll escape as the winner or the final girl. But after taking so many careful precautions, she lets her guard down coming out of the elevator, giving Barry an easy chance to shoot and kill her.

You also have the story of the two maintenance guys. Bud (Michael Rooker) plays the role of a big brother for Lonny (David Dastamalchian), but things go south, when an already panicky and paranoid Lonny accidentally kills Bud. That visual of Bud’s head with a big indentation from the wrench sure is a nasty one.

The subject matter in The Belko Experiment is heavy, but the movie never takes itself too seriously. The chaos constantly escalates, but there’s a good balance of dark humor and brutal violence here. The execution scene in the lobby features a Spanish version of California Dreamin.’ It’s impossible not to see the irony of such a happy go lucky song being played, while innocent people are being murdered. 

There’s also a hilarious moment with Roberto’s (David Del Rio) reaction to finding out the sweet and likable Dany actually killed someone. And when Mike is bashing Barry’s head in with a tape dispenser, there’s an over the top and triumphant score playing in the background. The score sounds like something you’d hear in a comedy film, when one of the goofy main characters has a victorious moment, or it would fit with someone running a victory lap.

The Belko Experiment is truly an entertaining and energetic horror film, that makes you really think about the character’s thought processes and motivations. Director Greg McLean brings brutal violence and bloody gore to this one. The scene where Barry breaks Lorena’s (Cindy Better) neck is definitely capable of making you squirm. The pacing is good here, because The Belko Experiment never drags or feels dull. When The Voice makes his announcement and the carnage starts, it’s an unrelenting push to the big finish, and it’s one shocking moment after another to see how far the employees of Belko are willing to go to stay alive.

Rating- 8/10

American Horror Story Asylum- Final Thoughts

 **This post contains spoilers**

So I’ll start with the big mystery first…..aliens! Aliens played a big part in AHS Asylum’s story, and I’ve always had mixed feelings about it. There’s a lot of ambiguity surrounding the extraterrestrial presence here. We never get to actually see too much of the aliens. All we have to go on for the aliens appearances are Grace’s drawings, the brief reflection of the aliens in Kit’s eyes before they took him in the season finale, and the one quick shot of an alien during the nor’easter storm. I did appreciate the less is more approach, because it helped maintain a lot of mystique surrounding the aliens.

Still, there’s always a part of me that felt involving aliens in this season was unnecessary. At times, the aliens just feel out of place. This season had an impeccable cast, and a good story with strong social commentary. Do the aliens completely ruin AHS Asylum? Of course not, but as the story progresses, it just becomes more and more apparent that a supernatural element wasn’t need in season two.

AHS Asylum features one of the strongest casts for the entire series. Evan Peters’ Kit Walker is one of the more memorable and genuinely wholesome protagonists in the series. Lizzie Brochere brought an enigmatic and charismatic presence to Grace. Sarah Paulson suffered as Lana Winters, and Paulson absolutely nailed all the heartaches and hopeless moments of desperation. Lily Rabe and Jessica Lange flawlessly pulled off difficult tasks, with two large character shifts. Sister Jude starts off as this cold and overbearing disciplinarian, but towards the end of the season, you’re actually rooting for Jude to have a happy ending. That’s how good Jessica Lange is. 

Sister Mary Eunice was a sweet and innocent person in the beginning, but evil corrupted her to the point, where she became a vile and menacing threat. Lily Rabe was able to convey the shocking change in personality, where you couldn’t believe you were witnessing this angelic human turning into a vulgar and nasty demonic monster. 

James Cromwell, Zachary Quinto, Ian Mcshane, and Dylan McDermott all brought a terrifying presence as villains in their own unique way. Joesph Fiennes Monsignor/Cardinal Howard wasn’t outwardly evil, but he still wasn’t a good person. Howard was a pompous and phony man, who would do anything to advance his own career. He had his dirty laundry, and Howard didn’t hesitate to silence and destroy Jude, when he thought she might get in his way.

AHS Asylum doesn’t shy away from a lot of issues with a strong thread of social commentary. Kit had to keep things quiet with Alma. Interracial relationships were heavily frowned upon during that era, and to make matters worse, Kit had to keep a close eye on Billy and his gang of loser friends. 

Women fighting against sexism and the patriarchy is a big one here, especially in the 1960s and beyond. Jude lost her battle against Dr. Arden and Monsignor Howard. Mother Superior Claudia was banished to Puerto Rico after she helped Lana, and Shelley lost her life. In the end, Lana was the only true survivor and success story in the pack. Sure, you can raise a lot of questions for how she got to the mountain top. You could say she lost her way, but it doesn’t erase the fact that she made it.

