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In the wake of Rory’s death, Wednesday’s American Horror Story: Roanoke upped the fear factor, turning loose Agnes on a rampage, revealing Dominic’s dark side and sending Lee, Audrey and Monet down a perilous path in hopes of making us squeal like the Piggy Man. Did it work? Let’s review the events of “Chapter 7,” then hash it out in the comments.
PUTTING THE ‘R’ IN ‘R.I.P.’ | As the hour began, Sidney was delighting in Matt’s attack on Dominic and, ever the charmer, shrugging off concerns about Diana’s whereabouts. When the producer wasn’t looking at the monitors, his cameraman noticed that hello (!), somebody had stabbed Rory. Upon hearing his P.A. scream, he called for the cameraman to film her dying. They didn’t get much footage, though, before Agnes had butchered them all.
In the Millers’ former house, Audrey was trying out different inflections of “Rory” in hopes of finding her husband. When that didn’t work, they searched from room to room, with Lee shooting every second on her cell phone. Eventually, Dominic found a giant puddle of blood. Rather than freak, Audrey decided that Sid had put Rory up to the stunt so that he could jet back to L.A. to do his Brad Pitt movie (and, in the process, leave his older bride behind).
‘WHAT’S MORE IMPORTANT THAN SCREEN TIME, HUH?’ | Off her triple murder, “fan favorite” Agnes seemed to alternate between regretting killing the P.A., who she knew was a mom, and slipping into Tomasyn-speak. Mid-rant, she was scared silly when she found herself surrounded by the stick figures that seemed to show up wherever The Butcher was. Meanwhile, Dominic suggested to Shelby that Matt never touched her the way that he did. She wasn’t shivering, however, she was “vibrating with rage,” she said. For his part, Matt didn’t give a s— what they did.
In a subsequent confessional, Dominic admitted that Sid had wired him with a body cam and given him instructions to basically wreck his co-stars. And, since it meant ratings and screen time, the actor had approximately zero regrets about it. (Birds of a feather… ) Upstairs, Shelby began filming Agnes with her cell just as the madwoman was about to kill her. Only, before Agnes could finish the job, Dominic intervened. (Guess he isn’t all bad, then.)
HELP WANTED | With the phones cut and Shelby injured, Dominic was reduced to yelling at Sidney’s cameras to come and give them a hand, for God’s sake. Eventually, Audrey led Lee and Monet through the secret exit she’d learned about while shooting My Roanoke Nightmare. In the tunnels, they encountered… was it Rory as Edward? Edward’s ghost? Whatever it was, Lee shot it. Running into the woods, she, Audrey and Monet set off under the blood moon in search of the production truck. Once they located it — and Agnes’ victims — they discovered that it had no phones and the car was dead. In no time, Agnes — as Agnes tends to — attacked, and Lee — as Lee tends to — gunned her down.
Heading for town next, the women were forced to hide from The Butcher’s mob. Audrey was doing the practical thing and filming herself saying goodbye to Rory a la The Blair Witch Project when blood dribbled down on her from a body in the tree she was under — who else could it be but Rory? Just then, the trio ran afoul of the real Polks. At the same time, Agnes, back in her hideout, removed the bullet from her chest and resumed ranting. (Seriously — how hoarse must Kathy Bates have been after shooting all this?)
HEAD CASES | Left alone with Shelby, Matt told her that her indiscretion hadn’t ended their marriage, their moving into that house had. Later, he was spotted by Dominic trance-walking to Scathach in the basement of the house. When Dominic took Shelby to see what he had, she leapt to Matt’s defense, only to have him protest that he loved the witch. “She’s the reason I came back!” That being the case, Shelby went all Negan on his head, murdering her husband!
Apprehended by the Polks, Lee had to help prepare her own leg to be turned into “sweet meats” — which the psychos then turned around and served to Monet and Audrey! Back at the haunted house, Agnes was joined on the front lawn by The Butcher’s mob — and, to her horror, the actual Butcher, who was quick to introduce her portrayer to her cleaver!
