S09.E07: The Lady in White

[Bali]

I'm a week behind due to a camping trip. (Yes, I get that irony). I am LOVING THIS SEASON! I really am. I read the complaint that there is a lack of intellectual backbone to the story. To me, some of the things that others have read into the other seasons simply isn't there- or I can't get past the awfulness to see the backbone- too much yuck to sift through. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. And sometimes a slash/horror flick is just a slash/horror flick. I'm okay with that. I'm actually getting a cohesive story here. And gosh golly darn it- after sitting through some of the seasons of this show- and watching EVERY episode- I deserve that. 

Yes- the acting is bad. I'll give everyone that. Lilly Rabe and John Carroll Lynch yes more please- And also PLEASE find a way to add in Dennis O'Hare. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE.

I'm going to tick through a few thoughts:
I like the thought that Lavinia's hatred is keeping them there. She hates the counselors. So they are trapped. She also hates Jingles. She hates Jungles SO much that she has also trapped his imposters. (It's what they get for impersonating him- please remember that it doesn't have to make sense to logical people, as long as it makes sense in her deranged mind) Bertie got to move on because there was sympathy for someone who had to be a cook.

Trevor and Montana had one night. It was probably basically meaningless to Montana because she was all into Ramirez. But it might have meant just enough that she decided to not kill him. And for Trevor- it was the last time he did it with someone who wanted HIM. Not wanted him to stay silent- there is a big difference there.

If the ghosts aren't able to get Lavinia to release the curse and release them, then they may get stuck listening to Kajagoogoo for eternity. Oh dear, poor murderous things. Pretty certain that is at least one version of Hell. 

[lightninggirl]

On 11/2/2019 at 11:17 AM, sashayshante said:

Emma Roberts never went to jail.

Sorry - to clarify, I meant Brooke got more tolerable after the jail stint. I am in complete agreement with you r.e. Emma Roberts being an abuser and it being ignored/her being rehired for whatever reason.

[Black Knight]

What an amazing episode! I love the pantheon of serial killers, from the AHS creations like Montana to the AHS homages like Lavinia to the real life one in Richard Ramirez.

I see upthread that lots of people mentioned Lavinia being a homage to Jason's mother, but I'm surprised nobody referenced The Hitcher for Dylan McDermott's character. That movie came out in 1986, and much like the Night Stalker, had a deep psychic impact on a region like SoCal that is so car/freeway-driven.

I love, love, love Lily Rabe, and it was great to see her playing an extremely malevolent character this go-round. And wow, until her final scene, I was thinking that she just might have the title of "worst AHS mother ever." But she did soften once she heard that Benjamin had named his son after Bobby. Also, while she's based on Jason's mother, Lady in White was a 1988 horror movie popular among pre-teens. I watched it at at least three different slumber parties. There are no plot/character similarities, but I'm sure the ep title is a small nod to the film.

I keep forgetting to mention this, but Margaret has said at least twice over the course of the series that the lake is bottomless. I wonder if that is going to play in somehow - like maybe that's why Lavinia can never find Bobby even though she senses him sometimes.

I'm not sure which place/time would be worse for a living human being to be at - the house at the end of Roanoke, or this music festival. Montana's plan to escape, "If we kill all these people, paranormal experts will come to investigate and one will break the curse!" seemed hilariously poorly-conceived...but then, thinking of horror movies, she's not really wrong, is she?

I liked the burgeoning friendship between Brooke and Donna - I don't feel like the inclusion of the roller rink sequence was just nostalgia-service (though of course I loved it for that), it was important in making the characters actual friends. I knew there was no way Brooke would kill Donna. The first part of that scene was horrific to watch, though - I gasped when I saw Donna lying in the road, tied to the truck. I kept thinking of James Byrd Jr., the black man dragged to death in 1998.

The other ghosts are going to be so unhappy when they realize Benjamin already killed himself and so none of them can. Hee. I love the way everything and everyone is converging on this music festival, with various agendas at play.

ETA: Also, interesting to see that Donna and Benjamin have the same experience of walking in on a parent to discover they're a serial killer. I wonder if in some weird way that's what made them connect on a subconscious level at the asylum.

[Bruinsfan]

20 hours ago, Black Knight said:

ETA: Also, interesting to see that Donna and Benjamin have the same experience of walking in on a parent to discover they're a serial killer. I wonder if in some weird way that's what made them connect on a subconscious level at the asylum.

Now THAT's got to be a tough anecdote to find a match for on Plenty of Fish!