American Horror Story – Let’s not put that on the listing

Yes, cringe-worthy. And I do mean that in a positive way, mind you. There were two moments that I think had most people watching this episode early curled in a ball in anticipation of horrific imagery, and they don’t count “Bo” from the attic!

First, the monstrosity that Dr. Charles Montgomery created from the pieces of his dismembered son, Thaddeus. As his wife Nora came up to the bedroom, it was one of a few moments I can say I was truly terrified to see what the doctor stitched together in order to make his son “alive.” In a way I’m glad we didn’t get a glimpse of the creature that tore at his mother’s breasts, as it’s one more thing for us to wonder about, including what face hides behind the rubber mask.

The other terrifying moment came when the to-be-buyer of Murder House, when Moira decide to show him just how “hungry” she was to go down on him again. AAIEEE! Dear God, I felt that! And not in a good way, of course. I was a little surprised that the show’s able to go on about “cock” and obvious references to blowjobs, even for a channel like FX. I guess we sorta saw that same thing on The Shield once upon a time, and I bet it comes up on Sons of Anarchy more than I know. Don’t get me wrong — I’m thrilled for these shows to keep some realism, at least as far as how people would speak in real life.

A surprising development in this episode was that Larry was not responsible for the fire that burned his face, but it was instead his understandably jealous wife. It seems that Larry is in the same boat as Constance, wanting the house — and its mysterious powers of keeping the dead around — to stay put. I wonder now, though, if Larry and Constance have any idea what causes the odd things to happen in the house, or if they’re just content not looking what they consider a gift horse in the mouth. I still think it would be a great twist for this show if the Harmons became another victim to the house in the end, and they turned into yet another denizen of Murder House. But … I just don’t see that happening, unfortunately. I doubt the actors aren’t on board for a one-season go.

I can’t end my thoughts on this episode without talking about Bo. The first thing that came to mind: Chunk, from The Goonies. Second thing: Mask. Sorry if that’s insensitive; I just couldn’t stop those images from entering my mind. If I had to guess who’s in the rubber suit, though, it’d be Bo. Maybe he’s dead, maybe not, but he’s that one face I’m betting most people watching would feel freaked out by, should the mask come off.

So, what will Vivien say now about seeing the old photo of the Montgomerys? Wil she easily brush it off as a strange coincidental look-alike, or will she and Violet have a heart-to-heart about what’s hanging out in the house? And, once it gets to Ben, will he think about what happened to Hayden and figure she’s a ghost (or whatever they are) too?

Clacked by Keith McDuffee
on Nov 17, 2011 @ 01:12 EST5EDT