American Horror Story: Episode 3 Recap

Third time’s the charm. Yes, this was the episode we’ve been waiting for. It was “classic” American Horror Story. It had all the elements that audiences fell in love with in season one. There was blood, gore, suspense, and of course, the “OMG” moments. We watched character on character word warfare. The tormenting, the insinuations, the mind games – it was all present and on point. There was a blatantly obvious parallel here between the chaos of the storm and certain characters. And as the storm grew stronger, certain characters were pushed harder towards their breaking points. Minor flaws aside, the ending made up for it. It blew my mind! Literally. But, I’m getting ahead of myself. SPOILER ALERT BELOW.

Alright, we are back to present day Braircliff. Theresa is covered in sweat, dirt, and blood, crying out for help while her husband, Leo, lay dying on the other side of a metal door. And Bloody Face is hacking away at Leo.  After, he bursts through the doorway and goes after Theresa. In true “horror” form, Leo miraculously pops up and attacks Bloody Face knocking him down. They struggle. The ice pick ends up in Leo’s hand and he stabs Bloody Face. Theresa then takes it and stabs him repeatedly. We all know it doesn’t matter how many times you stab the crazed killer, he always comes back. He is un-killable.

Theresa and Leo attempt to escape. She tries calling 911, but just as we hear the operator’s voice, the couple runs into two masked men, both wearing plastic masks of Bloody Face, with guns. They shoot the newlyweds. Thank-god. I was getting bored by the newlywed’s storyline in present day Briarcliff. The only key fact here is Bloody Face is still alive. I’m hoping there will be a better present day story line to come further in the season.

The masked men remove their masks, one is excited about killing the couple and the other is freaking out. They notice Leo’s arm is ripped off and wonder who/what could have done it and then, as if by cue, the real Bloody Face appears. (Yawn!)

FLASHBACK TO 1964: Buckle up because here’s where the “OMG” moments come in to play.

Sister Mary warns Sister Jude that a storm is headed their way as she drops off the mail. Side note on Sister Mary: I think we can all safely assume that she is possessed by an evil spirit and/or the Devil after last week’s episode. The audience knows or suspects this, however, the other characters don’t know anything. So, when Sister Mary says there’s a storm coming, she not only means the weather, but within the asylum as well. Sister Jude notices a newspaper from 1949 within the mail. The headline story is about the disappearance of the young girl she ran over. Sister Jude becomes immediately upset and questions Sister Mary about its origin, however, the sister plays ‘dumb’ then leaves.

Next, Sister Jude is at the bakery, taking her anxiety out on some dough. She and Dr. Thredson have an uncomfortable conversation about compassion. She questions him about the newspaper, but it’s clear by his reaction that he had no idea about it. The doctor comments that she simply has a guilty conscience.

Sister Mary makes an announcement in the common room regarding the storm and says that a movie will be shown on Friday called, “Sign of the Cross.” She describes it as a “movie full of fire, sex, and the death of Christians.” One of the patients, called the Mexican, notices her red glowing eyes and calls her Satan. Kit and Grace talk about another escape over a game of chess (symbolic). Grace is still bitter towards Lana however, Kit explains that, “If I believed what you do about me, I would have done the same, but I didn’t kill anyone.”

Next, Sister Mary walks into Sister Jude’s office with the Communion wine saying that she thinks someone is watering it down. She or the Devil is tempting Jude, trying to get her to relapse. Sister Jude notices her bright red lipstick, similar to the shade Sister Jude use to where in her past life, another taunt.

Meanwhile, the creepy Doctor Arden shows Kit the microchip that came out of his neck. It’s hopping in a jar as if it’s happy to see him. The doctor accuses Kit of being a spy for the Germans, Jews or the U.S..

The Mexican is praying in her room, holding rosary beads. Sister Mary comes in and screams at her using a deep “demon” voice to repeat after her.  They kneel on the side of the bed together, and begin to pray in Spanish. In the middle of the prayer, Sister Mary takes out a pair of scissors and stabs her in the neck, and then the chest. This is the first “OMG” moment. Seriously, OMFG. And yes, the F is needed because this moment came out of nowhere. It was crazy awesome. Sister Mary then dumps the bloody body outside to feed the monsters. We see a man covered in sore and boils – one of Dr. Arden’s creations?

