American Horror Story: Spooky Little Girl (1.9)

This episode suffered from similar problems to the ones that affected my enjoyment of Piggy Piggy a couple of weeks back, in that there were a whole bunch of stories here that felt like delaying tactics rather than something organic. It was most noticeable with Vivien's removal from most of the episode, as well as Tate and Violet being entirely absent. But that's a familiar problem with serialized dramas, even the shorter ones on cable, and sometimes things need to be staggered a little. It's not particularly rewarding for the viewer, but it's understandable from a writer's perspective.

The pope thing wasn't as outlandish as the previews implied, and I actually loved the entire coda with Billie Dean's promise of doom and misfortune about to befall the earth via the birth of the baby. It's so melodramatic, but we're at that point where it doesn't necessarily feel jarring anymore. We've long settled into the kind of tone this show is reaching for, and Vatican-inspired apocalypse no longer feels remotely nuts. Heh.

Ben is still a dick, but there's evolution there. He finally saw Moira as her real self, and Moira seemed to confirm that he was growing as a person and gaining a perspective that wasn't just motivated by his libido. But I wish he wasn't such an ass. Naturally he'd be devastated that one of Vivien's twins isn't his own, but there has to be a lot of delusion there for him not to acknowledge his own infidelities. Ugh.

Everything else in Spooky Little Girl felt a little choppy, though. The Elizabeth Short story, like the subplot with Eric Stonestreet in Piggy Piggy, seemed like something the writers thought would be 'cool', regardless of it necessarily fitting into the show. I liked how they tied the actual case in with the house, but the story bottomed out at the end and it was disappointing that she vanished right after her weird make-out session with Moira. I felt like they could have made more of her character, or at least give Mena Suvari better material to work with.

Similarly, I think Constance is weakest whenever she's paired with her hunky boy-toy. No matter how scenery-chewing Jessica Lange is (and she sure was hungry in that argument scene), I was never entirely absorbed by her story this week. Same with Hayden. I like the girl a lot, since she always seems to get the best lines, but I want her to do a little more than just hover around being bitchy to everyone.

I'm probably being harsh on this episode, but I felt like last week deserved stronger follow-through, especially in the Vivien department. That episode seemed like the show firing on all cylinders and setting the cogs in motion for the finale, Spooky Little Girl pulled the breaks a little too harshly. B-

Credits
Guest stars Kate Mara (Hayden McClane); Frances Conroy (Moira O'Hara); Alexandra Breckenridge (Moira Two); Matt Ross (Charles Montgomery); Sarah Paulson (Billie Dean Howard); Michael Graziadei (Travis); Joshua Malina (Dr. David Curran); Eve Gordon (Dr. Hall); Geoffrey Rivas (Detective Jack Colquitt); April Grace (Nurse Naima); Tanya Clarke (Marla McClane); Mena Suvari (Elizabeth Short); Morris Chestnut (Luke)
Writer Jennifer Salt Director John Scott