S06.E05: Chapter 5

[Tara Ariano]

No description provided.

[ShadowHunter]

Evan peters is gay, crazy and dead and I could not be more pleased. I never knew I needed this until it happened.  The way his face was changing in the shadows and light was good. He almost looked like a Skeleton.  "Go now! Make your grand escape!" Great Line!

How great to see Francis Conroy again. Loved the Freak show connection.

I loved this episode I did. For me it was better then last week.

[Last Time Lord]

So, does this mean Matt and Shelby's story is done being told, and we're getting a new Roanoke story starting next week?

[rustyspigot]

Quote

No description provided.

Let me fix that for you Chapter 5: We Ended Up Back In the Woods Again

The cast of Into The Woods went into the woods less than Shelby and Matt.

I don't know. I kind of wanted Doris Kearns Goodwin to go to the house due to her terrible acting.

Quote

Evan peters is gay, crazy and dead and I could not be more pleased

I won't complain about that. 

Edited October 13, 2016 by rustyspigot

[beaker73]

The way the light flickering from the torch made Edward Mott's face look skeletal was downright creepy. Excellent episode! I can't wait to see how the story turns next week. 

[Dancingjaneway]

Normally I'm not an Evan Peters fan but I have to say I loved him in Hotel and I loved him this season. I think he does a better job with eccentric older characters. Shelby & Matt are tweedle dee and tweedle dumb. I felt bad for Flora having to be with those two idiots. I will be curious to see what happens next week. It's obvious something is up because that preview for next week gave NOTHING away. #BRINGBACKCRICKET 

[rustyspigot]

I kind of want the interviewer to start getting the butcher's side of the story next week. Or the neighbors.

[Straycat80]

This seemed like the finale for the season, but I know it wasn't. 

Evan Peters! Too bad he was only on this episode and killed off right away. I liked the story of Edward Mott. Where was he when the other people who lived in the house were executed? Why only help this couple? And why did the butchers son all of a sudden decide he was tired of all the killing after a few hundred years? 

At least I'm glad Matt and Shelby finally got out of the house. Poor Flora is going to be traumatized for the rest of her life. Apparently the cops were afraid of the butcher and co. Cowards. 

I can't wait to see where they go next with this show. I know a lot of people are not liking this season but I am. 

[mamadrama]

17 minutes ago, Last Time Lord said:

So, does this mean Matt and Shelby's story is done being told, and we're getting a new Roanoke story starting next week?

It looked to me like they are going from a PARANORMAL WITNESS/A HAUNTING style of show (interviews with reenactments) to a GHOST HUNTERS/PARANORMAL STATE type (investigation) after this. That's kind of the feeling I got from it. Maybe that's where the "real" people, only seen in interviews until now, will have their chance to shine. The investigators might bring them into the investigation, hoping to get crap on film. 

[Last Time Lord]

2 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

It looked to me like they are going from a PARANORMAL WITNESS/A HAUNTING style of show (interviews with reenactments) to a GHOST HUNTERS/PARANORMAL STATE type (investigation) after this. That's kind of the feeling I got from it. Maybe that's where the "real" people, only seen in interviews until now, will have their chance to shine. The investigators might bring them into the investigation, hoping to get crap on film. 

I could see the real people agreeing to the former, but not the latter, especially if Shelby is still haunted by nightmares presumably years after the fact.

[Valny]

35 minutes ago, rustyspigot said:

I don't know. I kind of wanted Doris Kearns Goodwin to go to the house due to her terrible acting.

 

It was more like reading. Oofah! that was bad.
 

Quote

 

It's obvious something is up because that preview for next week gave NOTHING away

 

I liked their "stay tuned for scenes from next week's AHS"  - yeah right! like you're going to show any kind of revealing scenes from the turning point sixth episode!

For a second I thought we were going to see either real life Matt or Shelby had one or no legs after seeing how crazy the Polks were.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Valny

[rustyspigot]

Shelby got her foot"Misery'd" and she had a simple cast with no apparent money to pay for it. I know. I need to stop thinking when watching.

[Valny]

10 minutes ago, rustyspigot said:

Shelby got her foot"Misery'd" and she had a simple cast with no apparent money to pay for it. I know. I need to stop thinking when watching.