Sister Mary visits Dr. Arden’s office next, regarding the monsters. Then her tone changes toward him, she exposes herself to him and begins talking very dirty. Bad nun! A slight “OMG” moment. Dr. Arden is taken aback by her actions, slaps her and throws her out of his office.

In the common room, Lana approaches Dr. Thredson about getting a message to her girlfriend. He tells her that he would be betraying Sister Jude as he conceals Lana’s note in his jacket. Zachary Quinto (Thredson), post-Heroes, is a much better actor. He draws you in immediately. I love his character this season. Last seasin, he was funny and neurotic, but I think this better suits him.

Sister Jude, red lipstick tube in hand, confronts Dr. Arden about Sister Mary’s odd behavior. The two blame each other for her change saying they each corrupted her purity. If only they knew it was the Devil. I love knowing something that they don’t. Sister Jude tells him he can’t run her off that easily. This whole possession thing could get old fast so I am going to enjoy it while I can.

Alone in the dark, Sister Jude is still dealing with her flashbacks and anxiety over the newspaper story. Suddenly, the phone rings and on the other end we hear a young girl’s voice saying, “You left me there, you never even bothered to get out of the car.” Spooky! Sister Jude sees the broken eyeglasses similar to the ones the girl was wearing. This is the final push, crying, she reaches for the wine. She gives into temptation and into the possessed taunts of Sister Mary.

During the movie, Dr. Thredson tells Lana that he dropped by her house and discovered the door was unlocked and he found blood at the scene. He made reference that it looked eerily similar to the disappearance of some of the other victims of Bloody Face. Everyone thinks they already caught the maniac aka Kit, however, it appears that both Dr. Thredson and Lana silently concluded that Kit is not Bloody Face. Even though Lana wants to believe they caught him.

Shelley, Kit, Grace, and Lana attempt another escape. Shelley ‘sacrifices’ herself so the others can head to the basement. Lana leads the trio to the exit tunnel. At the same time, Dr. Arden uses the red lipstick to draw on a statue of the Virgin Mary and starts screaming “whore” at it over and over again. Yeah, this guy is crazy. This is another “WTF” moment. The doctor knocks the statue down and it smashes into pieces.

Sister Jude, now drunk, is roaming around in search of the Mexican. She tumbles upon what appears to be an alien although it flashes quickly on the screen. Shelley is trying to meet back up with the others to escape, but unfortunately for her, she runs into Dr. Arden who might be on the verge of insanity. The doctor takes Shelley to his office and starts undressing. He tries to have his way with her, but Shelley begins to laugh when she realizes the size of his….you know – enraged he knocks her out.

The three escapees reach the outside where it’s pouring rain. They attempt to find the road. Kit discovers parts of the Mexican outside and then a creature chewing on his flesh. “OMG” moment! It chases them back into the tunnel and back to the asylum.  They rejoin the rest of the patients in the common room and notice Shelley is not there.

Shelley wakes up in Dr. Arden’s treatment room, strapped to the table, and covered with a white sheet. He explains to her that everyone thinks she escaped into the woods so no one is looking for her, commenting that, “You were a very naughty girl last night, so I had to clip your wings. But not to worry, my surgical training is impeccable.”

He pulls back the sheet, and he starts amputating. He cut off her legs from the knee down. I’m going to take a moment here: OMFG! He cut them off. OMFG! I said this out loud in my apartment, to no one, half expecting a response.

This was the biggest and craziest “OMG” moment of not only the episode, but also of the season so far. I cannot believe he did that. I’m shocked! I figure we would see her dead body being eaten by the monsters, but no…OMFG! And now that no one is looking for her, what will be her fate?

The preview for next week implies Dr. Arden is going to experiment more with Shelley. He injects her brain with a needle and says, “This will make you live forever.” I have no idea what is going to happen. Will they discover that Sister Mary is possessed? What are Kit, Grace, and Lana going to do now that they failed to escape twice? Is Dr. Thredson convinced of Kit’s innocence?

Did you watch last night? What did you think? Were you as shocked as I was?