American Horror Story: Hotel has, so far, been an incredibly entertaining return to the series’ horror roots. Let’s check out this week’s episode, “Mommy,” and see if the show is still holding up.
The episode starts out with Tristan returning to the room he met the spirit of James March in last week, telling March about how much he loves killing. Upon hearing this, March tells Tristan all about the hotel’s secrets of death and murder (calling it his “murder palace”), but they are interrupted by Will’s inspection of the premises. Will doesn’t see March, but he does overhear that the new owner of the Hotel Cortez plans to renovate everything. This, of course, does not please the hotel’s original master, but Tristan assures March that he’ll take care of it. I mentioned it before, but John March may be the best role that Evan Peters has played in his five seasons on American Horror Story. The writers are really giving him some meat this time, and he is absolutely chewing up his screentime. Finn Wittrock is also marvelous as his latest psychopath, and his role here could potentially surpass that of his introduction in Freak Show.
“Mommy” teaches us a whole lot more about Dr. Alex Lowe, and Chloë Sevigny continues to impress in Hotel. She’s a much more complex character than the first episode would have led us to believe, and I’m excited to see more of her revealed throughout the season. The most interesting thing to me will be when the truth of Holden’s whereabouts becomes common knowledge, and I can’t wait to see what this does to Alex’s psyche. She gets her first glimpse of him here, but it’s left ambiguous as to whether this will result in anything concrete. With all of that said, I didn’t really like the voiceover narration by the character early in the episode, and I’m left wondering if there was a better way for her story and emotion to be revealed. John and Alex’s daughter, Scarlett, is also proving to be an intriguing character, and I wouldn’t be surprised if she takes a more sinister turn later on.
Room 64 continues to be the source of many of Hotel‘s frights, and Gabriel’s murder of Claudia was horrific to watch. Afterward, Gabriel is rushed to a hospital after a run-in with John, but he dies before being able to reveal anything other than Sally’s involvement in his predicament. John tries to arrest Sally back at the hotel, but the Cortez’s magic plays with him before anything can be done. Hotel has done a great job so far with its use of mysticality, and the Hotel Cortez continues to ask more questions as it reveals answers.
The relationship between Iris and Donovan has proven to be one of the most complex aspects of Hotel so far, and it takes a more prominent role in “Mommy” than it has before. Kathy Bates sells the tortured mother just as perfectly as Matt Bomer sells tortured son, and the scenes between these two manage to be surprisingly powerful to watch. Kathy Bates has had some meaty roles during her time in the American Horror Story family, and Iris is definitely among the best. Donovan, though, is also a super fun character to watch, and he also provides our introduction to Angela Bassett’s Ramona Royale, one of The Countess’ former lovers that wants to help Donovan get his revenge after being spurned in favor of Tristan.
Speaking of The Countess, more of her plan is revealed here, and we learn that she intends to seduce and marry Will Drake in order to take his money. She isn’t quite as wealthy (anymore, at least) as we were first led to believe, so she needs this source of financial security before she can allow Tristan to kill him. Lady Gaga is probably the most divisive cast member on the show this season, but I think that she’s really managed to hold her own. Her acting talent has proven to be surprisingly strong, and it’s a true credit to the writers that they know what kind of material to give her.
It seems to be dividing audiences, but I am thoroughly enjoying the Ten Commandments Killer investigation this season. It’s pretty hard for a show to juggle as many storylines as Hotel is trying to do (and American Horror Story has failed at this plenty of times in the past), but I really feel like adequate time is being given to all of them. It’s also allowing for many different genres of horror to blend together surprisingly well, as this investigation draws inspiration from David Fincher’s masterpiece Se7en.
“Mommy” was a great entry of American Horror Story: Hotel that added a ton to the story while offering plenty of great performances and frights along the way. Not since Murder House have I been so completely into whatever American Horror Story has thrown at me, and I can’t wait to see how the story progresses from here.
What did you think of “Mommy?” Are you enjoying American Horror Story: Hotel as much as I am? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below!
[Photo credit: Suzanne Tenner/FX]
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