Nice fakeout though because I thought Matt was going to get it! 

Bloody ep tonight! O'Hare on the table missing an arm and leg, then gets his head bashed in,  then one Polk brother get his head blown off.

[ShadowHunter]

I don't blame Edward for helping Shelby get away why would he wont to be stuck with her for all eternity? LOL

[mamadrama]

1 hour ago, Last Time Lord said:

I could see the real people agreeing to the former, but not the latter, especially if Shelby is still haunted by nightmares presumably years after the fact.

I have no idea. I was just trying to go on what I saw in the previews and think of a natural direction. Who knows that they'll do next. 

 

My personal theory is that the "real" Matt and Shelby must take over for the Polks. That the Butcher allows them to live only if they bring people to the house to be slaughtered and the ground to be consecrated. That would be one way to get them back to the location. Not sure how the found footage fits into this scenario. 

At first, when they said they had to stay in a motel, I laughed. I wasn't looking at the screen at the time so I was wondering if they were going to check into the Cortez. 

Edited October 13, 2016 by mamadrama

[Negritude]

Liked Evan Peters channeling Finn Wittrock's performance as Dandy Mott being that he was one of his ancestors. Tantrums run in the family.

Edited October 14, 2016 by Negritude

[Xazeal]

I knew we'd see Evan tonight, but was pleasantly surprised by Frances Conroy! We never see enough of her on this show.

The rescue scene was ridiculous. So much so, in fact, that I don't believe it happened. At this point I am 99% convinced that Matt, Shelby, and Lee are lying, at least about certain details of the story, and have some ulterior motives.

Not surprised at all by the preview for next week. Seems to be pretty much what most people expected. I'm actually really excited to see what happens, but my fear is that this format was what kept them from going off the rails, and now that they're switching it up it's going to become the usual disjointed mess. But I remain optimistic!

Edited October 13, 2016 by Xazeal

[mortonsalt]

21 minutes ago, Xazeal said:

I knew we'd see Evan tonight, but was pleasantly surprised by Frances Conroy! We never see enough of her on this show.

The rescue scene was ridiculous. So much so, in fact, that I don't believe it happened. At this point I am 99% convinced that Matt, Shelby, and Lee are lying, at least about certain details of the story, and have some ulterior motives.

Not surprised at all by the preview for next week. Seems to be pretty much what most people expected. I'm actually really excited to see what happens, but my fear is that this format was what kept them from going off the rails, and now that they're switching it up it's going to become the usual disjointed mess. But I remain optimistic!

I'm not sure if we're allowed to speculate here, but I agree that Matt, Shelby, and Lee are lying and have ulterior motives. I mean I know that logic just goes out the window when thinking about this show, but it seemed like they got a lot of help that the other victims didn't get for some reason. 

ETA: Somehow I missed mamadrama's post, but I agree with the theory that the Matt and Shelby are the new Polks which is why they were allowed to escape and why they go back to the house. 

Edited October 13, 2016 by mortonsalt

[Snookums]

Quote

The way the light flickering from the torch made Edward Mott's face look skeletal was downright creepy. 

That was SO GREAT. I hope they gif it for the review.

I really really liked this one.  They do a good job with the format they chose, and the tension was terrific. Also loved Wes Bentley finally deciding that he's had enough of serial killers bossing him around. Better late than never, Wes!

However, a few questions:

1) Why did Mott help Shelby and Matt after clearly leaving dozens of others to be slaughtered by the Butcher? Would three more people tied to the land be the straw that broke his art lovin', servant slaughterin', wig-wearin' back? It's pretty crowded out there already so why would these particular people make a difference to him?

2) Why did the cop just leave Lee out there? If the locals are so scared of the area I can't see why he'd give her a ride out in the first place, and since he DID drive her out why take off? Why not do like she said and call for backup? 

3) Is anybody going to like, do anything about the Polks? They're murderers, cannibals, and left their no doubt horrible-beyond-thought-conceived children tied to a dying pig for sustenance! They'll arrest Lee for kidnapping/murder with no evidence for the latter charge but are just A-OK with God's Little Acre, here?

[WhosThatGirl]

I kind of hope the hot uber driver ends up being the mastermind big evil though all this. 