So, what did you think of “Chapter 7”? Or, as Sid would put it, “Who in America isn’t coming back after they see that?!?” Hit the comments.
That voice that Robin Weigert used was a nice throwback to Calamity Jane on Deadwood. Despite that, and despite how much I enjoy Robin Weigert, I really wish she had played the actor Mama Polk while Frances Conroy got to play the real Mama Polk.
I forgot to put this in my last comment, but I saw in the credits that Finn Wittrock got a special guest credit but I didn’t see who he was playing. I saw someone say he was the Polk holding the camera. Can anyone confirm that?
Yeah, I would definitely love some more Frances Conroy.
I do think finn Wittrock was one of the cannibal hillbillies. He was holding the camera. I think I saw his face for a moment, it looked a bit altered in some way or maybe it was just dirty.
He was one of the hillbillies
He is… I just rewatched the scene where they caught them in the woods and for one split second, you can see his face clearly.
I thought the same exact thing!!!
^^About Frances Conroy making a better ‘real-life’ Mama Polk
i agree 100%. Franny was terrifying! Robin seemed a little more schticky.
tho i guess an actor portrayal should be terrifying where as the actual human might just be simply insane. the real Polks seem to avidly enjoy the torture much more than the reenactment! a different kind of terrifying.
It was so good. Ugh I need to see what happens next. Kathy Bates performer of the week!
The “actual” ghosts are terrifying. I hope that they bring back that wall-climbing ghost that grabbed Flora in the reenactment. I thought last week was a bit of a slow start to the twist, but my eyes were glued to the screen this entire episode. I do wonder how they will stretch this out for 5 more episodes at the rate that they are killing off people/introducing dangers.
There’s only going to be three more episodes.
Yeah, realized that after I typed it. Mixed up the number of episodes with the number of people still alive (Shelby, Lee, British Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett, and Cuba Gooding Jr. (I don’t know any of the actor names))
Lily Rabe & Adina Porter.
Only 3 more? Good. I had no idea how long this season was. With only 3, the story won’t be dragged out so much. I’d been thinking, ‘they’re killing people off so fast, what the heck are they going to do for the rest of the season?’ I was expecting something to do with everyone’s ghosts.
^this …for me this episode gave more feels than the actual hyped up Chapter 6 twist, idk i know Ryan Murphy already said we shouldn’t trust them but the original trio are already hinting that they know more than everyone else, and not specifically just about the ghosts…so i5 was like chapter 6 revealed the twist but chapter 7 put it into action…which speaking of the real ghosts were terrifying!!
Well, we already caught Matt in one lie from the original filming — he claimed in his earlier confessionals that he could not recall having hooked up with the wood witch in the forest that night…. But now he reveals that he was “in love with” the witch and had come back to the house for her (which either implies that the one-time hookup wasn’t just one time, or that in his last scene he was still under her hypnotic spell and would not have remembered this encounter afterwards either). So that is already one discrepancy which bears out the fact that some of their confessionals during their original Roanoke series wasn’t exactly truthful.
Matt didn’t remember the first encounter, but there was a second one in which she tells him about her origin. That one he remembered because he told us about it in his confessional and that she wanted him to come with her and he would have. Shelby screaming outside broke the spell that time but the the forest witch had gotten into his blood and mind to where he couldn’t shake it.
Loved it…waiting for pictures so I can actually compare and see who’s who
I literally jumped when Shelby killed Matt. Can’t wait to see what the last 3 episodes bring
I was like “WHaaaaat?” I sure was not expecting that. Talk about abrupt.
OK, now that we are down to 5. Who is the survivor?
My money is on Lee. At this point she’s the least likely. So it would make for a grim episode 10, which supposedly is all about the survivor. And she seems to be the key to the truth about everything.
I’ll be a little bummed if its Shelby. Or Audrey.
Not sure how interesting it would be for Dominic or Monet to be the survivor tho.
I think Dominic will be the survivor, he is the only one that no one has gone after. Lee will die from blood loss, Mama had her prefer her leg for sweet meat that was fed to the other 2 women
I’d be more surprised if Agnes was the sole survivor
Well given that she just got an ax through her skull, that would be surprising!