Sexism and misogyny are big issues in AHS Asylum, and Lana’s struggles to live as a gay woman. She had to keep her relationship with Wendy a secret to avoid risking both of their careers. And Wendy was bullied by Sister Jude into helping keep Lana locked away at Briarcliff.

AHS Asylum is near the top of my list for one of the more darker AHS seasons. Asylum has an undeniable nightmarish feel to it, and a dreary and hopeless mood that rarely lets up. I’d have to go back and watch AHS 1984, but Asylum has always been one of my picks for the top three best AHS seasons. And who could forget Dominique, the persistent anthem for the common room? Seriously, it’s basically a guarantee Dominique will be stuck in your head after you watch the entire season of AHS Asylum.

American Horror Story Asylum- Episode 13- Madness Ends

 **This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In the present, Lana, now in a relationship with a woman named Marian (Joan Serverance), prepares for a big interview with April Mayfield (Camille Chen) before she’s set to be honored at the Kennedy Center. Unbeknownst to Lana, Johnny Morgan has infiltrated the film crew, so he can carry out his plan of murdering Lana.

Kit tries to move on after the deaths of Grace and Alma, and Jude might actually have one more chance at a peaceful life after Briarcliff.

My Thoughts- If we’re talking about enduring ups and downs, and going to hell and back during this season, you have to put Kit Walker at the top, or at least near the top of that list. So many highs and lows, including becoming a father, luckily being able to spend time with two women he loved dearly, and unfortunately losing both of them. 

So what did Kit do in attempt to find peace and move on after everything he went through? Kit bonded with Jude by visiting her at Briarcliff, but he didn’t stop there. Kit also decided to take Jude home to live with him and his kids.

Seeing Jude live a normal life was surreal. After she got through the detox phase of her recovery at Kit’s house, Jude was able to just be happy for a while. She enjoyed life, and Jude became a grandmother figure for Kit’s children, something both of them desperately needed. 

There’s a heartwarming scene where Jude has a mental breakdown, reverting back to Sister Jude, as she destroys parts of Kit’s house with a broom, while also trying to harshly discipline the children. Instead of running away in fear, Julia and Thomas go to comfort Jude, leading her into the woods for a walk. It’s a big moment, because maybe THIS is what Jude needed all along to curb all of that anger and resentment inside of her. A simple gesture of care and love, and someone who would be there to genuinely look after her.

Jude’s death scene was executed wonderfully here. This particular visit from the Angel Of Death felt bigger than the other visits. Jude said her farewells to Julia and Thomas, and before the kiss of death, the entire background fades to black. Jude was finally at peace with her decision to let go. She found a family, enjoyed herself, taught Kit and the kids how to swing dance, and she was finally ready to move on.

And what about Cardinal Howard? Well, as Lana put it, Howard’s guilty conscience finally got the best of him. Through flashbacks it’s revealed Lana pressured Cardinal Howard for answers in a parking garage before she released her report on Dr. Arden’s crimes. Howard eventually slit his wrists in a bathtub with a straight edge razor, killing himself quietly. Lana’s explanation for what type of man Howard was hit the nail on the head. He was a delusional and pompous liar, who only cared about advancing his career. 

Dying by suicide all alone, and that grisly image of Howard’s corpse sitting in a bathtub full of blood was truly something else. Still, it’s hard to feel sympathy for Howard, especially when you consider how he turned his back on Jude, the one person who was willing to go to hell and back for him.

Kit’s story was filled with so many twists and turns, and high moments of happiness and devastating lows. While other seasons of AHS gave Evan Peters a chance to really show off his acting chops, Kit Walker was still one of his best performances. Kai Anderson from AHS Cult was a more layered character. But Kit was more straightforward and a truly earnest and admirable human being. 

Think about everything Kit had to go through. Grace was brutally murdered in front of him twice, he lost Alma, he was falsely accused and imprisoned, and for a long period, he had to take the fall as Bloody Face. But Kit never once made the decision to turn to the dark side. Kit Walker stayed true to who he was until the very end. He always made sure to do the right thing, and to do right by other people, even if they didn’t necessarily deserve kindness. Out of everyone in the cast, Kit had every reason to succumb to evil temptations, but he always chose happiness instead. Kit got remarried, helped Jude, and he raised his children. Kit was dying of pancreatic cancer, and he refused Julia and Thomas’ offers to care for him, because he wanted them to live their lives.

