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Episode 8: Unholy night

By Christine Petralia

Images courtesy of FX Networks

December 8, 2012


Episode 8: Unholy night (Aired December 5, 2012)



A couple years prior, a man Lee Emersen (Ian McShane) went a killing spree dressed as Santa. He ended up at Briarcliff. One year around Christmas at the asylum, he attacked someone and Sister Jude put him in solitary confinement.




Fast forward to 1964 when a possessed Sister Mary sets her sights on Emersen as a way to get rid of Sister Jude. It’s Christmas time at Briarcliff and Sister Mary has some sick way of celebrating, decorating the tree with ‘trinkets’ from each of the patients, including locks of their hair. All the while, she tries to get Dr. Arden to prove his loyalty to her and plots a way to get rid of Sister Jude.



But, Sister Jude is plotting a way to get rid of Sister Mary, or at least save her. She finds her way in and gets some face time with a demonic Sister Mary before being escorted out.




Arden finds Sister Jude and tells her he is worried about Sister Mary and wants to help her. He tells Jude he is seeking her help to save her. Jude agrees and Arden sneaks her into Briarcliff. However, we soon learn that Arden was just proving his loyalty to Sister Mary, as Sister Mary shoves the homicidal Emersen into the office that Jude is in. After a struggle and a brilliant scene where Emersen whips Jude with her own canes, Jude kills Emersen.



Meanwhile, Lana Winters is sick in the infirmary, which I think means she’s preggers with Thredson’s child and I’m pretty sure that means that the present day Bloody Face is probably their child. But that’s just my foreshadowing.




In the infirmary, Lana visits Kit and tells him Thredson is Bloody Face. She tells him she’s going to get him out and they will tell the police. As she finds a phone at the asylum, Thredson finds her and attacks her. Kit knocks him out, and together the tie him up and lock him in a room while they figure out a way to escape and reveal the truth.



And in a twist at the end, as Arden is disposing of Grace’s body he encounters the aliens. After the blinding light, Arden looks in the carriage carrying Grace and her body is gone, assumed taken by the aliens.



We only have five episodes left, so I’m really curious as to how the season will wrap up. Will everyone die like in the first season? I also want to know how the asylum gets so run down, I’m assuming it’s because of the fight for control between the demonic Sister Mary and Sister Jude. And let’s not forget Dr. Arden. And I really want to know if Thredson and Lana did make a baby and if that baby is the future Bloody Face. And what’s going to become of all of Arden’s creatures in the yard? I’m so excited to see where this is going!

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All works created by Christine McGrath; Centereach, New York  All Rights Reserved 2024

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