AHS, Season 6 Roanoke, Finale

The tenth and final hour of the season was a disjointed array of not one but three more “reality shows” and a “Comic Con” type event.  The suspense regarding the “reality” of the previous four episodes was explained but in a very unsatisfying way.  The finale did tie Roanoke to the vastly superior Asylum series by bringing back investigative journalist Lana Winters.  Unfortunately, the viewer also had to endure “episodes” of “Crack’d” and “Spirit Chasers.” (The later being a lampoon of Ghost Adventures.)  All the deaths depicted in the previous episodes were real and Lee Harris has the distinction of being the lone survivor of Roanoke.  The finale tried to tie up many loose ends but the season was one big ugly knot trying to be “meta” and clever by mocking social media and celebrity culture.

The hour opens with a flashback to a March 2016 fan conference entitled “Paley Fest” featuring the cast and crew of  “My Roanoke Nightmare.”  A drag queen with an enormous bouffant wig hosts the event.  Fans wear Pig Man masks and wield fake “Butcher” knives.  The cast members are treated like rock stars.  A woman from London asks Lee a question before presenting her with a drawing of Lee and Flora.  Rory enjoys attention from women in the crowd, much to Audrey’s chagrin.  Agnes notes that she feels the Butcher has more of a story to tell and hopes she will return for the rumored Season 2.

The London fan appears on a YouTube video stating, “It’s been a year since “My Roanoke Nightmare” and everything has gone to shit.  Season Two turned an artistic achievement into something crass.  Many questioned whether it was real or not but people died!”  In this manner, it is confirmed as wild as “Return to Roanoke” appeared it did happen.  Although Season Two did not air as planned, it is presumed that fans eagerly consumed the “found footage.”  I share the woman’s opinion that "Return to Roanoke" ruined "My Roanoke Nightmare.".

Lee is on trial for the murders of Monet, Jether and Mama Polk.  Another YouTube video pops up with Lot Polk sitting in a tractor holding a gun.  He says, “The courts won’t do shit!  Polk’s ain’t ever got justice. They took my babies!  If the law won’t deal with her, I will!”  The video ends with him cocking his weapon.

A special episode of “Crack’d” airs focusing on the life and trial of Lee Harris.  It sensationalizes her biography of a cop turned mother.  It describes how Lee cracked under the burdens of her addiction, divorce and loss of custody of Flora.  District Attorney Phillips is interviewed.  “We had no smoking gun but I knew that Lee Harris had killed her ex-husband in cold blood.”  The show highlights Lee's trial for the "Return to Roanoke" murders.  The defense had the testimony of a toxicologist. “The Polk strain of marijuana made you hallucinate.”  The conclusion was drawn that Lee’s stressful ordeal coupled with the drugs made her not culpable for her actions.  A juror states she believed Lee had “diminished capacity” during the commission of her crimes.

Lee was acquitted of the “Return to Roanoke” murders.  The decision split public opinion just like the infamous O.J. Simpson trial.  The D.A. Phillips decided to go forward and prosecute Lee for Mason Harris’s murder.  During this trial, the “confession tape” and Matt’s security footage was shown to the jury.  The prosecution calls Flora to the witness stand.  She testifies she saw her mom and dad fighting in the woods.  She claims her mom picked up a rock and proceeded to hit her dad repeatedly until he was motionless. “You killed Daddy!”  Lee whispers something to her female attorney.

Lee’s attorney approaches Flora to cross-examine her.  She tells Flora that her father thought her mother was hiding her but that wasn’t true.  She asks Flora why she chose to hide in the woods.  Flora states, “I felt safe.”  The attorney wonders how she could feel safe all alone in the woods and Flora replies, “I wasn’t alone, I was with Priscilla.”  The lawyer asks, “The ghost girl from television?”  Flora confirms she was happier with Priscilla than with her mom and dad.  The lawyer concludes Flora is an “imaginative girl from a broken home.”  The defense has cleverly discredited Flora in order to dismiss her damning testimony.  The jury deliberates for sixteen days before rendering a “not guilty” verdict.

The D.A. disgusted with the verdict calls Lee a “good actress.”  Lee tries to call her daughter after the trial but is not able to speak with her.  The D.A. continues, “No one won this case, Lee may have lost a lot more.”  He implies while Lee won the case, it came at the price of her relationship with her daughter.  The Crack’d logo appears again, signaling the conclusion of the show.

The next show to feature Lee Harris, “the most revered and reviled woman in America” is Lana Winters.  Lee has been working as a paid speaker, promoting her “tell-all” memoir.  Lana Winters has come out of retirement to conduct this exclusive interview with her.

Lana’s first question to Lee is simple, “How are you doing?”  Lee explains she continues to hope and for her hope is Flora.  Lee explains how her desire to be with her daughter has kept her going.  Lana points out that Lee has had a “spare relationship” with her only daughter.  Mason’s parents retain full custody of her.  Lana probes further, “People see you as a murderer, and you basically called Flora a liar.”  Lee replies defensively, “I didn’t come here to be put on trial again!” Lana asks why Lee chose to do her show, after declining to be interviewed by other famous journalists such as Barbara Walters and Diane Sawyer.  Lee explains she chose Lana because of what Lana endured, murdering her own son.”  It’s Lana’s turn to become defensive, “I killed a psychopathic murderer.  I did what I had to do!”  Lee nods, “So you know there are extenuating circumstances.”

Lana shifts the conversation back to her guest’s problems.  Lana notes Flora won’t talk to Lee and gives Lee the opportunity to address Flora on television.  Lee faces the camera and pleads, “I want to tell you from my heart, I love you, and that will never stop until we are together again.”  Lana confronts Lee, stating Flora has been missing for the last hour.  Lana fears Lee has staged the interview to cover up her kidnapping of Flora.  Lee rises from her seat stunned.  She begins to leave stating, “I have to find my daughter.”  Her statement is punctuated by the sound of gunfire close by.  Lot Polk shoots down the door of the interview room.  Lana attempts to diffuse the situation but Lot has committed to killing Lee as justice for his family.  Lana urges him to “tell his truth” reminding him they are on live television with millions of people watching.  Lana encourages Lot to speak about his mother and put the gun down.  Feed up with the host, Lot uses the butt of his gun to strike Lana down growling, “She talks too much!”  Seconds later, Lot is shot by law enforcement.  The screen displays color blocks with the text “Technical difficulties.”  Lana Winters knows how to make interesting television.

The viewer is now presented with yet another television show related to Roanoke. “After much consideration and the approval of the surviving members, this network has decided to air the controversial November 18^th episode of Spirit Chasers.  Viewer discretion is advised.”

The “Spirit Chasers” excitedly report that this will be a special episode focusing on the Roanoke mansion.  The hosts are two white young men named Bob and Dave joined by a woman named Tracy and a paranormal investigative team.  To add interest, they’ve invited the re-enactor Ashley Gilbert, who portrayed Cricket in “My Roanoke Nightmare.”  The mansion has been blocked off, with both the public and the media denied access onto the property.  Bob proudly shows his audience that they plan to cut the fence and trespass in order to conduct their investigation.