I keep linking moments/segments of the show to several horror movies..trying to find people mentioning connections, and no one seems to be writing about it?? A couple shout outs to Blair witch (you can’t deny that).. But I also get hints of The shining (here’s Johnny!- the butcher’s son’s face in the door during the reinactment… Murder on the wall..)The Ring- hello random Asian family and terrifying wall climber.. Hills have eyes/creepy inbred people-eating family.. I know I’m not imagining this.. There’s way too much- thoughts?!?
You meant The Grudge not The Ring? I def saw the similarity there.
That whole feeding Audrey and Monet Lee’s leg was really horrific not to mention the part of her preparing her own leg! I love the way AHS always toys with our deepest fears and seems to reach deep within our subconscious to portray our most frightening nightmares.
Yes! That!
The hillbillies remind me of crazies in Texas Chainsaw Massacre . My sister and I see hints of other movies. I am disappointed.
YES! I thought the same. It’s awesome that they pay homages to horror films that have inspired episodes/characters/scenes in AHS. I’m really loving this season. It’s original and reminds me a lot of the first two seasons which are my favourite.
So… I’m the only one who finds this season to be a TRAINWRECK?
This is the first season in a few year that I’ve found NOT to be a total trainwreck. I enjoyed season one but it was a mess, and season two I really loved even though it had a lot going on. Seasons three through five were all dissolved into unwatchable messes. This season was going to be my last chance with the show, and it won me over completely.
Same here. I watch every season, but wasn’t that enthused about Coven or Hotel.
I hated Coven; Hotel had a hokey plot, but I absolutely loved Evan Peters and Dennis O’Hare in it – I think those were the best AHS roles for each of them so far.
The only season i think fell apart was Freak Show. The rest have great story lines. Maybe Hotel didn’t have all the best actors (bently n gaga) but some brilliant (Ohare n Peters). But I think the reason people get so critical is because they have weeks to speculate how they want the season to go and how they think it should go. Then theyre upset when it doesn’t go their way. Binge watch any season and youll like it 10 times better.
Don, ITA except for the Bently & Gaga critiques to a certain extent. I don’t think Wes was bad, though the season did reveal some of his acting crutches. I wouldn’t have given Gaga a GG, but she was extremely competent for someone who has never performed as a professional actress before. While her character came off as an extension of her Lady Gaga persona, it’s not inherent that she could have made the character compelling in a scripted situation. For example, I have reason to believe Emma Roberts is wacked out person, but she is still very good at making her Ryan Murphy show characters entertaining and more believable than someone who is farther removed from that personality type.
I also want to double down on the binge watching comment. I binge watched all of Asylum and watched Hotel in chunks, and I was much more on the edge of my seat than for seasons I watched in real time.
I think it’s a trainwreck, too. Part of what works on AHS (for me) is when I care about the characters (even the bad ones) and this year, I don’t seem to care about any of them. I feel like this season is just shock factor. Last night, I sent my friend a message saying “this show is off its rails”. It’s interesting to read the comments here to hear how many people like it and why they like it. I just don’t agree.
Amen on the differing tastes. I love this season. I think it is by far the best they have ever done. Seeing comments like yours makes me really wonder how people can see the same thing and have such opposite opinions on it, but what I do like is that, unlike a lot of shows, the fan base here has a “different strokes for different folks” attitude and we can all agree to disagree.
Seriously??? The only thing I have left to say is thank the gods there are only 3 episodes left in this god awful horrible season. I’VE given up hope that this train wreck can turn itself around & redeem itself….
Lemme guess you enjoyed seasons 3-5? Well I watched the first episode of each and saw it going no where, this season I watched the first episode and was completely glued, this is finally a season that has a nice original feel with lots of horror homages that are quite brilliant
I posted that I thought it was great as Falchuk and company had skewered the reality tv genre. I was at first worried that this season wouldn’t hold up, but #7 reassured me that it was not just a horror show (which it is), but is also making a kind of social commentary about the dumb downed tv we’re lapping up in shows like the Real Housewives etc. It’s grabbed me now and I’m wondering who or what is on the chopping block next!!
