Editor’s Note: This article contains spoilers from American Horror Story: Apocalypse, Episode 3.
Welcome back to the underground ‘safe haven’ that will make you want to rip your brains out. This week’s AHS episode ‘Forbidden Fruit‘ begins with a series of interviews of each character performed by Langdon. Thankfully, we learn Emily (Ash Santos) and Timothy (Kyle Allen) are saved from the execution (Thanks to Langdon!). We also experience a conflict between Mallory (Billie Lourd) and Langdon (Cody Fern) during her interview as she uses a powerful force to throw a scared Langdon across the room! Is Mallory a witch? As a result, we witness Langdon asking his ‘father’/Satan for help as he is unable to get rid of Mallory’s kind by himself. Loni Peristere’s creative choice of fragmented scenes definitely succeeds in depicting a confusion of what is past and what is present, which successfully adds to the mystery of the place, alongside the eerie music that puts us all on edge. At this point, I think we can all relate to Adina Porter’s character with the ‘I don’t like not knowing what is to come’. Nonetheless, this just adds to the spookiness of the show and successfully hooks us into the show.
Billie Lourd in American Horror Story (2011). Credit: IMDb
Moving on, finally, daylight, trees, people, and Halloween… of 1962- a memory of Miriam’s (Kathy Bates) past. In this scene, we learn a lot of her past as she is interviewed by not Langdon, but Venable (Sarah Paulson). I get some urging questions from this is: how can a robot have a past (unless they are false memories like in Westworld)? Why do all these significant events occur on Halloween? Who is this ‘beautiful little boy’ Miriam remembers? Moving on, we see the ladies further this conversation by plotting against the others- more specifically against Langdon.
Fade into another scene and we find ourselves outside again, but not in an image of the past. We are out in the apocalyptic world where we can sense a sort of Stephen King styled ‘The Mist’, and a John Hillcoat’s ‘The Road‘ vibe with cannibalistic characters (yum roast leg!) who will kill anyone. Here, if one wishes to survive- they really can’t trust anyone. What is significant about this scene is regardless of finally getting an insight of the remains, we also see a lone survivor who is questioning others about a place for the bourgeoisie, but how does he know about it? Coincidentally, as he ponders around to question the other survivors, a horse and carriage appear and he hides under the carriage in order to get his ticket into the Outpost. The carriage arrives, the Outpost guard (Erika Ervin) dies and Venamol and Miriam are welcomed not by the mystery man, but a box of beautifully, uncontaminated, red apples. As a result, an idea sparks Miriam’s mind to use the apples to poison the others and they will do this by hosting a party.
With it being All Hallows Eve, everyone is sure to experience some tricks and not treats. The characters share Snow White’s fate through poisoned apples from Eden which is of course inflicted by the evil queens, Venable and Miriam. Surely, Emily and Timothy should’ve expected this after rightfully refusing to eat the stew from the other episode. Coco (Leslie Grossman), however, meets her fate with a blast from the past- mystery man from the apocalyptic world is, in fact, her boyfriend Brock (Billy Eichner)- who she mistakes as being Langdon under the mask, while trying to seduce him in order to gain her ‘rightful place’. Angry and unimpressed by his comparison to sushi, Brock puts a knife to her head and says his farewells with ‘Happy Halloween B****’.
Sarah Paulson, Frances Conroy, Leslie Grossman, Adina Porter, Emma Roberts, and Billie Lourd in American Horror Story (2011). Credit: IMDb
Okay, so wait- We’re 30 minutes into this week’s episode, and everyone is dead? It’s the third episode, and Evan Peters is dead? We’re left with just Venamol, Miriam, Langdon and Brock? Well, that’s just great.
The evil queens being proud of their mass murder, go onto interrupt a pre-occupied Langdon with a hunger to kill. Jokes on them, as Langdon begins to laugh at their confused faces and says, ‘I wanted to let you have your fun, but…’ This is when it gets really interesting: Venamol orders Miriam to shoot Langdon, but instead she shoots Venamol out of her own control- it must suck being a robot. Langdon goes on to reveal his master plan to the shocked Miriam which includes the fact that the apple plan was his own and he just simply made them do his dirty work. I guess in regards to surprisingly saving Emily and Timothy- this was perhaps his sly shot at revenge. More seriously, we learn that he made Miriam and shaped her to be someone he used to know and that he kept these secrets in order to protect her. This leaves us questioning who she is, now we now know that he is the boy from her past.
The scene then cuts back to the remains of the All Hallows Eve celebration: blood, bodies and ‘Baby I’m A Want You‘ by Bread, playing in the background (what a happy ending). The camera then floats its way out of the Outpost to the outside world, where three figures walk through the gates of hell. ‘Surprise B****’ Coven is back, and they are bringing their sisters back to life. And guess what? Our favorite witch, Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts), has a past with the newly resurrected Mallory: “Bet you thought you’d seen the last of me.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/BoUeT02HeUa/?hl=en&taken-by=iconicroses
Through the promo for next week’s episode, we can be sure to expect a battle between the witches (who believe they can save the world) and Langdon. But wait… what happened to Brock? Tune in next week to find out!
American Horror Story: Apocalypse airs on Thursdays at 10:00 pm on FX.
Featured Image via IMDb
