The Killer, Clownz: AMERICAN HORROR STORY Review

Episode 73  “Neighbors From Hell”
Written by James Wong
Directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton

Welcome to reality! Where spouses don’t support one another, clowns are killing psych patients, and poison gas doesn’t matter. It’s Cult everyone, and is it getting confusing and frustrating. My previous statement stands: Oz (Cooper Dodson) still is in the background to Ally (Sarah Paulson) and Ivy’s (Alison Pill) thoughts. Seriously, these two are the worst parents in a crisis I have seen yet on screen, but hold onto your butts, because it’s about to get worse.

We get a suspect! Therapist Dr. Rudy Vincent (Cheyenne Jackson). We open with him discussing with a client about her phobia of being locked in confined spaces and how she has conquered it, but as soon as her and her husband get home, they are greeted by the killer clowns and thrown into his-n-her coffins to die. They are discovered a week later, deceased, after continuous missed phone calls. A creepy red smiley face is found at the crime scene. How is it at all possible that they managed to go a week without being found? A woman with such a debilitating fear should be monitored constantly, by friends, family members, or even coworkers.

Surprisingly, Ally isn’t arrested for the murder of Pedro (Jorge Luis Pallo). She isn’t even brought in for questioning! Instead, Detective Jack Samuels (Colton Haynes), claims that due to the laws in their state she was in the right, so there is no need for questioning — so no justice in the death of an innocent man.

I will say this, Detective Samuels, you can bring me in for questioning anytime. Sorry, I got a little distracted, which is fair, because at this point he’s the only reason I want to watch anymore. Between Ally’s hysterics, Ivy’s unsupportive aloofness, and Ozzy’s need to find all things morbid, I’m already getting a little lost around the plot line, but having Detective Samuels to stare at is helping me find my way. Anyways, Ally gets off clean, which only sparks outrage amongst fellow citizens, according to News Anchor Beverly Hope (Adina Porter).

Ally can’t even bear to go into work with the mob of protesters outside her business. Just as she’s attempting to calm down, Kai Anderson (Evan Peters) appears out of the blue (see what I did there?) and congratulates her on her bravery. Because she killed a man of Latin descent and has proven herself to his way of radical thinking? He promises her that he will take care of her, and then leaves her to wallow in self pity.

Is he connected with the murder clowns? If so, why does he allow them to torture her like they have? Why haven’t they killed her off like all the others? Is this some plan of Kai’s to get her alienated in order to bring out her full potential, that will later benefit the Cult?

Once she is back home she is harassed by Harrison Wilton (Billy Eichner) and Meadow Wilton (Leslie Grossman) wearing sombreros and screaming about white appropriation, and racism. Even going so far as to throw Taco Bell coupons at her.  Well, so much for neighborly understanding. Harrison was the one who gave her the gun, and he is shocked that she killed someone with it. Really? That’s what guns do, you don’t just wave it around like a magic wand and expect it to put a protection spell around the home.  

That night, a large truck spraying a sickly green gas coasts down their street, and it seems Ally and Ivy are the only ones concerned about this, especially when a couple dozen dead birds cover their front lawn. Winter (Billie Lourd) is invited back as the nanny to Oz, but of course as soon as amends are made she admits to letting a complete stranger into their home. Upon discovery, they find him disrobed and what appears to be ‘getting in the mood’, claiming he was there to fill out the ad. Apparently someone, we think the Wiltons, have created an ad asking for men to satisfy two lesbian women. Ally and Ivy keep taking it down, but it keeps popping back up.

Ally attempts to talk to Dr. Rudy about what all she has been going through, and he not only seems uncaring but down right annoyed. At one point he even begins organizing five little smiley face buttons, as if orchestrating out a mysterious plan. Could Dr. Vincent be based off of stories of therapists that convince their clients to commit suicide? Could he be assisting in killing off his patients through the use of their phobias at the hands of the clowns? It seems practical to say the least. Ignoring his advice, again, she attempts to face the protesters and put their anger to rest. Instead she is surrounded and unsuccessfully pleads with them from inside her car. Until Kai shows up like a cotton candy haired Moses parting the sea with only a few muted words. Like soldiers, they snap to attention and disperse, which gives me question as to what sort of power does he have over these people? Are they all part of his cult in some way? It just seems questionable.