Grace’s prediction came true, as Kit’s story ends with the aliens coming to take him away for good (presumably) this time. Kit sacrificed so much to help others. You’re lead to believe he’s awaiting bigger plans, and it was nice to see him receive a peaceful and mysterious ending. 

The big confrontation between Johnny Morgan and Lana did not disappoint. It was tense, emotional, and heartbreaking in the end. The flashback showing Lana meeting Johnny as a child and protecting him from bullies at school showed Lana actually did have feelings for him. Johnny revealing he’d always hoped for Lana to return one day to raise him and be his mother was a gut punching moment, because you could tell this is one of the many big setbacks that led him down a dark path.

The back and forth verbal sparring between Lana and Johnny was done well here. There’s a point where Lana tries to tell Johnny she had to give him up, so he could have some kind of a life, but Johnny is quick to call her out on all the lies. Johnny tells Lana she gave him up for selfish reasons, so she could chase her dreams without any problems. And to be honest, it’s hard to disagree with Johnny. As the story progresses and Lana ages, you can see her becoming more and more narcissistic and pretentious. Similar to Monsignor/Cardinal Howard, you can kind of see that relentless urge she has to do whatever it takes to advance her own career.

Did Lana finally expose and shutdown Briarcliff with her documentary? Yes she did, but it’s hard to ignore that one of her motivations to do so was just to put another notch on her belt of accolades. She didn’t solely do it out of the kindness of her heart. Also, remember Lana surprised Kit at his house with a camera crew, because she wanted to document Jude’s life after Briarcliff. But Kit would only speak to her as a friend off camera.

Johnny had Lana right where he wanted her. Alone with no one to help her, and a gun in his hand. Johnny was prepared to kill Lana, but Lana disarmed him. Without using physical force, Lana was able to get Johnny to lower his guard with a mother’s touch and a mother’s love. After all, this is what Johnny was craving for so many years. He just wanted someone, anyone to love him. Lana actually took responsibility for Johnny’s broken life before shooting him in the head and killing him. Lana told Johnny everything was her fault. 

I do believe Lana had to kill Johnny. It wasn’t just a it’s him or me scenario. Johnny definitely had Thredson’s DNA in him, and Lana couldn’t take the chance of letting him go, so he could return to finish what he started, or hurt someone close to Lana. It’s an ironic ending for Morgan, because he died the same way his father did: a gunshot to the head from Lana. Dylan McDermott was fantastic as Johnny Morgan throughout the season. McDermott’s committed performance gave you the impression that Morgan was a deeply disturbed and dangerous man, who you shouldn’t mess around with. 

AHS Asylum ends with a flashback to Lana’s first visit to Briarcliff. Sister Jude gives Lana an ominous warning, when she tells her “if you look in the face of evil, evil’s going to look right back at you.” You can look at and interpret Jude’s warning a lot of different ways. I’ve always thought Jude was simply trying to warn Lana, that she’s too ambitious for her own good. 

And as far as the staring or looking in the face of evil part of the quote goes, think about Lana’s horrible ordeal with Bloody Face/ Thredson. She desperately wanted to report on an “evil” man, because she believed Bloody Face would take her career to the next level. It did happen. Eventually, Lana reached so many high points of success, but look at what she had to go through to get there. Two big examples that stick out are Lana murdering Thredson and her own son, who Lana considered to be a dirty secret for years.

Anyway, I’ve always loved the final moments of AHS Asylum. Lana walks away, unaware of the struggles she’s about to face, and Jude looks at the Virgin Mary statue with admiration as Dominique plays in the background. The scene gives off a strong simpler times vibe, because both women have no idea what’s coming next, nor could they have possibly prepared for it.

With AHS’ anthology style, Madness Ends feels more like a series finale than a season finale, but it’s still a satisfying finale. With the exception of Kit’s mysterious whereabouts, the loose ends are tied up here, and Madness Ends delivers a strong emotional punch. Jude’s path to redemption is one of the big highlights here, and the teased confrontation with Johnny Morgan and Lana finally crossing paths delivered on every level.

Rating-10/10

American Horror Story Asylum- Episode 12- Continuum

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Kit, Alma, and Grace struggle to adjust to life as a family under one roof, while raising their children Julia and Thomas.

