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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
The penultimate episode of American Horror Stories Season Two, titled “Necro,” is written by Crystal Liu and directed by Logan Kibens. In our second-to-last episode of the season, we’re given a wildly ridiculous tale of love and romance, reminding us that early childhood trauma can sometimes be the answer to certain questions about who one is.
As always, expect some spoiler discussion.
When the episode titles were revealed for this season, “Necro” was one that interested me particularly. Unfortunately, I was left let down. The dialogue is great and there are several scenes that leave you wanting more. Ultimately, the premise is the worst part of the episode. The episode description reads, “A young mortician discovers the living are more terrifying than the dead”. To me, that sounds like a gripping premise for an episode of American Horror Stories, but alas, it didn’t work.
To reiterate my point, the dialogue is great and some scenes feel like there could be more given, but the premise is just sloppy. As it’s eventually revealed that our protagonist, Sam (Madison Iseman), is just a bit of a necrophile, it’s done with a mixture of supernatural elements and an otherworldly take on some kind of Romeo and Juliet-esque love story. Other than this, the episode works in just about every other way, even if the premise does not quite hit the nail on the head.
Childhood Trauma and Love & Romance
Our two main characters of this episode, Sam and Charlie (Cameron Cowperthwaite), both have childhood trauma that still haunts them into young adulthood, and arguably, it has affected Sam more than Charlie. Sam has it all for someone her age: a loving boyfriend (whose marriage proposal she rejects initially), a good job, great friends, and good wine. However, none of them know the “real” Sam quite as Charlie does. Charlie is a new body removal tech at the same mortuary as Sam, and after several brief conversations, Charlie seemingly knows everything about her. Charlie’s whole family was killed by a drunk driver when he was a young teen and being so close to death he realized his true meaning (and the true meaning of the living to him): to shepherd the dead properly and give them a fantastic delivery and funeral.
Sam probably thinks the same thing in some way. Her childhood trauma (that she’s yet to truly confront) is that when she was about two or three years old, a man broke into her home and killed her mother. It took authorities three days to find her and her mother, so Sam lived on her dead mother’s breastmilk during that time. She relocated across the country sometime in her teenage years and now works in the one place that kind of gets her: the mortuary. Eventually, Charlie seemingly overdoses and is delivered at the very same mortuary, or so it seems anyway.
Sam sobs over his dead body and is mad and upset that he seemed like the only one “who knew what it was like to walk around with this pit of darkness inside.” It is in this scene that all is revealed about who Sam truly is. She takes pity on the living and would probably rather be dead. She also has sex with Charlie’s seemingly dead body, because that wouldn’t be out of place for an episode titled “Necro” set in the American Horror Story universe.
Much like the character Dexter from the Showtime series, Sam suffered a horrible event that seemingly shaped who they are and how they see the world. Charlie has suffered through the same as well and that’s why he does what he does at the mortuary, in a similar way to Sam. However, it’s all revealed that Charlie essentially played a prank on Sam, using a pill from the Internet, his buddy who is good with prosthetics, and his own motivation to be with Sam. His prank let her discover who she really was, therefore he helped Sam find herself, and now they should be together, right? Wrong. Regardless of Sam having sex with his “dead” body, that whole idea is just bonkers and also tells which of the two is truly crazier. Charlie even filmed the whole ordeal.
In light of this wildness, Sam quits the mortuary and two months later is due to be married to Jesse (Spencer Neville), and live happily ever after. At least that’s what she deserves in some form, but not if Charlie has anything to say about it. At their wedding, Charlie ques in the video over what should’ve been Jesse and Sam’s wedding video, revealing it all to everyone. What a way to get your crush’s attention, huh? This ruins Sam’s life in every meaning of the word.
She’s labeled a sex offender and can’t get a job anywhere as well. She can’t even get a coffee without being recognized by people and of course, the one friend in the shop acts like she doesn’t know Sam. In her desperation, she buys a gun and confronts Charlie in the middle of digging a grave. I think you can guess where the episode ends. If you didn’t catch it, Sam and Charlie even attempt to have sex while the dirt buries them. In light of it all, there are many elements that lend the story well to being set in the American Horror Story universe.
Cinematic Aspects of This Episode of American Horror Stories
The other elements of “Necro” are great in their own right. Kibens’s direction is some of the best all season, and the opening one shot of the episode is particularly great as well. The way the camera pulls back slowly to reveal Sam’s dead mother and her laying by her side is eye-opening and pulls the viewer right in for a story that ends up letting you down. The pull away from the episode as it ends is fantastic as well.
Liu’s writing as well is great, and many of the scenes are written just right, while others seem to want more, but the whole story doesn’t stick the landing all that well. The Romeo & Juliet ending also serves well for the story she wanted to tell though, but again, it just doesn’t leave you with the right taste in your mouth and is overall one of the more boring episodes of the show in general. The set design by Dylan Reed is superb though and, much like the premiere episode, had some of the best set pieces all season, so that was welcoming from this episode.
The Cast
“Necro” features Madison Iseman as our episode’s lead, Sam, and she plays the part exceptionally well. She is also one of the best parts of this episode, as most of the episode doesn’t really work and is some of the weirdest storytelling I’ve ever witnessed. Iseman is no stranger to horror either, which is probably why she’s so good here, having been in Amazon Prime’s reboot of I Know What You Did Last Summer, Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, and the Conjuring Universe’s Annabelle Comes Home.
Along with her, the episode also stars Cameron Cowperthwaite, Spencer Neville, Jeff Doucette, Sara Silva, Jessika Van, and Chelsea M. Davis. The rest of the cast is stellar and I would very much like to see Iseman, Cowperthwaite, and Neville make a return to the universe in the future.
Final Thoughts on American Horror Stories Season 2 Episode 7
The good in “Necro” are few and far between, unfortunately, and it would be great to see Liu and the cast make a return to the universe as well. I was hoping for something more gripping, but I was let down in the end, which is fine.
The rest of the season has been some of the best in the entire universe and I’m very hopeful that with Manny Coto writing the Season Two finale, this season will end on a high note. Compared to what he has already done for Season Two, I’m on the edge of my seat thinking about what else he will come up with. With no official word on a third season, it’s probably safe to say that it will happen, given how much success Murphy and Falchuk bring to FX.
American Horror Stories Season Two finale will air this coming Thursday on Hulu, as part of FX on Hulu, and all the other episodes of Season One and Two are also streaming right now!
How did this episode leave you feeling? For our review on the Season Two finale of American Horror Stories, and even more horror news and reviews, stay right here at The Cinema Spot!
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.