So, Shelby is still haunted by memories/nightmares which obviously, any normal person would be, and nope, sorry Shelbs, no matter how many hours you do prayer pose is never going to take that away. You may have to start going for the harder stuff, like pilates. 

[J-Man]

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Shelby got her foot"Misery'd" 

Appropriately enough, with Kathy Bates there.

It must be Doris Kearns Goodwin Week on the Fox networks, because she was also a Special Guest Voice on "The Simpsons" this week.

Evan Peters kept reminding me of a young Malcolm McDowell. 

[Chaos Theory]

That was kind of intense.  I liked it.  I also like that it looks like Roanoke may be going for shorter connected stories instead of one big one.  That may be interesting.  I did like Matt and Shelby's tale but it was getting old.  I did like how it ended though.  The Mott storyline was entertaining but then Evan Peters usually is.  Not a bad ending,

Then again I don't really think it's over yet.

Edited October 13, 2016 by Chaos Theory

[Primetimer]

Evan Peters camps things up as the original builder of Matt and Shelby's murder house. Yay!

View the full article

[llewis823]

Until this season, I did not know that Lily Raab (sp?) was Jill Clayburg's daughter. Now that I know, seeing her in the talking heads, you can really see the resemblance to her mother.

[luna1122]

Yay, Evan Peters! Pretty (once he ditched the wig, anyway) gay Evan, canoodling in a tub that looked like the one Hannibal and Bedelia liked to wash each other's hair in Italy in. I've so missed him. He seemed to be having a blast.

Not sure how much sense any of it made, but I still liked it. The Grudge/Ring girl skittering around was creepy AF, and the Polks  (who the honey and I keep inadvertently calling the Peacocks, in all their inbred, horrifying glory) outcreeped her. Chaz Bono cracked me up. Poor Elias. To survive so long, then get arrowed, THEN survive that only to be cannibalized by the gruesome Polk family. I would rather have taken my chances with Kathy Bates and Gaga (where was Gaga?) et al than the Polks.

Yeah, where did the cops go? Did they see the fire and the gathering and pretty Wes toss his mom into flames? Did they go after the Polks, or are they still out there in the woods?

What I'm hoping is that the actors playing everyone in the reenactments and the real life people somehow converge. Like the evil follows them or something. Are we to believe the reenactments were filmed at the actual house? Will we see Evan and Wes and real life Uber boy and all the Shelbys and Matts and Lees as they go about their lives after the ghost story show has filmed and aired? Yay for Cheyenne Jackson's face finally showing up next week.

[darkestboy]

Best episode yet. I really enjoyed this one from start to finish.

Evan Peters should just play theatrical characters from now on. Not only does it suit his acting strengths but he's bloody wonderful to watch.

I loved Edward Mott. I loved seeing him with the manservant, I loved his lament about the painting (not so much treatment of the other servants though) and I loved him helping Matt, Shelby and Flora against the Butcher who also killed him centuries back. I just loved everything about the guy.

I also loved seeing Frances Conroy as the creepy as hell Mama Polk as well. That was a nice performance and a surprise.

I also loved that Matt, Shelby, Flora and Lee finally got away from that house even if they came close to death and Shelby got the Misery treatment as well.

I also love that the second half of the season will shift the focus even if it's totally in an obvious way.

I do think the Butcher plotline was resolved a little quickly but other than that, I just loved this episode, 9/10

[sugarbaker design]

Excellent episode.  By far the creepiest yet, with spider girl, Mrs. Polk and Mott's changing face.  Is there nothing Frances Conroy can't do?  She was amazing!  Cannot wait for next week's narrative shift.

[coppersin]

I like the idea of a ghost with social anxiety. "I'm not saving you because it's the right thing to do; it's just really fucking crowded in here, okay?"

Part of me wants to cheer on Ambrose because he stood up to his mother when the others wouldn't and threw her in a fire (and because it's Wes Bentley and that's all the reason I really need). But most of me is annoyed because 1) little Flora has been through hell, 2) they've killed countless people already, and mostly 3) the first time he was all "this murder thing just feels wrong" was after his mother bashed poor Priscilla's head in. If they're going to make this season into fake tv shows, maybe they should have a Dr. Phil rip-off so the Butcher and her son can talk it out.