Jude is still stuck at Briarcliff under the alias Betty Drake in an attempt to hide her identity. Monsignor Howard, now preparing to leave for his new position as the Cardinal of New York, promises Jude he will work towards her release. 

While promoting her book, Maniac: One Woman’s Story Of Survival, Lana runs into Kit, but the happy reunion takes an unexpected turn.

My Thoughts- It’s sad, but you can tell early on the polygamous family was never going to work. Too much tension between Grace and Alma, as Grace continues to obsess over the aliens. Grace was constantly drawing pictures from what she remembered from the abductions, and Alma was growing increasingly frustrated with Grace romanticizing what she considered to be a traumatic experience.

On top of that, the trio had to deal with racism, and an attempt to burn their house down, with Billy as the prime suspect. Kit also couldn’t count on help from the police, as the officer scolded him for an illegal polygamous relationship. I mean, the episode starts out with a traumatized Kit covered in blood, while holding an axe. 

It’s soon revealed that Alma, still suffering from PTSD from the abduction, snapped and brutally murdered Grace with the axe. Alma believed she had to protect the children from Grace, who couldn’t let go of the idea of encouraging the aliens return. Alma is sent to Briarcliff for Grace’s murder. Kit does his best to cheer Alma up with visits and stories about the kids, but Alma suddenly dies one day, when her heart stops.

It’s a dismal ending for both Grace and Alma. Alma dies alone at Briarcliff, and Grace ironically suffers the same brutal ending she carried out against her family. And to make matters worse, Kit is all alone again after experiencing a brief period of happiness and peace.

Jude’s problems continue to pile up in this episode. Considering his recent underhanded tactics, it’s no surprise Monsignor/Cardinal Howard lied to Jude about working to secure her release from Briarcliff. Howard left Jude to rot at Briarcliff, and two and a half years passed since the day of his “promise.” And Briarcliff turns into more of a hellhole than it was before, after its donated to the state to help relieve the overflow problem with local prisons.

You can see Jude’s mental state deteriorating in this episode. It’s revealed by Dr. Miranda Crump (Robin Bartlett) that Jude has been hallucinating many things. She hallucinated the majority of her friendship with Pepper, who died a long time ago. Jude also attacked five of her roommates, believing they were all the Angel Of Death, who was coming to take her life. 

Jessica Lange continues to consistently deliver great performances in this season. That scene, where she’s sitting in her old and empty office, while Dr. Crump explains everything to her was a tough one to watch. The frizzled hair, that lost and empty look on her face, and Lange did a great job of showing Jude’s deep descent into madness. 

The biggest surprise here, but not too big, because you could pick up on the little clues in the previous episode, was the change in Lana’s personality. A victim? Yes, of course. There’s no denying Lana suffered through hell, but the selfishness and her desire to become a big time celebrity takes over here. 

You can really see it, when Lana is confronted by the ghosts of Dr. Thredson and Wendy at a book signing. To put all the attention on herself, Lana lied about Thredson in her book, and she also reduced her relationship with Wendy to nothing more than the two being roommates, completely ignoring the romantic side of things.

Lana also shows a snobbish side of herself by scolding her assistant for not having ice for her soda, and instead of fulfilling her promise to shutdown Briarcliff and rescue Jude, Lana is more concerned with the actress who’ll portray her in the movie adaptation of her book. Also, Lana is way too excited to write a book about Leigh Emerson’s escape from Briarcliff, his murders, and the manhunt surrounding him. Kit scolds her for turning her back on her promises, but Lana shows little to no remorse for Jude.

It’s true that Jude wasn’t a good person for a long time. But Lana IS in a position to help, and Jude did make sure to help get Lana out of Briarcliff. Maybe this is finally it for Jude? Kit seems to be the only person, who can help her now. Kit saw Jude with his own eyes, and it’s clear Lana won’t lift a finger to help her.

We see the big jolt to end this episode, when Johnny Morgan bullies a bookstore owner into giving him her mother’s signed copy of Lana’s book. Dylan McDermott delivers a powerful and chilling performance at the end here. His speech to the bookstore owner, where he promises to murder Lana and complete his father’s work was an outstanding cliffhanger. It’s a direct and blunt warning, and we’re lead to believe Lana has no idea what’s coming.

