WARNING: The following contains spoilers for American Horror Story: Double Feature Episode 1, "Cape Fear," which aired Wednesday on FX.
American Horror Story is back for its tenth installment, Double Feature. Unlike previous seasons, Double Feature is split into two segments: "Red Tide" and "Death Valley." "Red Tide" is up first, detailing a struggling screenwriter who moves his family to Provincetown, Massachusetts, for three months to complete his screenplay in the peace and serenity of the oceanside town.
The first episode, "Cape Fear," opens with Harry Gardner (Finn Wittrock), his pregnant wife Doris (Lily Rabe) and his young daughter Alma (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) making the drive to Cape Cod. On the long strip of road, Alma counts the substantial amount of "roadkill," hinting at something more ominous. This is confirmed when Harry nearly runs over a deer, only to discover its throat has been ripped out. Upon arriving at the house, Alma remarks that it looks "haunted." However, her parents are more than thrilled with the property. Harry decides it's the perfect writer's retreat, whereas Doris has plans to kick off her career as a decorator after being hired by the owners to fix the place up.
However, it's not long before the family realizes something darker going on in the quaint town. Harry crosses paths with TB Karen on a market run, which introduces Sarah Paulson in one of her least glamorous roles as a seemingly homeless addict. She terrifying warns Harry to leave town multiple times before she's ushered away by the grocery store owner. After the owner assures him that Karen's "nutty but harmless."
Back at home, Harry struggles with writer's block while angrily staring at a blank laptop screen. His daughter's top-notch violin playing distracts him, so Doris and Alma do what most people do in a beachside town -- take a walk through the cemetery. They see a strange-looking man with extraordinarily pale skin and twitchy movements as they walk through the graveyard. While Doris believes he is a "tweaker," fans familiar with Double Feature's promotional material know that can't be further from the truth. Known as the Pale People, the man/creature looks ripped right from Stephen King's Salem's Lot or Nosferatu. Although he pursues Doris and Alma, they disappear into the safety of the house.
While the local law enforcement assures the Gardner family it's nothing to be concerned about and cites the Cape's opioid epidemic for the majority of crime; Harry isn't quite as convinced. He mentions the Truro Massacre in town where a family had their throats torn out while in bed. However, Chief Burleson (Adina Porter) quickly shuts him down again, connecting the brutal violence to the family's involvement in organized crime in Rhode Island. Despite the reassurance, that same night Alma spots the Pale Person from the cemetery outside her window, this time flanked by two identical-looking buddies. The next day, Harry also comes across two mutilated corpses on the beach. When the police arrive again, they assure him a Great White Shark caused the wounds on the body.
The horrifying discovery prompts Harry to "celebrate life" with his wife by taking her out for a nice dinner. However, she becomes ill, and Harry hits the town by himself. While at the swanky but empty restaurant, Mickey (Macaulay Culkin), a male sex worker, approaches Harry at the bar. Harry is quick to shut him down by saying he's married to a woman; however, Mickey isn't easily brushed off. It's not until the bartender shoos him away that Mickey leaves. As Harry enjoys a solo drink and dinner, he watches an older woman and younger man sing a duet to "Islands in the Stream." The sight brings a smile to his face, and later the duo sends him a drink.
He approaches their table where they introduce themselves as Austin (Evan Peters), a Tony and Peabody Award-winning writer, and Sarah Cunningham (Frances Conroy), a famed romance novelist who writes under the pen name Belle Noir. They tell Harry he is "one of them" and asks him to join their table. While he's quick to brush off their praise, he takes a seat and discusses his current struggle with writer's block. However, their conversation is interrupted by an irate TB Karen, who once again warns Harry to leave town and stay away from those "bloodsuckers."
That night, Harry returns home to begin another long shift of staring at his blank computer screen. Only this time, he's attacked by one of the Pale People, intent on ripping out his throat. In self-defense, Harry brutally smashes his face in, killing him. The incident marks yet another run-in with the police for the Gardeners. Once again, Cheif Burleson's laissez-faire attitude shines, and she doesn't seem overly concerned by the attack. However, she assures Harry that he acted in self-defense and, that even in Massachusetts, that's fair game. Nonetheless, she wants him to stop by her office the next day.
Meanwhile, Belle Noir sits in bed with Mickey. At first, the moment seems like a simple sexual exchange; however, Belle says she'll give him 200 dollars "for a taste." Mickey's hesitant but ultimately agrees, prompting Belle to stab his arm with a lancet and drink his blood but not before revealing a set of pointed teeth eerily similar to the Pale People's. Apparently, TB Karen wasn't kidding when she referred to Belle and Austin as bloodsuckers back at the restaurant. That said, it seems the two also have some type of working relationship. After Belle's feeding from Mickey, Karen shows up with a kidnapped baby in a bag. She begrudgingly hands it to Belle in exchange for a bag of drugs and Belle's protection "from the others."
Spooked from the attack, Harry convinces Doris that it's best if they leave town. However, before they leave, he receives a call from Austin, who tells him he can cure his writer's block. So Harry sets off for Austin's house. There, the two have an unusual conversation. With Austin's outstanding cockiness, he offers Harry a baggy of black pills, promising a complete writer's block cure and fast-forward to fame. When Harry inquires what the pills are, Austin claims that they don't have a name. While Harry initially refuses, Austin slips the pills into his pocket anyway.
Back at the house, Harry receives a less than stellar call from his agent. She implies his career will be over -- and likely not salvageable -- if he doesn't finish the screenplay. In a moment of desperation, Harry retrieves the ominous-looking pills from his pocket. He swallows one as his daughter watches from the stairwell. While it's unknown exactly what the pills do yet, it's likely nothing good.
American Horror Story: Double Feature sticks to its name, dropping two Season 1o episodes. New episodes air each Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET on FX.
0 Comments