S05.E05: Room Service

[Tara Ariano]

Alex uses an odd treatment to save a patient and Iris is tested by a couple that hates Halloween.

[GoneGirl]

9 minutes....

Edited November 5, 2015 by GoneGirl

[RazzleberryPie]

How did I not notice the Brian de Palma music in every single episode until this one? 

 

Was that James Cromwell's son as the policeman?

 

And the Emmys go to.............Kathy Bates and Dennis O'Hare.

 

Best episode of the season, with actual storytelling and acting, instead of just gore.

[toodywoody]

Loved it. Don't know what is going to happen with all the school vamps and actually don't care. Loved Liz's story. Loved seeing no longer meek Iris. Can't wait to see more of Angela Bassett and next week looks damn good

[mercfan3]

Great episode. 

 

The vampire children is a great twist, and I can't wait to see where it goes. It made me wonder how the child knew how to infect others though. Alex is gonna be in trouble..

 

Can't help it, shipping crazy man and weepy girl. 

 

I'm assuming everyone was happy when the Hipster couple died. (myself included)I think the best part of that was that it wasn't exaggerated for comical purposes hipsters..no..that was actual snobby hipsters. I thought I read that Criss would be around for multiple episodes though, so I wonder if he's going to haunt poor Iris. 

 

Liz Taylor's story was a little generic or expected, but they sold it so well I loved it.

 

Overall strong episode. It takes the story in a different direction. Also poor Scarlette

Edited November 5, 2015 by mercfan3

[Sakura12]

I called Alex being a dumbass and curing the sick kid with her vampire blood, thus creating a bunch of vampire kids. I feel bad for Scarlett both her parents are idiots. John is definitely a killer, he blacks out and doesn't remember them. 

 

Liked getting Liz Taylor's backstory. Iris was annoying me in the beginning. Hopefully she'll be stronger now. 

[tennisgurl]

You know Alex, I feel like turning a random kid into a blood drinking undead creature of the night, who will certainly kill people and create more undead creatures of the night, might actually be worse than not giving a kid their measles shot. I mean, thats pretty bad too, but take your own advice, girl. 

 

Hey! Its the dad from Even Stevens! Here to be town apart by vampire kids! Not what I was expecting to see today, but alright. 

[Tech Noir]

Was that James Cromwell's son as the policeman?

 

 

That was Rob Knepper (Carnivale, Prison Break etc) and I squeed so hard when I saw his name in the credits. We barely saw him, though, so I wonder if he'll show up again. He usually plays pyschos or bad guys.

 

I was SO into this whole episode. Gaga is Liz Taylor's drag mother! Bomer and Bassett had chemistry!And Ryan Murphy was pandering to all my revenge fantasies (die homophobes! die millenials!) and middle aged mistrust of young people.

 

Can't help it, shipping crazy man and weepy girl.

 

Right there with you, mercfan3.

[TeresaDee]

I can't find a character thread for Liz, so I hope this question is OK here. I want to know what Liz has been reading! Tonight it was Candide...did anyone pick up on her books from the previous episodes?

[Valny]

I'm assuming everyone was happy when the Hipster couple died. (myself included) 

 

Oh man, I couldn't wait for Iris to stab or slice the hell out of those two annoying people. If anyone deserved it, it was them!

 

I missed part of last week's ep so I didn't know Alex was a vamp!  Did the Countess turn her?

 

Bates was really good tonight, I felt so bad for her when she was shaking and looked so pale, it looked so real! A

Man,Matt Bomer looked especially good in that blue suit with the black shirt. Love that blue color too! And his hair wasn't so high this time, it looked great.  Not that I was staring or anything. 

 

 

The kids at the school scene was a little disturbing, especially feeding on that male teacher...but I thought it was good too. The second I saw that lady talking by the window, I knew the teacher would all of a sudden come right into the glass and surprise everyone.  Horror movie 101.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Valny

[caracas1914]

Hard to believe both Liz Taylor and Ramona Royale could tell fairly easily that Iris was now a vampire but the far more experienced Countess was apparently clueless.

Also why would the Countess think Iris would have any reason to still work at the hotel randomly with her son Donovan tossed aside?

[DB in CMH]

I really didn't care for the premiere but I'm warming to this season. Tonally, it's going back to the first two editions and leaving the Coven/FS OTT comedy to Scream Queens. It's an adjustment, but I'm liking it.

[Hollysdower]

That was Rob Knepper (Carnivale, Prison Break etc) and I squeed so hard when I saw his name in the credits.

