American Horror Story: Double Feature Review: Gaslight (Season 10 Episode 5)
Doris goes into labor, bringing about a whole new set of problems for the Gardner family on American Horror Story: Double Feature Season 10 Episode 5, “Gaslight.”
The birth of Doris’s baby boy on “Gaslight” is no cause for celebration. All of her fears are about to come true as she endures one traumatic event after another, all thanks to her loving family.
There was no doubt that Doris would turn into a flesh phantom if she decided to take the pill, and Alma tricking her into doing so isn’t a surprise either. Alma has been looking for a way to separate Doris from her and Harry since she took the first pill. The darkness that lay within her before ingesting the pill only grew more abruptly afterward.
Alma knows that Doris has no talent and believes that keeping her around is a waste, something she has made known to Harry numerous times, which is why he should have been more observant of Alma and her actions.
It was only a matter of time before Alma made her next move on Doris after her initial feeding on the baby, but it feels like, subconsciously, there’s a part of Harry that wants it to happen. If he didn’t, he would have kept his eyes on his daughter.
Alma’s foreshadowing throughout the beginning of the season is spot on. While the question “how is it going to happen?” may have been floating around, the “who did it” has always been predictable. Since Season 10 Episode 1, “Cape Fear,” Alma has had a darkness about her that was blatantly obvious.
Ryan Kiera Armstrong’s portrayal of Alma has been a highlight to the season. Her ability to play the sinister, manipulative child is marvelous and she deserves to stay booked and busy. Armstrong would do well to stay in the horror genre because it’s clear there’s untapped potential in her.
TB Karen’s storyline is a beautiful tragedy. Her death is the only one, so far, that has given peace instead of distraught feelings. Her intentions were to never become a flesh phantom at any cost, and being forced into the decision isn’t changing her mind about the subject.
While it’s upsetting that Karen has to die, at least she’s allowed to do it on her own terms and not torn apart limb by limb. Even though it might be sad, overall, Karen’s death is an exquisite moment because she gets to choose whether she lives or not. Mickey showing his true colors by forcing her to select between the pill and death is disturbing, but not unexpected.
It’s a touching detail for Karen to have authentic talent. She’s seen as worthless, no more important than the gum on the bottom of your shoe by the people in Provincetown, but she never sells out like most of them. Her artistic talent is natural, and it’s heart-warming that she gets to paint one last picture before she says goodbye.
Mickey loves Karen; it’s painfully obvious, but giving her an ultimatum is abysmal. He knows how Karen feels about having to live off blood and feeding on babies, so talent or not, if he truly loved her, he wouldn’t force the pill on her. If he could have just let her live her life, they had the potential to have it all. His death is rightfully deserved.
Karen and Mickey are a tragic love story that was never headed for a happy ending.
Ursula is convinced that her plan to create her own award-winning agency is the best plan known on earth, but she has another thing coming on the Red Tide finale, “Winter Kills.” The Chemist is hesitant about giving the pill out to anyone unless she assesses them, so handing over a steady supply to Ursula doesn’t seem plausible.
The story for Double Feature would be ten times more magnificent if it were allowed to be fleshed out more. There are still too many story details that aren’t wrapped up, and there’s no way only one more episode for Red Tide is going to fix that.
It’s bothersome to see the potential in a story and never get to see it developed further because it’s crammed into a minimum number of episodes. If American Horror Story: Double Feature had received a fourteen or sixteen-episode season, that would have made more sense and given more opportunity for a story without so many plot holes.
My hopes for Death Valley are low, and I’m keeping them that way, so there’s more of a chance I’ll be enthralled with the story.
Other Thoughts:
- With the finale of Red Tide next week, I think there’s a good chance that either Alma and Harry die. Or, Alma and Ursula. Either way, I don’t see Alma making it out alive.
- The finale of Red Tide needs to explain the red lights on the porches and why the town chief goes missing, yet nobody is looking for her.
- I lowkey hope that Doris is the one who gets to off Harry and Alma in some sort of fashion.
Favorite Quotes:
“Yes, please, this is the longest I’ve held something that isn’t a cocktail or a grudge.” – Ursula.
“Because I don’t care if I’m good enough. Don’t you understand that? I don’t want to be like you. You’re not human.” – TB Karen.
“I guess this is goodbye. I love you, Karen. You’re my muse. You’ll be the heroine in every story that I write.” – Mickey.
What did you think of this episode of American Horror Story: Double Feature? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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American Horror Story: Double Feature airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.
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Cade Taylor
Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.