This week’s episode of FX’s American Horror Story: 1984 felt like filler. And, it really is. Considering this is the penultimate episode, it means that all of AHS’s ducks need to be in a row going into the season finale. Of course, by ducks, I really mean serial killers.
Brooke (Emma Roberts) and Donna (Angelica Ross) are still intent on getting to Camp Redwood so that Brooke can kill Margaret (Leslie Grossman). Oh, and chatting about who will be the final girl when it all goes down in the season finale of AHS 1984. It’s important stuff, except that they really should have been thinking about the fact that Brooke would be recognizable.
Sure, everyone knows she met with a lethal injection in Episode 6 of AHS 1984, but it certainly doesn’t stop a reporter from the Enquirer from pulling up a seat and getting way too chummy with the girl that looks just like a serial killer.
And Redwood is a gold mine. #AHS1984 pic.twitter.com/QRMRwx267w
— AmericanHorrorStory (@AHSFX) November 7, 2019
Donna and Brooke wheedle their way out of the conversation as quickly as they can, but are later confronted by the reporter, Stacey Phillips (Stefanie Black), who has worked it all out and wants the dirt on what really happened. Brooke is like, “Sure, take us to Camp Redwood and I will tell you everything.” But, that’s only because she plans on murdering Stacey as soon as she gets a chance.
Donna is not okay with this, though, and acts as a moral compass when they arrive at Redwood and Brooke tries to off the reporter. Of course, as Entertainment Weekly points out, Stacey only lasts long enough to be slaughtered by Margaret, the Night Stalker (Zach Villa), and Bruce (Dylan McDermott).
"What is he? A jungle cat?" #AHS1984 pic.twitter.com/FsclIhqhFv
— AmericanHorrorStory (@AHSFX) November 7, 2019
Yes, Bruce has managed to survive his de-thumbing in Episode 7 of AHS 1984 and took a ride to Camp Redwood in a pink Mary Kay car. Its previous owner is in the trunk. He is also fanboying pretty hard on the Night Stalker. Although, he’s a bit too cocky for my liking as, really, is it such a good idea to tell the serial killer standing next to you that you plan to murder more people than he has?
At Camp Redwood, Margaret has tasked her assistant with cleaning up the Night Stalker’s mess and disposing of the band members’ bodies rather than closing down the music festival and calling in the police. After all, where is the infamy in that? Especially considering Margaret has grand plans of making this concert a place that people will be dying to get into. And, by dying, I mean literally.
Montana is the master of the lip bite. #AHS1984 pic.twitter.com/M4ztlT5Fqk
— AmericanHorrorStory (@AHSFX) November 7, 2019
Trevor (Matthew Morrison) really wants to be with Montana (Billie Lourd). So much so, in fact, that he wants to die so that they can be together. He’s like some teenager trying to become a vampire, except Montana is being all, “Look at me, I have layers because I’m complaining about how messed up I am,” and dumps Trevor and his elephant appendage.
While all of this is going on, Mr. Jingles (John Carroll Lynch) is trying to kill the Night Stalker before he murders his son, Bobby. Except that every ghost stuck at Camp Redwood still seems to think that Mr. Jingles is responsible for their deaths and not Margaret and Montana, so the poor guy just gets killed over and over again. Plus, none of them really like the idea of the Night Stalker being murdered and then stuck at the camp with them and I can totally get their point of view. Finally, they chuck him on a boat and send him out into the lake to die again.
Except, this time, his dead brother jumps up out of the water and grabs him.
That's what we in the business call an "homage." #AHS1984 pic.twitter.com/pF8cLEjZWk
— AmericanHorrorStory (@AHSFX) November 7, 2019
And this is where it gets weird, because, I don’t know, didn’t Young Benjamin’s (Connor Cain) body get taken away after he died? And, hasn’t their mother, Lavina (Lily Rabe), been searching for the kid ever since he died? So, why is he leaping out of the lake now? And, why has it resulted in Mr. Jingles ending up in some weird version of the camp where he and his family are happy and his mom isn’t nearly so crazy? I guess we’ll just have to tune in to the season finale next week in order to find out more.
American Horror Story: 1984 concludes with Episode 9 on Thursday, November 14, at 10/9c on FX.