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Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
American Horror Story: NYC continues its return to form with two episodes that should leave viewers stunned and satisfied in the oddest ways, wanting more.
It seems that the two-episode release is perfect for the tension they wish to create on the screen. There is always a cliffhanger, or some sort of thing, that inevitably leads into the following episode. In that aspect, I am enjoying getting two episodes a week. This current duo of episodes also drew heavily from creature features of the 1930s and ’40s, which was awesome nonetheless, despite Mr. Whitely’s (Jeff Hiller) true motives being revealed here too.
Minor spoilers to follow.
Episode Five Discussion
Episode Five, titled “Bad Fortune,” once again reveals the cliffhanger from “Black Out” and gives the audience more of Billie Lourd and her character, Dr. Hannah Wells, which is fantastic. The cinematography and editing remain standouts and the side characters have more time to shine during this episode as well, which is refreshing. Our Lady J & Jennifer Salt wrote this episode, while Paris Barclay directed it.
“Bad Fortune” seems like part filler, part big reveal. Fran (Sandra Bernhard) finds another job, this time with Kathy Pizzaz (Patti LuPone), at Kathy’s tarot card shop, which is amusing at first. But then a bit of the supernatural comes in, which is kind of refreshing for this season, then another classic American Horror Story character returns during this episode…
Shachath, the Angel of Death. She visits Gino (Mantello) when he goes to ask Fran about the reason she works at the shop.
Shachath is the American Horror Story universe’s personification of Death, or the Grim Reaper. Shachath’s first appearance was during American Horror Story Season Two, Asylum, and played by Frances Conroy. She would summon herself up to any character facing the inevitable and offer to take them away. All they have to do is simply give her a “kiss of death;” if they accept she kisses them and ends their life, numbing the character’s pain. This time, she is played by Hannah Jane McMurray.
Character Developments
Adam Carpenter (Charlie Carver) & Hannah (Lourd) end up at the tarot shop. It is also revealed the latter is pregnant and the former served as her sperm donor, which makes their dynamic a little more complex it seems. There are also a lot of supernatural elements at play, at least with the tarot cards and the shop. Several times the whole deck of cards is death cards, which obviously freaks out the character Fran is giving a reading to.
There is also more development between Patrick (Russell Tovey) & Barbara (Leslie Grossman), as they officially signed their divorce papers this episode. I’m also pretty sure Patrick called Barbara “honey” 15 times in one scene, which was amusing enough.
Big Daddy (Matthew William Bishop) remains the most mysterious character this season. He almost brutalizes Patrick and has to have some sort of supernatural meaning to his existence. Patrick has shot him point blank and he continues to run around. He creeps on every character in the show though, but Bishop does a great job at creating the needed tension throughout the show.
Right at the end of this episode, Whitely reveals his true motive: a “Sentinel” that will act as a symbol of the community, made from his victims, and he will reveal it at the Pride Parade. He’s almost like Dr. Victor Frankenstein, from Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel Frankenstein in a sick and twisted way. The inspiration and the writing are terrific, but it’s a good thing this guy didn’t actually exist.
Minor spoilers for Episode Six to follow.
Episode Six Discussion
Episode Six, titled “The Body,” revealed a lot about the group of characters this season. I also am enjoying the whole cast, and Billie Lourd has more screen time, so I like her a lot more this season than I did before. Brad Falchuk & Manny Coto & Our Lady J wrote this episode, while John J. Gray returned to the director’s chair.
Henry Grant (Denis O’Hare) turns out to be a mafia hitman, which is a different character for him to play on the show, and he continues to top his characters every season. Sam (Zachary Quinto) and Patrick (Tovey) had actually met in 1979 on Fire Island. There they had sex with another young man, Billy (Danny Kornfeld), where he suffocated and died. Sam called Henry to help clean it up, “for $10,000.”
This episode is quite revealing, which tends to happen at this point in American Horror Story. “The Body” is found in 1981 and Patrick receives a call at work about the discovery of his body. Henry brings in Whitely (Hiller) to clean up the death of Billy, and Sam and Patrick buried him. It’s discovered by a couple on the beach. Then, when Sam and Patrick return to it in 1981, Henry brings Gino (Mantello) and they confront Sam and Patrick as they dig up Billy.
Henry and Gino leave to contact Whitely and attempt to kill him, which goes south quickly. Gino calls Patrick as the episode ends. The narrative of the show is going at a nice pace and the next two episodes should be even crazier than “Bad Fortune” and “The Body.”
Final Thoughts on American Horror Story Episodes 5 & 6
The overall tone of both episodes is great and the writing is the season’s best so far. Both episodes are worth tuning in for.
These episodes were great to sit through and revealed more about the characters on screen, which is always welcoming. There was a bit of shaky cam at times during Episode Six but otherwise the directing is fine. The cast is standout this week among both episodes and spending more time with several other characters was a good move for these episodes.
American Horror Story: NYC airs two episodes every Wednesday and streams them the next day on Hulu.
This season is heating up, what are your thoughts on these episodes?
Lead Critic for the site, as well as serving as an editor when needed.
This article was edited by John Tangalin.