 

Me too!

 

This was such a great episode! I LOL'd when Ramona said, "That ain't no case of the DTs, she been turn't!"

 

And the doc curing the kid with her blood, the kid changing his whole school, just great.

 

Some people had a problem with Gaga's acting...well, she was pretty fucking great in the scene where she made Liz Taylor!

[FiveByFive]

Kathy Bates was beyond fantastic this episode. I really thought she'd keel over at any minute. She was so different than her last two characters that it's just a reminder how great of an actress she is.  Her transformation was so physical that you could see at all moments that she was going through "something." So much "show" to go with her "tell." Heck, right down to her glasses being off center.

 

Matt and Angela were scorching. 

 

Either A.) The Countess really doesn't know that Kathy is a vampire now or B.) She does know.  It seems that she was making it clear to Chloe's character that she would be taking over Kathy's duties so essentially she's getting ready to kick her to the curb ... or maybe the grave.

 

I knew Alex would try and heal the kid but it looks like she's also created some "mutant" strain of the virus.  The kids all got sick and the "blood" healed them.  So I think what happens now is, the kids get hungry and get sick as they get hungry and the only way to feel better is the blood which just makes things even crazier.  

 

I'm also surprised the Countess never warned her to not be careless but even so, that kid was way too "into" being a vampire. He didn't hesitate to infect other people or even question who or what he was unlike Iris who knew what she was but didn't suddenly go blood crazy five minutes later.  That part, I didn't buy.

 

Gaga isn't a bad actress. I never thought she was a bad actress. She did what she does pretty well. She hasn't been challenged yet or even been in a confrontational scene with someone like Kathy or Angela but I'd like to see how she handles that.

 

Also thank you Ryan Murphy for that 1 second of Wes Bentley mirror butt. 

Edited November 5, 2015 by FiveByFive

[LeighAnne]

This week on Fear the Walking, Blood-Sucking Undead, a mysterious virus infects some people in Los Angeles.  How long until the authorities realize that this isn't some random, normal virus that science can create an vaccine for, but an apocalyptic virus that turns its carriers into murderous monsters?

 

I prefer the micro storylines in the hotel (Is John the Ten Commandments serial killer?  When will he figure out Sally is dead? Can Mr. March be stopped?) to a possible pandemic storyline, but since most of those kids in that school are now vampires, I think that's where we're headed.

 

I enjoyed the Countess Elizabeth/Liz Taylor bonding time.  I would like more Matt Bomer.  I also really want to watch Ramona Royale's classic Slaughter Sister.

 

Valny said:

 

"I missed part of last week's ep so I didn't know Alex was a vamp!  Did the Countess turn her?"

 

Yes, Countess Elizabeth told Alex she could be with Holden if Alex became a vampire.

Edited November 5, 2015 by LeighAnne

[Pixel]

I knew Alex would try and heal the kid but it looks like she's also created some "mutant" strain of the virus. The kids all got sick and the "blood" healed them. So I think what happens now is, the kids get hungry and get sick as they get hungry and the only way to feel better is the blood which just makes things even crazier.

I didn't see any difference between the way the kids turned/behaved than any of the other new vamps. They just had no self control because they're kids. But they didn't get any differently sick than Iris did when she turned. She just didn't have anyone nearby to feed on so she was really weak by the time we saw her again.

I wonder what repercussions are going to come upon Alex when the Countess figures out she created an army of child vampires.

[Petunia13]

Lady Gaga and Denis O Hare were amazing.

[Joan van Snark]

Loved seeing Edna Garrett on the TV (when Liz was in pre-goddess phase watching The Facts of LIfe at home).  Also LOVED the reference to Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner (Donna Mills) and her famous eye makeup from Knots Landing.  

 

I agree Liz's story was kind of generic but he really sold it.  I am loving the duo of Iris and Liz.  I hope Iris gets to glam it up some too.

 

I was a big fan of Finn Wittrock last season, but I'm not really buying his character this year.  Can't understand why the Countess would throw Bomer over for him.   

Is Ruth Fisher (Frances Conroy) going to be making an appearance this season?   She is one of my favorites and I wish they would give her a shot at one of the main leads.  

 

I am so happy with this season so far.  It is so much better than Coven and Freakshow.  I find myself really looking forward to Wednesday nights.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Joan van Snark

[Avaleigh]

At first I thought it was just going to be the two kids wreaking havoc at the school and killing everyone. Instead, all of these kids are likely going to infect and kill a bunch of others. I thought it was odd that #1 vampire kid automatically killed his parents but presumably had enough self control to wait before killing again and that was specifically so that he could feed his girlfriend.

