Previously on FX’s American Horror Story, we met Elizabeth, brought back to life by Mr. Nas. We also got to see more of the family dynamic between Constance and her children.
The episode begins where it left off: the Langdon children taking Elizabeth to the speakeasy. While they’re down there, Ben starts moving in his sleep. As he awakes, while still drowsy from the drug Constance gave him, he gets out of bed and tries to leave. He walks to the dining room to find Mr. Nas standing by the window. Mr. Nas is drinking blood, and Ben falls to the ground, only to find himself levitating towards the older man. Mr. Nas pours the cup of blood into Ben’s mouth, and when Ben blinks, he finds Mr. Nas transformed into his younger self.
During the speakeasy, we see Elsa Mars putting on a show. Elsa is from American Horror Story: Freakshow, which was season 4. She sings a song about her childhood and being a part of the circus. When the song is over, she makes a speech and introduces the host of the night, Mr. Nas. Elsa announces that 13 girls are part of the sacrifice as a show for the Jezebel Ball.
Hypodermic Sally comes first. Rubber Man throws her into the pit of fire. Elizabeth, the last woman standing, comes last. Before Elsa has her come forward, Rubber Man stops her and gives a speech about his family. Afterwards, Elizabeth comes forward and is thrown into the pit. They then realize there were only 12, and they need 13 to move forward with the process. Which means they now have to find one more woman. Wilhemina Venable quickly makes the decision to sacrifice herself.
Ben is abruptly woken up and finds Constance and Mr. Phibes standing over his bed. Constance makes it seem like Ben woke up from a nightmare. Later, Mr. Phibes and Constance are playing cards. Mr. Phibes tells her about Satan and the number 13, explaining the significance. He brings up Mr. Nas’ son drinking blood last night; Ben drank blood last night. Could Ben be Mr. Nas’ son?
The two of them bond over the fact that they both made a deal with the devil. Mr. Phibes wants to be a movie star and is hoping Mr. Nas will give him that. Meanwhile, Constance was summoned by Mr. Nas. She was chosen by him to get back on the throne and become more powerful. The deal she made with Mr. Nas was to get her children back.
Overall, this was an interesting episode. We got to see more of Mr. Nas’ purpose and Constance’s plans to help him get his power back. A theme that stands out in this episode is making a deal with the devil. There are so many characters, especially Constance and Mr. Phibes, who are doing things to help Mr. Nas, who we have learned is Satan. Constance sacrificed her life and only asked for her children; meanwhile, Mr. Phibes has given his soul to Mr. Nas in exchange for becoming a movie star once the plan goes through. Sarah Paulson did an incredible job in this episode. She returned as multiple characters in this episode, including Hypodermic Sally from Season 5 and Wilhelmina Venable from Season 8. It’s amazing to see how different each of her characters is. What will happen now that 13 women have been sacrificed?
Rating: 8/10
Photo credit: Courtesy of FX Networks.