Wow ! AHS Hotel was beyond excellent this week. "Flicker", this week episode, was simply perfect. I know I keep writing how great, exciting, capitvating and insipiring this season is but this week episode totally outdid everything. Lady Gaga absolutely killed it in that episode.
From the start of the season, Gaga hasn’t been a disappointment. She had huge shoes to fill in, Jessica Lange’s absence, but she brilliantly found her mark as the new bad bitch of the show. She has shined since the start of the season, her part as Elizabeth, The Countess, Queen of Vampires, Master of the Cortez Hotel. Last week, she showed how cruel and cold she can be (poor Tristan, I still haven’t recovered from his death). Finally in "Flicker", we got to know more about her, what she came from, how she was turned and her connection to the Hotel and its first owner, Mr March.
"Flicker" really explained and revealed a lot of The Countess. First, we learnt she was an actress in the 20s (just like Ramona was years later, maybe they bonded over that too) and it was on set that she met the love of her life : Valentino, played by the gorgeous Finn Wittrock. I was first surprised when he appeared on screen, he just played Tristan for the first six episodes but I won’t complain about more Wittrock. And he killed his new part, he’s really a talented actor.
Elizabeth fell under Valentino’s charm, as he was a famous actor (and he’s sexy). It also explained The Countess connection to Tristan and why she killed him as he wanted to leave her for Liz. The Countess probably didn’t love Tristan for who he was but for who he reminded her. Elizabeth already shared the love of her live and it didn’t turn well. She had to share Valentino with his former wife. Their sexy threesome scene was excellent, very hot. Gaga was amazing in it, of course.
Unfortunately, Elizabeth’s love story with Valentino didn’t last long. As she attended a party in the Hotel Cortez, organized by Mr March himself, Elizabeth, as all the guests learnt about Valentino’s death. Of course, Elizabeth’s happiness couldn’t last. Murphy loves to torture his female lead character, they always have a dark past that changed them from a naive and bright young woman to a cold and manipulative woman. Elizabeth tried to kill herself, almost jumping from the same windows Iris pushed Sally years later. Mr March saved her and fell for her, so they got married.
It wasn’t a big surprise that The Countess turned out to be Mr March’s wife but learning she knew about his killing habits and why he built the hotel and her reaction made this revelation way more interesting. Elizabeth advised James to get richer victims so they could get more money and things from them. Money, power have always been a strong desire in Elizabeth, even before she turned. And it was her love, Valentino who turned her into a vampire.
Because Valentino didn’t really die, he faked with death and he and Natasha came to reveal all the truth to Elizabeth. Btw, Gaga looked absolutely fabulous in her widow black dress with the veil. Perfection. Valentino didn’t die, he was turned into a vampire. The director of his latest film gave the vampires virus and so he turned Natasha. They could be lover for eternity, feeding on people and fucking around. And they wanted to include Elizabeth to their bloody circle.
Without much hesitation she accepted. Of course, she wanted to stay with the man she loved, being a powerful creature, for eternity. So she got turned but she was also made by her husband. Mr March witnessed everything and of course he had to act on it… So he got Valentino and Natasha and locked them up in the hotel. The doors were sealed and they were trapped forever… Or so he thought.
Mr March didn’t plan on Drake’s workers to destroy the wall and open up the way out for Valentino and Natasha. March revealed he knew about Drake and his engagement to Elizabeth during his dinner with his wife. It was weird first to watch that scene but Peter Evans and Lady Gaga were absolutely amazing together. They might be the most dark and cruel couple ever on AHS. And during the dinner, James finally revealed to The Countess the truth about Valentino. The Countess thought Valentino and Natasha actually left her in Los Angeles and ran away together, she had no idea what her husband did but many years later, he finally told her the truth.
So, Valentino and Natasha were freed from their prison and as they were in poor shape. They looked disgusting, almost dead so they had to feed. They killed 6 people (I wish we could have watched those three men getting murdered) and they were all young and sexy again. I’m really looking forward the confrontation with The Countess. She wants to be the Queen of vampires, that her creatures don’t turn other but now her masters are back so it will change everything she has done.
But "Flicker" wasn’t all about The Countess, John Lowe and the Ten Commandments Killer also had their parts. John is determined to find out who the killer is and so, after attacking his former partner, he decided to play the sick and crazy ex cop so he could get institutionalized… And met with the police’ suspect as she was in it too. It turned out she was a teenage girl, who helped the killer escaped after a security guard caught him murdering someone. She was clearly deranged, another creature of Elizabeth as it was revealed in a 1986 flashback where the poor weak girl, whose father was going to abuse her, tried to kill herself in a car, only to be saved by Elizabeth.
But she was willing (or so John thought) to give him the name of the killer if he let her escaped from that place. Of course John didn’t really think it through, he desperately needs to find that killer. But when they were out, she only revealed that the killer was in the hotel Cortez and then she killed herself, walking right in front of a truck. Wow, that was shocking, but definitely not new. The revelation the killer is in the Hotel really intrigued me. of course, he has to be tied to the Hotel but as he can’t be a ghost, I wonder who he could be. Who is your suspect ? Can it be Elizabeth ? Drake ?
"Flicker" was a great episode, maybe one of the best episode of the season IMO. I needed to know more about The Countess and her past. The introduction of her masters was a great twist, the balance of power is now changed. Can’t wait for next week !
Did you enjoy "Flicker" ? What did you think of Finn Wittrock’s new part ? Hit the comments
Vampires notes :
- So Tristan and Valentino are doppelgangers, is that a way for Murphy to explain how Elsa Mars/Sister Jude both looked exactly the same too and all of these other characters played by the same actors over the different seasons ? I’m still not buying the whole the seasons are all connected.
- John being in a institution kinda reminded of Vivian’s time in it in Murder House.
- The Countess looked scared for the first time in many years, according to Iris
- Gaga’s look in her 1986 flashback was terrific. And also, the setting and the costumes for the 1920 piece were amazing.
- Nosferatu reference was fun
