SHOCK recaps the 10the episode of AMERICAN HORROR STORY: HOTEL.
On their 60th wedding anniversary, an elderly couple checks into the hotel to kill themselves. She has cancer; he cant stand the thought of living without her. Liz is jealous of their love. She misses Tristan and expects the Countess to slit her throat any day now. Liz contemplates one of the guns the couple left behind, but Iris reminds her that if she kills herself with unfinished business, she will be stuck in this hotel forever. Liz always meant to put things right with her son, Douglas, so once she does that, she and Iris will kill each other together. Miss Evers calls Douglas and arranges for him to come out to California to meet with his father.
Liz is nervous when Douglas sits at her bar, there to redeem some free drink tickets. He does not recognize Liz, but likes her dress. Things immediately become more relaxed and they chat like old friends. The next night, after Liz and Iris give Miss Evers a washer/dryer set (which she is over the moon about), Liz meets Douglas at the bar to tell him who she is. She is nervous, but Douglas stops her and assures her he knows who she is. Douglas recognized his father right away, and it is clear that he accepts his new moppa. He promises Liz that there is plenty of room for another woman in his life, and Liz is overwhelmed.
That only leaves one unpleasant chore. Iris has laid out all manner of guns, poisons, daggers, and nooses for them to decide how to kill themselves. She is intensely proud of a cheesy memorial video she made, then realizes Liz is stalling. She explains that Douglas wants her in his life, and Iris becomes the martyr. No, its fine, everyone I have ever loved has left me. Liz decides she has a new plan for the two of them.
While Natacha goes to the hotel to visit the Countess, Donovan confronts Valentino. The Countess tries to seduce Natacha, who claims that the Countess is nothing more than a fan to Rudy. Valentino tries to show up Donovan with machismo. Natacha has a knife; Valentino has a sword. But those weapons are no match for the Countess and Donovan, who each have guns. Never bring a knife to a gunfight. Both Valentinos are dead.
Next up, the Countess files a missing persons report on Will. In the middle of it, Will walks right in, fresh-faced and well-dressed, claiming he got lost for a couple days in the renovated wing. The Countess dismisses the cops then confronts her husband. Will is mad that she killed him; she claims it was because he was being disrespectful to Bartholomew. He knows she was planning on killing him regardless, and points out that she is not in his will. Everything goes to Lachlan – who, the Countess is quick to point out, is legally her ward. She promises she would never kill a child but that doesnt mean she wouldnt make him a blood relative. March shows up with an I told you so – she shouldnt have killed Will in the hotel; now she will never be rid of him.
The Countess and Donovan sit for dinner. Both need the others help in cleaning up a mess, but the Countess isnt really paying attention to Donovan, so her problems come first. She casually mentions that she killed Will, and requests that Donovan retrieve the body before it gets too ripe, and he should probably put Ramona back in the iron maiden. Now it is Donovans turn, and he reveals that he killed Valentino. The Countess freezes; she loses it when she confronts his corpse at the motel. When she returns home, her eyes are red and puffy from crying, and she is surprised to find Donovan still in her suite, dancing to some super-douchey music. He points out blithely that at least the Countess knows that he didnt abandon her. He knew what Valentino meant to the Countess, and he knew she would come back to kill him. But Donovan doesnt care. Dying is the only way you will let me love you. I dont know how else to do it. The Countess is taken by his willingness to sacrifice his life for her. What a beautiful thing Ive made, she says. Then it all goes to shit when Iris and Liz burst in, two guns apiece, and start firing wildly.
John has killed three more people, adding their ears to his trophy room. Only one more; then he will be free – whatever that means. He joins March as he torches the contractor, and says he wont help March fulfill his dream outside the hotel until he sees Alex. March agrees, and sets up a meeting between the spouses in his room. Things are tense between the two, and John has no compunction about blaming Alex for abandoning Scarlett. But he has no excuses either, and admits they are both at fault. Alex then reveals her mistake, turning Max, and how the Countess threatened to kill Alex and Holden if she didnt make this right. John agrees to help.
First they go to Maxs house, which has been flushed of corpses by the police. The kids came back, and Alex finds a girl, Kimmy, desperately ill. Jimmy attacks, and John fires his gun, all macho-like, and scares the kid off. But it also reveals an entire Lost Boys cult, and a whole mess of kids step out of the shadows. Alex cant save Kimmy, but they want to save all of them. John and Alex bring the Lost Boys back to the hotel and send them to a room at the end of the chamber hallway while she goes to get them food. Max is scared, but leads his tribe down the hall. Only Jimmy stops, and decides he doesnt want to go in. John pushes him and locks the kids inside. Sealed in darkness, Jimmy blames Max and the boys start to fight. A door opens, and the kids see Wills corpse and Ramona, covered in his blood. Mama smells appetizers.
Apparently sending vampire children to their death is a turn on for Alex and John, who end up in bed together. She feels guilty because they are supposed to be divorcing, but she sees something solid behind his eyes, like he finally got his act together. She has to go check on the children, but is interested in the new John. She leaves, and Sally is there, sobbing over what she perceives as infidelity. John admits that he loved her, but what they have is an addicts high; it always ends. The pair switch off between kissing passionately, nearly fucking, then yelling at one another. Sally insists that Alex doesnt know John, and will never accept him when she knows the truth. Their foreplay/argument finally ends with John leaving and Sally screaming after him, I deserve more than this! She attempts to attack John with a pair of scissors while he waits for the elevator, but he throws her off easily. She threatens to kill Alex; John pays her no mind.
John and Alex meet back up. She is nervous. If we do this, there is no going back. John is all in, and they enter the nursery, where Holden greets his father excitedly. John sobs and holds his son close. Its time to go home, he says. The three Lowes walk out, hand in hand. As they stroll through the lobby, at a normal pace but with nervous glances, Sally screams down from the second floor, swearing to kill them. Just keep walking, John urges, pulling his family out the door.