Speaking of the Butcher, she really needs to stop saying "this is our/my land" because every time she does, I imagine little kids singing This Land Is Your Land, which was funny at first but is less so when watching this show alone in the dark.

Lastly, credit where it's due: our hapless duo went into the woods twice without getting separated! Granted, the first time they had a personal tour guide (and still managed to get captured by gun-toting hillbillies) and the second time they were only in the woods for about 30 seconds (and again managed to get captured by gun-toting hillbillies), but they did it together! Progress!

[loki567]

I get the theory that maybe the real Matt and Shelby made a deal with the Butcher to bring back more victims. But would that also mean that the Butcher we're seeing is not the real Butcher? Don't quite get the logic of the reenactments. 

[sugarbaker design]

32 minutes ago, loki567 said:

I get the theory that maybe the real Matt and Shelby made a deal with the Butcher to bring back more victims.

Wha...?

[valandsend]

11 hours ago, Straycat80 said:

And why did the butchers son all of a sudden decide he was tired of all the killing after a few hundred years? 

I had the impression he didn't like seeing a child killed -- not one as young as Flora, anyway.

 

1 hour ago, luna1122 said:

Yeah, where did the cops go? Did they see the fire and the gathering and pretty Wes toss his mom into flames? Did they go after the Polks, or are they still out there in the woods?

After this episode, with no one responding to the 911 call, I think maybe the cops are aware of the house's long and bloody history and turn a blind eye when it's the blood moon or whatever and the latest residents are going to be killed.

Were all the servants/slaves tossed in the hole, or only three as the recapper says? It seems like there were more than that standing around. And if there were only three locked up, why didn't the remaining ones -- or even the extra construction workers -- let them out after Mott died and Guinness took off?

Oh, and what exactly does it mean to "rouge" one's nipples?

Edited October 13, 2016 by valandsend
I forgot to ask something

[SimoneS]

I enjoyed that even though I was terrified for Flora and was horrified for the guy who limbs were hacked off. I think next week that the actors and "real people" are going to merge and continue the Roanoke experience together. I don't think that it is over as yet.

[mamadrama]

10 hours ago, Xazeal said:

I knew we'd see Evan tonight, but was pleasantly surprised by Frances Conroy! We never see enough of her on this show.

The rescue scene was ridiculous. So much so, in fact, that I don't believe it happened. At this point I am 99% convinced that Matt, Shelby, and Lee are lying, at least about certain details of the story, and have some ulterior motives.

Not surprised at all by the preview for next week. Seems to be pretty much what most people expected. I'm actually really excited to see what happens, but my fear is that this format was what kept them from going off the rails, and now that they're switching it up it's going to become the usual disjointed mess. But I remain optimistic!

It would not surprise me to learn that they are telling their story from prison, or a mental hospital.

1 hour ago, loki567 said:

I get the theory that maybe the real Matt and Shelby made a deal with the Butcher to bring back more victims. But would that also mean that the Butcher we're seeing is not the real Butcher? Don't quite get the logic of the reenactments. 

I think what we have seen thus far is like a false reality. So I would not trust it.

[sugarbaker design]

34 minutes ago, mamadrama said:

I think what we have seen thus far is like a false reality. So I would not trust it.

Right, it's (mainly) Matt & Shelby's first person narrative of the events in Roanoke.  Part II of the series hopefully shifts the narrative.

[peacheslatour]

Ah yes, the old unreliable narrator gambit.

[sugarbaker design]

Well, to be fair, any first person narrative is unreliable since it's that character's version of events.

[peacheslatour]

True, but we have 3 persons telling the story that all corroborate one another. So the old three unreliable narrators gambit?

Edited October 13, 2016 by peacheslatour

[sugarbaker design]

Lee was out of the picture for the majority of the final night's events (Edward Mott, dinnertime at the Polk's house, Shelby's hobbling).

[candall]

Uh oh, my DVR did not record.  I started trying to piece everything together from the comments and I had a good chuckle at the dry sense of humor in the posts throwing shade at some stiff, older actress from Central Casting by dubbing her "Doris Kearns Goodwin."  Then . . .

LOL!  The stiff older actress from Central Casting was Doris Kearns Goodwin?!  Or "Notorious DKG," as the recapper called her (and which she will remain, for me.) 