Ashley helps led the team through the mansion.  The home is a mess; graffiti covers the walls with messages like “Satan lives here!”  Tracy shows off the special thermal cameras they’ll be using.  Ashley states he was glad he wasn’t in the second season. (Or he’d be dead!)  The cameras are in place as night falls on the “Blood Moon.”  Dave notes the magnetic readings are “off the charts” in the spot where Rory died. Curtains flutter and loud bangs scare the investigators.  Ashley finds Priscilla’s bonnet in the debris.  Shadows appear in the hallways.

Lee Harris walks up to the Spirit Chasers crew asking, “Are you crazy?” She is there to try to find Flora; the girl has been missing for over two weeks. The crew offers to help her but she yells at them to get out of the house.  A loud crash is heard; the computer techs see an image of the Chen girl crawling on the ceiling.  EVP readings pick up loud groans. Bob states, “Chasers don’t run!”  Bob follows the sound of laughter, seeing a ghostly apparition of Priscilla on camera.  In the hallway, Pig Man appears. Ashley yells, “Croatoan!”  The Pig Man butchers the short actor.  The Chaser’s flee in all directions.  Dave has his back against the wall but is suddenly grabbed from above by the Chen girl.  Tracy runs away abandoning her friend.  Bob sees the dead nurses and flees outside.  Emergency sirens are heard in the distance.

The next action sequence happens at a frantic pace. Outside the mansion, Tracy and a cameraman are intercepted by the Butcher and murdered.  Bob makes it to the front gate to warn the cops of the danger but he and several officers are shot with arrows.  The Blood Moon hangs overhead.

Inside the home, on the third floor near the heart shaped window, the thermal camera picks up a human figure.  Another figure joins the first. Lee says to Flora, “I just wanted to keep you safe!”

News broadcast airs; stating Lee and law enforcement have been involved in a fourteen-hour standoff. (But it is still dark outside?)  At the television studio, the actor who portrayed the professor is interviewed.  He adds little to the discussion besides stating he “decided” not to take part in Season Two.  A handsome young male reporter interviews Lana Winters from her home.  He describes her as a “national treasure” but notes her and Lee’s propensity to attract trouble.  Lana bristles but states, “I understand Lee.  We both have the capacity to be singular of thought. For Lee, her motivation has always been Flora.”

Flora draws a picture in the thick dust on the floor.  Lee speaks of her desire to settle down, someplace safe, just the two of them.  She urges her daughter to eat something.  Lee tries to explain how hard she’s tried to be a perfect mother but acknowledges her failures.  Flora states, “You killed Daddy.”  Lee counters, “A girl needs a mother, Daddy didn’t understand.”  Lee states she lives to be with Flora.

Flora explains she wants to stay with Priscilla instead.  Lee is horrified, “You can’t survive!” Flora reasons she could if she “became like her.”  Flora reasons she could help protect Priscilla and others from the Butcher.  Flora has asked for Priscilla to “make me like her” (kill her) but the ghost has been reluctant.  Lee offers to take her daughter’s place in death. “What if I stay fought the Butcher?  Priscilla can kill me and you can go live with your grandparents.”  Flora approaches the ghost girl with Lee’s plan.

Outside, SWAT forces storm into the mansion.  An explosion blows out a window.  Flora walks out the front door unharmed.  Lee moves to take the ghost girl’s hand in death.  Other explosions rock the mansion and the whole house begins to burn.  Flora is a safe distance away, blankly watching her mother burn inside.  SheF slowly waves goodbye to Lee and Priscilla.

From a vantage point above the property, the Colony approaches chaos surrounding the burning home.  The Blood Moon hangs overhead.

The Roanoke season has been unique in the American Horror Story franchise.  Many say it’s their favorite of the series but I disagree.  I appreciate the attempt to call out the “found footage” and the public’s obsession with reality television.  However, I found its execution has been quite unbelievable and heavy handed.  It was hard to care about most of the cast who ended up as casualties of a “slasher” type film.

There remain some plot holes and lingering questions.  Why did Lee eat the pig heart last episode and appear to be working with the Butcher only to vow to fight the Colony in the finale?  Did the Return to Roanoke ever air and if so how could all the murders be shown on television?  If the paranormal activity in the first season was all orchestrated by the producers, did the showrunners ever believe Matt and Shelby’s original story or did they just think it would make a sensational “reality show?” 

I sincerely hope next season will return to stories revolving around a singular theme or location with the same talented cast members.  The only part I enjoyed in tonight’s finale was seeing Lee sacrifice her life for Flora.  Lee’s final moments felt authentic within a very “trumped up” season of deceit and lies.

AHS, Season 6, Roanoke, Penultimate episode

The final hours of this curious season promised to be brutal and bizarre.  The viewers are subject to shaky camera work and “found footage.”  It seems likely that the finale will reveal the preceding episodes were all part of an elaborate television production.  Ongoing clues are the continued footage of “static” cameras in various locations most notably at the Polk’s farm.

Three hikers venture near the woods surrounding the Roanoke house. (Definite Blair Witch Project vibe here.)  They all wear helmets with mounted cameras directed at themselves.  The young woman named Sophie chatters excitedly about her enthusiasm for the “My Roanoke Nightmare” series.  Sophie has her friends photograph her near the “No Trespassing” sign.  They hope to obtain “likes” on their Instagram page.  Sophie opines about how the show touched on major themes such as “post-racial” relationships and how the Butcher represents a strong matriarch.  (Things you’ll hear in any Woman’s Studies lecture.)  The trio finds the tree where Flora’s hoodie was found.  Suddenly, a disoriented woman bleeding from her head appears.  The young group attempts to talk to her and offer assistance but she runs away.  The group finds a black car flipped over with the woman’s body inside.  It appears to be Diana, the production assistance whose car flipped as she fled the set in episode six.

Back at the mansion, Dylan has surprised Lee and Audrey.  Dylan acted as the Butcher’s son in the series.  He explains how he has been sequestered in a local hotel for days without hearing from Sidney.  He was supposed to arrive to dressed as the “Pig Man” to provide some drama for the remaining episodes.  The frantic women ask if he drove to the set but he arrived by Uber. (The brief scene shows Matt Bohmer driving Dylan in the Pig Mask toward the mansion. What a waste of Matt Bohmer this season!)

Audrey grows frustrated with Dylan’s complaints about the production of the series. She screams at Dylan, “It's real! Everybody is dead, don’t you get that?”  The women show Dylan the bodies of Shelby and Dominic.  Lee speaks, “It’s the most dangerous night to be here.” (The full Blood Moon.) Dylan reveals he’s an Afghan war vet and a Navy Seal and therefore tough enough to get them back to safety.  Lee explains her plan to go back to the Polk farm, get the videotapes and steal the hillbillies’ truck. They also fear Monet is still being held captive there.  Dylan would rather go alone but Lee insists they go together.  (Lee’s primary objective is to destroy her confession tape.)  Dylan assures the women, “Everything is going to be fine.”  Famous last words!

