TV Recap – American Horror Story: Hotel ‘Devil’s Night’
5 min read
So we’re four episodes in – how are we all feeling so far? I personally feel as though this season has been a bit ‘meh’ so far. Sure there was shock value in the first episode, but there’s really been no wow moments so far, and perhaps more importantly no one to cheer on. If John Lowe is the character we’re supposed to be rooting for, then we should all be a bit worried. But forgetting the so far lackluster season, let’s talk about what happened on Halloween’s night of nights: the John Patrick March hosted Devil’s Night.
We start with Lowe waking up to find blood dripping into his room from the room above. Why he’s still staying at the hotel I will never know. He heads upstairs to find the source of the mysterious blood, and comes face to face with the rather dead Miss Hazel Evers. We learn a little bit about her backstory: she paid no attention to her son and made him a crappy Halloween costume, which resulted in him getting kidnapped just like Holden. Except that Hazel’s son was abducted by a serial killer, who kept the children in a chicken coop before he killed them. They found the killer and his children, but not before he murdered Hazel’s son. She blames herself for her son’s death, and Lowe can relate to this. Before they can bond to much, Hazel shows her crazy sides and runs out of the room.
Speaking of kidnappings, Alex has taken Holden from the hotel. Apparently he somehow has some feelings for his mother beneath the zombie/vampire exterior, and went home with his mother. But of course he’s still a little vampire child, and he rips into the family dog. Hey, the kid was thirsty and we all saw that coming. What I couldn’t understand is why wouldn’t Alex call John? If not when she took him from the Hotel, but surely when he started drinking the dogs blood that was something to be concerned about? I’m assuming it all comes down to Alex’s ‘special bond’ with Holden, and she didn’t want to share her precious time with him with anybody else.
Holden didn’t feel well, so he takes Alex back to the hotel to meet his new mummy, The Countess. Countess knows all about Alex and her bond with Holden. She admits to taking Holden, saying that she saved him from a life of neglect. Geez, that’s a bit harsh when Lowe turned around to talk on the phone for 30 seconds. Anywho, Countess gives Alex some of the answers she needs; Holden’s contracted an ancient virus (of vampirism) and Alex pulls out a gun ready to shoot. The Countess offers her a deal: she’ll turn Alex into a vampire so that she can be with Holden forever. In return, Alex would have to work for the Countess. Alex leaves after being frightened off by Tristan, but the Countess has a feeling she’ll be back.
Lowe sits down at the hotel bar; after everything that’s been happening, he needs a drink. Alex always told him he wasn’t an alcoholic, he just likes to have control. After a few too many, a woman sits down next to him at the bar. The incredible Lily Rabe is a little rough around the edges, and as drag Liz Taylor says to Lowe “you’re too drunk to realise just how ugly that woman is.” It turns out that that woman was the very dead serial killer Aileen Wuornos, but Lowe doesn’t believe her and decides he wants to have sex with her. Smart decision! On the way to the room she smacks him over the head and Lowe wakes up tied to a chair. Wuornos’ psychotic tendencies show as she launches into one of those monologues that so many characters do before killing someone. But duh Lowe is a cop, and he manages to escape her clutches and arrest Wuornos. He later finds her gone, told that March makes sure to look after his invited guests.
Devil’s Night sees a host of famous dead murderers come to the Hotel Cortez for the most important night of the year – Halloween. Audiences would have recognised some the characters as the worst of the worst: Aileen Wuornos, Richard Ramirez, John Wayne Gacy, Jeffrey Dahmer and the Zodiac (I didn’t but that’s because I’m an Aussie). These serial killers all have a common thread in the AHS universe; they were taught their wicked ways by none other than John Patrick March. These were his best pupils, and despite now being dead, they still manage to get up to some fun. This was obvious when Ramirez murdered an Arizona couple with March. Nothing says bonding like a bit of murder with your buddy!
This proved doubly true when the gang of dead killers sacrificed a human for their dessert. But the dinner party fun aside – why was John Lowe at the dinner? He recieved a last minute invitation to the exclusive party, where a bit of absinthe was too much for him and he spent the entire time handcuffed to a chair and severely out of it. He spends his life trying to catch these bastard serial killers, and now he was surrounded by them all and watching them commit crimes. But why would March invite Lowe in the first place? I’ve read some great fan theories that suggest that Lowe himself may be the ten commandments killer. Not only does March have a talent for picking out a talented muderer, but there was talk of Lowe needing to be in control, and being blind to what’s around him. Of course that could mean the weird and wacky things happening in the hotel, but it would be an awesome twist if Lowe was the killer himself.
Lowe wakes up in an empty room, with Sally randomly turning up to tell him the whole dinner party was a hallucination caused by the alcohol. Who’s side is this woman on? I still can’t decide.
Oh and Alex returns to the Countess. She’d do anything to be reunited with her ‘one true love’, and subsequently is turned into a vampire. I feel like Alex would be the most boring vampire ever, to be honest.
How do you feel about this season of AHS so far? What do you think of the John Lowe killer theory? Let me know in the comments.
