Ray Mickshaw / FX Happy Halloween! And wow, did American Horror Story roll out the tricks and the treats tonight.
In tonight's episode, "Halloween: Part 1," the theme was all about the legend that All Hallow's Eve was a chance for the dead to walk the earth. So, we got to meet more past occupants of the house (Hi, Zachary Quinto!), and Hayden (Kate Mara) rose up to pay an unfriendly visit to Ben (Dylan McDermott). Plus, a major character gets killed off! And that's only "Part 1."
But don't worry, we have plenty of scoop on "Part 2"…
WHAT WE LEARNED:
Vivien's Baby Is Dangerous: Clearly Vivien (Connie Britton) has a latex-demon baby growing inside of her. When the 8-week old fetus already started kicking (very Breaking Dawn of AHS), Ben took his wife to the hospital. The nurse insisted that the kicking was impossible, but when she looked at the ultrasound monitor, she asked Vivien if she was sure of the timeline. Then the nurse passed out from whatever she saw on the screen. Did we get to see it? No. Blast! But maybe that's for another time.
Constance Does Have a Heart: She may be evil and always plotting something, but how could your heart not break for Constance when her daughter Addy (Jamie Brewer) was hit by that car while trick-or-treating? Constance (Jessica Lange) was so overwhelmed with grief, and she tried to fix the situation by dragging Addy's lifeless body towards the Harmon yard. The supernatural qualities of that house keep piling up. Alas, it seems that Addy is indeed dead for good. At least we got another Emmy-worthy performance by Lange out of the tragic scene.
Quinto Is a Friendly Ghost. Hayden Is Not: We told you in today's preview post that Chad (Quinto) and his boyfriend were actually pretty friendly ghosts. And they were, for the most part. They hung out with the Harmons and helped them decorate for Halloween so the house can sell faster. Quinto of course crushed his role of a sassy and bitter scorned man, and we are deliriously excited for more of him. As for unfriendly ghosts, Hayden popped up at the front door at the very end of the episode wearing what was one of the creepiest smiles we've ever seen. Yep, she's back. And she's pissed.
You know who else is not a friendly ghost? The demon baby from the pilot, Infantata (Ben Woolf). Turns out, in the 1920s, crazy Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross) and wife Nora's (Lily Rabe) son was kidnapped and murdered by the boyfriend of one of their abortion patients. The doctor put his Frankenstein complex to "good" use by stitching up the remains of his dead offspring, who is probably still haunting the basement to this day.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- Was it just us or is there something between Vivien and the security guard?
- Is Addy really dead?
- What else do Chad and his boyfriend want with the Harmons?
- The latex man is back! What/who is that thing?
WHAT LIES AHEAD:
Hayden Is as Unhinged as It Gets: If Quinto was this ep's star, then Mara is the shining light of "Part 2." She is brilliant as the dissed and crazy ghost of Ben's past, and she does all kinds of creepy things to freak out Vivien. Think bathtubs, urban legends, phone calls…the whole nine yards.
Tate Gets a Lot More Interesting: Or confusing. Depends on how you look at it. The point is, ghosts pay Tate (Evan Peters) a visit in the next episode and they are pissed for something he did to them. Hmmm, now what could ghosts possibly be angry about?
Ben Is Losing It: He's got a girlfriend haunting him, and he's not even sure that she's dead. He's also got Larry (Denis O'Hare) still up in his grill, and a wife who is being stalked by an ex-lover. We don't blame him for going insane, but through it all, he promises one thing to his wife: "I am not giving up on this family!" Does he keep that promise? Tune in on Sunday to find out.
What did you think of "Halloween: Part 1"? Got any burning questions of your own we didn't cover? Excited to see what Hayden has in store for Ben and Vivien? See you guys next Wednesday for "Part 2"!