The local authorities are interviewing Sophie after their experience in the woods.  The officer is skeptical of Sophie’s story, noting that she runs an Internet fan site known as “The Army of Roanoke.”  Todd, (Jake from Glee) tells the officer interviewing him, “I didn’t believe any of it until that moment.” (When they saw the body in the car.)  The other young man named Milo describes his experience as “freaky awesome.”  He goes on to describe the woman in the woods whom he feels must have been a ghost.  The officer interviewing Sophie informs her no body was found in the car wreckage.  The officer accuses the trio of a “prank” performed to create a viral video.  Milo notes, “This is how every horror movie goes, the cops don’t believe it until it’s too late!”  Todd is confident they have captured all their experiences on camera and that proves their story is true.  The police warn the group to stay away from the property.

Dylan, Lee, and Audrey approach the Polk property.  Dylan is intent to simply take the truck and flee but the women want to attempt to rescue Monet.  Lee’s mission is to locate the tapes while Audrey looks for Monet.  In addition to the shaky handheld cameras, their approach to the Polk buildings is captured on a stationary camera. Audrey enters the “grow room” and quickly finds a revolver.  She hears a noise and finds Monet bound to a chair.  Lee enters the room with the tattered Confederate flag.  She finds the camera Jether used to tape her confession. “Where is the damn delete button?”  Outside, Dylan has hot-wired the truck.  A man sneaks up behind him and bludgeons him to death.

Ismael finds Audrey and Monet.  He yells at Audrey, “You killed Mama! I’m going to murder you real slow!”  Audrey makes him repeat the statement (to exonerate herself from blame) then shoots the old man in the head.  Hearing the shot, the man outside yells, “They’re coming! There is no one here to protect us now! Mama’s gone!”  The man pushes Dylan’s body aside and flees the farm in the truck.  The Colony can be seen approaching the farm with their torches blazing.  Lee stands nearby filming their approach.  Monet and Audrey take off running towards the mansion.

Once the actresses arrive back to the Roanoke mansion, Monet implores Audrey to calm down.  Neither knows what happened to Lee.  Audrey assumes she is dead, just like her beloved Rory.  They take a moment to view the tape retrieved from the Polk farm. They are horrified to listen to Lee’s confession to the killing her ex-husband.

Lee writhes on the ground in the forest.  A grainy camera captures her movements. A wild boar briefly appears in the frame.  A shaman type person offers Lee some fruit, which she devours hungrily.  This was the same way the Butcher came to have immortal powers.

Sophie, Milo, and Todd have refused to stay away from Roanoke.  Sophie babbles about how the moon represents fertility and female power.  The men are excited that their most recent video featuring Diana’s apparition and corpse has gone “viral.”  As they search for the mansion they stumble upon the site where Mason’s body was burned.  They spot Lee, whom they recognize from the series.  They call out to her but she doesn’t respond.  Suddenly, Lee moves quickly towards Todd and slashes him with a knife.  Sophie and Milo scream as their helmet cameras capture a swirl of activity.  They hold each other and look up to the trees to find the twine totem dolls dangling around them.

Sophie and Milo run further into the woods until they discover the carnage around the production trailer.  As they absorb the scene, Dylan sneaks up behind Sophie only to be brought down by an unseen force.  Milo and Sophie seek shelter in the production trailer.  Soon, there is a loud pounding on the door.  The fans recognize Dylan from his portrayal of Ambrose on the series.  Sophie notes most of the cast were coming back for season two.  Milo studies the monitors and notes, “Most of the cast are dead!”  They see the lifeless bodies of Dominic and Shelby on the multiple camera feeds from the mansion. They also see Audrey and Monet are still alive.  Milo wonders, “Is anything even real?”  Monet wants a drink for courage and Audrey argues against it.  The young adult fans note Lee is walking slowly towards the mansion wielding a knife.

Sophie tries to call the police to have them protect Audrey and Monet against murderous Lee.  The police dismiss their call as another prank regarding the series. Sophie decides they have to try to stop Lee themselves.  Milo reminds her Lee has just killed their friend Todd.  They exit the trailer together.  They fail to see Dylan wounded lying on the ground nearby. (Is he another ghost in search of mortals for help or another spirit out to wreck havoc on the Blood Moon?)

Monet wants to turn the confession video over to the police as soon as possible. Audrey theorizes Lee must be dead if she left such damning evidence behind.  The women hear a noise and are surprised to find Lee inside the house staring at them. Lee speaks as if in a trance, “You don’t belong here! Your vile presence defiles this sacred ground!”  Monet states that she always knew Lee was responsible for the death of Mason.  Lee throws her doppelganger down three floors where she is impaled with a wooden object.  Lee directs her ire towards Audrey, “The grounds must be cleansed!”  Audrey runs away and exits through the front door.

Sophie narrates as she and Milo make their way towards the mansion.  She notes the dramatic blood moon overhead and states, “Lee Harris just killed my friend and the police won’t listen!”  Milo doubts they will be able to find it.  But soon they see the back of the mansion looming before them in the moonlight.

Audrey runs for the safety of the root cellar.  Lee is quickly upon her and slashes Audrey’s left shoulder before pushing the actress down the ladder into the darkness below.  Lee closes the door to the cellar.

Milo and Sophie film near the house as the Colony approaches.  The Butcher disembowels Dylan, pulling his intestines out into the dirt.  The young couple turns to flee only to be confronted by Lee with a large cleaver in her hand.

A text warning appears. “What you are about to see was recovered from the iCloud account registered to Todd Allan Connors.  Presented in its raw form, the images are graphic, violent and deeply disturbing.  Sensitive viewers should refrain from watching.”

Sophie and Milo are taken by the Colony.  Lee stands before them.  Sophie pleads for her life, explaining she has dreams of becoming a doctor.  Lee assists the Colony in sacrificing the couple.  They are impaled on large wooden stakes and burned alive. Their screams fill the night.

The next day, multiple police cars rush towards the mansion.  In the front yard are the charred remains of Sophie and Milo. (The camera stamp states it is from RCPD body camera.) The footage shows the police finding the bodies within the mansion. Outside, they find a woman whimpering in confused pain.  Lee is on the ground bleeding and babbling.  The police try to question her, but she is too shaken to answer.  Finally, she screams, “Get me out of this hellhole!”  They led her towards a police car.

Audrey stumbles out of the root cellar.  She looks up, dazed by the sunlight and asks the policeman, “Are you real?”  The officer assures her he’s “flesh and blood” and moves to help her up.  Lee approaches Audrey and she reacts by pulling out a revolver and aiming it at her calling her a “murderer.”  The cops shoot Audrey dead.  (Without giving her a chance to drop her weapon. How she would have still had the weapon after her fall in the root cellar is also unclear.) The episode closes with an aerial shot of Audrey dead from gunshot wounds to the chest.

The sole survivor is Lee.  Why did she take the part in the Colony’s activities and act the part of another Butcher?  Was she similarly possessed when she killed Mason?  Are episodes 6-9 yet another elaborate production of the Roanoke series? Will the viewer see the entire cast alive and well in the finale?  If so, will we feel entertained or duped?  Frankly, I’ll be happy to wrap up this season.  I prefer my horror weird, campy and decidedly fake.  Television used to be the realm of dreams and now we are bombarded with having “reality” feed to us even when it’s just as fictional.  Our reality now includes a “reality show” star President-elect.  It’s enough to make you question everything.

