I think I might have a bit of a hard time reviewing American Horror Story’s “The Sacred Taking,” but I don’t want to tell you why just yet. It will spoil the review, you see.
But I will go ahead and start with this: Do you know what my honest to goodness no question at all very favorite part of this show is? They will show severed penises (penii?), necrophilia, semen, and Evan Peters’s ass but the vomit is kept off screen. As a tried and true emetophobe in a world where upchucking is in movie trailers and commercials, I have the deepest respect for that. Way to keep it classy, AHS.
Tonight we really didn’t get a whole lot closer to revealing the new Supreme, but we did get the return of Myrtle Snow, in mind as well as body (and Korean weave). Myrtle’s money is on Misty Day but there really is no evidence to support that wholeheartedly. Under Cordelia’s mastery, the coven sets in motion an act of supreme trickery (yes I did that on purpose) in an attempt to get Fiona to off herself, because only death by her own hand will allow the new Supreme to rise.
The show opened with another brilliant aside from Fiona, and I was so close to getting a “Derwood” I could almost taste it. My past issues with Fiona’s inability to cure herself was, I feel, given enough explanation to fill that plot hole tonight. Her death is indeed coming on because a new Supreme is about to take over. It’s the natural Witch way, it seems. It was almost easy for the coven to talk her to suicide’s door, and the beauty of those shots in the whirlwind of treachery by Myrtle and Madison was nothing short of breathtaking. I was completely reminded of the Tale of the Three Brothers in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt 2,” in a really good way. The rooms spun, the shadows danced, the camera work tricked you into believing you were watching a tracking shot (and we all know how much I love a good tracking shot), and I felt like I was watching an amazing and intimate play instead of a schlocky TV show.
I’ve been avoiding touching on the topic of racism in my reviews because I generally aim for larfs from my readers and I’ve never wanted to get into a serious issue in these bits. I’m not impying that it’s something that shouldn’t be talked about – it absolutely should. Especially since I’ve seen a lot of fans of the show expressing sympathy for Delphine, and I think that tonight’s episode was a perfect segue for me to voice my distaste with the way the show has manipulated us into feeling sorry for her. She. Murdered. And Tortured. Human beings. Black human beings, and any others she found to not live up to her sick and twisted ideals. And she never expressed any true remorse other than that ol’ fallback excuse of “it was a different time!” She was funny, moderately and superficially apologetic, but astute viewers would have picked up on the fact that she didn’t make amends with black people, she befriended A black person. Wow there is a big difference. But tonight her true colors came shinin’ through and even though she was imprisoned in a cage she had the audacity to treat Marie LaVeau, the freakin’ Queen of Voodoo, like a kitchen girl. And then Marie began a slow dismemberment like a boss. No, I never have and likely never will feel pity for Delphine, but I still stand by my praise on the comedic writing for the character. But I am always laughing at, never with. Maybe that was the plan all along – trick the viewer into feeling sorry for her only to reveal the viewer’s own inner monstrosity when Del – OH HELL I can’t even type that without laughing. I don’t think the show has ever had that much forethought. Sure, feel pity for Delphine. Pity the fact that she is so filled with hate and ignorance, but she does not deserve any defense. Especially one as flimsy as “but she was nice to Queenie!”
Are you starting to catch on to why I thought I’d have a hard time writing this one up? I’m not sure if it was the break last week or the fact that this was quality television, but I actually loved this episode. It had brilliant monologues and the cinematography and set dressing that I have always raved over. And the effects makeup were so superb I thought that Jessica Lange had pulled a Christian Bale. I didn’t even check the clock until 10:30, and at that point I realized “wow, I haven’t even gotten pissed off yet!” That’s not to say I didn’t have some minor quibbles, so let’s have some fun with those before I finish.
Cordelia touched something and gasped? Drink. Why can’t she read Myrtle? I will admit that I’ve possibly been too focused on snark to notice, but she doesn’t have to touch hands to “see,” no? Are we to assume that because there was no shuddery inhalation that Myrtle is indeed innocent? And Not-Filch is a ghost now? I think that’s cheating a little bit. And I have yet to decide if the reunification of Endora and Samantha is an interesting dynamic that will contribute to the plot or just wholly stupid. I’ll keep you posted on that one.
Yeah. Seriously. This was great damn episode, penned by Ryan Murphy himself. Four for you, Ryan Murphy, you go Ryan Murphy! If the show were always this good I would climb a moderately large hill and shout its praises. The show’s, not the hill’s.
And speaking of shouting, if you did not holler “what’s in the box? WHAT’S IN THE BOOHOHOOOX??!” during tonight’s final scene, I regretfully inform you that we can no longer be friends.