I agree that the blood disease in the children is different than what the Countess and the others have. The measles did something extra.

At first I thought she'd healed the kid because he still seemed to like normal food.

The ending with Alex and Holden was super creepy and unsettling. She's perfectly happy with this arrangement and I find that to be disturbing.

[jcin617]

And THAT is why you vaccinate your children everyone!

 

I think the virus mutated somehow;  every child he infected exhibited acute measles until they drank their first blood which is different than the others, who just appeared weak and flu-like.

[Blakeston]

I didn't find the hipster-slaying to be especially satisfying or fun. It was more boring for me than anything else. Yes, we get it, Ryan Murphy - you hate young, image-obsessed L.A. hipsters who wear ridiculous clothes and follow silly trends. But you've also devoted an entire season of your show to glorifying Lady Gaga, so maybe you shouldn't throw stones.

I didn't see any difference between the way the kids turned/behaved than any of the other new vamps. They just had no self control because they're kids. But they didn't get any differently sick than Iris did when she turned.

They got measle spots before they developed their blood thirst.

[Straycat80]

I loved this episode!

Alex turning the boy into a vampire was not the smartest move. Now there's a bunch of kid vampires running around. But I'm glad she gets to be with Holden now but poor Scarlett.

I was glad they had the Liz Taylor backstory. I'm glad Iris went back to her sassy self. I knew the hipster couple would be her first victims and they got what they deserved. Great acting by Kathy Bates and Dennis O'Hara.

[Whitley Trillbert]

I can't get enough of this episode. I love how everyone's connected to the Countess in some way. And this outbreak is surely going to be visited in the next couple of episodes. I think Gaga's going to murder Chloe's character because of it.

 

Also the reason why this episode feels like it's on the right track is because they didn't bother to include ALL characters in this. Some were included but for a couple of brief moments. Only 3 characters were the focus of this episode: Alex, Iris and Liz (The Countess just happens to be tied to all 3 of them that's why I didn't include her). There was no mention of Mr. March or the cleaning lady... Sally, Donovan, Ramona and John were there just for a few minutes. Tristan had like one line. No Will Drake or that son/daughter? of his. What a brilliant episode.

[marcee]

I didn't see any difference between the way the kids turned/behaved than any of the other new vamps. They just had no self control because they're kids. But they didn't get any differently sick than Iris did when she turned. She just didn't have anyone nearby to feed on so she was really weak by the time we saw her again.

I wonder what repercussions are going to come upon Alex when the Countess figures out she created an army of child vampires.

Actually, they were different. The one that crawled out into the hallway was talking about how itchy he was and a bunch of kids in the classroom had the red spots...so it looks like they all contracted measles, but feeding on blood helps the virus temporarily heal? them...I suppose this may come back to mean something, but right now they've glossed over it so it may or may not matter in the end. Then again, this is Ryan Murphy so ANYTHING may or may not matter in the end.

Edited November 5, 2015 by marcee

[Petunia13]

Countess said like 2 episodes ago that you can't turn someone sick.

[Primetimer]

A flashback shows us how the Countess Elizabeth helped the former Nick find his true self. We should all be so lucky! Meanwhile, Max's mom finds out -- too late -- why maybe she really should have immunized him against measles when she had the chance.

Read the story

[dolphincorn]

Loved seeing Edna Garrett on the TV (when Liz was in pre-goddess phase watching The Facts of LIfe at home).  Also LOVED the reference to Abby Fairgate Cunningham Ewing Sumner (Donna Mills) and her famous eye makeup from Knots Landing.

 

I'm usually not the nitpicking type, but I don't believe that anyone called it a "smoky eye" back in the days of "Knots Landing." I could be wrong. Perhaps I need to watch my VHS copy of "The Eyes Have It" again.

Edited November 5, 2015 by dolphincorn

[marcee]

Countess said like 2 episodes ago that you can't turn someone sick.

Pretty sure she said you can't (or shouldn't) feed from someone who's sick. Obviously you can turn someone because Alex turned Max.

[coppersin]

80's makeover music! That's easily the most I've liked the Countess - even her "Howdy boys!" had a little more pep to it.

 

Just wanted to hug Iris and Liz forever during this ep. Though we can now add Liz to the list of crap parents on this show - that poor little boy and his drawing. I'm still holding out hope that Drake and Lachlan can maintain a decent parent-child relationship 'til the end - though Drake's being targeted by the Countess and Lachlan thinks kids in coffins is a perfectly acceptable and cool thing to look at, so...