With one episode to go, Continuum closes more chapters, specifically ending Grace and Alma’s stories. We’re now down to three with Kit, Lana, Jude, and who knows how things will end up for Cardinal Howard. Johnny Morgan confronting Lana is the big story going into the season finale. Johnny’s hatred for Lana is so strong, so you can’t rule out the possibility of Johnny doing something completely horrific to complete Thredson’s “work.”

Rating- 6/10

American Horror Asylum- Episode 11- Spilt Milk

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- Kit, Grace, and Lana try to adjust to life after Briarcliff. Kit and Grace come home to shocking a surprise, and Lana has one final confrontation with Dr. Thredson. 

Meanwhile, Johnny Morgan snaps again during an unusual session with a prostitute named Pandora (Jill Marie Jones).

My Thoughts- The execution for everything that went into pulling off Lana’s escape from Briarcliff was perfect. Keeping her word to Sister Jude, Mother Superior Claudia helped sneak Lana out of Briarcliff in a disguise. A lot of genuinely tense moments, when Lana is going down the staircase, and Kit is doing everything he can to keep Thredson’s attention on him, so he doesn’t notice Lana walking right behind him. The shot of Lana holding up the confession tape and flipping off Thredson, as she speeds away in the taxi was truly the icing on the cake.

Now a free woman, Lana has plans to release a book exposing the horrors at Briarcliff, finally saying goodbye to Wendy, moving to New York, and rescuing Jude from Briarcliff. But the first important order of business is taking care of Dr. Thredson.

With the police en route, Lana surprises Thredson at his home with a gun. Thredson is exposed and the secret of his identity as Bloody Face has gone public. But to no surprise, Thredson remains defiant, as he arrogantly drinks his last martini. Thredson reminds Lana he probably won’t receive the death penalty. On top of that, Thredson makes sure to taunt Lana with a horrifying story about engaging in necrophilia with Wendy’s corpse, and dismembering her body afterwards. Lana, fed up with Thredson’s games and not wanting to take any chances, shoots him dead before he can grab his gun.

Thredson put Lana through hell so many times. Yes, Thredson was a slimy piece of garbage, but Lana realized he was smart enough to possibly weasel his way out of the death penalty by pleading insanity. She felt she had a responsibility to be “the one” to finally stop him.

During Lana and Thredson’s showdown, we also get to see Johnny Morgan’s strange visit from Pandora in Dr. Thredson’s old apartment, as both stories weave back and forth between the future and the present. Morgan, wanting to feel what it would’ve been like to be breastfed and nurtured by his mother, goes berserk and attacks Pandora, when she mentions his obvious abandonment issues. It’s a creepy scene on Morgan’s side, especially when you consider Pandora put emphasis on the fact that she just gave birth. And if things couldn’t possibly get any stranger, Pandora also told him she refused to breastfeed her own baby, just so Morgan could receive the full experience he was paying for.

With the truth out in the open for Thredson being the real Bloody Face, Kit finally signs his release papers from Briarcliff to be a free man. But Kit has some business to handle with Monsignor Howard first. After Dr. Thredson used his position at Briarcliff to have Kit and Grace’s child taken away from them, Kit demands Howard use his influence to return the child to their rightful parents. He also wants Grace’s release, using the death certificate signed by Dr. Arden as evidence to keep things quiet. Kit’s asking price? Silence and secrecy. Kit won’t expose the wrongdoings to the press, and fearing a full blown disaster, Howard agrees to his terms.

Kit and Grace prepare to live a peaceful life together as a family, but they’re surprised by Alma waiting at home, with Kit’s second child. Alma still being alive wasn’t a huge shock for me. It was the same pattern with Grace, but there were more than enough clues to suggest Alma was still alive. And the attempted swerve with Grace supposedly seeing a dead Alma, while she was still being held captive by the aliens just wasn’t convincing.

The walls are closing in on Monsignor Howard. The newspaper headlines and Lana exposing the truth are too big to ignore. And with Arden and Mary Eunice dead, he can’t really look to anyone else to take the blame. Things get worse for Howard, when Jude confronts him for all of his lies and being a phony. Jessica Lange did a fantastic job here showing genuine anger and rage, as Jude scolded a man who she deeply believed in and loved. You could really feel Jude’s disappointment and heartbreak in this scene, and of course Howard’s response was to have Jude locked away in solitary confinement.