AHS Season 6, Roanoke, episode 8

The remaining episodes will be typical horror story fare, watching almost ever character being killed in unique ways.  Given this inevitable conclusion and inclusion of “shaky cam” footage, these last few hours will be hard to watch.  Will there be a final twist at the end?  It may still be revealed that the last few episodes were also a carefully illustrated “reality.”  Perhaps the final curtain will reveal all cast and crew alive and well and having a tremendous laugh at the audience’s expense.  Frankly, I would find that a cheap and divisive ending.

The episode opens with Dominic looking in horror at the scene in front of the mansion.  The Butcher has just killed her re-enactor Agnes.  Dominic has finally come to the conclusion that recent events are no longer being orchestrated by the show.  He addresses Sid via the camera in the room. “I just wanted to be the ‘good villain’. Get me out of here!”  Shelby replies cryptically, “No one is coming!”  Dominic makes eye contact with the Butcher through the window.  They decide they have to escape the house through the tunnel.

Dominic’s necklace camera provides shaky footage as the couple rushes down the stairs.  Shelby encounters Matt’s corpse and she almost can’t go on.  Dominic urges her forward to the tunnels. (Stationary cameras provide images in the darkness.) Ahead in the tunnel appears a figure.  Shelby assumes it to be Mott, who had helped Matt and her flee the first time.  But suddenly, distorted figures covered in blood crawl towards them.  The Chen’s chase the living down in the dark.

Mama sharpens her knife as she instructs her sons on the unique art of butchering Lee alive.  Lee spits back, “I’m not an ‘it’, I’m a human being! People don’t eat people!” One of the boy’s responds, “The Polk’s eat people.”  It doesn’t appear they will be diverted from their task.  Mama proudly begins to tell Lee the history of cannibalism in their family. It was during the depression, and “hobos” ate their last hog.  Enraged, the patriarch decided to tie up and eat the culprit.  Mama boasts, “We had found our power, our place!”  She slurps, woefully reminiscent of Hannibal Lector in “Silence of the Lambs.”

Lee promises them they will receive the death penalty should they go through with torturing her and consuming her.  Mama laughs, relating that the police are paid by the family and leave them to their “business.” Lee screams as one son cuts her.  Her severed ear is dropped into a pickling jar! Realizing in horror what just happened, Lee asks the boy “Jether” why he took her ear.  Jether states the ear is a prized Christmas present. He describes other Polk traditions such as letting the boys “cuddle with Mama” (incest is implied) and receiving weapons and ammunition.  Lee cries that she wants another Christmas with her daughter, Flora.  She asks Jether to remove a photo of her daughter from her back pocket. (Lee is planning something to get away.)  She tells the teen, “Every mother loves their children.”  But Jether counters, “Not every mother.”  Jether is upset he wasn’t chosen to be on television like his older brothers.  Lee promises she can help him achieve this dream.  She tells him about the new show.  “I can help make you famous if you help me!”

Jether tells Lee the story of the most famous member of the Polk family, Kincaid Polk.  He brought his pigs to Chicago for slaughter around the same time as the 1892 World’s Fair. (In last season’s Hotel, the Patrick March character was modeled on real- life serial killer H.H. Holmes. Mr. Holmes operated his “Murder Hotel” preying upon young un-chaperoned women attending the Chicago World’s Fair.)  Jether explains Kincaid would don a pig’s head and slaughter people. He had seen how the Butcher sacrificed people for the Colony in a similar fashion. The “Pig Man” we’ve seen this season is this Polk ancestor.

Lee makes another plea to the teen, “You could be even bigger and more famous!  Let me go!”  Jether becomes agitated, “I can’t ever leave, shut up!”  The camera zooms out, making it seem that the show also placed cameras at the Polk’s property. Jether snorts a white powdered substance and offers some to Lee.  Lee declines, explaining that she is an addict in recovery.  However, it dawns on Lee that she is not going to make it out of this situation alive.  She asks Jether why they torture their victims in this manner.  The boy explains it comes from “tradition” before refrigeration and has been kept because “fear makes for a good tang in the jerky.”  Lee accepts the offer of drugs.

Dominic and Shelby have barricaded the tunnel to keep out the Chen’s.  As the couple makes their way upstairs, Dominic hurts his arm in a slamming door.  Shelby opines, “We are going to die! There is no escape!”  Dominic tries to give her hope, “I’m going to get a spin-off and you are going to open a yoga studio!”  Shelby states she thinks Dominic is a “really good actor.”  Despite the walls crashing in on them, the actor can’t help but embrace this complement. “You really think so?”  The Pig Man appears in the kitchen; Shelby is able to stab the creature with a knife before running away.  The Chen’s daughter appears in the doorway as the chandelier from the third-floor shakes and crashes to the floor, narrowly missing Shelby.  The nurses pursue the couple as they rush upstairs to seek refuge in Matt and Shelby’s former bedroom's bathroom.

Once locked in the bathroom, Shelby bursts out laughing much to Dominic’s consternation.  Shelby cries she’s killed the only man she ever loved and there is no place left for her.  In a sudden motion, Shelby cuts her throat with a knife from the kitchen, killing herself. (And my prediction she might be the lone survivor of the series.)

Lee calls to Jether to get the picture of Flora out of her back pocket.  Jether covers Lee’s wounds with a towel.  He removes a large portable camera and begins to film the scene.  Lee gazes at her daughter’s face. “I love you, and I always will. I have to tell you the truth; I killed your daddy, alone.  He was going to take you from me and I couldn’t let that happen.  One day, I hope you can forgive me.  I need you to go on, and rise up!”  Jether confesses he’s never killed anybody before; his brothers liken it to butchering a pig.  The boy reckons it’s his turn but he doesn’t want to hurt Lee, “I like you.”  Lee seizes on the teen’s inexperience and offers him to let him touch her in a sexual way.  The boy asks if he can tape the encounter so he can “watch it later.” Lee coos, “I want to make you feel good!”  Once the boy frees her hands for the encounter, Lee is able to grab the boy in a tight headlock until he loses consciousness.  With Jether passed out, Lee gets up and grabs the boy’s knife before fleeing.

In the bathroom, Dominic sits across from Shelby’s motionless corpse.  He addresses the camera, “Sidney, why are you doing this? Save me!” He continues to bemoan the fact he had first class airline tickets to Thailand for a vacation next month.  No matter the circumstances, the actor’s of Roanoke are selfish to the core.

Audrey and Monet cry to their captures that they are “actors” whom should not be punished for the actions of Matt and Shelby.  (Whose discovery of the “feral children” had them removed from the Polk’s custody.)  Monet entices the hillbillies to go after the real Matt and Shelby.  Monet states they can find them back at the mansion. The Polk’s are unmoved, “The Others (The Colony) will get them soon enough!”  The Polk’s are gathering teeth for the “rain teeth” tableau seen in the earlier episode, which they explain “honors” the human sacrifices made by the Colony.  They fear they don’t have enough teeth and look at Audrey and Monet as a good source for more teeth.

The older man readies some pliers to pull Monet’s tooth but she is able to resist him, break the chair and flee.  Audrey pleads with Monet not to leave her there, as she is certain she will die. 

