TV Recap – American Horror Story: Hotel ‘Mommy’
5 min read
There’s been an underlying theme of children running throughout the season so far, and with this third episode titled ‘Mommy’, it’s not difficult to pick up. With most of the characters introduced now, we’re starting to dive nicely into the plot. But what twists did this week’s episode bring? Let’s recap.
Tristan heads back to where he first met March. He was terrified then, but now that he’s killed some people, he finally gets what the fuss is about. We’re reminded of the time difference between the characters when Tristan tells March he googled him, to which March replies: “that sounds obscene,” with a smirk on his face. March talks about acid pits and asphyxiation chambers hidden in the hotel – when do we get to see these? – and wants Tristan to make sure that new owner Drake isn’t going to get rid of the hallway in which March lives. Tristan’s plan is to seduce Drake and then to kill him, ensuring that Drake can’t alter the hotel. With the plan well underway, The Countess shows up at the pivotal moment and tells him no. She has plans for Mr Drake: she wants to marry him.
We get an insight into Alex’s (Lowe’s wife) head, and it turns out she has a few childhood issues herself. She had a bad childhood, and became a doctor so that she can save children in an attempt to save herself. Alex also admits that she bonded more strongly with Holden when he was born than John or Scarlett, and it destroyed her when he went missing. Smelling his head was also her drug of choice, because he smelt like lavender. So you know, not strange at all. But this is what convinces her there is truth to Scarlett’s story about seeing Holden, as the little girl swears he smelt like lavender.
Our Vogue editor’s stay is rudely interrupted when Max Greenfield (turns out the character’s name is Gabriel) bursts out of the mattress he was sewn into and kills her. Don’t worry about checking under the bed for monsters, just worry about checking inside them. After savagely stabbing Naomi Campbell, a bloody Greenfield stumbles out to the lobby and falls into the arms of Detective Lowe. He is later rushed to hospital, but flatlines. Perhaps this is a sign of the undead’s lives being linked to the hotel?
There’s been another Ten Commandments massacre, with journalists getting their tongues ripped out and/or nailed to the desk because of the commandment ‘thou shalt not near false witness’. Apparently as a gossip site they made a lot of shit up (what a surprise!), and that’s why the killer took aim at them. Lowe later runs into Sally and she *happens* to make a Ten Commandments reference. Assuming she’s the killer he arrests her, only to nearly succumb to her seduction, and eventually loses her.
Alex heads to the Cortez to tell John that she’s filing for divorce. He’s grief stricken, but she’s firm in her decision; it’s done. As Alex is leaving the hotel she’s plagued with the ghosts of the hallway, only to look up and see Holden standing there. “Hi Mommy,” he says, in that oh so creepy tone those kids have. It wouldn’t surprise me if Alex went completely crazy now, it really wouldn’t.
Speaking of children and mothers, Donovan and Iris have quite the complex relationship. Banished from The Countess’ side, Iris wants the two of them to move out of the hotel together. But why would Donovan want to live with her? All she’s done is made his life a living hell, including the time she made them join an insane vegetarian cult. Iris tries to play the sympathy card: “If I’m not your mother, then I don’t know who I am.” Yeah that didn’t work, because rebellious Donovan tells her if that’s the case, then she should just go and kill herself. Right-o.
She decides to take his advice, and turns to nemesis Sally for help in killing her. Sally is willing to help, only if Iris doesn’t have any baggage left to tie her to the hotel; she doesn’t want to see that ‘miserable old ass’ for the rest of her life. With that assured, Sally gives Iris enough drugs to ‘kill an entire marching band.’ But for whatever reason that doesn’t work, so Sally places a bag over Iris’ head to suffocate her. Suddenly Donovan’s at the door; after a heart to heart with Dennis O’Hare in drag as Liz Taylor (who is fabulous in every episode), he’s realised that his mother is the only thing he has in his life. But it’s too late, she’s gone. So Donovan turns to his last resort: he feeds Iris his blood and turns her into a vampire. Does this seem so bad? Na, not really. But after the story Donovan heard from Ramona Royale? Oh yeah it’s bad.
On his one night out from the hotel, Donovan went and snacked on a heap of homeless junkies, before being kidnapped by the fantastic Angela Bassett, aka Ramona Royale. She was a queen of the B-movie screen, until she met The Countess in the late 70s. The Countess turned Ramona, and they were lovers and partners in crime for over 20 years. That was until Prophet Moses came along (he was going to be as good as 2pac you know?), and was the most beautiful man Ramona had ever seen. She’d thought The Countess was supposed to be the love of her life, but she was wrong; it was Moses. After being together for a while, Ramona turned Moses. But it turns out that nobody else is allowed to make children but the queen herself. She kills an entire recording studio full of people, and then Moses, just to make her point clear. The Countess took away the only thing that Ramona had ever really cared about, but now she’s out for revenge and wants to kill The Countess’ monster children (Holden and the others). Her way in was Donovan, until he told her he’d been dumped. What good is he? Considering he’s just made his own vampire, I’d say Donovan is about to be in a lot of trouble.
What do you think of the season so far? Let me know in the comments!
