S12.E04: Vanishing Twin

[Mr. Sparkle]

With help from Siobhan, a major announcement helps restore Anna's public image. Behind closed doors however, something powerful seems to be taking over.

Airs Wednesday, October 11th. 

[voiceover]

Welllllll…anytime you dangle the Tudors in front of me, you’ve got my attention.  And there was a *scrap of veracity, but getting promised a “fruitful reign”?  Yeah; no.  So another “Wow here’s a visual plot point that goes nowhere…”

Finally the husband gets a smidge of likability, but his mom?  What was that post-weirdo electric mask black stream down her neck, and what a bitch!, and is she trying to tell us, despite all that, that the Devil has entered the picture via heredity??

And as a non-AHS fan, do repeat actors play a variation on the same roles?  Leslie Grossman seems to be reprising her Evil Agent from Season 10 (the only one I’ve seen, which also depicted the wife losing her hair).

Taking bets that Series Savior will be the wimpy director.  I saw an opening.

Meanwhile, you guys keep doing what you do — remaking the series in this thread into something I’d actually watch.

ps: I’ll buy into the “didn’t know it was twins”, only because in 1991, a friend went to her Dr over a persistent flu (“Oh it’s not the flu, you’re pregnant!”); then after several weeks: “Oh it’s twins!”; then after several more weeks: “Oh it’s triplets!”  You will be unsurprised to hear that my friend’s reax to that last diagnosis was “I’m never fucking coming back to this place.”
 

[AnimeMania]

I can't figure out why, but I actually liked this episode. There were just enough randomly weird things going on, that I actually became intrigued. I am not sure why Anna was drooling "blood" when she was looking at that delicious raccoon. You know what "Arby's", add raccoon to your menu! Why are there not more spiders in the show? Everybody knows that spider venom drool is "green?", maybe?

I recently learned that the "supposedly" correct way to eat with a fork is to always have the tines pointing downward. It seemed weird that two members of the same family, mother and son, would eat with there forks pointing in opposite directions. 

Billie Lourd 
Leslie Grossman

Edited October 12, 2023 by AnimeMania

[luckyroll3]

8 hours ago, voiceover said:

Welllllll…anytime you dangle the Tudors in front of me, you’ve got my attention.

Same. I actually stopped what I was doing to pay attention. 

8 hours ago, voiceover said:

And there was a *scrap of veracity, but getting promised a “fruitful reign”?  Yeah; no.

No one said it would be *her* fruitful reign..... I wish that instead of declaring Elizabeth barren after her "I would nevah!!!!" speech, they would have instead said, "we'll see." Then in a future ep we can come back to Elizabeth, this time early in her reign but having to deal with an unplanned, out of wedlock pregnancy, resulting in her being a hypocrite and making the same deal to not lose her monarchy, then resulting in her barrenness, but a great and long reign. I mean, this shit writes itself!

[rhofmovalley]

I appreciated the opening scene because no Emma Roberts. Then I UNappreciated the opening scene because Billie Lourd. 

I am glad I had already finished eating my dinner before the final scene.

So she treats the dead, maggot infested dog like it's her baby at first, then she eats it? WTAF??

[Madding crowd]

The raccoon scene was disgusting! Anna is just so passive, I keep wanting her to be more assertive. She is paying her agent and the PR women, they should speak to her in a more professional way. Why is the OB doctor so weird? Even in Rosemary’s Baby the OB guy acted normal until the end. I did like the beginning and the curse idea and wonder how it ties in with the mother in law’s recovered memories. Her relationship with Anna I believe; my mother in law was a terrible person to me and I found it hard to stick up for myself because my husband wouldn’t get involved. I like the actor but the husband seems sleazy.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Madding crowd

[Snazzy Daisy]

Yeahhh right...

Even for transactional sex, Kim and Siobhan would never do someone who looks and smells like Hamish Moss. Never. They'd hire someone else to get the job done.

🙄🙄🙄

[iMonrey]

I can't believe we're only four episodes into this mess. It seems like it's been going on forever. 

18 hours ago, voiceover said:

Welllllll…anytime you dangle the Tudors in front of me, you’ve got my attention.

Yeah, I mean it was a nice break from the dreck we've been getting so far, but then it just went back to more of Emma Roberts wandering around in a daze while weird shit happens.

7 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

I appreciated the opening scene because no Emma Roberts. Then I UNappreciated the opening scene because Billie Lourd. 

Ryan Murphy is never going to give up trying to make Billie Lourd happen, apparently. I don't know where she'd be without him. Definitely not on my TV.

There's just a glimmer of a story coming together here, but it's not quite enough for all the crap we've sat through so far.

And that thing on Anna's chin is driving me nuts. What is it supposed to mean, and why doesn't anyone else seem to notice it? You'd think Siobhan would be jumping out of her chair at the sight of that thing.

[voiceover]

51 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

that thing on Anna's chin is driving me nuts. What is it supposed to mean

Didn’t Siobhan have one too, in the first ep?  Or someone else?  I’m fairly certain SOMEone else did.

