Sunday, October 28, 2012

Recapping AHS: Your Mother Dances for Soldiers in Hell


We begin where we left off last week with Teresa being chased by Bloody Face through the chute underneath Briarcliff. Teresa runs back to Leo, but Bloody Face is close behind. Bloody Face begins stabbing Leo repeatedly while Teresa cowers in the cell. Back in 1964, Wendy is talking with her fellow lesbians, vowing to break Lana out of the asylum while “Wishin’ and Hopin’” plays in the background. Nicely done with the irony there, show. Later that night, while showering, Wendy finds an open window in the house. When she goes to investigate, as all horror clichés do, she is attacked by Bloody Face.

Act 1! Sister Jude is leading a surprise search of the asylum. Pepper has a food violation hiding bread in her room. Shelly notes that she also has a cucumber, because why hide from any innuendos now? In Lana’s room, Jude finds notes that Lana has been taking about the conditions in the asylum. Jude confiscates the notes, but Lana says she has an excellent memory. Jude approaches Dr. Arden about using shock therapy for Lana as a therapeutic measure to help her get rid of her lesbian memories. Dr. Arden is surprised, saying that Jude has called shock therapy “barbaric”. Jude has prayed on the issue since then and has to come to a new appreciation of God’s tools. Lana is strapped down and the charges placed on her. Rather than perform the shocks himself, Arden asks Jude to administer them. She does, but seems conflicted about it. Maybe her humanity isn’t totally gone. We meet Dr. Thredson, sent to evaluate Kit by the state. Kit insists to Thredson that his wife is still alive and that the aliens have her. In the woods, Arden finds Sister Eunice feeding the creatures. Eunice wants to know more about them, but Arden defers and offers her a candy apple instead. Eunice refuses saying that indulgence is a sin, but Arden insists and she gives in, only slightly erotically. In the common room, Kit tried to get Grace to tell him how to get out of the asylum. Thredson tells Sister Jude that he’s appalled by what he’s seen here and that the conditions are less than, say, enlightened. Jude is all, whatever, I have to meet with a new family with a crazy son who is probably a chronic masturbator. Said family’s son actually has a much worse problem; the son has been seeing things not there and yesterday they found him in the barn covered in blood, having eviscerated a horse and eaten its heart while speaking a strange language. The staff confronts the son, Jed, and he immediately turns into Linda Blair.

Whatever else you do, don't let him get too friendly with the crucifix.

Act II! In the hydrotherapy room, Lana and Grace have been locked into the hot water tubs. Grace breaks them out and the two ladies are conveniently naked. Lana tells Grace she knows a way out of the asylum, but she needs help. In the kitchens, Shelly tries to get Arden to sleep with her in exchange for a few minutes outside where she can feel the sun. We learn that Shelly was only committed to the asylum after she lived a rather promiscuous life and her husband caught her sleeping with two Navy sailors. Arden is not impressed with her “it’s a man’s world” speech and calls her a whore. Meanwhile, the exorcist has been called for Jed. Monsignor asks that Thredson join them for the exorcism. In the common room, Kit helps Lana hide her notes as the orderlies send them all to bed early. Lana doesn’t trust him, believing that he is a murdered of women. The exorcism begins with Sister Jude barred from the room, despite her insistence that she’s strong enough to stay.

Act III! Arden is home setting up for a nice romantic dinner…with a prostitute. He tries to interest her in Chopin and a fine wine, but she begs off saying she doesn’t drink on dates or kiss on the mouth. Arden menacingly orders her to sit and then grabs a knife and begins to carve a roast all the while mentioning that she must be relieved that the local killer has been caught. Back at Chateau d’Pazuzu, Jed is getting demon-y. Jed taunts them, ending with the exorcist being lifted into the air and thrown against the wall. Monsignor rushes the exorcist to the infirmary and orders Jude to watch after Jed. Jed seems lucid, screaming for help and luring Jude into the room. Once she goes in, the demon attacks, calling her the smartest person in the room who’s worthless because she’s a woman and a slut, mocking her “red knickers” and the 53 men she’s had in her time. Flashback to a younger Jude singing in a nightclub for army soldiers in the war. She comes on to men, but goes home alone. Drunk, she accidently runs over a young girl with her car. Back in 1964, Jed is suddenly the little girl calling Jude a murderer. Jude snaps and attacks Jed and OH HELL YES do I want to watch Sister Jude bitch-smack a demon back to hell. 

Damn. "Hey Jude" indeed...

Thredson attempts to sedate Jed and in the process all the power in the building goes out. In the women’s war, the doors rattle then suddenly open by themselves. The women recognize their opportunity and Grace and Lana make a run for it, but Kit wants to come with. Lana yells for the orderlies saying that they’re escaping. The orderlies catch Grace and Kit, beating them. Back in Jed’s room, he’s going into cardiac arrest before sitting upright and then suddenly dying. As he dies, he stares directly at Sister Eunice who suddenly, ominously, falls backwards at the same time as the crucifix on the wall falls to the ground.

Act IV! Arden has made his prostitute dress like a nun. Oh Lord. As the whore gets ready, she stumbles across his personal collection of sexy photos, which involve a lot of women tied up and possibly even hurt and bloody. Arden throws her to the bed and tells her to get with the sexy but she kicks him in the groin, running for the door. The next morning, Arden visits an unconscious Eunice in the infirmary as she recovers from her “fainting” spell. She’s still meek and mild as ever, apologizing for being only in her undershirt. He leaves and she lays down, throwing the covers off her, as the crucifix on the wall shudders. In her office, Jude tells Lana she’s proud of her and has a treat for her - she brings Kit and Grace into the room and Lana gets to decide on the size of the riding crop that Jude will beat them with. Lana selects on size, but Jude chastises her for picking such a small one. Selecting the larger crop, Jude goes to beat Grace before Kit takes the fall for her. Jude spits that Kit seems to think that Grace is much better than she is before lashing Kit as Lana and Grace watch on.

Next week, there’s something about (sister) Mary (Eunice)…

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