 

A weird little spot of verisimilitude for Series: Gorefest, but okay.  I'm glad they didn't have one of the realtor doofs from Million Dollar Listing, LA showing the Murder House property.

[LoneHaranguer]

13 hours ago, rustyspigot said:

I kind of want the interviewer to start getting the butcher's side of the story next week.

I wouldn't mind hearing why she was being so persistent in going after the family. The annual need to kill someone was taken care of. She doesn't like trespassers, but Matt and Shelby were willing to go once they had Flora back. There was no revenge motive like with the colonists. Is she just cranky stuck there all those years with people she doesn't like? (she should probably have thought that through better)

[iMonrey]

Maybe I'm the only one left still watching this season who thinks it stinks, but we're at the halfway mark now and I can definitely say Hotel > Roanoke. Hell, even Freak Show > Roanoke, and I didn't care for Freak Show either. Regardless of where they go in the next five episodes, the first five simply do not stand up on their own. They were marked by almost comically idiotic behavior on the part of the characters and unabashedly derivative of other horror films, like Blair Witch, Poltergeist, The Hills Have Eyes, etc. Talents of actors like Lily Rabe, Evan Peters and Wes Bentley were completely wasted while lesser acting by Cuba Gooding Jr. dominated. I just thought the whole thing was a mess.

It's possible the next five episodes will improve, and maybe even prop up the first five, but it was a struggle to get through them. I just didn't think it was very interesting or compelling.

[Snookums]

Quote

I do think the Butcher plotline was resolved a little quickly 

I was kind of glad it was (but who knows what's coming up) because this embodied the fatal flaw in the heart of most ghost stories--that no matter how terrifying or dangerous a ghost is, it's at heart not very interesting. Ghosts, by their very nature, are one-dimensional.

Oh, they're scary, and they're vicious and they're focused. But only on the one thing that obsessed them when they died,  and everything they do is basically "more of the same and lots of it!", like somebody going through a buffet line over and over but selecting only a big pile of scrambled eggs on every single pass. Thomasine cares about "our land" and "consecration" and that's IT. She's stuck like that. All the murder victims since are stuck there with her no matter how much they don't give a shit about the land and consecration or whatever. Even the Polks are glued into this endless cycle like flies on flypaper--their "way of life" is only as bearable as the efforts they put in to perpetuate it; dragging a victim or so up to the house in lean years so they can keep living in far worse conditions then their pigs do. They do this to be "left alone" but the only difference between them and Thomasine's ilk is they are technically still "alive" and on the earthly plane.

[iMonrey]

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All the murder victims since are stuck there with her no matter how much they don't give a shit about the land and consecration or whatever. 

And therein lies the paradox. The Butcher kills all these "trespassers" because nobody is allowed on "her" land but her, and her people. Yet, by killing them, she is insuring they will remain there forever. That . . . seems to be at cross-purposes with her stated objective. 

And not for nothing, but if The Butcher can be burned in a fire, can't she also be shot by a gun? Seems like someone should have been able to dispatch her years ago.

Very little of this story made any sense. Granted, that's been the case with most previous seasons, but they at least were interesting. This . . . just wasn't. Not to me, anyway. I'll tune in next week to look at pretty, pretty Cheyenne Jackson, but aside from an acting tour de force by Evan Peters and Francis Conroy, I just found this story had very little to offer.

Edited October 13, 2016 by iMonrey

[Chaos Theory]

Evan Peters has come a long way since Murder House.  It is fascinating to watch his acting get better and better each year.  (Not that it was bad to begin with but he was relatively young and he has grown up well.  He may not be my favorite (That will always be Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe) but he is in my top handful and most definitely fun as hell to watch.

[RedheadZombie]

I was liking this season, but I didn't like this episode.  As usual, RM throws in everything and then the kitchen sink.  There's the telling of a past ghost story, by way of re-enactments and THs.  Liked that.  Throw in some Blair Witch, that was good.  A little Deliverance, eh, in limited quantities, that was okay.  Even a non-violent couple experiencing PTSD and looking for a quiet refuge was good, as well as dealing with the grief of miscarriage.  It was pushing it to add in a cop with pain control issues devolving into abusing prescription pain meds, and then ruining her career and family - but it's AB, so it was okay. 

