Chapter 9 (American Horror Story)
"Chapter 9" is the ninth episode of the sixth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 9, 2016, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Tim Minear and directed by Alexis O. Korycinski.
| "Chapter 9" | |
|---|---|
| American Horror Story episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 6 Episode 9 |
| Directed by | Alexis O. Korycinski |
| Written by | Tim Minear |
| Production code | 6ATS09 |
| Original air date | November 9, 2016 |
| Running time | 37 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Plot
Sophie Green, Todd Connors, and Milo – three teenage fanatics of My Roanoke Nightmare who run a blog dedicated to the series – head out into the woods to search for the Roanoke house during the final night shift of the Blood Moon. After noting where Flora's hoodie was found on the tree, the trio encountered Diana's ghost and found her corpse inside her overturned car after the accident during the first production of the series. They tried to report the incident, but the police don't believe them when they couldn't find the body.
Lee and Audrey convinced Dylan that the macabre series of hauntings in the set are real and that they must retrieve the video and rescue Monet who was recaptured by Ishmael and Lot. After arriving at the Polk compound, Lee separates from the group to erase the record of her confessional to her daughter from one of the video tapes as Dylan finds the Polks' pickup truck while Audrey finds Monet and the tapes. The women are confronted by Ishmael who was incensed by the death of his wife but Audrey kills him by shooting him in the head with Lee's revolver. Dylan was injured by Lot who then escapes with the truck before the Butcher's colony arrive as Audrey and Monet escape into the woods, leaving Dylan behind. The actresses returned to the house and are infuriated when they watched the video of Lee's deceit of Mason's murder.
Meanwhile, the teens return to the woods to expose the Roanoke hauntings to the police. They run into Lee who had fallen under Scathach's trance and murders Todd while the others escape and attempted to call for help at the production trailer. The possessed Lee arrives at the house to attack the other survivors and pushes Monet out of the balcony where she is impaled by a broken wood shaft of a fallen chandelier. Audrey fights Lee and runs out of the house but the latter injures the actress and traps her in the storm cellar. The ghostly colony arrive outside the house and disemboweled Dylan while Sophie and Milo are captured when they attempt to escape as the ghosts impaled the two at the stakes and burned them alive.
The next day, police arrive at the aftermath of the carnage to rescue the survivors. They revive an unconscious Lee who was released from the ghost's possession. But an enraged Audrey who was still unaware of Lee's circumstance earlier grabs the officer's gun and attempts to kill her before the other police officers open fire, shooting Audrey dead. Therefore, leaving Lee as the sole survivor of the Blood Moon.
Reception
"Chapter 9" was watched by 2.43 million people in its original American broadcast, and gained a 1.3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.[1]
The episode received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the episode holds a 92% approval rating, based on 12 reviews with an average score of 6.2/10. The critical consensus reads, ""Chapter 9" gruesomely dismisses more characters while presenting the welcome return of another American Horror Story veteran and preparing viewers for a twisty finale."[2] Emily L. Stephens of The A.V. Club wrote, ""Chapter 9" is a solid episode of American Horror Story's most meaningful and consistent season – and by 'solid,' I mean strongly told, startling, and filled with slithering entrails and smoking corpses."[3] In contrast, IGN's Matt Fowler stated, "The penultimate episode of American Horror Story: Roanoke was a bumpy, blurry mess of found footage and flat fiendishness."[4]
References
- Welch, Alex (November 3, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'American Horror Story' ticks back up". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
- "Chapter 9 – American Horror Story: Roanoke, Episode 9". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- Stephens, Emily L. (November 10, 2016). "As the finale looms, American Horror Story: Roanoke reveals its final girl". The A.V. Club. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
- Fowler, Matt (November 10, 2016). "American Horror Story: Roanoke – "Chapter 9" Review". IGN.
