Review: American Horror Story - "Birth" (Has evil incarnate finally been born?) #ahsfx

Review: American Horror Story, Season 1, Ep. 11 “Birth”

Air Date: Wednesday, December 14, 2011 10PM E/P on FX.

Rating: ★★★★★

Well, we don’t get to see Vivien’s (Connie Britton) demon-child nor does Ben (Dylan McDermott) realize the exterminator is missing. Do you think he even remembers what happened with Tate (Evan Peters)? I’m wondering if the house is beginning to take a toll on Ben’s mind and how he perceives things going on around him.

I freak out when a young Tate (Paul Butler) goes into the basement looking for his toy truck, only to encounter the Frankenstein child of Nora (Lily Rabe), but that is the only portion of “Birth” that put the horror in American Horror Story for me. I’m ready to cover my eyes in fear again but as of late, there’s been more drama and bloodshed rather than intense suspenseful scary moments. Although, “Birth” does provide a few jaw-dropping moments.

Review: American Horror Story - "Birth" (Has evil incarnate finally been born?) #ahsfx 1

Violet (Taissa Farmiga) refuses to go with Ben (Dylan McDermott) to pick up her mother

Violet (Taissa Farmiga) finally reveals her death to Ben. It’s not like she was going to be able to keep it a secret for much longer anyway because eventually (at least I hope eventually) Ben would notice or get a call from the exterminators that their guy is missing and find both bodies in the crawl space. I really like Violet’s character. Farmiga does an excellent job of portraying an adolescent girl in the throes of her first love while trying to cope with the fact that she accidentally (on purpose) committed suicide. Also, she’s superb at portraying the woeful and angst-ridden teenager whose parents are on the verge of divorce. When she learns of Tate’s previous misgivings, including being her new demon-brother’s daddy, she does something I wasn’t sure she was capable of – she ends their relationship. Her forceful delivery of “go away” seems full of anger, regret, and passion. I doubt those two will stay apart for too long, but for now, Violet is done with Tate.

Seems everyone is vying for Viven’s twins. Even “the gays” want in on the action. But if Grandma Constance (Jessica Lange) has anything to do with it, “the fairies,” Chad (guest star Zachary Quinto) and Patrick (guest star Teddy Sears) won’t stand a chance. Violet asks for Constance’s help in contacting the medium Billie Dean (guest star Sarah Paulson) to help them get rid of ghosts. Really? The house is full of them! I find it curious how Billie Dean tells the story of the Ghost Colony of Roanoke Island in 1590. If you are a fan of Stephen King, there was a TV mini-series in 1999 called “Storm of the Century” in which the same premise of a small town being wiped out of existence without a trace. As I watched “Birth,” I immediately began to think that the object Linoge (Colm Feore, Storm of the Century) wanted was a child (much like the house and ghosts living in it) which coincides with the direction the story arc takes us in this episode.

Review: American Horror Story - "Birth" (Has evil incarnate finally been born?) #ahsfx 2

Flash back scene - Vivien giving birth to Violet while Ben loving coaches her on.

Who wants the child the most? Is it the house? Nora? Constance? Does the child represent evil incarnate? There seems to be so many questions being asked yet very few of them get answered. If you’ve noticed throughout the entire season, American Horror Story references children in nearly every episode. What is it about having children, wanting children, or just the children themselves supposed to mean? Babies, to me, represent innocence, renewal, a fresh start to a new life but in “Birth,” one child (the stronger, evil child) devours all the nutrients in Vivien’s womb leaving the other baby small and weak. There’s nothing innocent about that.

What I’m not really thrilled about are the underlying, sometimes overbearing, religious tones. Constance quotes scripture to Chad about “man shall not lie with man,” but she herself is a walking contradiction and if memory serves, there is also a commandment which says “thou shalt not kill.” I believe Constance has a few skeletons buried in the backyard – literally! Aside from my aversion to the overtly religious connotations in the dialogue, “Birth” opens the door to more questions, yet leaves me hungry for more. Despite the lack of terrifying horror and my urgent need to have questions answered, I continue to find myself drawn in each week (like me to the lip-gloss section at Target) anxious for more drama and intrigue. (Note to FX – American Horror Story Bloody Red lip-gloss…think about it.)

Observations:

– At what point does Ben realize Violet is no longer in the back seat when he drives to pick up Vivien at the psychiatric hospital? It’s not like she’s a tiny child – she’s a teenager! These small inconsistencies in Ben’s behavior make me question if it is all part of the story regarding how the house affects the men who live there or if the writers themselves are absent-minded parents who don’t realize they forgot a kid like in Home Alone. Just saying.

– Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross) is delivering the twins but then leaves Vivien to bleed out after literally prying the baby from her womb. This leaves me both appalled and disgusted. Why kill Vivien and make her a ghost too? I don’t understand the reasoning.

– Billie Dean seems to have a strong aversion toward Tate. She doesn’t want him near her, especially during the conversation for banishing ghosts. There is a mystery there – something ties Billie Dean and Constance together because I know Constance didn’t just happen across a gifted medium like Billie Dean on Craig’s List.

– Someone please tell me if I’m missing something but why the hell is Hayden (Kate Mara) still around? Her story arc is unappealing at this point and seemingly has no relevance to the other characters in correlation to where the show is headed.

Memorable lines:

Chad asks Violet a question which Tate takes as a threat:

Chad: “Were you a c-section? Is there an existing zipper we might use?”

Tate: “Watch it you Goddamned Queen!”

Chad: “I am quaking in my loafers. What are you going to do – murder me?”

Chad tells Constance what he’s going to do with the babies: “Raise them? Oh honey, no, no, no. We’re going to wait until they reach that perfect adorable age around a year – year and a half or so, and then we’re going to smother them with hypoallergenic pillows that way they’ll be cute forever.” – I think Quinto’s performance is unnervingly chilling when he says this line to Constance. I hope he’ll continue to guest star in more episodes!

Constance to Billie Dean: “…now, can you ferret out the fairies for us?”

So what questions do you have that are still unanswered? I would love to know your thoughts on the season up to now as we head into the first season finale next week. Leave a comment and I’ll reply!

Tune into American Horror Story’s season finale next Wednesday, Dec 21^st at 10 PM E/P only on FX.

Tweet with @FXNetworks #ASHFX.

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Judy Manning

Dream chaser extraordinaire! Judy tends to be a tad sarcastic and kind of goofy! She is an avid admirer of all things supernatural, paranormal, celestial and mystical. She loves to read, write, and watches way too much TV. She enjoys many genres of film and music (and let's be honest, most music from the 80s). She also has a wicked sweet tooth. Cupcakes beware.