In 2018, it has become very difficult to keep up with every television show out there. It's even more difficult to provide adequate coverage on this site about the episodes that air every week. Not every show can get full coverage because of my busy and hectic viewing schedule. As such, some reviews will now be condensed to give only some summary thoughts. But it also affords a space for me to jot down my thoughts on the various episodes. And so, here are my thoughts on this week's episode of FX's American Horror Story: Apocalypse.
"Forbidden Fruit" was written by Manny Coto and directed by Loni Peristere
American Horror Story has always shown such an affinity for changing up its circumstances for its characters several times throughout each season. It defined both of the seasons that serve as a crossover for Apocalypse. Of course, it's been a hindrance for the show as well because it makes it seem like the creative team keeps getting distracted by some new idea. This episode definitely hints at this being the end of the first chapter. Everyone in the bunker basically winds up dead. That's a stark image. In fact, the brutal amount of vomiting is the most horrifying visual from the new season so far. It's all a plot concocted by Venable and Mead in order to ensure their own survival. They are desperate to get to the Sanctuary. Sure, there is also the major reveal that Mead is actually a robot. That was the tease at the end of the previous episode. And now, it's confirmed that she was programmed with orders and memories. Only now is she starting to realize that it was all just a complete fabrication. This reveal is so important for the twists that occur throughout this hour. Venable believes she needs to do this in order to get her place in the Sanctuary. She sees the spoils that come from the Cooperative via the newly arrived apples. She understands that Langdon has the power to decide their fates. She wants to take it for herself. She poisons everyone else in the bunker with the fruit. When she confronts Langdon, that's when it's revealed that Mead was programmed to serve him even though she's torn about killing Venable after the fact. That too is a vicious moment. A very telling one because it's clear that Langdon had this relationship with love in his past. It could be Constance. Or it could be someone else. Mead is simply modeled after that person and holds so much importance for Langdon and the next phase of his plan to prove that humans are inherently evil. That also seems to be the case with the subplot this week in which Billy Eichner makes a surprising return appearance as Brock. At first, it seems completely pointless to have Brock break into the bunker to kill Coco right before Venable and Mead plan on doing the exact same thing. He is able to go completely undetected with no one figuring out that he doesn't belong and that he is poisoned with radiation. However, it's just so much fun seeing Eichner as a post-apocalyptic gunslinger. That's a character type that only this show would allow him to play. All of this death means that the story needed to present a new way forward. That comes with the arrival of three Coven witches - Cordelia, Madison and Myrtle. They revive Coco, Mallory and Dinah. The rest of the inhabitants in the bunker are left dead. However, it's unclear if they will stay dead for long since some are played by series regulars while the show also spent a lot of time on Timothy and Evie's romance. But it's much more exciting to see these trio of women survive and probably explore these powers they may not have known they had. With Mallory and Dinah, it was teased that something more was going on with them because of their interviews with Langdon. With Coco, it's a complete surprise and may even hint at Langdon being unable to detect who exactly has these powers which could represent a threat to his plan for the world.