Lana didn’t want to bring Thredson’s baby into the world, but at the last possible second, she refuses to go through with a planned abortion. The PTSD flashbacks reminded Lana of everything she went through, and she had enough of all the killing and death in her life. Lana chooses to give the baby boy up for adoption instead after giving birth. There’s an emotionally tense scene here, where Lana is angered at seeing the baby, because she doesn’t want to acknowledge his existence. But when the baby won’t stop crying, she agrees to hold it. You can see the conflict in Sarah Paulson’s face, because on one hand, she would love to be a mother, but the child will always be a living, breathing reminder of Dr. Thredson.

Staying true to her promise, Lana goes to Detective Byers ( Matthew John Armstrong) and Detective Connors (Joel McKinnon Miller) to help rescue Jude from Briarcliff. The detectives are reluctant to help at first, but Lana pushes hard, because Jude’s list of allies are running thin. Mother Superior Claudia was forced to transfer to Puerto Rico, and she knows Monsignor Howard is not someone who can be trusted. On a side note, there’s a moment here, when Detective Byers tells Lana she’s a tough cookie, and Lana strongly responds “I’m tough, but I’m no cookie.” Paulson really did a good job of showing poise and delivering that line without flinching.

With a court order in hand, Lana and the detectives go to Briarcliff to get Jude, but Monsignor Howard insists Jude is dead after hanging herself. Lana is quick to dismiss this news as a lie from the Monsignor to cover up his secrets, and her suspicions are proven true, as a broken Jude is shown in solitary confinement in the closing shot.

Split Milk closes Dr. Thredson’s chapter, and a lot of questions still remain as the strong push towards the end of the season continues. How will Kit, Grace, and Alma coexist under the same roof with two children from different mothers? Will jealousy be a problem, or is the situation too unpredictable to sustain? Is Jude truly done for? With Mother Superior Claudia gone, Kit and Lana are the only two people who can help her. You also have to wonder how much more dirt will Monsignor Howard be able to sweep under the rug. A united front from Kit, Lana, and a coherent Jude would be the final nail in his coffin.

Rating- 7/10

American Horror Story Asylum- Episode 10- The Name Game

 

** This post contains spoilers**

The Story- After Dr. Arden lies to Kit about the aliens not showing up, Kit loses hope for his future. Unbeknownst to Kit, Grace is pregnant with his child, while Pepper, assigned to Grace as a protector by the aliens, watches over her.

Mary Eunice’s devious ways continue, as she torments and punishes Jude. Dr. Arden is about to crack, but he attempts to make one more desperate plea to bring back the real Mary Eunice.

Meanwhile, Thredson believes he’s in the clear, but Lana has other plans.

My Thoughts- Who would’ve thought Pepper would join the list of people to verbally annihilate Dr. Arden? With the aliens giving Pepper an upgrade for intelligence and a more sharp sense of confidence, Pepper wasted no time in tearing into Arden. Mocking him for his failed experiments, Pepper told Arden the aliens think he’s a fool and a complete joke. 

Pepper knocking Arden off of his own pedestal was a great way to start the episode. Arden is such a pompous and arrogant blowhard, and he didn’t take being humbled too well. Depressed and distraught, Arden decides to end his experiments by killing all the creatures. Another sign that Arden is completely defeated in this episode? He refused Mary Eunice’s request to do a lobotomy on Sister Jude. Think about that for a second, Arden hates Jude. He has a golden opportunity to make her miserable, and he refuses.

Dr. Thredson weasels his way back into Briarcliff. Not only did Mary Eunice help him escape, but she also gave him a full time position at Briarcliff. Of course, Lana and Kit are his two primary targets. As Grace gives birth to her and Kit’s son, Thredson tries to use the baby as leverage, so Kit will give up his confession tapes. 

Kit agrees to give Thredson the tapes, but a “plucky” Lana was smart enough to hide them again and keep them for herself. It’s Lana’s only insurance policy at this point, and Thredson is once again up that famous creek without a paddle. 

Sister Jude hits a rough patch here. After Mary Eunice finds a cucumber in her room, Jude dares Mary Eunice to punish her, and unfortunately she takes her up on that offer. Mary Eunice intentionally cranks the juice up way too high during Jude’s shock treatment therapy. The end result? Jude becomes a mumbling and incoherent mess. 

Jude is down, but there’s a scene in the common room, where she has a hallucination, dancing and singing the song The Name Game by Shirley Ellis on the common room’s new jukebox. Although it was just a hallucination, it was nice to see Jude happy and having fun for once after all she’s been through. This scene also genuinely felt like a happy and positive breath of fresh air, especially when you consider the constant dreary and depressing atmosphere at Briarcliff. 