Mama enters moments later and is furious to see her kin on the floor and one of her prisoners has escaped.  She instructs one of her boys to “Go get it!”  Audrey pleads with her “I didn’t do anything.”  As Mama peers in Audrey’s mouth, the actress spits in her face, “I paid good money for these teeth!”  Mama sneers that she could have strung her up like her young husband.  At the mention of Rory, Audrey is further enraged, “You’re not good enough to say his name, pig psychopaths!”  Audrey continues to insult Mama’s children.  Mama moves to pull Audrey’s teeth out with pliers.  

Ismael pursues Monet through the woods. (Through the point of view of a shaky iPhone camera.) Monet screams and runs.

Back at the Polk compound, Lee knocks out Mama.  Audrey continues to scream wildly, alerting any other Polk’s in the area to what is happening in the shed. Audrey retrieves her wedding ring then focuses her hammer on Mama’s head, bashing it in savagely killing the old cannibal.

Audrey and Lee flee back to the mansion via the tunnels.  Lee confesses she snorted oxy with the Polk’s and is in desperate need of something to alleviate her pain. Audrey promises she has some drugs in her luggage.

Lee is shocked to discover her brother’s badly beaten corpse in the basement. Audrey implores her to keep moving upstairs.  As they make their way upstairs, they are puzzled by the broken chandelier and lack of living people in the home.  When they make it to Audrey’s room, Lee breaks down.  Audrey offers her a joint and states she’s sorry about Matt.  Audrey is fixated on the loss of her “perfect” teeth.

Audrey finds Shelby dead in the bathroom and wails, “I feel like a part of me has died!”  Dominic sits on the floor nearby; he explains that Shelby committed suicide.  He asks, “Did you find Sidney?”  Audrey screams her reply, “Sidney is dead, and there is no help coming!” Lee is suspicious that Dominic is responsible for Shelby and Matt’s deaths. (Cuba played O.J. last spring in American Crime Story, a man accused of killing two people with a knife!)  Dominic explains Matt was having sex with “that thing” and Shelby killed him.  Lee doesn’t believe Shelby could have killed her brother.  Dominic insists it’s all “on the tape.”  Lee calls him a liar and yells at him to get out.

Audrey notes, “Shelby is way too self-centered to have ever killed herself!  I know I played her for six months!  I know her better than I know myself!”  Audrey continues to act as a perfect “reality” star in turning the focus of all events back to how they relate to her.  Lee pushes Dominic out the door, locking it behind him.  Pig noises are heard outside.  Audrey wants to let her former co-star back in but Lee stands firm.  Lee sneers, “It’s his fault they’re all dead!”  The Pig Man kills Dominic in the hallway.

Audrey wails, and then continues to film a message for her fans. “If I die, just know I had so many wonderful performances waiting for you! I love you, always.”  The house around her is dead quiet.

Somehow, Audrey and Lee have made it through the night.  Lee has a bold plan to return to the Polk’s in order to destroy the evidence of their crimes.  Audrey protests that Monet and she were clearly tortured, even force fed bits of Lee’s leg. (The real reason Lee wants those tapes is because of her confession of killing Mason.) Lee explains that even with taped evidence a corrupt legal system could sway a jury to find Audrey at fault for “killing an old woman with a hammer.”  Lee’s plan is simple, “Destroy the tapes, hot-wire a truck and get out of here.”

Audrey gives Lee some more pills for the journey.  The actress looks at Dominic’s corpse mournfully as they leave. “He was a wonderful scene partner!”  Lee doesn’t want to see Matt’s body again.  They will exit out the front door.  As they go to open it, a man wearing a pig head stands before them.  He quickly removes the head. Audrey exclaims, “Dylan?”  It appears he was a reenactment actor who played the part of the “Pig Man.”  Why he’s there is a mystery.

Next week’s preview offers more shaky camera perspectives of the remaining players inside the house.  The authorities might finally be on their way to the scene of multiple grizzly crimes. Will they believe how these deaths occurred? I suppose it's not over until the last survivor emerges from the mansion.  It still seems possible the “Return to Roanoke” is yet another fictionalized drama. Sidney may have the last laugh…

AHS, Season 6, Episode 7, My Roanoke Nightmare, Return

Three hours left of this season.  Warning to those this epilepsy and vertigo; the remaining story will utilize tons of shaky camerawork.  Last week we learned only one person will escape alive.  Who do you think has the skill to evade the horrors of the Blood Moon?  Oddly, I think it maybe Shelby because she seems so weak, maybe she has returned to boldly face down her demons.

The episode begins with an exterior shot near the production trailer hidden in the woods.  A fawn appears and behind it there is a flash of Priscilla on the film.  Inside the trailer, Sid marvels at what the cameras have captured so far.  He cheers when he sees Matt and Dominic get into a physical altercation.  Alissa the production assistance brings food to the group.  She notes Diana hasn’t been seen for days but Sid is unconcerned.  A cameraman looks up at the multiple monitors and notes Rory has been stabbed and is now unseen.  He leaves to investigate followed by Alissa, soon a scream is heard outside.  Sid runs outside, asking for a camera.  He finds Alissa on the ground, bleeding from a mortal wound of her neck.  The Butcher emerges from the woods and kills Sid as the camera guy runs away, filming.  Agnes proclaims, “I am the tree and the lighting that strikes it!”

Inside the mansion, Audrey walks up to the third floor calling out for Rory.  There is no answer.  Downstairs, Matt tries to explain “R” is for Rory to the re-enactors but Monet lashes back at him, reminding him Rory is Audrey’s beloved husband.  “If you’re so spooked why did you come back?” (Fair question.)  Monet suggests they all go upstairs and make a thorough search for the missing actor.  Lee is filming herself with the hand-held camera, when questioned she claims she wants to be sure that her story is captured through her eyes this time.

Dominic finds a puddle of red liquid near the armoire, he knows the difference between corn syrup (fake) blood and the real thing, and he’s convinced it’s Rory’s blood.  Monet wonders if it’s truly his blood, where is Rory?  Audrey believes that Rory has left to “meet with Brad Pitt.”  She accuses Sidney is playing a joke on them to punish him for leaving.  Audrey yells at Sid (now deceased) through a nearby camera that these antics are “not funny!”

Audrey steps into the “confessional.” She relays her fears about Rory’s fidelity due to their fifteen-year age difference. “For a man, fifteen years is nothing, for a woman, its like climbing Mt. Everest, the conditions need to be just right.”  Continuing her metaphor, she wonders if Rory “ran out of oxygen.”

In the root cellar, The Butcher (Agnes) broods after killing three people.  She mutters that she liked Alissa, and feels guilty killing the young mother.  Her voice weaves in and out of character.  Her thoughts swing from “What have I done?” to a cold rant in the Butcher’s accent about “legacy and destiny.”  Is Agnes truly two personalities, or has her role unleashed darkness, which was always part of her?  Agnes mutters at how she was a fan favorite and added her role was added on for two more episodes.  She then switches to Gaelic ranting.  The light goes out in the cellar and she screams.  When the light returns, twig totems hang all around her.

