Previously on FX’s American Horror Story, Constance and Elsa Mars hosted a Jezebel Ball for Mr. Nas, sacrificing 13 women. This sacrifice just brings them one step closer to getting Mr. Nas back to his younger self and powerful again.
The episode begins with Ben waking up and getting a text from Ashley, asking to meet up. She comes over to his place. Ashley was the only person in his girlfriend’s circle who survived the plane crash with him. The two of them bond over their trauma. They start talking about Kira, and Ashley says that she’s relieved that Kira’s dead.
They sit down to watch a movie, and he sees the number 13 on the TV, which makes him freak out. He jumps off the couch and turns away. Ashley asks him about his mood, and he tells her about his phobia. Ashley tells him that she also has the phobia. She tells him about the story of when it first started for her.
Ashley was at a wedding during the pandemic. A man with a pig’s head began killing everyone. Ashley was the only one who survived, while watching her whole family being murdered. Thirteen people ended up dead.
After her story, Ben tells her about missing pieces of his childhood. He says that his mother died during childbirth and that his father was too ill to take care of him on his own. He said the people who would take care of him and look after him were people from the same church, but he mentions that they always skipped service. There’s a flashback where his dad died with 0.13% alcohol in his system. He was put into the foster system, and he met a woman, Martha, who was like a mother to him. On his thirteenth birthday, Martha died. He became a caretaker because of that.
After Ben tells his story, Ashley kisses him, and the two share an intimate moment. In the morning, Ben gets out of the shower, and Ashley finds a branding, ‘616 ’, on his lower back. He freaks out, confused as to how it got there.
Overall, this was a good episode. This episode was different from the others, showing more of a vulnerable side, specifically from Ben. Joey Pollari did an incredible job this episode, bringing Ben’s story to light. It’s intriguing to see Ben and Ashley’s trauma bonding. With Ashley’s fear coming into play, will she be able to help Ben during his time caretaking for Mr. Nas?
Rating: 8.5/10
Photos: Courtesy of FX Networks.