 

So it has been very thoroughly established that John Is Not Well - they need to either show us he's the killer soon, or reveal a twist that shows he isn't, 'cause his storyline is starting to drag. The ten commandments are actually part of the opening credits - I should not keep forgetting that the 10C killer is even a thing.

 

Alex is kind of an idiot (or possibly just a mess given everything that's happened) and waaaay to comfortable with her new place in her son's life, but at least she was accidentally amusing - she's pro-vaccine and a doctor to boot, yet she manages to kickstart a homicidal epidemic involving not one but two viruses! Gold star!

 

Poor Scarlet. This season is basically watching her become an orphan in increments. And next week she's screaming, poor kid.

 

Preview looked very promising. Feels like the show is really hitting its stride, and may end up being as enjoyable as Murder House, before it inevitably goes off the rails in the last few eps.

 

Hard to believe both Liz Taylor and Ramona Royale could tell fairly easily that Iris was now a vampire but the far more experienced Countess was apparently clueless.

Also why would the Countess think Iris would have any reason to still work at the hotel randomly with her son Donovan tossed aside?

Since Iris is probably the governess that the Countess said was overdue for a pink slip, I'm guessing she's figured out one or both and is just biding her time. Although I'm absolutely willing to buy that she's too self-involved to notice any of it. I don't think she even really cares about any of the lovers she turned, they're just possessions and possibly a placeholder for the one she lost. I'm curious if she was more "human" before she was turned, or if she makes such a good vampire because she was always like this.

Edited November 5, 2015 by coppersin

[peacheslatour]

 

I wonder what repercussions are going to come upon Alex when the Countess figures out she created an army of child vampires.

   

Captain Measles and the Countess go to war.  Next Season:American Horror Story; L.A. Bloodbath.

[Petunia13]

Pretty sure she said you can't (or shouldn't) feed from someone who's sick. Obviously you can turn someone because Alex turned Max.

I meant "can't" as in its not cool.

[coppersin]

I'm curious what the consequences are for that. Countess made is sound like feeding on someone who's sick or high would transfer that issue to you (temporarily), making you weak and presumably vulnerable. Makes sense. Donovan survived falling off the wagon when he fed off those junkies, but he seemed high before his blood was cleansed. But he's older, and experienced, and he was only feeding. What happens when children are turned with tainted blood? Are they permanently affected, or were they fine once they fed on healthy blood - their spots, at least, seemed to disappear afterward. If feeding on the sick makes you sick, maybe turning with infected blood means you'll be weaker or have more vulnerabilities?

 

I've wondered where Holden ends up at the end of this series, since his parents seem doomed and his sister isn't old enough to raise him. I'm thinking he'll feed off the wrong person and catch the mutated virus and die from it. Can't imagine Alex will survive the guilt of that.

[Hollysdower]

From the Particle:

 

"No," says the Countess firmly. "You don't lack beauty. You lack commitment. Let me help you....Become who you were born to be: a goddess."

 

MAKEOVERRRRRR!

[obxchick]

I want more Iris and Liz scenes! They make a great and snarky pair. A bit disappointed with Liz's backstory, though. It just seemed so generic and boring. I'm liking the weird dynamic between Lowe and Sally, too. It seems like she knows a lot more about him than she lets on (like maybe that he's the killer?), and I'm curious to see where the storyline goes with them.

Anyone else officially tired of the Countess? Her changing accent and general mannerisms just seem like bad acting to me. I know Gaga is new to acting, but her portrayal just ruins the character for me. I hope this is her only season on the show.

[buffy11bnl]

I still haven't decided if I think Gaga can act or not, but I don't know if it matters - she sure seemed like she was having fun this episode and that was nice for a change!

[FiveByFive]

I'm curious what the consequences are for that. Countess made is sound like feeding on someone who's sick or high would transfer that issue to you (temporarily), making you weak and presumably vulnerable. Makes sense. Donovan survived falling off the wagon when he fed off those junkies, but he seemed high before his blood was cleansed. But he's older, and experienced, and he was only feeding. What happens when children are turned with tainted blood? Are they permanently affected, or were they fine once they fed on healthy blood - their spots, at least, seemed to disappear afterward. If feeding on the sick makes you sick, maybe turning with infected blood means you'll be weaker or have more vulnerabilities?

 

You shouldn't feed off of anyone sick because it can make you sick.

You shouldn't feed off of the blood of the dead because it will make you sick and it tastes bad (as the kids said after they killed that Swedish girl but kept drinking.)

