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.
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