Lee continues to film in the room with “MURDER” on the wall.  Monet enters, drinking at dawn.  Dominic joins her and defends Monet against Lee’s criticisms.  Lee scoffs, “Giving an alcoholic a drink is like giving a murderer a loaded gun!”  Dominic taunts her back that she would be an expert on killing, implying she killed Mason.

Shelby is alone in the kitchen.  Dominic joins her; he explains he “Just had to see you again.”  He caresses her arm and says he’s there for her.  Matt enters the kitchen during this seemingly intimate moment.  He yells to Dominic, “You can have her!”

Dominic takes a turn in the “confessional.”  He admits he loves playing the “bad guy” in the series and compares his performance to other reality stars such as Puck from the “Real World” or Omarosa from “The Apprentice.”  Dominic brags Sid asked him back to boost the sequel’s ratings.  He shows off a special body camera he was given which appears to be a necklace.  He adds, “What’s more important than screen time?” (Living!)

Shelby sulks alone in her large bedroom.  Agnes soon joins her wielding a huge butcher knife.  Agnes declares that she just had to be on the show.  The older woman strikes Shelby with a fierce blow to the right shoulder.  Shelby falls to the ground but holds up her camera to “Document who killed me!”  The scene continues from this camera’s point of view.  Dominic rushes in and fights of Agnes.  Dominic goes to comfort Shelby.  In the meantime, Agnes has disappeared.

In the aftermath of the attack, Audrey dresses Shelby’s wound as she brags she played a nurse once in a show on the West End. (Do these people ever stop talking about themselves?) Matt and Dominic continue to squabble.  Dominic addresses Sid directly via the camera, imploring him to send medical assistance for Shelby.

Monet enters the “confessional” box appearing very agitated and intoxicated. “It’s been an hour and there has been no message or help.  I’m scared.”

Without a response from Sidney the group tries to develop a new plan.  Matt asks Dominic to go and find help while he stays at the mansion to care for Shelby.  Lee offers to go and is armed.  Audrey suggests they take the secret tunnels out.

Monet, Audrey and Lee brave the tunnels, where they find even more cameras. Audrey expresses her surprise at Agnes’s attack on Shelby, believing the attack was sparked by jealously regarding the Saturn award.  Down the hall, Mott appears. Audrey, believing it to be Rory calls out to him happily.  Mott rushes towards the group and Lee shots at him four times.

Suddenly, they are outside again and Audrey and Monet are in near hysterics. Audrey doesn’t understand what that “thing” was down in the tunnel and why it couldn’t be shot. (She remains a skeptic.)  Lee yells at them, “This is real!”

Shelby and Matt lay together, serene in the large bedroom.  Matt offers, “I did love you.” Shelby replies, “And I ruined it.”  Matt explains their relationship was doomed the day they moved into the house.  Matt states he has felt lost, and that’s why he agreed to return.  Shelby states, “We both lost something here, we can get it back!” It’s amazing how Shelby can remain calm and optimistic after being attacked.  She must really love her estranged husband.

We walk along with Lee, Audrey and Monet.  The shaky camera work through the woods is nauseating.  The light is leaving and the group fears the rising Blood Moon. Lee insists they press onwards until they reach a production trailer or the town.  The group finds the trailer after dark.  The bodies of Sid and Alissa lay side by side. Crows linger near Sid’s disemboweled corpse.  Audrey screams, “I’m not an American! I’m not used to this carnage!” (It’s all about her!)  Lee is the only one not in hysterics; she retrieves the keys from Sid’s pocket and asks Audrey to try to start the car. Audrey calls back that the car is completely dead.  (So much for the Audi product placement!)  Black and white footage appears shot at the ground level.  Perhaps it is the cameraman’s large camera filming posthumously?

Agnes rushes out of the woods towards the group.  Lee shots her in the midsection and she falls to the ground.  Lee urges them to keep running.  Flashlights appear nearby and the group heads a different route.

Audrey films herself, crying.  She addresses her message to Rory, “If you find this, you gave me the best months of my life!”  Monet notices blood is raining down on Audrey’s face.  The women look up in the trees to see Rory’s body dripping blood on them.  Audrey cries and her panic overwhelms her.  Lee continues to film despite Monet’s distaste.  Flashlights near the group and Lee implores them to run but Audrey doesn’t want to leave Rory.  Shaky cameras capture men speaking, “You like taking pictures young lady?”  A cattle prod buzzes in the darkness.  It seems the real Polk’s are eager to make an appearance on the “Return” series.

Agnes has made it back to the root cellar despite being shot.  She continues to rant on in the Butcher’s brogue.  She uses a clamp to remove the bullet and cauterize the wound.  Highly unrealistic, even for an old lady turned serial killer!  She states the Blood Moon will allow all to be purified with ashes and fire.

Matt and Shelby are asleep in the bedroom.  Matt awakens in a trance like state and leaves the bedroom.  (Reminiscent of Paranormal Activity.)  Dominic notices him and follows his doppelganger down the basement stairs.  The images appear to be filmed from Dominic’s “necklace cam.”  Matt approaches a crouching figure in the basement saying, “I’ve been waiting for you!”  The Witch is there to seize his body for her pleasure.

Dominic wakes Shelby up and asks her to follow him.  They enter the basement where strange moans and screams can be heard.  Shelby sees Matt and the Witch and yells at him.  Matt replies, “I came back for her, I’m in love with her!”  In a blind rage, Shelby grabs a crowbar and begins to strike Matt over the head.  Dominic watches until its clear Matt is dead.  Only then does he pull Shelby away from her husband.  (Is this on purpose too? Dominic, not knowing Sid is dead still wants to make “great television”?)

Lee has been tied up.  She pleads with the hillbillies that she can offer them money for her freedom.  Mama Polk enters.  (The “real” one, not placed by Frances Conroy.)  She instructs the men to cut away Lee’s right pants leg.  The men bare her flesh and proceed to massage her leg with peanut oil and moonshine.  Lee is destined to become more “human jerky.”  They laugh as they tell her they are “tenderizing her meat.”

Shelby is in shock with her husband’s blood covering her face.  She tells Dominic, “I came back for him.” He eases the crowbar out of her hands.  She screams, “Oh God, he’s dead!”  Dominic states he “tried to stop her.”  Shelby weeps, stating, “I didn’t mean to.”  Dominic replies, “Sidney’s watching, they know it’s you.”  He suggests she turn herself in and confess the murder.  Then, he tenderly wipes the blood from her face.

Dominic hears a noise at the front of the house and figures the women have returned with help.  Instead, he spies Agnes in the front yard pouring cans of gasoline.

Monet and Audrey are tied up in the middle of the Polk’s “growing operation.”  These actresses do not handle real drama very well.  Mama enters and offers the pair “fresh meat” that she insists they eat.  Raw looking slices of flesh are presented in a stainless steel bowl.  Monet asks where Lee is and the men just laugh.  The women promise they won’t tell anyone about what they’ve seen but hillbillies seem unconcerned.  The actresses realize the meat is Lee, but it is forced into their mouths.

Dominic watches Agnes continue to pour gas and rant outside in Gaelic.  The Colony appears behind her.  Agnes bellows, “You will soon feel the wrath of the Butcher!”