Sunlight won't kill you but you should stay out of it because it makes you weak ... but that didn't seem to apply to the kids. 

 

What Alex did wasn't entirely stupid. The blood did heal the kid as it did heal Donovan.  However, she didn't remember that she was dealing with a kid who wasn't vaccinated against anything and was already sick. She also had no reason to think it would do that. What was irresponsible is simply letting him go. I don't think even the Countess would have thought that a viral mutation was possible in this day and age since most people are vaccinated.

 

She also seems very particular about who she chooses to turn so she may never have encountered anything like this.  We really don't know how many people like her exist (or if her maker is still alive) and everyone she is surrounded by (Tristan, Donovan, Alex, The Kids and Ramona) she turned herself with the exception of Iris. We already know from Ramona she'd probably kill anyone they'd turn.

 

It will probably be new territory for all of them but again if someone finds out that they exists they are all in danger.

 

What this episode did establish is that she does have something of a "heart." She helped Liz Taylor instead of killing her. She could have killed Alex to tie up that loose end and she chose not to.  

Edited November 5, 2015 by FiveByFive

[DollEyes]

 

I called Alex being a dumbass and curing the sick kid with her vampire blood, thus creating a bunch of vampire kids. I feel bad for Scarlett, both her parents are idiots. John is definitely a killer, he blacks out and doesn't remember them.

 

  Re the first part, I called that too, in the Unspoiled Spec thread. As for John's being the 10 Commandments killer, I'll believe that if I see it.

 

 

And the doc curing the kid with her blood, the kid changing his school, just great.

 

  The faculty and the kids' parents would disagree.

 

 

 

Can't help it, shipping crazy man and weepy girl.

 

  Not me. I think John & Sally's booty call was just another Jedi mind trick and even if it wasn't, Sally's still the same psycho, junkie bitch who let Gabriel get raped, imprisoned him & killed Donovan & Iris. As for Sally's claim that she & John are "destined" to be together forever, the only destiny I've seen so far is that John's destined to have bad taste in women, whether it's her or Alex.

[caracas1914]

Have to admit this was probably the most effective Gaga acting this season.

[Kristen]

I thoroughly enjoyed this episode. More Liz and Iris, please, Mr. Murphy! I actually cackled out loud when Iris killed the hipsters. You could see it coming a mile away, but it was so satisfying.

[Chaos Theory]

After Freak Show I was worried AHS had lost its shine. Wow was I wrong. Hotel might be as good as Asylum and Murder House. My God I have fallen back in love with this crazy ass show.

[Xazeal]

The season keeps exceeding my expectations. It's not quite as good as Asylum yet, but definitely on par with Murder House in my book.

 

I don't know what to think about Gaga's acting and I don't really care. Her delivery might actually be pretty terrible, but she's freaking magnetic on screen. She was pure magic with Liz Taylor and really sold the emotion in that scene. Loving her. Also loving Chloë Sevigny, who's seriously pulling off the kind of crazy that Alex is going through. As disturbing as the whole thing with Holden is, I can't help but feel for her.

 

Hey, we have, like, four or five pretty solid storylines going on. Is it possible Ryan Murphy found a way to craft an engaging narrative without killing off main characters left and right? Sure, they'll almost definitely be permanently dead by the season's end, but just making it this far without really losing anyone has to be some kind of record. 

[JenE4]

Ok, so the kid still has the measles, the vamp virus just made his skin beautiful again like it did for the model. I supposed he's healed enough to be healthy but not enough that he wasn't still contageous. And NONE of the other kids were vaccinated either since they all contracted the measles. We saw how he turned his little girlfriend, but all the rest of the kids were just kids with instant measels who sucked the blood of another regular guy, so none of those kids were infected with the vamp virus blood! Now did the vamp virus and the measels virus turn into some type of superbug that turned the vampirism into an airborne disease?! Someone call the CDC!

Love, love, loved Liz's story! And the heart-to-hearts really made me like Iris, too. Talking of makeovers, can someone fix Alex's Angela Bower hair? That's all I can picture every time she's on screen--all she's missing are the huge-ass glasses.

I'm going to make that grilled romaine tonight! Thanks for the recipe, over-indulged millennial.

Edited to add: OMG, the grilled romaine is so good!

Edited November 5, 2015 by JenE4

[peacheslatour]

 

What this episode did establish is that she does have something of a "heart." She helped Liz Taylor instead of killing her. She could have killed Alex to tie up that loose end and she chose not to.

