Review: American Horror Story: Asylum, S2 Ep 4, “I Am Anne Frank: Pt. 1”
Air date: Wednesday, November 7, 2012, 10pm ET/PT on FX
Rating:
The newest patient at Briarcliff Manor
Briarcliff Manor gets a new patient with the arrival of a woman claiming to be Anne Frank (Franka Potente). That’s pretty farfetched since we have documentation that the real Anne died at Bergen Belsen in 1945. I do believe, however, that this Anne was in a concentration camp at some point and did run into Dr. Arden (James Cromwell). We already know what an evil letch the doctor is, so when Anne claims he’s Hans Gruper, a Nazi war criminal, are we really surprised? I’d like to think we’ve seen the full brunt of his diabolism, but apparently, there are even more layers of evil. What he’s doing to Shelley (Chloe Sevigny) is beyond reprehensible. There seems to be no rhyme or reason for his so-called experiments; it’s simply about doling out torture, and if indeed he was a Nazi war criminal, then he’s just plain sadistic, unlike Adolf Eichmann, the subject of Hannah Arendt’s “Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil.” The story Anne tells Sister Jude (Jessica Lange) sounds somewhat plausible, and I’m inclined to believe her (except for the claim she’s Anne Frank). I don’t see anything insane about her, and I anticipate her giving it good to the monstrous doctor.
Sister Jude exhorts the monsignor to investigate Dr. Arden
I was hoping Monsignor Howard (Joseph Fiennes) would be one of the good guys, but he’s actually Dr. Arden’s accomplice. A complaint from Sister Jude forces him to call on the doctor to clean up his mess to avoid being discovered. What stake does the monsignor have in Dr. Arden’s experiments? The way he deftly skirts the Sister’s complaint is very smooth; it seems he’s used to covering up for the doctor and, in so doing, has become expert at diverting the focus on to the complainant. But I’m counting on Sister Jude to uncover the truth; she’s clever enough to make the connection between the Nazi memorabilia found in the doctor’s home and Anne’s Nazi war criminal claim, and although she feels guilty for drinking, I’m sure she’ll discover the truth one way or another. She may be a terrible nun, but I actually feel some empathy for her despite her actions involving a long ago accidental hit and run.
Leave it to Lana (Sarah Paulson) to daydream of winning a journalistic award for an exposé on Briarcliff Manor. I thought she would wither under Sister Jude’s watchful eye, but she’s proven tougher than I expected. I’m not really a fan of hers, especially after she ratted out Kit (Evan Peters) and Grace (Lizzie Brocheré), but I admire her tenacity. I feel for her, though, when she reluctantly submits to Dr. Thredson’s (Zachary Quinto) administration of aversion therapy to cure her homosexuality. She sees this as her only way out, but when the therapy proves unsuccessful, there’s still a glimmer of hope that she may one day write that exposé.
Lana’s still intent on writing her expose on the asylum
What a welcome sliver of humanity we get when Kit and Grace share some truths with each other in the kitchen. In an otherwise relentlessly dark episode, it was like a sigh of relief to see both of them expose their intimacies and engage in some good old-fashioned lovin’. Sadly, the moment is short-lived, and Grace’s admission of why she’s in the asylum isn’t entirely truthful, but for good reason. I shan’t spoil you on this one but her story about how much she loved the horses on her family’s farm is a touching one.
I have a quibble about the music. Playing “Dominique” on an endless loop is driving me a little nuts. When will Sister Jude allow the nuns to change it up a bit, or is she trying to drive the patients even more batty? I can’t tell.
American Horror Story: Asylum airs Wednesdays, 10pm ET/PT, only on FX Networks.
LIKE the show on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/americanhorrorstory.
Follow American Horror Story: Asylum on Twitter: @AHSFX.
You might also like to follow co-creator Ryan Murphy @MrRPMurphy, Director/Producer Brad Falchuk @BFalchuk, Dr. Thredson @ZacharyQuinto, Lana Winters @MsSarahPaulson, Spivey @MarkConsuelos, and Kit Walker @tweetsonurface.
Photos ©2012 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Juana
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