Monsignor Howard is truly put to the test here. There’s a manhunt for an escaped Leigh Emerson, but he’s got bigger problems to worry about. Howard seemed ready to die, but The Angel Of Death told him his work is not done, and he has an important task to accomplish: drive the devil out of Mary Eunice. After a failed surprise exorcism, Mary Eunice rapes Monsignor Howard. 

Mary Eunice basically tries to bully Howard into being at his side, as his rises through the ranks, while also tempting him with possibility of being the next Pope. If any of this sounds familiar, it’s because Mary Eunice wants to steal the same “dream” Jude had envisioned with Howard. 

Feeling hopeless with his failed attempts to save Mary Eunice, Howard turns to a broken Jude for help and advice. Jude’s suggestion? Kill Mary Eunice. For a moment, the real Mary Eunice surfaced, pleading with Howard. She was tired of fighting the evil inside of her. Howard was able to get Mary Eunice to lower her guard, and he used this opportunity to throw her off the top of the stairs, killing her. 

A sad ending for Mary Eunice, but maybe it was the only way? You could definitely say Mary Eunice was too far gone at this point. Arden’s constant pleas were ignored and mocked by her, Jude failed (although Arden played a big part in that), and Monsignor Howard’s exorcism attempt was easily thwarted. So maybe this was the only way to defeat the devil and finally set Mary Eunice free. There’s a somber and poignant moment before the Angel Of Death kisses Mary Eunice. The real Mary Eunice is ready to go, and the Angel Of Death simply replies “I’ll take both of you.”

While preparing Mary Eunice’s body for cremation, Dr. Arden decides to get on top of her body. He willingly chooses to burn himself alive in the crematorium with Mary Eunice’s body. I guess you could say after his experiments failed and after he failed to save his precious Mary Eunice, Dr. Arden believed he had nothing left to live for. I mean, Arden was literally on his knees begging Mary Eunice to show pity for him, but that didn’t work.

Arden was such a cold, twisted, and evil person, so it’s hard to feel sympathy for him. Earlier in the season, Arden paid a prostitute to dress up like a nun. You could probably guess his twisted fantasy was to have sex with a woman who resembled Mary Eunice, because he would never actually have sex with Mary Eunice, someone who he considered to be pure and sacred. Also, seeing Mary Eunice on top of Monsignor Howard probably sent him over the edge. Still, the closing moments of this episode with Arden and Mary Eunice’s corpse going into the crematorium was a chilling and dark ending. The flames rising, and hearing Arden’s screams, as he burns to death is more than enough to make you squirm.

Jude’s guilt about imprisoning Lana prompts her to ask for a big favor from Mother Superior Claudia. She wants Claudia to help get Lana out of Briarcliff for good. This was an emotional scene. You could see the heartbreak on Claudia’s face, as she watches Jude slur her words and ramble on about her dream with Monsignor Howard, and how Mary Eunice needed to die.

The Name Game is loaded with exceptional performances from top to bottom. Lily Rabe was great this season. Starting out as the sweet, nervous, and jittery nun. But she also effortlessly transitioned into the cruel and vindictive possessed menace, who made early season Sister Jude look like a saint by comparison. This episode definitely has a big time feel to it, with two major character deaths, and you get the sense everything is building to the big finale. 

A lot of big questions to build anticipation for the next episode, including what will Dr. Thredson do now? Lana spoiled his plans again, and he doesn’t have the tapes. What’s going to happen to Kit and Grace’s baby? A baby is not fit for the horrors at Briarcliff, and the public still believes Kit is Bloody Face.

Rating- 9/10

American Horror Story Asylum- Episode 9- The Coat Hanger

 

**This post contains spoilers**

The Story- In the present, a man named Johnny Morgan (Dylan McDermott) visits a therapist to talk about his compulsive disorder. But Morgan soon reveals his true dark nature as a killer, who skins woman alive. Morgan, the son of Dr. Thredson and Lana, is the modern day Bloody Face.

Back at Briarcliff, Jude struggles to adjust to life as a patient. Lana and Kit continue to work as a team to expose Dr. Thredson, but Sister Mary Eunice has other plans.

Meanwhile, Dr. Arden has a bizarre plan that involves Kit to summon the aliens once again.