I agree with you Mary. One of the great aspects of this season is that, unlike the other seasons, this one is TRULY an “American” Horror Story — it features not only the “traditional” haunted-property chills and thrills, which are universal, but also features a more uniquely American concept of Reality-TV production departments being populated by soulless sociopaths (with some good ‘ol social media influence thrown in for good measure). The TV series “UnReal” may have inspired Ryan’s mindset, by parodying over-the-top producer manipulation on Reality TV dating shows; this season takes that one step farther, by setting a supposedly “produced, fake” Reality-TV horror show on an authentically haunted property where the murderous ghosts are real. I think the whole concept is a stroke of genius, and spot-on for the current climate of today’s society. To stay really ahead of the curve, next season the show needs to be centered on the “American Horror Story” of political correctness which will prevent the SJW/snowflake protagonists from being able to even admit that they are in danger!
You guess right Justin, I enjoyed season 3-5…with American Horror Story Hotel being my FAVORITE season. But yes season 6 is underwhelming, disappointing, terrible and so on…Its a damn shame it took till the 6 episode to get interesting.
I can’t find anywhere who was listed as playing the real (i guess?) Priscilla, Edward’s ghost in the tunnel and Scathach…??? we didn’t even see Finn and they’ve credited him…can anyone help me out? I was kinda i to the whole speculation that Taissa would be either Scathach or Priscilla, after we started to see the real ghosts portrayed by different people!
Finn was one of the Polks.
Well, there was absolutely no need to have whoever is playing the real Scathach play her in this week’s episode and pay her, was probably just a stand-in with what we saw of her.
My eyes were glued to this episode. I went from laughing at Kathy Bates’ monologues and Sarah Paulson’s ridiculous accent and Audrey’s reaction to finding Sidney dead to jumping when Shelby killed Matt. I was not expecting that.
Finding Sidney’s, Alissa’s, and the camera man’s bodies: “I think they’re dead.” “You think?” Hilarious! Almost as funny as Agnes’ final words: “I just wanted to be on TV!”
I am beyond disappointed with this season. It is awful and I am very upset this season is this bad. American horror story is one of my favorite shows.
I hated last season and love this one. The great thing about this show is there is always a reset button every year. This season is, for the first time in all 6 seasons, true horror. I am so grateful there is none of the campy stuff that lightens the mood usually.
As usual Kathy Bates ruled the night as Agnes/The Butcher. The woman can do anything! I enjoyed the constancy of jabs at the “reality TV show” phenomena. Sid’s obsession with ratings, wiring Dominic to destroy his “cast” mates…all the ridiculousness of today’s “reality” machinations to get viewers no matter what had me in stitches. Obviously Falchuk et.al. drew us in to watch reality being on a reality show and then killing it with REAL reality! Oh the joys of the creators’ minds.
At the beginning of this season I was worried about being let down. But I got sucked in — much like flipping through late night television and watching the reality show train wreck. The irony is not lost! It just keeps getting better.
Please delete this comment as I didn’t think it posted so I Re posted!!!
It was worth repeating! ;-)
Kathy Bates can do no wrong! She can do anything. I loved the constancy of the jabs the creators’ made at the Reality TV phenomena. Sid’s obsession with getting high ratings no matter the cost and wiring Dominic so that he can destroy his “cast mates” and Dominic’s glee at getting the all important airtime is a terrifically wondrous way of skewering that kind of programming. The irony of Lee preparing her own leg for eating by the others demonstrates the way so many reality “stars” will eat their own for viewership and storylines!
The writer/creators suck us into this distorted Reality world of television while draping the episode in reality being presented as Reality TV exposed, yet reality kills the Reality TV show genre. Superb irony! Mr. Swift would be proud!
You have said everything I have been thinking! “American” horror story, indeed!
Applause! You recognize irony, and superb irony it is!
