Review: American Horror Story, Season 1, Ep. 6 “Piggy Piggy”
Air Date: Wednesday, November 9, 2011 10PM E/P on FX.
Rating:
1994 – After going on an unexplained shooting rampage at Westfield High School, Tate (Evan Peters) waits in his room as SWAT storms in. And so begins “Piggy Piggy.”
After watching the episode, I am left reeling. Although this episode isn’t filled with heart-pounding intensity, aside from Ben’s (Dylan McDermott) new patient Derek (guest star Eric Stonestreet) testing his fears of urban legends in the mirror, it’s a very emotionally charged, informative and thought-provoking episode requiring some analysis.
[singlepic id=2354 w=320 h=240 float=left] Violet (Taissa Farmiga) learns some horrifying details about her new boyfriend Tate. As we all suspected, Tate is dead and after doing some online research, Violet now knows it too. Farmiga does such an excellent job conveying her anguish to the audience. You get the sense of realism as if she and Tate were actually dating and she’s learned the dreadful news about his past. It’s interesting how Constance (Jessica Lange) utilizes a medium, Billie Dean Howard (guest star Sarah Paulson), to help make Violet a believer. “I first found her on Craigs List.” Of course, where else would you find a credible medium, right? Although Constance wants Violet to help Tate realize he’s dead, initially she hoped the sessions with Ben would help Tate recover his repressed memories. In a recollection, we see Tate walk around with a shotgun and hand gun shooting kids and a teacher in the library with such a disturbingly menacing expression. Until now, Tate’s sweet disposition around Violet makes it hard to believe this is the same person. We still don’t know his reasons behind these violent actions but I’m sure they will be revealed in time.
The burning question from not only the kids he killed, but the SWAT team as well, is why. Why did Tate shoot all these people? The way he taunts the SWAT team using hand gestures like a gun to his head before reaching for a real gun seems to paint the picture that he wants to die. Constance believes the house drove him to madness and as I’ve mentioned previously, I believe as Violet does – the house has a soul—a very dark soul. I also find it curious when the medium channels Violet’s grandmother who told her on her death bed, “They don’t understand you…” Does Constance believe Violet is gifted like Billie in that she too is a medium? Somehow, I think Constance and Billie have other plans for Violet. I’ve always felt Violet may have another element to her being – possibly sensitive to certain things but I don’t think she’s tuned into her abilities. Her fearlessness is a façade. She may appear to be unafraid but she’s more frightened than she would let others believe. I think her fear will be both a blessing and a curse when dealing with the inhabitants of the house (both dead and alive).
[singlepic id=2357 w=320 h=240 float=right] Finally, we see Nurse Angie (Missy Doty) again and learn what she saw on Vivien’s (Connie Britton) ultrasound. “The unclean thing – what you carry in your womb; the plague of nations; the beast…” She even mentions seeing “hooves” on the baby. What the f*@#? Vivien, while not amused, shows signs of concern on her face. Too many strange things have happened in the house and according to Moira (Frances Conroy), Vivien cannot leave the house without experiencing violent morning sickness. If Vivien can’t leave the house, perhaps the child growing inside her is only alive when in the house, similar to the other inhabitants. Could the child Vivien carries be the reincarnated Frankenstein child of Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross)?
Observations:
– Violet seems desperate to quiet the fears running rampant in her mind and takes a handful of sleeping pills. When Tate drags her limp body to the shower, crying over her as he makes her vomit, you can see how much he’s in love with her. These two young actors truly bring to life this unique love story with such a sweet, yet dark, intensity.
– Vivien doesn’t seem to mind entertaining the idea of utilizing the alert button to summon the handsome new security guy, Luke (guest star Morris Chestnut). Is it wrong for me to hope something happens between them? As much as Ben has hurt Vivien, I would like her to be happy even if it is in the arms of another man. (Not to mention I have a huge crush on Chestnut!)
– Eric Stonestreet’s performance as a man addled with fear is amazing! Decidedly different from his role on Modern Family. When he stands in the mirror reciting the lines for an urban legend, “Here piggy, pig, pig…” it creeps me out so terribly, I have to put my hands over my eyes.
– The very exotic delicacies Constance introduces to Vivien to help appease her morning sickness make me wonder if Constance knows what is growing inside Vivien’s womb. The strange looking brain dish Moira pulls from the fridge seems to be almost a sacrificial type meal as it must be eaten raw… “for the baby” as she says. What makes me cringe – the way Vivien devours it, savoring every bite as if it’s the most delicious food she’s ever tasted. But the look upon her face after she’s finished makes me wonder if she surprised herself by enjoying it so much…as if she weren’t herself, possibly overcome with a compulsion to eat it. Maybe the baby had a craving.
American Horror Story continues to challenge conventional television, pushing the envelope with darker writing and imagery than we’ve seen in many moons. I love the acting, the set design, the direction, and the mystery of it all. Wednesdays are fast becoming my favorite day of the week!
Tune into American Horror Story Wednesdays at 10 PM E/P only on FX.
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Photos © 2011 FX Networks, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
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Judy Manning
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