American Horror Story 11: Episodes 7 and 8 Recap and Review

Things are heating up on this slow burn of a season.

The episode starts with what can only be described as an unholy mix of Saw, Seven, and Frankenstein as Gino and Pat get captured trying to rescue Henry (these two really couldn’t catch a break if it were coming after them in slow motion). Gino and Henry are separated from Pat, all three handcuffed to metal tables. As Mai Tai tells Pat about his misguided intentions to save their community, Henry manages to dodge a degloving when breaking him and Gino free… only to have to saw off his other hand in the effort.

As it turns out, Mai Tai’s plan is even more insane than anyone could have thought. He believes that by piecing together his victims into a makeshift person, along with Pat’s heart, as, to paraphrase Mai Tai, he has the heart of a hero, which his creation, named The Sentinel, needs to fulfill its purpose of saving the gay community. It dawns on me how insane it is that was a real sentence I had to type out, but what’s even more insane is that it works. We’ll get to that later, though.

Before Mai Tai can have a chance to open up Pat like a can of sardines, he’s saved by Gino and Henry, wielding a chainsaw and a butcher knife, respectively. After Mai Tai gives another speech about his motivations, Pat, completely unfazed by his would-be murderer’s insanity, shoots him right in the head, killing him after seeing the ghosts of his victims encouraging him. We will also get to that later.

Before continuing with the plot, I would like to state again how incredible the music has been this season, with this episode hitting that point home like no other.

Discrimination and Prejudice at Work

Pat is facing discrimination and prejudice at work, despite taking out a serial killer, and when offered a promotion of sorts by his boss, quits the force telling him essentially that he refuses to work in a system that actively perpetuates injustice against his community. Right on, Pat, right on.

We learn that the illness is related to all the disappearances, even those tied to Mai Tai. How and why remains a mystery. When this is brought to Gino’s attention by Adam, he, wanting desperately to believe the horror is behind them, refuses to run a story about it in their upcoming Pride issue. He makes it up to him by inviting him to Fire Island with Pat for a vacation planned by the sinister Sam.

Hannah, having come down with the illness, delivers heart-breaking voice messages to her mom after realizing she may be close to the end. As she does, however, Big Daddy lurks out the window, watching her. What he does, if anything, is still unknown. But, we do learn more about the illness. The AIDS analogy builds as it’s revealed that it targets white blood cells and the immune system.

In The Native’s Pride issue, Gino shows off his writing chops by putting out a truly powerful statement where, among many other things, he states, “Pride takes work, but death comes easily,” an all-time line if there ever was one. The issue hits the streets (literally) with a cover photo so shocking it’s hard to look at, which is very much the point.

The illness is related to all the disappearances.

The episode ends with, and I’m not lying, The Sentinel coming to life and roaming the streets of NYC, protecting marginalized people in danger. It’s honestly pretty awesome in just how ridiculous it is.

Episode 8 on Fire Island

Episode 8 starts with most of the main characters converging on Fire Island for a non-stop party of sex, drugs, and nerve-wracking terror.

Both Gino and Pat are still clearly suffering from PTSD after the Mai Tai takedown. The two get into a fight when Gino mentions that the disease, which he and Pat have, isn’t something to be ignored, while Pat rebukes him expressing the same denial as Gino in the previous episode. Talk about trouble in paradise.

Henry proclaims his love and jealousy for Gino in what sounds like a kind of threat almost. Gino turns him down right then and there, refusing to give into fear or be made to feel he owes Henry anything because, despite the problems with him and Pat, he isn’t the homewrecking type.

Pat sees the ghost of his dead wife, or what we’re led to believe is her ghost. It seems unlikely, though, because they ended things on good terms before she was killed, of course, whereas this ghostly version of her borderline assaults him.

We learn that Big Daddy is on the island. Not long after popping up, he goes on a rampage harassing Fran and their friends and trying to kill Gino and Adam. It’s a truly scary scene. Big Daddy is like a buffer, sweatier Michael Myers, a comparison given more weight when he disappears after being shot in the back of the head by Pat.

Fran’s tarot card readings are still not going too hot, as all of them, for seemingly everyone, point straight to death. The episode ends with Theo being carried off into the woods by a mysterious group of men after being drugged and set up to be sexually assaulted by Henry by a jealous Sam. Oh, and Big Daddy was there too, because of course he was.

Questions Remain For American Horror Story: NYC

There are so many questions left unanswered. Who is Big Daddy? What is the illness? How is The Sentinel going to tie in with everything else? What’s the meaning behind Fran’s terrible tarot card sessions? Will Gino and Pat ever catch a break? With only two episodes remaining, we can only be sure that the powder keg is about to explode.

If it manages to stick the landing, American Horror Story: NYC might be one of, if not the best, season yet.