"Neighbors From Hell" is the third episode of Cult. It premiered on September 19, 2017.
Synopsis[]
The community turns on Ally in the wake of an employee’s death. Beverly reports on a serial killer in the area. Ally and Ivy are the targets of a series of disturbing events.[1]
Plot[]
A woman (Rosie) describes her nightmare of being trapped, buried alive, to Dr. Rudy Vincent. She has conquered her fear, based on childhood trauma of parental entrapment in a cupboard. He credits the desensitization of her phobias. When she and her husband, Mark, return home he goes to another room to present her with a surprise. Instead, the clown gang forces them inside matching coffins, which they screw shut.
The police haul away, Pedro's body, and Detective Samuels informs Ally that she's not in legal trouble because the "stand your ground" law means that she was within her rights to shoot Pedro. The power comes back on, and Ivy comforts Ally. The next week, the restaurant is being picketed, calling Ally the "Lesbian George Zimmerman." Ivy urges Ally to return home rather than face the protesters. Before she can drive away, Kai shows up at her car window to show his support for her actions. He says he will take care of the mob.
Upon her return, Ally pours a glass of wine and receives a knock at the door. The Wiltons show up in sombreros to complain about her "racism," reprimanding Ally for her actions. The latter sends them away and slams the door.
On the news, Beverly Hope reports Rosie and Mark's murder, also investigated by Samuels, but he won't link their crime with the Changs. An odd rumbling outside draws Ally and Ivy's attention. A truck drives down the street spraying an unknown mist. The next morning, Ivy searches for Ally, and finds her outside, fixated on the dozens of birds that lay dead on their lawn. The city denies responsibility. Later, an apologetic Winter arrives, summoned by Ivy. Ally forgives her for abandoning them. Winter tells them that she also let in a man responding to an ad. Upon entering the living room, they find that he is stripped naked, expecting sex, per the internet advertisement. They chase him out, and speculate on who published the ad.
While on the phone with Ally, Rudy reads the ad, which keeps returning despite repeated deletions. He urges her to have an emergency session the next day, or to voluntarily check herself into an inpatient facility. Against his advice, she is about to confront the protesters. He urges caution. They mob her car, causing her to scream in exasperation. Kai appears by her window and the mob disperses instantly. Ally is stunned at the results.
The women arrive home to find Winter and Oz playing with a guinea pig. After the protestations of Ally and Ivy due to allergy concerns, Winter explains that it is from Meadow, given as a peace offering. When Ally takes the guinea pig from Oz, he blurts out "I wish you would go away!"
Across the street, Samuels is visiting the Wiltons, socially. Ally calls and berates Harrison, but Meadow takes the phone, calls her a racist, then hangs up. Ally runs into the street, where she is nearly run over by another pass from the chemical-spraying truck that does not stop when she tries to impede its progress.
Meadow and Kai do the pinky ritual. She has a shallow answer to a question about her fears, for which Kai slaps her out of her chair for wasting his time. She apologizes, saying she hides behind her humor, and they begin again. He lists a number of her fears, including that her husband favors Samuels more than her. Kai urges her to remake the world as she sees it.
The family shares a private meal in the vacant restaurant, including craft ice cream. Oz apologizes for rude words when Ally tried to separate him from his new pet. She surprises him with the news that he may keep it. They return home to find their door open, the clowns' symbol painted on their door. Oz rushes in to give the good news to his pet, but they arrive moments before the guinea pig explodes in the microwave oven.
Ally runs across the street, followed by Oz and Ivy. She rushes though the house to the back yard and immediately punches Harrison in the face while he's tending the bees. They seem surprised at the accusations and are also surprised also at the door marking. Over Ivy's protest, Ally threatens to kill them. As they leave, Oz finds that the clown gang has marked the Wilton's house as well. After a short discussion, they decide not to warn them.
The truck returns for another pass, and the driver emerges to spray their lawn directly. She tears off the respirator only to find another mask: the bloody smiley face of the clown gang. It triggers Ally's hemophobia, leading her to faint.
Kai does the pinky ritual with Harrison, who describes his wishing that his wife was dead.
Samuels returns to take the report from Ally of the troubles they're having with the Wiltons. He asks Ivy if Ally is psychotic. After receiving confirmation that the clown-mark is authentic, he advises that they will set up surveillance. Oz has uncovered an illicit video online of Winter's attempted seduction / sexual assault of Ally in the tub. Ivy is furious and they fight and Samuels intervenes. Ivy says she will leave with Oz, and that Ally should comfort herself with Winter and will have plenty of company from the clowns.
Their response to screams heard from across the street find Harrison covered in blood, confronted by police. He accuses Ally of having kidnapped Meadow. He is handcuffed as the women watch. Suddenly, Oz appears inside the Wilton's house, which has bloody hand prints all over the walls and a smiley face icon.
Featured Characters[]
Rosie[]
Rosie was a guest character in American Horror Story portrayed by Laura Allen.
Rosie was a patient of Dr. Rudy Vincent. She was affected by feretrophobia, the fear of caskets, and by extension taphophobia, or the irrational fear of being buried alive. Such phobia stemmed from her troubled childhood when her father used to lock her in a cupboard. Her phobia was ruining her marriage since every moment of intimacy ended up turning into a nightmare. With Dr. Vincent's therapy, she managed to conquer her fears, but she was killed along with her husband by the clown gang. Both were locked alive in coffins inside their house and found dead several days later.
Mark[]
Mark was a guest character in American Horror Story portrayed by Ron Melendez.
He was an apprehensive husband, worried about his wife's health. He was present during her last session therapy with Dr. Rudy Vincent, offering moral support to his wife. He was found untimely death at the hands of a clown gang which locked him alive in a casket.
Quotes[]
- Beverly Hope: "Coming to you from a neighborhood gripped in fear, this is Beverly Hope reporting."
- Kai: " I told you I would take care of you. And I did. Have a nice day."
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- Ally (to Oz): "Sweetie. Come on. You know we don't like cisnormative pet names."
- Kai: "Stop saying sorry, for anything. That makes you nothing. Everything is somebody else's fault from now on. Do you understand? You wanna be somebody? You wanna matter? Then you make the world wrong."
Notes[]
- Mr. Guinea is killed in a similar fashion to how Hayden faked the death of Vivien Harmon's pet dog, Hallie in "Murder House."
- The clown gang leaves a bloody smiley face on every crime scene, or as a warning sign on targeted places. Similarly, a graffiti of Bloody Face was visible in the abandoned Briarcliff Manor in "Asylum."
Raised Questions[]
- What are the real intentions of Dr. Vincent?
- Who killed Mr. Guinea?
- What is the meaning of the bloody smile?
- Is Meadow dead?
Videos[]
References[]
| Episodes of American Horror Story | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Murder House | |||||||
| Asylum | |||||||
| Coven | |||||||
| Freak Show | |||||||
| Hotel | |||||||
| Roanoke | |||||||
| Cult | |||||||
| Apocalypse | |||||||
| 1984 | |||||||
| Double Feature |
| ||||||
| NYC | |||||||
| Delicate | |||||||