Post — Aaron Ngo

Major Spoilers are included in this episode review.

This episode went back to the beginning. It reminded me exactly why I only watched the first four seasons… it was also the reason I resumed watching this season. The crossover of Coven and Murder House is our Avengers: Infinity War. All the pieces are lined together so Madison (Emma Roberts) and Chablis (Billy Porter) can uncover the secret of Michael Langdon.

After successfully buying the Murder House that got 37 people killed while posing as a married couple, Madison and Chablis pull up to search for answers. I enjoyed these two as our main characters of the episode. They have excellent chemistry and played off their disdain for each other quite well. The one-liners and the side glances were more than satisfying.

Ben Harmon, Vivian Harmon, Tate Langdon, Violet Harmon, Moira, and even our beloved Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange) made grand returns for the episode. Even better, the episode was given an extra ten minutes to give everyone enough space to breathe and tell their tale.

At first, Ben Harmon dismisses Madison and Chablis to cry and masturbate out the window. I think it was so funny when he was called “tearjerker”. I was never the biggest fan of Ben and what he did during the first season, but he’s a compelling character nonetheless.

Sarah Paulson also resumes the role of Billie Dean Howard, the psychic and only living person allowed in the house. I also found out she directed the episode too, so she was pulling extra weight to make this episode fantastic.

Shortly after her arrival, Constance graces us with her literal smoky presence and demands to know who is in her [fuckin’] house. She also refuses to tell them anything about Michael until they find a way to get Moira off the property.

This is where the happy endings begin.

Chablis shovels out some bones, at first not Moira (Hayden?), but eventually with Madison’s lack of help, they find Moira’s remains and bury her in the cemetery. There, Moira reunites with her mother and apologizes for getting her killed. This was such a precise scene and one Moira deserved after everything in the first season. She was also the only ghost who did not want to be in Murder House.

Now, Constance talks about her side of the story. She ended up killing herself after discovering Michael was the Antichrist. This was a bold move but one that also fit her character, who has done nothing but wronged her children. Speaking of her kids, we finally met the fourth one with no eyes. There’s no explanation given for this, but it doesn’t matter?

I’m happy we finally met her.

After getting her side of things, Madison and Chablis confront Ben, who was in the middle of his daily thing. Gross but also sadly a part of his character. Ben reveals that he tried to take care of Michael after Constance abandoned him for death and solitude with her children.

Ben thought he could reach Michael and help him find some good in his life regardless if they shared DNA or not. Then Tate shows up and gets angry when Michael calls him “dad”. Tate belittles Michael and claims he could never procreate anything that evil.

This drives Michael to don the iconic Rubber Suit and to murder two new house owners after they moved in. Ben tries to stop him, but Michael gets angrier and burns their spirits too. This was a strong scene, showing the stakes he held for the ghosts in the house. Ben calls him irredeemable at that point and never speaks to him again.

After this story, I thought we had all the information we needed, but forgetting we had an EXTRA 10 MINUTES, Vivian swooped in ready to finish the tale of Michael Langdon’s time in Murder House. She claims that neither Ben or Tate were the father but rather darkness itself that haunted the place.

This also kind of ties in with AHS: Asylum when the Sister Nun was possessed by the Devil. Remember Michael prayed to someone back in like episode 3? Yeah, the connections are all there? Especially when the Cult, among them Ms. Mead, arrives in Murder House and takes Michael with them. They kidnap a stupid girl who willingly got in the car in the middle of the rain and night.

I thought the scene next was troublesome. The man kisses her, then he cuts her open while alive, digs around, and then rips out part of her heart. It was a messy ritual, but Michael ate it regardless like it was Cherry Pie. It’s quite disgusting.

Vivian tries to kill Michael afterwards, but he almost burned her like the other spirits in her attempt. Tate manages to save Vivian before she got engulfed by the flames. This act and Madison’s urging also helped Violet finally forgive Tate for everything he did in the first season. That’s cute. Everyone got a happy ending. Ben and Vivian also rekindled their love.

This episode was incredibly well-thought out with resolutions to the lingering storylines left by the first season. It was astounding how well put together it was. Madison and Chablis are ready to report to Cordelia in the next episode. I can’t wait to see how all of this leads to the end of the world and to the final showdown.

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