I feel like The Countess is inside a very good person, but she's lived long enough to develop a negative % tolerance for people's bullshit. She'll take a couple home and fuck and kill them because that's what she does to survive (as we subject countless animals to similar fates, well without the fucking, and im not even a veggie or trying to be preachy. Just seems thats the way she sees it), but she seems to have an open heart for the trampled upon, the miscreants, misfits, and outcasts. Like she said she'd taken Holden because he was neglected. Or she killed Liz's business partners because they were mistreating her. The Countess is coming off as the sort of anti hero we all root for, who believes in the things we do, but does the things we won't. I love her character so, so much.

 

Not mine, from another thread.  Very well put, though.

[Snookums]

I want to know what Liz has been reading! Tonight it was Candide...did anyone pick up on her books from the previous episodes?

 

 

I hope so! I keep meaning to go through the old eps on On Demand to see but it won't let you fast forward! I want to know too. 

 

I hope nobody misses the fact that Liz has drunk just as deeply from the Evil Well as any of the vamps, and I don't mean post-Familiar Bartending, either. He, before meeting the Countess, married a woman under false pretenses (but naturally it was really her fault for being thirty and not married already)and fathered two children he belittled and abandoned. She's not a good person, no matter how sympathetic I feel towards her dilemma. 

 

Same for Iris. I've called her Mildred Pierce before, and that's what she is--a leech who glommed onto her monsterous offspring in order to feel something, anything, to be validated and loved. I totally applaud her taking down that hipster couple, believe you me, but she signed up for the same train of badness that Liz and everybody else did. It's just that Bates is such a skilled actress, and taps into that vein of self pity (C WAT I DID THER?) that we all have about aging, being unappreciated, being invisible, being cast aside so well, that you're too busy empathizing to go wait, but you....

 

Also why would the Countess think Iris would have any reason to still work at the hotel randomly with her son Donovan tossed aside?

 

 

She doesn't. She fully expects the new owner guy to fire the old staff (Liz included, I presume) and tonight when she made Alex the new governess, she said the "old one" --i.e., Iris--had been doing a bad job for a while. Here's hoping New Iris gathers the strength to tell her off.

[Snookums]

And the doc curing the kid with her blood, the kid changing his whole school, just great.

 

 

This proves another reason why vamps are so dangerous--it never occurs to them that their new pets might actually do something like combine the Vamp virus with a measles virus that's caused pneumonia, thus rendering it both mutant and airborne! If you're from 1903, it simply wouldn't cross your vampy, selfish mind.

 

What this episode did establish is that she does have something of a "heart." She helped Liz Taylor instead of killing her. She could have killed Alex to tie up that loose end and she chose not to.

 

 

 

Not to my mind--that's just her hiring method. Liz and Iris were both her familiars--regular humans vamps keep around to run errands and protect them, usually by handing over what they've always wanted--in Liz's case the freedom to dress as a woman, in Iris's to keep her son close. She was planning on ditching Iris before Iris got turned and barely seems to notice Liz is around or not.

[caracas1914]

Interesting that it appears Liz Taylor seems willing to keep Iris secret from the Countess.

[uoflfan]

Kathy Bates is the greatest thing to happen to AHS. She has killed it since Coven and I loved the scenes with Dennis O'Hare - great acting by both.

Matt Bomer and scraggly Wes Bentley looked so exceptionally hot tonight that I didn't even glance at Darren Criss or Finn.

Maybe the army of mutant vampire children will take down the Countess.

[caracas1914]

All I could think watching Matt Bomer and Angela Basset interact was that I had died and gone to cheekbone heaven.

Their chemistry wasn't bad either.

[mustbekarma]

I want to like this show, but I just can't find a character I really care about. I just can't get into this season for that reason. I loved the majority of the characters on Freak Show, and it just kills me that I can't find one character that I can feel any sympathy towards.

 

I only got one thing out of this episode. Blood measles makes all other versions of the measles look like the sniffles.

[Fable]

Does anyone think that Liz must have died at some point while employed at the hotel.  That flashback was from 1984 and he/she does not seem to have aged at all.  I think Liz is now a ghost residing in the hotel. 

 

I took Sally's/John's little conversation as being a metaphor for John's alcoholism.  Sally is supposed to represent addiction, and he clearly spent his night in the throws of alcohol intoxication which he claims (probably truthfully), he does not remember.  Now she promises him, she will be back again and again, just like his alcohol addiction.  I'm not convinced Sally is a real ghost.  I think she may just represent a monkey on someone's back.