Dominic asks Shelby how they should stop her, but Shelby just states,  “You can’t.”

A dark haired woman in colonial attire appears behind Agnes.  Agnes realizes it’s her “maker” and kneels before the woman.  Agnes pleads with the real Butcher, “I just wanted to be on television.”  The real Butcher cleaves Agnes’s skull in two.  

There are only two more hours of this crazy season.  In next week’s preview Shelby and Dominic are tormented in the home by the Pig-Man.  The actresses continue to endure the Polk’s crazed torture.  It’s hard to know which is worse!  After last week, how do we know that anything shown in this week’s episode was “real”?  This is the most polarizing plot twist in the American Horror series. I sincerely hope we can return to “regular” horror next year.

AHS, Season 6, Episode 6. Return to Roanoke

The first half of the season is over and the veil has been lifted.  This episode shocked viewers into the “reality” of making a reality type program.  The question is, how do the viewers continue with the series believing anything that’s presented to us as fact?  “Found footage” has factored into tonight’s episode but again, whom can the viewer believe?

The episode opens with script stating “My Roanoke Nightmare” finale was a huge ratings success, outperforming The Walking Dead, football and Empire.  Like any success, the creators of the series are hoping to keep the money flowing by the creation of a sequel.  Sidney, (Cheyenne Jackson) instructs the cameraman as he enters in for a meeting with the network big wigs, “The camera never stops!”

Sidney and Diana enter a meeting to pitch the sequel idea.  Sidney recounts the success of Roanoke in terms of ratings, advertising and social media buzz.  He introduces the sequel’s name; Return to Roanoke, 3 Days in Hell.  The plan is to have the original cast and re-enactors to stay at the Mott mansion during the October Blood Moon.  Sidney is confident the “Big Brother” type situation will be a hit with viewers.  The corporate boss brings up the negative reactions to “Nightmare” because viewers believed Lee to be responsible for Mason’s murder.  (This was a comment I was noting in other recaps and comments.)  Sid reveals he owns the Roanoke home, having purchased it from Shelby for pennies on the dollar.  The series will be thirteen episodes; the only problem is Shelby has not agreed to participate.

Sid and his entourage visit Shelby at her yoga studio.  Shelby agrees to an interview. She laments the hate directed at her after the show; she receives threats such as cleavers left in the door of her business.  Shelby thought the show would be “healing” for her and Matt after the trauma they experienced.  However, the stress of “reliving it” caused them to separate. (Like many reality television couples, Jon and Kate, Jessica and Nick, etc.)  TMZ footage is shown, capturing Shelby going out with “Dominic” (Cuba Gooding Jr.)  Shelby admits she and Matt’s re-enactor had a brief affair.  Shelby doesn’t really want to do the show, but agrees to for a chance to reunite with Matt.  After the meeting, Sid confirms that Dominic has agreed to return for the sequel. (Shelby won’t be pleased.)

Sid and Diana are on location at the Roanoke mansion in North Carolina.  Sid instructs the cameras to be somewhat hidden in hopes the cast will forget them.  A man shows them some “special effects” he’s rigged up in the kitchen.  The sink faucet shakes, the water turns on and then a shower of water erupts while cupboard simultaneously jump open.  The smell of sulfur will be released to heighten the terror.  The man brags he has many more “surprises”, like the windows blowing out. Sidney smiles and drawls, “That’s a call back to Cricket’s séance!” (As a viewer, do you feel a little outraged that you believed any of the “paranormal events” which were presented in the first five hours of this season?)

The special effects man shows them a television he has rigged in the living room to go off with a video of a “victim” of the mansion.  This recalls the video Shelby and Matt discovered in the basement of Elias.  Diana questions whether they want the sequel to be a series of cheap “jump scares.” (This is a problematic issue in most horror today; relying on jump scares rather than develop a plot.)  Sid dismisses her concern.  His plan is to use fear as a way to break Lee down into a confession of killing Mason. (Just like the Jinx achieved with Robert Durst, if you haven’t seen it, I highly recommend the series.)

Sid chides Diana for not hiding the production trailers in the woods.  His goal is to have the cast feel isolated, alone and afraid.  A crewmember motions Sid and Diana over to nearby tree.  At the base of the tree is a ring of fetal pigs covered in blood. This display is unexpected and Diana wonders if the Polk’s could have done it but its stated that the hillbilly family is “in the wind.”

The production crew heads to a retirement home to visit the Butcher re-enactor, a woman named Agnes.  Sid interviews her.  Agnes states she’s grateful for “the role of a lifetime.”  Her performance was nominated for a Saturn award.  Sid notes the viewers “loved to hate” her character.  Agnes beams it was a “Privilege to play a historic figure.”  Sid prods her about the toll the role took on her mental health. Agnes concedes that playing the Butcher was “extremely taxing.”  Sid addresses the “elephant in the room.”  The viewers are shown footage of Agnes, dressed as the Butcher on Hollywood Boulevard wielding a cleaver.  As a result, Agnes spent six months in a mental facility, diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and charged with assault.  Agnes promises all her problems are in the past and that she is doing well with a medication regime.  Sid confronts her with the picture from the set of the fetal pigs.  Agnes denies involvement.  A police officer appears to serve her a restraining order, banning her from the set.  Sid antagonizes her further by stating “only real” characters are allowed on the current set.  Agnes follows the entourage out of her building, speaking in the Butcher’s brogue. “You can’t keep me away!”

Diana is upset after their visit.  She warns Sid that they may not be able to control her.  Sid smirks, “I hope not!”  The whole purpose of their visit was to antagonize Agnes and hopefully increase the drama in the series by having this mentally unstable woman crash the set.  (All in the name of ratings.)  Sid may be the worst villain we’ve encountered this season.  The template for the new series is displayed for the first time; it’s the house, covered in blood with the title, “Roanoke, Return to Hell.”

E-News interviews Lee in her opulent home.  Lee confirms her participation in the sequel.  The interviewer asks her about her custody battle with her in-laws for Flora and the murder accusations.  Lee states the custody battle is her true “Roanoke nightmare.”  She confirms with the interviewer she is receiving a large sum to take part in the sequel.  Lee claims she’s just a single mom trying to provide for her child. (Kate Gosslin defense!)

Sid meets with the corporate boss to go over liability insurance for the series.  The boss notes the actress that played Lee in the re-enactments, Monet Tuteslime, has had problems with alcohol and has been in and out of sobriety.  Sidney is dismayed they might have to restrict her from “knowingly” drinking.  Sid quips, “We all know alcohol is the secret sauce of reality shows.”

Sid and Diana are called back to set with the news of a “horrific accident.”  An ambulance in on scene, a body bag on the stretcher with a disturbing head sized lump in the middle.  The video of the “accident” is very confusing.  A man using a chainsaw inexplicitly turns it on himself resulting in decapitation.  Sid confers with the union representative on-site.  She states its up to him whether to keep the crew working for the day.  The cast is due to arrive in three hours.  Sid decides to press on, casually stating, “Shit happens!”  Diana is shocked.  “Something horrifying is happening in this place!”  She enters her car and leaves the set.  This scene mirrors two scenes from earlier in the season.  Like Mott, Sid dismisses deaths surrounding the home.  Diana, like Shelby, is sensitive to the negativity surrounding the property and flees. 