I’m kind of vibing “mark of the devil” on preggos?  Didn’t Siobhan mention being part of the IVF thing?

[Avaleigh]

20 hours ago, voiceover said:

Welllllll…anytime you dangle the Tudors in front of me, you’ve got my attention.

I feel that way too and I'm mildly curious to see how this scene fits into the larger story. I was also expecting Siobhan to pop up in that scene along with the Ashleys, but I guess Kim being in on it is supposed to be a surprise even though it couldn't be more obvious.

The Tudor scene and the scene with the mother in law were the only times I felt engaged with what was happening on screen. Nice to see Debra Monk. She's always playing terrible mothers, isn't she? 

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

I can't believe we're only four episodes into this mess. It seems like it's been going on forever. 

This. I'm kind of mad at myself for continuing to watch. I guess it's hard to quit a show I used to think was awesome. I'm always hopeful they'll get their mojo back. 

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

And that thing on Anna's chin is driving me nuts.

Isn't it supposed to be a sac of spider eggs? I keep wating for the spiders to hatch out of her face. That's an old school scary story where some girl thinks she just has the worst pimple ever but it's actually a sac of spider eggs and she doesn't realize it until it bursts. ETA: I'm guessing it'll rupture once she goes into labor. 

Edited October 13, 2023 by Avaleigh

[iMonrey]

1 hour ago, Avaleigh said:

Isn't it supposed to be a sac of spider eggs? I keep wating for the spiders to hatch out of her face. That's an old school scary story where some girl thinks she just has the worst pimple ever but it's actually a sac of spider eggs and she doesn't realize it until it bursts. ETA: I'm guessing it'll rupture once she goes into labor. 

It didn't appear at all in her video. Which means it either isn't really there or it was covered in makeup. And if it's the latter why isn't she always covering it in makeup?

[Snazzy Daisy]

7 hours ago, voiceover said:

Didn’t Siobhan have one too, in the first ep?  Or someone else?  I’m fairly certain SOMEone else did.

The mysterious Ivy has it too. Not Siobhan.

[voiceover]

6 hours ago, Avaleigh said:

Isn't it supposed to be a sac of spider eggs?

I may never stop throwing up at this thought

[Mr. Sparkle]

22 hours ago, rhofmovalley said:

I appreciated the opening scene because no Emma Roberts. Then I UNappreciated the opening scene because Billie Lourd. 

She was ok in the opening scene because she was supposed to be stoic and wooden, which is her wheelhouse. If she had to play a 2x4, she'd win an Oscar. 

The Ashley/Ashleigh characters were terrible. I don't think Leslie Grossman is much better an actress than Billie Lourde. But of course, the plot is advancing now that they're going to the mid-season finale next week. I hope there's not another 5-6 episodes of Emma Roberts walking around frightened and vomiting blood.  

[leocadia]

10 hours ago, Superclam said:

The Ashley/Ashleigh characters were terrible. I don't think Leslie Grossman is much better an actress than Billie Lourde.

This x1000!  In the shot with them and Kim K, I actually thought to myself, "Is this really the same show that used to attract the talents of people like Jessica Lange, Frances Conroy, Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulsen, Angela Bassett and Lily Rabe?   Pathetic!  

**There are many more great female talents, these are just off the top of my head.

[Mattipoo]

Looks like the publicists in the present day are all witches making deals with pregnant women to get their babies. Maybe Kim Kardashian is the monster baby that was taken away from the queen.

I don't know why I am still watching this drivel. Clearly, nobody involved with the production cares anymore.

Edited October 14, 2023 by Mattipoo

[AManfred]

On 10/12/2023 at 8:04 PM, Avaleigh said:

Isn't it supposed to be a sac of spider eggs? I keep wating for the spiders to hatch out of her face. That's an old school scary story where some girl thinks she just has the worst pimple ever but it's actually a sac of spider eggs and she doesn't realize it until it bursts. ETA: I'm guessing it'll rupture once she goes into labor.

That's what I thought, too, and plays into the opening credits.

Also, one of my favorite stories from childhood:

https://www.scaryforkids.com/the-red-spot/

[Starchild]

You don't actually think I'm going to click that link do you?

[tennisgurl]

That opening with the Tudors was actually interesting, its taken us four episodes but things are actually kind of happening. Not many things, but its something. They really shouldn't have gone with Leslie Grossman and Billie Lourde as these seemingly immortal powerful witches or demons or whatever, no way do they have the gravitas to pull that off. The actress playing young Elisabeth made more of an impression in her one scene than half the cast so far. 

Dex was actually a bit more likable in this one, probably because his mom is just so horrible. Its the first time I even entertained the idea of him not being in on it and just being sort of clueless and thoughtless towards his wife, but probably not. What kind of parents response to "my wife had a miscarriage" is "I need you to help me sue your father"? Are we going to find out that his dad really was doing satanic rituals and Dex is the product of one of these baby deals? 

Its hard to root for Anna, she's sort of a cipher even beyond being gaslit, and she's so passive.