_This review contains spoilers for the newest season of “American Horror Story,” as well as seasons one and three._
In our third week of “American Horror Story: Apocalypse,” we learn more about Michael’s (Cody Fern) dastardly plans, just how far Venable (Sarah Paulson) and Mead (Kathy Bates) will take their cruel ideals and finally, albeit briefly, get to see the “Coven” witches once more. Let’s get into it.
The episode starts with Michael reassuring Gallant (Evan Peters) that his actions of killing his grandmother Evie Gallant (Dame Joan Collins) last episode won’t affect his chances of Michael choosing him in his selection to bring to the Sanctuary, the version of the Outpost they currently live in with more food. Michael also talks to talk show host Dinah Stevens (Adina Porter), saying he’s glad to see her again, and notes her as just the right soul he’s looking for to build his new world. It’s clear why, because as the Antichrist he desires to keep those of bad character around as he forges his new world in his evil image.
Michael continues his meetings with prospective survivors to take to the Sanctuary with him, and he meets with Mallory (Billie Lourd). This meeting leads to confrontation between the two, and Michael busts out an appropriately demonic face to hiss at her with, which she responds to by nearly setting the room ablaze with pyrokinesis. The pair then pause afterward to wonder whom the other is. Mallory, oblivious to the fact that she’s a witch, leaves to ponder her own identity after her comment to Michael saying she feels as if someone else is trapped inside her body.
In the next scene, Michael is shockingly pictured naked and cutting himself to bleed out onto the floor to form a pentagram. He calls for help from his father, stating he thought he destroyed them all, but one survived. His called upon father, in this case, can be inferred clearly as Satan. His eyes then turn black and he seems to have received the help he desired.
Venable and Mead meet up, and Mead shares some backstory on her life before the war — depicting a depressing childhood and adulthood filled with poor, illegal and murderous choices. She then throws it all out by saying it’s all fake, along with all of her memories, noting how she’s a robot, something hinted at in the last episode when showing her bizarre-looking insides that I figured too outlandish to be true. Venable then claims her as family after Mead says she has none, and praises her for her loyalty.
Later, the two come up with a plan to kill the rest of the residents in the Outpost and steal Michael’s computer to find the Sanctuary and journey there alone, feeling stifled by his oppressive way of dealing with their oppressive ideals and rules in the Outpost.
In a surprise view of the outside world, Coco’s (Leslie Grossman) abandoned boyfriend, Brock (Billy Eichner), from episode one returns and is clearly seeking vengeance. Horrifically transformed by the radioactive fallout, Brock demands answers from fellow survivors engaging in murder and cannibalism. He gets none, even after killing them.
Conveniently, he hitches a ride on an abandoned horse-driven carriage headed towards the Outpost. It’s bound with fresh apples that Venable and Mead plan to use for their aforementioned plan of killing the residents, the titular “Forbidden Fruit.” Brock, hidden under the carriage, sneaks out and kills one of the Outpost workers and breaks in using their key.
At a Halloween party planned by Venable and Mead as an excuse to supply their poisoned apples, Brock sneaks in, donning a mask, and is believed by Coco to be Michael. In an attempt to bribe him to bring her to the sanctuary, she leads him to her room for sexual favors. He then reveals his identity and kills her for her act of abandonment from episode one.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Outpost save for Michael, Venable and Mead consume the poisoned apples at the party. They all then violently vomit everywhere and die — which I find hard to care about, in just our third episode with the cast. The two leading women go to Michael’s room to confront and kill him.
Even after his warning, Mead pulls a gun on him which she is then forced, through her robotic programming that makes her stay loyal to Michael, to shoot Venable instead. Similar to the previous praise she received from Venable, Michael commends her for her loyalty and informs her that he was the one that had her built from a prototype of a woman close to him as a child, clearly inferred as season one’s Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange), the woman who raised him.
In the last moments of the episode, the promised “Coven” witches finally appear in a group of three with supreme Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson), Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) and Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy). They bring back to life three apparent witch Outpost residents, Mallory, Coco and Dinah. With a final, much previously joked-upon reference, Madison sits herself in front of Mallory and says, for the second time in the series, “Surprise bitch, I bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.”
The show, which chugged along at a moderately sluggish pace for most of the episode and at times during the previous ones, seems to be reaching maximum excitement levels with the introduction of the “Coven” witches. All that’s left now is to bring the promised season one characters into the mix, and as the next day in the show is set to be Halloween, the ghost characters who can only leave the house then are sure to make an appearance.
With as much enjoyment as I take out of the crossover, I find myself a little disappointed that a majority of the new characters built upon in the first episodes just died with no finality, especially young couple Timothy and Emily (Kyle Allen and Ash Santos), who were particularly focused on in the first two episodes. I hope that these two specifically are brought back and allowed to continue their stories, and maybe they too can spring the line of surprisingly having been seen the last of.
_Edited by Siena DeBolt | sdebolt@themaneater.com_