Diana records herself as she drives off in anger.  She reports that it’s October 12^th at two fifteen in the afternoon.  She states she’d rather be known as a “crazy bitch” then continue to be involved. “Too much creepy shit is happening!  I’m not going to get killed making this show!”  She sees a woman dressed in “colony era” clothing on a nearby hill.  She becomes upset further, stating she doesn’t even want to know why that woman is there.  Suddenly, the Pig-Man rises from the back seat and attacks Diana viciously.

The text on the screen informs us, “Footage from Diana Cross’s camera was found three months later by police.  Her body has not been found.”  Where and how this footage was found is not explained.  Is this “real?”

Shelby’s re-enactor introduces herself on the set’s red velvet lined “confessional” booth.  “My name is Audrey Tindall,” she says in a markedly English accent.  A flashback of the “Nightmare” series is shown when Shelby and Matt were escaping through the tunnels with Mott.  In the clip she falls and is helped up by the Mott re-enactor.  He shyly asks her out on a date.  “Mott” joins Audrey in the confession booth.  He introduces himself as Rory in a faux English accent and announces they are engaged. (Like the real Evan Peters and his co-star from seasons 3-4 Emma Roberts!)

A clip accredited to “Wedding Keepsakes” shows the wedding of Audrey and Rory. Audrey wears an old fashioned white dress with an empire waist.  She offers a heartfelt vow to her new husband.  Rory seems more casual, with fiery red hair.  He promises to “Love the shit out of her!”

Audrey and Rory are the first couple on set and they claim the largest room, which belonged to Matt and Shelby.  Rory explains he may have to leave for a bit to “go back and do a screen test with Brad Pitt.”  The Roanoke cast is not supposed to leave the set.  Audrey tells the camera she trusts her new husband, even if their careers force them to live apart.  Audrey walks through the dark kitchen.  A shadow figure moves across a window.  Rory asks Audrey if she saw it, which she denies.  Suddenly, the Butcher appears and the window breaks.  There is a knock on the front door; Shelby opens it to let Sid and some members of the cast and crew inside.

Audrey, shaken by seeing the Butcher, questions Sid.  “Did you do this?”  Sid denies doing anything and Audrey proclaims that Agnes was on set.  Audrey is upset, “I won’t go through this again, she’s crackers!”

A 911 call from March 20^th 2016 is played.  Audrey calls for assistance, explaining to the dispatcher, “She’s outside my house with a huge knife trying to steal my Saturn!” The dispatcher thinks she means a car but Audrey clarifies it’s her Saturn award which she won instead of Agnes.

Sid denies Agnes is on set.  Shelby takes a moment to congratulate Audrey and Rory on their recent nuptials.  Shelby takes heart although her marriage fell apart, another one was created.  Audrey’s experience has proven to Shelby “It’s never too late.”  Audrey is offended at Shelby pointing out the age difference between the pair and Shelby tries to explain she was referring only to herself.  Matt and Lee enter the room, causing an awkward silence.

Sid gives everyone a phone for recording individual videos.  The casts’ real phones have been confiscated. (As is done on many reality shows like the Bachelor to increase the cast’s sense of isolation.)  Sid encourages them to video themselves as well as any “paranormal” activities.  Tension arises when Sid informs Matt he will be sharing a room with Shelby.  He refuses, insisting on sleeping in the basement.

Lee lashes out at Shelby, accusing her of being “weak and self involved” and blaming her for the continued suspicion regarding Mason’s murder. “’Cause of you, everyone thinks I’m a cold-blooded murderer!”  Shelby admits turning in her sister-in-law to police was a “mistake” but she’s tired of apologizing for it.  Shelby directs her anger at Matt as well, stating she’s “Done being punished for being weak and human one time.” (Referring to her affair with Dominic.)

Audrey coos, “Fiery and pathetic, exactly how I played her!”  Rory applauds his new wife’s performance.  They laugh.  Shelby overhears the rude comments and heads upstairs.  Audrey goes on to say that nothing out of the ordinary ever happened when they filmed the series so obviously the Matt and Shelby’s account was false. Matt asks what time of year was the series shot.  Audrey replies in the summer.  Matt opens the current and implores her to look out upon the Blood Moon.  Unimpressed, she and the other re-enactors laugh.

The text on the screen explains, “Over the next three days during the Blood Moon, every participant in the series died under mysterious circumstances, except one. The show planned by producers never aired.  This is the assembled “found footage.”

Again, the show is asking the viewer to accept the found footage as real, when it may be just as created as the “original series.”

Audrey and Rory enjoy the hot tub.  Shots of the spiraling staircase are shown, giving the feeling of a vast space between the characters.  Matt sets up his lonely post in the basement.  Monet drinks vodka alone in her room.  Lee walks down the hallway.  A severely burned man passes behind her, she senses but does not see the man.

Audrey leaves Rory to go take a shower.  Shelby slinks behind her sister-in-law in the kitchen to reach the basement.  Once downstairs, Shelby implores Matt to come and join her upstairs, noting they are still married.  Shelby is confident staying in the house this time because there are so many people and cameras watching.  Matt disagrees, “It will happen again, and this time, I don’t know if we will survive.”

Lee and her doppelganger have an awkward meeting in the kitchen.  Lee chides Monet for drinking and doesn’t think they look alike.  The actress fires back, “You are the reason I’m drunk!”  Monet thinks Lee is guilty of killing the father of her child.

In the basement, Matt suggest to Shelby they just leave.  There is a knock at the door, Matt’s re-enactor Dominic has arrived.  Matt wastes no time confronting the man and soon there is a physical altercation.  Rory and Lee enter the fray to separate the two men.  Shelby stares directly at a camera, “Fuck you Sidney!”

Audrey showers but hears something and calls out for Rory.  Lee tends to her brother’s wounds in the kitchen.  Exiting the shower, Audrey stares at her reflection in the steamed up mirror, she sees the Pig-Man behind her.  Audrey runs through the house screaming, angry with Sid for “Sending someone to scare me!”  Dominic hugs her and Rory goes back up to the bedroom to investigate.  Rory finds nothing in the bathroom, and looks around the bedroom carefully.  While inspecting the armoire, the murderous nurses appear and murder Rory with knives.

Matt takes a video of something in a downstairs room; on the wallpaper is the completed word “MURDER” in red spray paint.  Matt enters the room where the re-enactors are comforting Audrey.  He tells them cryptically, “’R’ is for Rory.”

It seems the final episodes will continue to play with these notions of what is “real” and what is part of the “reality show.”  The preview shows the characters declaring, “This is real!” But at the same time, the viewer is shown that Sid is thrilled with the “results” of the sequel.  Were the cast really murdered?  Who do you guess is the lone survivor of the season? (Lee or perhaps Matt?) Has the magic ended this season now we’ve met the “Wizard behind the curtain?” Are we really supposed to believe they would ever release footage of people being murdered one by one?  There are no ends to the questions of reality and imagination in Roanoke.