Contributor: Gregg Wright
Written by James Wong
Directed by Bradley Buecker
James Wong’s first episode of the year is the season’s Halloween episode, which is fitting, since he did last season’s Halloween episode (the first part of it anyway). That episode marked the point where things started to go a bit nuts and the pace made a satisfying lurch forward. “Tricks and Treats” doesn’t do quite the same thing for this season (which doesn’t really need the boost anyway), but it’s a reasonably effective follow-up to the premiere. Though, I do think it may represent a slight stumble for the show, depending on how everything plays out in future episodes.
Part of what makes “American Horror Story” so much fun is in its ability to irreverently motor through a whole bunch of horror tropes, usually putting its own unique spin on the material that makes it more than just an homage. The early episodes of the first season leaned a little too far in the “homage” direction, making the whole affair feel a bit too Tarantino for my tastes. But the show quickly began injecting more of its own, unique identity into the mix. However, this episode may come a bit closer than I’d like to falling into that old trap.
With the heavy infusion of Catholicism and a 1960s sanitarium setting, it was probably inevitable that demonic possession would find its way into the storyline somewhere. And so it has. A couple of concerned parents have brought their boy to Briarcliff for help, just as the skeptical psychiatrist, Dr. Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto in his new role), has arrived to determine the extent of Kit Walker’s alleged insanity. Naturally, it isn’t long before Sister Jude and Monsignor Timothy Howard call in an exorcist.
The ensuing exorcism scenes basically take all the exorcism cliches and amp them up a bit. There’s all the cursing, spitting, horrible voices, and desperate priests trying to utter Latin incantations while being thrown around the room. It’s frantic and over-the-top enough to be entertaining, and it has the signature style of “American Horror Story” behind it, but it’s all just a little bit too typical. It needs a clever twist on the original trope, like tying in the possession with the aliens. Of course, that may still happen, but for the moment this looks every bit like the prototypical demonic possession.
The rest of the episode continues to live up to the very high standard set by the show. If it wasn’t clear before that there is something very wrong with Dr. Arthur Arden, then this episode makes it abundantly clear. Arden has some very complicated feelings toward women. The best way I can describe it is that he seems to resent a certain type of woman, and sort of takes it out on them through sexual acts. It’s not clear whether Sister Mary Eunice is just another potential victim, or something more to him. But his relationship with Sister Eunice may be the one thing that serves to humanize him.
The other storyline centers on Kit Walker, Grace, and homosexual reporter Lana Winters. All three believe themselves to be innocent, and strive to escape. The chaos resulting from the violent exorcism gives them a narrow window of opportunity, but Lana’s unwillingness to trust Kit ends up ruining everything. Kit’s self-sacrifice will probably contribute to her coming to regret her decision, but I don’t think any of the three will be escaping any time soon. As much as I might like to see the story expand beyond the asylum, I don’t think that it will do so much more than it already has.
With “American Horror Story”, there always seems to be so much going on in any given episode, it’s inevitable that I’ll neglect to touch on something. There’s the revelation regarding Sister Jude’s past, which is somewhat interesting in how it contrasts so massively with her current personality. And there’s the depictions of the Bloody Face Killer stalking and murdering in both the past and the present. This appears to be confirmation that Kit is not the BF Killer; at least, not the one that kills Lana’s lover while he’s at Briarcliff. Just what IS the Bloody Face Killer? His nature and motives are still a complete mystery.
“Tricks and Treats” falls a bit short of the premiere, and it doesn’t really capture the Halloween spirit like last year’s Halloween episode did, but it’s a highly enjoyable installment with lots of tantalizing clues to hold us over until next episode. If the episode fails at all, it is because it relies a bit too heavily on standard horror elements, and doesn’t have enough of the show’s usual deviant flair and clever subversion. Though, it has to be said that Quinto’s Dr. Oliver Thredson may have been given the funniest (albeit sobering) line of the show thus far: “Sister, your hospital still administers electroshock therapy to treat homosexuality. It’s barbaric! Behavior modification is the current standard!”
Score: 8/10