My Thoughts- Sister Jude’s downfall continues. After one last desperate plea for Monsignor Howard’s help, reality finally sets in: she’s stuck in an impossible situation with too many enemies against her. A few of the nuns at Briarcliff were happy to see Jude in shambles, because her strict reign of terror is over. Mother Superior Claudia (Barbara Tarbuck) was probably Jude’s last ally, but her statement, along with everyone else’s statements, didn’t exactly paint a flattering picture of Jude. The perception of Jude being this unhinged woman is out there, and there’s just too much evidence to dismiss it. Jude finally expresses anger at Monsignor Howard during that scene, where Monsignor Howard pulls away from Jude, as she begs for his help. It’s a big moment, because hopefully Jude finally realizes Howard is not the bright light she thought he was for so long.

With Monsignor Howard stripping Jude of all her powers, and taking the fall for Frank’s murder, there’s seemingly no way out for her. On top of all that, Jude was basically forced to listen to a phony apology from a wounded Leigh Emerson. 

We also see a truly surreal moment, when Jude enters the common room for the first time as a patient. She looks raggedy, broken, and tired. Jude hopes to make things right with Lana. Of course, Lana is hesitant to trust Jude for obvious reasons, but Jude vows to help with Lana’s freedom. There’s also a funny moment here, when Jude breaks the record with the Dominique song, which is basically the common room’s anthem. 

Lana successfully goads Thredson into a confession, while Kit records it. But Lana also discovers a bigger problem: she’s pregnant with Thredson’s child. Disgusted at the thought of giving birth to Thredson’s child, Lana believes she successfully performed an abortion on herself with a coat hanger. But Mary Eunice is quick to shoot down her hopes. The child inside her is alive, and it’s a baby boy. 

Arden has a plan to see the aliens again, and it involves bringing Kit to “the brink of death” to accomplish it. With Kit temporarily incapacitated, the aliens return with a pregnant and seemingly healthy Grace. Pepper promises to take care of Grace. A stunned Dr. Arden agrees, and he also assists in Grace’s rehabilitation and monitoring her pregnancy.

Monsignor Howard’s plan to baptize a supposedly reformed Leigh backfires, when Leigh almost drowns him and he literally nails Howard to a cross. With Howard bleeding and losing hope, he receives a visit from the Angel Of Death.

Grace still being alive was a nice and happy moment in this episode, but it wasn’t a huge surprise. They dropped too many hints that Grace wasn’t actually dead, and you can look back at the situation with Alma and the aliens to have an idea that there was still a realistic chance of hope for her.

And speaking of spoiling surprises, it wasn’t a big shock that Lana’s attempt to kill her baby failed, when the episode opened up with Johnny Morgan revealing his true identity. 

Dylan McDermott was barely in this episode, but he did a good job of establishing Morgan as the modern day Bloody Face. You get the feeling Morgan is a sadistic and deeply disturbed man, as he talks about bouncing around foster homes and skinning animals as a child. He’s a sicko. Morgan was seemingly disappointed that he wasn’t as precise and careful as his father was with killing his victims. The flashbacks to Morgan killing Theresa shows how frustrated he was with the process. Morgan is a serious threat, and with the way things were going in his session with Dr. Gardner, it’s no surprise he killed her. 

It’s kind of hard to feel any sympathy for Monsignor Howard’s fate. It’s obvious he was more concerned with advancing his own career over actually helping Leigh, and Emerson took advantage of just how gullible and arrogant he was. The cliffhanger with Shachath visiting Howard, as he bleeds out was perfect. Does Monsignor Howard want to let go, or does he still have the will to live?

The Coat Hanger features some truly gruesome images, with Lana’s bloody abortion attempt, and Monsignor Howard nailed to a cross. A couple of good cliffhangers to end this episode. More than enough intriguing questions to carry over to the next episode, and Lana and Kit’s problems may have actually gotten worse. Mary Eunice released Dr. Thredson, spoiling Lana’s plans to kill him. Zachary Quinto’s acting in this episode was superb. The irony of seeing Thredson, who’s such a horrible person, beg for mercy, when Lana tells him she’s going to kill the baby was a big highlight here. He coldly murdered women, but now Thredson was powerless and vulnerable, the best possible example of him receiving a taste of his own medicine.

Now, Thredson is free again, and who knows what his next move will be, or when he’ll strike again. And Kit managed to hide the confession tapes from Dr. Thredson under a battub before Dr. Arden spotted him, but are the tapes really safe there? Arden gave a curious look towards the tub, and by now, it’s known that he’s smart enough to uncover a scheme, when he sees one.

Rating- 6/10