Yawn
This season has been amazing and I love it. I really enjoyed not knowing what the season was about and then to go along on this roller coaster of a ride. Last night was bonkers and Kathy Bates is the new queen of AHS. She can do no wrong! Shelby attacking Matt was out of left field and I didn’t see that one coming. I still haven’t figured out who will be the last standing but I will be watching!
This has been a weird season, the “reenactment” went on too long and my interest was only piqued by the sixth episode which mixed the actors with the “real” characters. However, the seventh episode degenerated into a slash and hack fest and the next one looks to be the same. Characters have not been established well enough to care who lives and who dies so if the trick is to guess who the last survivor will be, I don’t care. Hopefully they will get around to why this is all happening. Sorry to see Evan Peters and Cheyenne Jackson have such limited roles this season to date. On the plus side, I like the addition of Adina Porter to the cast.
Adina Porter is technically a returning actor since she was in Murder House.
We know why it is happening… The house was built on haunted land and the butcher is there to punish anyone who invades what she thinks is hers. There is no greater mystery behind it. It is exactly what they say and this episode has proven the ghost story to be true. This is American Horror Story. Many American horror stories are either ghost stories or slashers. This is both. Slashers are about minimally developed characters who you learn just enough about to either cheer on their survival or root for their demise. I hate to use the term “true fans,” but I feel like true fans of the horror genre, or at least people who love to watch horror movies, will find a lot more to like here than they would in any previous season. Other seasons rely on over the top gore, strange images, and bizarre sexual situations to bring out the scares, and it all only works on a superficial level. This one gets under your skin and is playing more like a horror movie, at least from my perspective.
^What Twisty said.^
So… in eps 6 and 7 they’re creating a reality tv show of a behind the scenes look at the prior docudrama – including setting up the ‘found footage’ scenario which might provide us with the end of the story. All the lines between ‘true’ story, re-enactment, real person and actor are blurred… what if they took that a step further and doubled down…
What if, in the upcoming episodes, they ALL break the fourth wall by coming back to life (it’s still all been an act – the ‘real’ ghosts and Polks and production crew are all still actors), laughing about it all, being aware of the audience, and calling each other by their real names (Kathy, Evan, Sara, Cuba, Wes etc), and then they have to go through it all again with some further ‘real’ horror… (they still haven’t used any of those pranks the house was rigged with – exploding windows/vibrating taps etc – and they looked particularly violent. Maybe one of those could backfire spectacularly.)
If anyone can do it, they can. Though a lot of commenters here calling it a ‘trainwreck’ are already lost, so it might be a step too far!
My theory too. For me, ep 10 will be all about revealing that it’s been fake since episode 1 and that they’re all actors (even true Shelby, Matt…). My main argument is that they claim it’s only found footage but still, there are some angles that CANNOT come from found fountage. And plus, real people dying and they broadcast it on national TV …
And maybe in ep 10, the crew of actors will experience the horror, for real this time (but we’ll never know if it’s real or not). I would love them to play their own role. That would be a terrific way to end the season !
This whole story line has been done over & over again… I’ve seen several Asian horror movies with the EXACT same plot and to mention the numerous made for TV movies from syfy channel with the EXACT same plot. Just saying to my favorite season, not even close at all. The hype & “mystery” shrouded around it might ruined it for me… or maybe the fact that NONE of the characters “actors” or “real” were set up in a way I let like I could connect to them. WHATEVER it is I don’t know but it started Goin off tracks way back at ep 1. Hopefully season 7 is better & not nearly a year away (they have been quoted saying they’ve toyed with the idea of 2 seasons in 1 year, 1 to wrap late in the year & 1 to begin Jan/Feb of he following yr) fingers crossed cus this sucks lol
What was dressed in Edward Mott’s costume in the tunnel?
Probably Edward Mott?
I think this whole season has been a hot mess disappointment compared to previous seasons. Last year was electric with characters you could love i.e. lady Gaga Liz etc. gotten a little better but still. Very sad
Just watching this season of AHS on Amazon in the UK. Loving the cheeky references to The Walking Dead and all the nods to other great horror films. The cast are sterling, as ever.