This is where things start getting hectic. Ozzy is gifted a pet Guinea pig, named Mr. Guinea, by the Wiltons. Ally freaks out on them, where we discover that the Detective has become a friend of theirs. Of course the ghost truck comes through again, and Ally goes ballistic thinking she can run out there without a gas mask on and attempt to stop it! She gets a bloody nose from the exposure and has to wait a week for the test results, even though she knows that whatever was being sprayed killed all the birds around their home, so her insides could very well be liquefying as we speak. Wouldn’t that be a relief?

Meadow and Harrison have joined Kai’s pinky promise fear sharing circle. Meadow is terrified of being without a child and married to a man that hates her. Kai offers her the advice to make the world wrong. Harrison, on the other hand, openly admits that he wishes Meadow were dead. Woah, there buddy. She may be annoying but you don’t have to be married to her, you can divorce her. Less bloody that way.

Speaking of bloody, RIP Mr. Guinea. Just after Ozzy got the heartwarming news that he would get to keep his surprise pet, the little squeaker is blown up in front of him in the microwave. Ally and Ivy find the smiley face painted on their front door, and Ally has had enough. She storms over to the neighbors and assaults Harrison before asking questions. While the Wiltons seem perplexed as to what has happened, one thing is for sure: they aren’t lying when they admit they didn’t spray the smiley face. Harrison even makes note that they have been marked by the Killer. This little tidbit of information is completely ignored.

Hold the phone! Ally has been freaking out about the clowns and the symbol associated with them this entire time and when presented with some answers she completely passes it by? WHAT!? Did no one pick up on this? Anyways, Ally threatens to kill them if they come near her family again, which doesn’t bode well since she did just kill an employee. 

Ivy berates and yells at Ally for her behavior, all in front of Ozzy, mind you. Oh yea, he is present for the whole thing. This poor kid, if he doesn’t end up with some serious issues as an adult I’ll be surprised. But, wait there’s more! Just as they are headed back to their house, the ghost truck parks in front of the Mayfair-Richards house, and two black hazmat suited individuals begin spraying the front lawn. Ally attacks them, demanding information on who they are, what they are spraying, and who they work for. Not getting any answers she rips off the gas mask only to uncover the mask of the Killer underneath. She passes out.

Assuming it is still the same night, Detective Samuels is in their home, collecting information on what has happened. Ivy is quiet and calm, probably embarrassed and trying to process all the crazy she has had to deal with. Ally is in hysterics trying and failing to explain how everything is connected but none of it makes sense. From upstairs they hear Ozzy make a panicked exclamation and both women rush up to check on him. They find video surveillance of Winter giving Ally that creepy sponge job in the bath. Ivy has had enough, and rightfully so. I’m surprised she held on as long as she did. She packs up Ozzy and gets ready to leave until cop lights flash outside. They go to investigate and find a crazed and bloodied Harrison screaming for Meadow. He blames Ally, but we don’t know if Meadow is dead, or where she even is. Inside the Wiltons’ home, blood is smeared all along the walls, with hand prints, as if someone had been dragged down the stairs. On the wall is a freshly painted smiley face.

Hold up. There was a smiley face already on the outside of the home, discovered earlier that night by Ally and Ivy, and now there is another one inside, too? Seems like a lot of extra work for the same message. Which gets me thinking that Meadow isn’t dead or even injured. I believe she set this all up in the hopes of getting Harrison to care for her again. She wants to feel loved and important, and no longer the victim, so what better way than to play the victim?

At this point, I have learned that Ally is annoying.

Ivy and Ally make for terrible parents.

Ivy really didn’t take Ally’s phobia seriously, by making the adult lock password; Clownz.

Ivy doesn’t even question the fact that there was a camera in her bathroom.

Ozzy is going to grow up to be a messed up psychopath.

The Therapist is somehow at the head of the killings.

Kai has the neighbors and possibly even the detective in his cult.

I’m beginning to wonder if Kai’s Cult and Dr. Vincent’s clowns aren’t two opposing gangs that are in the midst of war, and Ally has somehow been put right in the middle. I want to know your theories. Will Ally and Ivy make up? Is Dr. Vincent involved somehow? Who is the Killer? Is Meadow alive? Am I capable of convincing Detective Samuels to take me home with him? Drop your ideas, and theories below.

 

American Horror Story airs Tuesday nights 10/9c on FX.