Lana and Kit find liberation at last, but will they ever truly be free of Braircliff?
**CONTENT WARNING: Descriptions of violence and abortion**
Synopsis
Johnny Morgan, apparently claiming Thredson’s old home as his own now, hires a prostitute who recently gave birth so he can breastfeed. All this does is amplify his mommy fixation and remind him that his own mother never loved him or his father.
Thredson allows Kit and Grace a moment alone with their baby, Thomas. Kit asks Grace about her second alien encounter and whether Alma is truly alive. She says she saw Alma at first, but she died while they were there together. Kit is sad, but feels that Alma would have wanted him to do the right thing, so he proposes to Grace in order to build a life together with their child. Their engagement bliss is cut short as Monsignor Timothy arrives, giving the baby to some nuns who run an orphanage, despite the parent’s protests.
Mother Claudia gets Lana access to her own clothes, her medical record, and a cab outside that will take her anywhere she wants to go. Lana retrieves the tape of Thredson’s confession and, dressed in her regular clothes, casually walks right out the front door, though not before sneaking past Thredson while Kit distracts him. Thredson glimpses her as she goes out the door and follows her outside just in time to see her in the cab, holding up the tape and flipping him off, before she drives away.
Lana turns the tape in to the police and waits in Thredson’s house with a gun until he returns. She keeps the gun trained on him while waiting for the police arrive, forcing him to tell what he did with Wendy’s body. He chopped it up, buried it in several locations, and burned some of it in his fireplace. As the sirens approach, he tells her that he will never see the electric chair because they will declare him crazy, so he’ll live a long life even if it’s behind bars. He turns to grab a hidden gun to make her his last victim, but before he can, she shoots him in the head.
With Lana’s story out and the true identity of Bloody Face revealed, Briarcliff has no choice but to release Kit. He demands Monsignor Timothy release Grace, since they already have her death certificate on file, and retrieve their baby. The trio goes to Kit’s old home, still in disarray from the original alien invasion, and are thrilled to start their new life. Inside the house, they spot an intruder, but it turns out to be Alma, holding a baby of her own.
Lana takes some of the ashes from Thredson’s fireplace as a token of Wendy’s body and gives her a memorial. She goes to a woman who does secret abortions, but changes her mind at the last second when she recalls all of the death and violence she has witnessed and endured the past few months. Lana publishes her expose, citing several patients who have gone missing—a list that includes Pepper. She convinces the police to get her a warrant to speak with Jude at Briarcliff, since they have not allowed her entrance. Monsignor Timothy regrettably informs her that Jude hung herself a few days prior, providing a death certificate. Lana doesn’t believe him, but can do nothing about it and leaves. Of course, Monsignor Timothy faked the records, because Jude is locked away in solitary, praying to Saint Jude.
Lana gives birth to a baby boy, and does not want to see him before he is taken away to the orphanage. The nurse brings him to her anyway, because he is allergic to the formula and has been crying for hours. Reluctantly, Lana breastfeeds him, although she clearly hates the act.
The Staff
Monsignor Timothy probably got the idea to fake Jude’s death after the situation with Grace and her death certificate. The weird thing is he seemed to have no idea that Grace ever died. I guess we never actually saw him learn of her death, but I was surprised to realize he legitimately was never informed that she was shot to death in his asylum, then her body went missing, and then a couple days later came back again with a fully developed baby.
Thredson got what’s coming to him. Go Lana! He really thought she didn’t have the guts to pull the trigger. He should have known better—he originally was drawn to her because of her spunk. Anyway, that’s just about all of the villains taken down, unless you include Monsignor Timothy who is questionable at best. At the very least, Monsignor Timothy is the only staff member left, and we’ll see how long Briarcliff even remains open.
The Patients
Most of the patients are no longer patients, either. Lana, Kit, and Grace are now free, and apparently Pepper is among the missing. All that’s left is Jude, poor old gal.
I wondered if Grace was lying about Alma’s death when she said it. It just seemed so weird that Alma would be dead, then not actually dead, then dead after all. Plus, now Grace has a reason to want Kit all to herself. It isn’t clarified yet, though, if Grace was intentionally lying or if she genuinely thought she saw Alma’s dead body. That remains to be seen in the next episode. I wonder what the plan will be now that Kit has two babies and two lovers. At least we finally learned a little more about the aliens, though there are still so many questions left unanswered.
Lana is my hero. She’s such a badass. She’s made it through all of the crap that keeps coming her way, and now she has got justice for it. She’s one tough cookie.
The Director
This episode was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, the amazing director of such episodes as I Am Anne Frank part 2 and Afterbirth from season one. I have been so excited to get to his two remaining episodes this season, this one and the finale. (God, a season finale shot by this man? It’s going to be insane!) He certainly did not disappoint. I. Love. This. Director! He has such an amazing eye for the best shots. When Lana is coming down the staircase to sneak out of Briarcliff, Thredson and Kit are speaking at the bottom of the stairs. What does Gomez-Rejon do? He splitscreens the shot, following Lana’s descent on one side and Thredson and Kit’s conversation on the other side.
It is so masterfully done. And then to finish off that scene with a breathtaking overhead shot of Lana escaping to the cab, followed by the deliciously victorious shot of her rubbing Thredson’s downfall in his face… Pure genius. And that was just one scene.
I cannot wait to see what he brings to the big finale in two episodes.
Conclusion
Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is my new favorite director. I would have noticed something special about this episode even if I hadn’t known in advance it was him. He always has such a distinct touch on his content, in a good way. I’m so happy for Lana and Kit to finally be free from Briarcliff, and I hope Jude can soon find the same fate. Pretty much all of the major threats have been brought down, so I’m curious to see how the last two episodes wrap up the story. So far it’s been a pleasant ride.
Score 9/10
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