American Horror Story: Apocalypse - Traitor

While the previous episode paid fan service to Murder House AHS fans, this episode is very attentive to Coven fans. *** / ****

Top 5 Favorite Moments/Scenes

[1] A Christmas to Dismember: Yes, I was a total mark for Murphy and Falchuk’s homage to Joan Crawford’s iconic story from the great Amicus Omnibus, “Tales from the Crypt”. Crawford, older but still very much stealing whatever scenes she gets on the show, “guts” her antagonistic elderly husband but inherits trouble from a coughing Santa. It is revealed to be a film being filmed as Crawford emerges as a witch actually despite being presented earlier in the season as merely a prima donna actress always talking about her career, putting herself over whenever possible. Just the callback left me grinning from ear to ear. And her name being Bubbles cracked me up. The additional touches of her being bed pals with Myrtle (including the mention of fellatio) and playing against Roberts’ insult-quipping Madison.

[2] John Henry is returned to the show after a grisly death thanks to Mallory’s resurrection abilities. There is even a recall of the silent movie, B&W, decaying film stock footage homage as he is startled from death, surprised to be alive. Mead’s handiwork is foretold and Coco soon is commissioned by Cordelia to find her.

[3] Don’t fuck with the Coven: Cordelia and her witches sentence Ariel Augustus and Baldwin Pennypacker (who were planning to spread a mineral dust chemical into the air, serving as a biological poison that causes women to bleed from every pore, discovered by Bubbles, her ability to know what guys are thinking a distinct talent that allows Myrtle to provide information to Cordelia), along with Mead, to burn at the stake, allowing John Henry, by rite, to light the torches that will roast them alive. What made this memorable, besides a weakening Cordelia’s “mouth silencing” spell that closes that part of the face where they can’t speak, is Mead’s unwavering bravery and devilish relish in perishing, preparing with glee to meet her Lord Satan. It is hard to forget Kathy Bates’ expression as the flames start to engulf her.

[4] Summoning the Gatekeeper: Papa Legba is called upon by “voodoo queen”, Dinah , at the behest of Cordelia, to have Langdon lured into Hell so he cannot bring about the end of days. But when Legba requests the souls of her “girls”, Cordelia isn’t about to make such a “trade”. Dinah, of course, considers Cordelia’s refusal a major mistake while Legba is perfectly okay with returning to where he came from. Cordelia would just have to try something else. I liked it because Lance Reddick as Legba offers quite a charismatic “hell barter”, not one to just give those who call on him easy negotiation, completely devoid of morality or conscience. He wants what he wants and if you don’t agree, that’s just tough.

[5] Mallory Shows Her Stuff: When Coco chokes to death on cake, Mallory “opens” her throat and removes it so she can recover. This incredible skill Farmiga’s Zoe is astonished, later telling Cordelia, which inspires the conjuring of John Henry, from mere ash at the gas station where Mead killed him. It is a really gnarly effects scene.

*The Coco skill at knowing calories for whatever food is put in front of her is some included comedy that I didn’t necessarily mind. I could do without it, but it wasn’t as annoying to me as it was to other critics. Grossman gets some time on screen, and considering how shallow and narcissistic (and cruel/crude) she was at the beginning of the season, at least her Coco is a bit more tolerable here before the apocalypse.