Review: American Horror Story: Asylum, S2 Ep 7, “Dark Cousin”
Air date: Wednesday, November 28, 2012, 10pm ET/PT on FX
Rating:
Well, well. The devil residing in Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe) is getting some serious competition in the form of a black angel (a riveting Frances Conroy). It never occurred to me they’d actually cross paths but what a fascinating dynamic they have. The black angel only delivers death when people tell her they’re ready, but the devil wants her nowhere in the same vicinity. Is it possible such a divisive relationship exists between cousins?
A black angel comes to Briarcliff
You know, I love the idea of an angel making an appearance here. She may be the angel of death but she’s also an angel of mercy. Though I’m a lapsed Catholic, I’ve devoured parables of the angels and the saints since I was a child. Conroy’s portrayal is just sublime; her coolness and nonjudgmental nature made me feel peaceful, definitely a welcome respite from the constant jangle of nerves I always experience while watching American Horror Story.
I squeed when Sister Mary Eunice threw Dr. Arden (James Cromwell) clear across the room. How dare he! Silly, self-entitled fool had it coming to him. Do you think he’ll attempt to strike the Sister again after she tells him, “You touch me again … you will die”? I think not. He insists he’s in charge of Briarcliff, but she firmly stakes her place at the asylum when she tells him, “I hope that quantifies the chain of command, Arthur.” What a thrilling chill I got from that! I can’t believe I’m actually rooting for the devil to get Dr. Arden under its spell; both are equally evil but I want Dr. Arden to die a slow, painful death. He may not be directly responsible for Grace’s (Lizzie Brocheré) surgery but everything else, including his past as a Nazi, trumps that.
Poor Sister Jude (Jessica Lange)! She realizes too late that Sister Mary Eunice is possessed by the devil, but at least someone finally figures it out. Sister Jude is no lily-white saint but I have felt terrible for her ever since learning about her hit-and-run accident. Although, I breathed a sigh of relief when she learns the girl survived, and is now a grown woman with a baby. We are treated to a flashback of her life before becoming a nun, a life she lived as a hard-drinking songstress. Sure, there are plenty of regrets, but they’re regrets any of us would have—except for the hit-and-run part. The question is, will Sister Jude ask for mercy from the black angel now that she knows the girl she struck is alive? Now that she’s banished from Briarcliff, will she be able to make her way back? I’m counting on her because I suspect she’ll end up being the heroine of this story. In fact, I expect it.
Will Grace’s life be saved?
I don’t know how things can possibly look up for Kit Walker (Evan Peters). Now that the storyline is broadening to include the black angel (I’m expecting her to stick around), he’s sort of being relegated to the sidelines in terms of interest. After all, Lana (Sarah Paulson) is the only one who knows Dr. Thredson (Zachary Quinto) is Bloody Face, and now that the devil knows she knows that, it doesn’t necessarily mean Kit will get off so easily. Silly boy manages to escape police custody, and who takes the bullet? A poor, unsuspecting Briarcliff patient. (No, I won’t tell you who it is. That’d be a spoiler!) I grieved the loss but I sensed there was pretty much little hope for her—that is, unless all the patients are magically released from Briarcliff.
(Aside: Where the heck is Pepper? She started off so promising and now she’s not even making any appearances. What a waste of an opportunity for the writers, especially considering how much time they invested in changing actress Naomi Grossman’s appearance.)
Next week brings us a guest appearance from Ian McShane, formerly of Deadwood. I wonder what sort of patient he will be? Care to take a guess?
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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