But then - The Hills have Eyes; Amityville Horror, The Haunting, and even Burnt Offerings with a house that's "alive"; Japanese horror films with Asian contortionists; a wink at Misery; Homicidal nurses; Elder abuse; 18th century costume drama; Tortured servants, abusive land owner, and a not so closeted master who abuses his power in a sexual relationship with a servant; and the incredibly tortured attempt to connect to previous seasons, as well as the awkward forcing in of all of RM's favorite actors.  Most of this in the first five episodes, and some of this in the last episode alone. This usually doesn't happen until near the end of the season, so I'm worried the second half will start well, only to derail in a spectacular mess, again.

And since Gaga was blessedly minimized so far, and there's no explanation as to what happened to her, I fear she will be front and center for the rest of this season.  Since AHS has become increasingly haphazard, and even less cohesive each season, I fear the major problem is RM writing in a way that forces all of these favorites of his into the story.  I mean I appreciate the guys loyalty, but that's not the way to write a show.  Why not write a tight, cohesive story, THEN cast the season.  If these actors are as good as he thinks they are, that means they can actually, you know, ACT the part.  It becomes a ridiculous game of every episode - Where was this actor, where was that actor?  So and so was supposed to be in this season, maybe next episode.  It's like a game of Where's Waldo.  And while I understand that's enjoyable to some, it's not working for me.  And while a good chunk of this cast is up to disappearing into new characters, a considerable number are not.  And don't get me started on Gaga.

My one question:  who in the world gave birth to Chaz's children?  Ma looks too old.  What do they do with the mothers of the children?

2 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Evan Peters has come a long way since Murder House.  It is fascinating to watch his acting get better and better each year.  (Not that it was bad to begin with but he was relatively young and he has grown up well.  He may not be my favorite (That will always be Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe) but he is in my top handful and most definitely fun as hell to watch.

I actually prefer his earlier performances.  I would even suggest there were flashes of brilliance.  The last two seasons, it's more a mimicking of old Hollywood acting, with a skill for comedic acting.  In other words, a lot of showboating.

[luna1122]

4 minutes ago, RedheadZombie said:

I actually prefer his earlier performances.  I would even suggest there were flashes of brilliance. 

While I enjoy all of his performances in later seasons, I'll agree that it's all very campy, and conversely, think his performance in Season One is his most affecting and disturbing and vulnerable and true. I loved Tate and his dark, sick, twisted, murderous, romantic little soul.

[iMonrey]

Mama, from the recap:

Quote

We don't want to live there. We've got places all over out here. We wanted to keep it empty, for the Butcher. She don't like no company. My kin made a deal with her over two hundred years ago. So long as she can consecrate the land with fresh blood every year, she'll leave us alone. Some years, when the pickings are slim, we provide the sacrifice. 

That doesn't make any sense either. You were trying to scare them away from the house because the Butcher doesn't like trespassers. But at the same time . . . she needs a yearly sacrifice so during years when "pickings are slim" you have to go find someone to sacrifice. Then why try and scare away the sacrifice???

And as long as I'm racking up all the things that didn't make sense: Matt manages to disarm Chaz and shoot the driver, then he and Shelby get out of the truck and run into the woods with Flora. Why didn't they pull the driver out of the truck and take the damn truck???

[sugarbaker design]

Like iMonrey just posted, Matt disarmed Chaz, so why didn't he take the rifle?  And leave Chaz still able to follow them through the woods.

Edited October 13, 2016 by sugarbaker design

[HerLadyship]

29 minutes ago, iMonrey said:

And as long as I'm racking up all the things that didn't make sense: Matt manages to disarm Chaz and shoot the driver, then he and Shelby get out of the truck and run into the woods with Flora. Why didn't they pull the driver out of the truck and take the damn truck???

This was actually what I was expecting. Like, well now you have a transportation. But no! These two idiots take that poor child, run back into the woods, and then...just lie on the ground and hope to blend in? The hell?! So yeah, I'm on the This Has All Been An Unreliable Retelling train. Because no one is that stupid. I was actually yelling at Shelby, "See, you should have left when it started raining teeth. That was a SIGN!!"

[Nowhere]

Shelby looked ridiculous carrying Flora around. The girl is almost as tall as she is.