American Horror Story: Rubber Man (1.8)

Happy Thanksgiving! And what better way to celebrate than with a bunch of pregnant-lady torture and anal rape! Ugh. This was the much-anticipated 'rubber man reveal' episode, and it sure was as gross as promised. The identity of the fetish baby-daddy was reliably squicky, with connotations I found deeply uncomfortable and scenes of forced intercourse that pushed this show into really horrifying areas. Sure, we had wang-for-dinner last week, but that's a whole different wheelhouse to the stuff that went down here.

It wasn't just the visual ugliness that kind of repulsed me, either. The driving force of this episode was the ghostly plan to make everybody believe Vivien is going crazy, and it took some sleazy denial from Violet to cement it all. Now, I liked Violet at one point. But sending your own pregnant mother to a psych ward so you can be with your new BF who, you know, shot a bunch of people that one time? Gross, Violet. Seriously. Poor Vivien, though. I feel like I'm saying that all the time, but girl's got it beat.

Constance wasn't around to provide some levity, but I loved the changing roles of the ghostly inhabitants of the house. Hayden really took charge this week, calling the shots and setting things in motion to get what she wants. I especially liked that great scene where she attacked Nora for her constant weeping ("you gotta knock this shit off!"). Similarly, Moira is becoming a real protector of sorts. I had initially pegged Nora as a good seed in the house, but she seems a little too distracted by the promise of a new baby. Moira, instead, seems to be Vivien's strongest ally at this point, and I adored that great monologue about The Yellow Wallpaper and the history of men writing women off as crazy to satisfy their own desires. Frances Conroy is incredible in this part.

Finally, Zachary Quinto returned. There was a lot less on-the-nose dialogue than last time, and we actually got to see a lot of Chad's pain. He's the classic 'wronged partner', desperate to please his husband with extreme methods, only to have it thrown back in his face. He and Vivien should really get together with some tequilas and bond over their mutual hatred of latex.

Rubber Man was a little much at times (especially Tate's second attempt at rape), but the major story arcs continue to be pretty wonderful. The characters on this show are so absorbing, even if you can't help but be disgusted by them every once in a while. A-

Credits
Guest stars Kate Mara (Hayden McClane); Zachary Quinto (Chad Warburton); Frances Conroy (Moira O'Hara); Lily Rabe (Nora Montgomery); Teddy Sears (Patrick); Christine Estabrook (Marcy); Kathleen Rose Perkins (Peggy Warburton); Richard Short (Gary); Azura Skye (Fiona); Kyle Davis (Dallas); Eric Close (Hugo); Morris Chestnut (Luke)
Writer Ryan Murphy Director Miguel Arteta