The Morning After (American Horror Story)

"The Morning After" is the second episode of the eighth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on September 19, 2018, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by James Wong, and directed by Jennifer Lynch.^[1]

Plot[]

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Emily finds her room infested with snakes and her screams alert Timothy and Ms. Mead. Mead rejoices at the new protein and theorizes that the snakes went deep underground to avoid the blast. Emily asks Ms. Venable about the new arrival in Venable's office, to which she responds that “all questions will be answered in due course.” The Grays lift the dinner cloches to reveal the snakes, unexpectedly alive, which slither across the table.

The Outpost 3 guests assemble in the library. Langdon enters and proclaims that the other American compounds in New York, West Virginia, and Texas have been overrun and destroyed. He explains that he will be evaluating candidates for survival. Those chosen will live in The Sanctuary. Those not selected will be given suicide vials. Mr. Gallant volunteers to be evaluated first.

In Venable's office, Langdon begins assessing Gallant and asks him of his sexual orientation. Gallant says he's gay but asserts that he could impregnate women for procreation if necessary. Langdon asks Gallant about his anger towards his grandmother. Gallant describes a dinner party where Evie attempted to set him up with eligible bachelors. Gallant arrived in BDSM gear and Evie never attempted to tame him again. Gallant asks Langdon about his own sexual orientation and Langdon suspends the remainder of the conversation. Gallant fantasizes about Langdon while touching himself and is interrupted by the arrival of the Rubber Man. Gallant gives himself over to the suited figure and Evie observes the two having sex. She visits Mead and informs the warden about her grandson's indiscretions.

Elsewhere, Timothy and Emily sneak into Langdon's bedroom and discover his functional MacBook. They find displayed on screen emails detailing Venable's transgressions against proper protocol, namely implementation of her own rules. The Rubber Man is above them, looking on. Langdon visits Venable and inquires about her violations. Venable insists that she was given classified instructions. Langdon tells Venable about a woman and child he stumbled upon on his travels who were suffering from fallout exposure. He says he did not show the woman mercy by killing her child despite her pleading. Venable insists that none of her charges are worthy to move on to the Sanctuary aside from Dinah, whom she admits she knows little of. Langdon tells Venable to undress for a physical examination and she rebuffs. He unzips her blouse to expose extreme scoliosis, which she admits brings her great pain and shame. She asks him if she has passed his test and he says no.

Mead relays Evie's story to Venable and they suspect that Langdon was the suited figure. Venable interrogates a chained Gallant while Mead whips him. Later, Langdon enters and insists he has never been in Gallant's bedroom. He calls Gallant pathetic and informs him that his own grandmother ratted him out. Dinah reflects on the song playing in the library ("Time in a Bottle" by Jim Croce) and Coco mocks her nostalgia. Gallant confronts Evie about turning him in and she retorts that he does not deserve to be a survivor and that accepting him is not in her nature.

Timothy and Emily speculate on the true purpose of their saving and cast aspersions on Venable's rules. The two elect to dismiss them and have sex for the first time. Gallant broods in the library and the radio shifts to "Gold Dust Woman" by Fleetwood Mac. Gallant follows the Rubber Man to a bedroom. He throws the suited figure onto the bed and straddles him. He then reaches over and grabs a pair of scissors as a murder weapon. Langdon appears in the doorway and finds Gallant covered in the blood of his grandmother's corpse. Mead intrudes on a sleeping Timothy and Emily and drags them away. They confront Venable about her self-imposed rules and she sends them off. Mead takes them to a chamber for execution where Timothy shoots her in the torso in an escape attempt. She staggers away and her wound reveals white fluid and wires.

Reception[]

"The Morning After" was watched by 2.21 million people during its original broadcast, and gained a 1.1 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.^[2]

The episode received positive reviews from critics, with much of the praise going towards Cody Fern's performance. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "The Morning After" holds an 88% approval rating, based on 17 reviews with an average rating of 7.10/10. The critical consensus reads, "Though not as strong as the premiere, "The Morning After" works well enough thanks to its willingness to wade into weirder waters."^[3]

Ron Hogan of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3.5/5, saying, "I'm certain that the shocking and confusing events of this episode will come into play later in the season. It's early, and things are still building. What's confusing now will make more sense later, or will be buried beneath much more confusing things later on. Either way, 'The Morning After' is a satisfying enough episode that lacks the initial hook of the first episode, but adds plenty of weirdness into the snake stew."^[4]

Kat Rosenfield from Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B. She was dubious because of the cliffhanger, saying that "even for a show where freaky moments are a dime a dozen, this one is weird as hell", but she appreciated the overall atmosphere and manipulation made by the character of Langdon. She also enjoyed the chemistry between Peters and Fern, commenting that "there's definitely a vibe".^[5] Vulture's Ziwe Fumudoh gave the episode a 5 out of 5, with a positive review. She particularly praised Paulson's performance, calling her "the perfect actress", but also Collins and her character, saying that "Evie is a cultural icon and I hope to be as influential and full of it as she is one day." Finally, she enjoyed the cliffhanger of the episode and the revelation about Mead's character.^[6]

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a 6.0 out of 10, with a mixed review. He said, "Bringing Rubber Man, or whatever version of Rubber Man this is, back into the mix is a fun and firm way to state definitively that Murder House-y things are going to happen. The little random hauntings and trickery, which may also involve the Coven witches, are all that's keeping this story alive, unfortunately."^[7]

References[]

External links[]

• "The Morning After" at IMDb