1. Plot

2. Reception
    Ratings  Reviews  Reaction from individuals involved 

3. References

4. External links

• Connie Britton as Vivien Harmon
• Frances Conroy as Moira O'Hara
• Jessica Lange as Constance Langdon
• Taissa Farmiga as Violet Harmon
• Billy Porter as Behold Chablis
• Naomi Grossman as Samantha Crowe
• Mena Suvari as Elizabeth Short
• Carlo Rota as Anton LaVey
• John Duerler as Realtor

"You're Gonna Miss Me" by Connie Francis|"Tonight You Belong to Me" by Patience and Prudence|

"Return to Murder House" is the sixth episode of the eighth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 17, 2018, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Crystal Liu and directed by Sarah Paulson.^[1]

The episode saw a return to the setting used for season one, Murder House, as well as a reappearance of original cast members Connie Britton, Dylan McDermott and Jessica Lange.

"Return to Murder House" received critical acclaim from reviewers, who praised Paulson's direction, the performances and chemistry of Emma Roberts and Billy Porter, and the return of Lange.

Plot

Madison Montgomery and Behold Chablis, posing as a married couple, purchase the Murder House in Los Angeles, which had been abandoned for several years. Arriving at the house, the two soon suspect there has been paranormal activities, after learning that thirty-six people have died inside the house. They perform a spell which allows them to see the ghosts, who can otherwise hide themselves from the living.

In the living room, the ghosts of Tate Langdon and Dr. Ben Harmon are talking about Tate's frustration at being ignored by Ben's daughter, Violet. Their session is interrupted by Madison and Behold, who announce that they have come to learn about Michael Langdon's origins, but Tate warns that they have made a mistake by coming. Madison is then attacked by a deformed boy, Beauregard Langdon, but medium Billie Dean Howard arrives and subdues Beauregard. She reveals that she is one of the few living people that the spirits of the house allow to come and go. Constance Langdon, Tate and Beauregard's mother, appears and states that she is the true owner of the house, having become a spirit of the house.

Behold and Madison express their desire to talk about Michael. Billie Dean refuses to discuss the matter, but Constance says that she will talk about Michael only if Madison rids her rival Moira's spirit from the house. Behold unearths Moira's remains from the backyard and buries them next to Moira's mother in the cemetery. Moira's spirit is released from her earthly hold and greeted by the spirit of her mother. The two appear to pass peacefully into the afterlife.

Constance tells the story of Michael Langdon to Madison and Behold, revealing that his father is her son Tate, who had impregnated the then-living Vivien Harmon. After Vivien gave birth, Constance took Michael from the house and raised him as her own son, believing she had been given a new chance at being a mother after the death of her four children. However, Michael quickly displayed violent tendencies, first killing small animals and eventually murdering his nanny at the age of three. Soon after, Michael somehow aged ten years overnight and appeared as a teenager. Michael attacked Constance, then murdered a priest from whom she sought help. Her dreams of motherhood shattered, Constance returned to the Murder House and committed suicide by overdose.

Behold and Madison approach Ben, who is estranged from Vivien. Ben tells the two that Michael began attending therapy sessions with him after discovering that Constance had killed herself to be free from him. A father-son relationship developed between the two, much to Vivien's disappointment. However, Michael slowly grew darker after meeting and being rejected by Tate. Ben witnessed Michael mutilating the ghost of Elizabeth Short, as well as murdering two new residents, and permanently expelling their spirits from existence. Ben, realizing Michael's capacity for evil, ended their sessions. At this point, Vivien appears and reconciles with Ben, explaining that she could not forgive him for connecting with Michael but now realizes that he didn't have a choice. She reveals to Behold and Madison Michael's true nature, reciting a passage from the Book of Revelation about the Beast from the Sea.

Vivien tells the story of a group of Satanists who arrived at the house, consisting of Miriam Mead, Samantha Crowe and Church of Satan founder, Anton LaVey. The Satanists kidnapped a young woman and brought her to the house to perform a Black Mass, with LaVey removing the girl's heart for Michael to consume. A demonic shadow appeared and Michael announced that he is one with his "Father". Vivien failed in her attempt to murder Michael, and narrowly escapes the destruction of her own spirit through the intervention of Tate. Vivien tells Behold and Madison that Michael Langdon is not a warlock but the Antichrist.

Before leaving, Madison meets Violet. Violet tells Madison that Tate is a monster, but Madison believes that Tate was merely a vessel used by the house to conceive Michael and tells Violet that Tate is not truly evil. Madison uses her magic to prove it to Violet, leading to their reconciliation. Madison and Behold depart the house to tell Cordelia of their findings, as Madison uses her power to lock the gates of the house once and for all.

Reception

Ratings

"Return to Murder House" was watched by 2.01 million people during its original broadcast, and gained a 0.9 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.^[2]

Reviews

The episode has received widespread acclaim by critics and fans alike. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Return to Murder House" holds a 100% approval rating, based on 17 reviews with an average rating of 9.17/10. The critical consensus reads, "Deftly directed by Sarah Paulson and featuring the triumphant return of the one and only Jessica Lange, 'Return to Murder House' is peak fan service—in the best possible way."^[3]

Ron Hogan of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4/5, saying, "'Return to Murder House' is more than just a return to a location, or revisiting characters. It feels like something of a return to form. The season has been very impressive, and a lot of fun to boot. The shorter episode order seems to be beneficial to the pace of the show, and the merged seasons has given Apocalypse the best parts of both Murder House and Coven, with horror, weirdness, and wit in equal measure."^[4]

Kat Rosenfield from Entertainment Weekly gave the episode an A. She praised the return of multiple Murder House characters, especially Vivien's (Britton) and Constance's (Lange). She also enjoyed the latter's flashbacks with Michael, calling them "an illuminating history for Michael as well as an epic monologue for Jessica Lange". Finally, she was a big fan of the dynamics between Billy Porter and Emma Roberts, commenting that it was the "greatest thing about this season" after Lange's return.^[5]

Reaction from individuals involved

The Church of Satan criticized the episode for its inaccurate portrayal of Anton LaVey and of Satanists in general, pointing out that LaVey did not believe in the Antichrist or practice ritual sacrifice. Further comments described the episode as "unimpressive and boring," and dismissed the "lazy writers" who "appropriated his name and image for their Devil worship drivel".^[7]

References

External links

• {{IMDb episode|8241372}}

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