Charles (Manson) in Charge

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"Charles (Manson) in Charge"
American Horror Story episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 10
Directed by Bradley Buecker
Written by Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk
Production code7ATS10
Original air dateNovember 7, 2017 (2017-11-07)
Running time50 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
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American Horror Story: Cult
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"Charles (Manson) in Charge" is the tenth episode of American Horror Story: Cult, the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story . It aired on November 7, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk, and directed by Bradley Buecker. [1]

Contents

Plot

Kai resolves to orchestrate a "night of a thousand Tates", referring to the infamous Tate murders. Gary and a few of Kai's followers break into a local Planned Parenthood office. Once inside, Gary is surrounded by Kai and his followers wearing their clown attire and he is stabbed to death. During an interview, Kai suggests that the incumbent senator is responsible for Gary's murder.

Kai begins to suspect that there is a mole in the cult. He begins having hallucinations where he receives advice from Dr. Vincent and Charles Manson. Ally tells Kai that she has found a listening device. The doorbell rings and Kai instructs Ally to stay where she is. Kai answers the door and finds Bebe standing there. They both go to the basement where Bebe tells Kai that he isn't keeping his end of the deal they made a year ago. Bebe pulls a gun on Kai and Ally shoots her in the back of the head.

That evening, Winter shaves Kai's head in the bathroom. Kai tells Winter that he feels as though she's slipping away and she tells Kai that every follower of his will leave him one day except for her. Kai tells Winter that he is planning on having her by his side when he is in the White House and they briefly hug each other. Kai then suggests that Winter run away to Montana and pulls out the train ticket she gave to Beverly earlier.

In the basement, Kai, convinced that Winter is the mole, demands her to confess. When she denies that she is the mole and refuses to confess, Kai tearfully strangles her to death. Speedwagon runs to his car afterward and destroys a wire. Ally enters his car and greets him.

Reception

"Charles (Manson) in Charge" was watched by 1.82 million people during its original broadcast, and gained a 0.8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. [2]

The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Charles (Manson) in Charge" holds an 80% approval rating, based on 15 reviews with an average rating of 7.08 out of 10. [3]

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3.5 out of 5, saying "While Kai's subversion and Ally's apparent conversion are unexpected, American Horror Story: Cult doesn't quite pull the rug out from under us this week. The recreation of the murders is expertly done, fulfilling the anticipation of the promised gore, but the American horror at the center of the episode is more sad than frightening. If nothing else, this episode convinced me that Butte, Montana, is the scariest place on earth." [4]

Kat Rosenfield from Entertainment Weekly gave the episode an A−. She particularly praised the scenes with Charles Manson, calling them "horrifying even by AHS standards". She also enjoyed Billie Lourd's performance in this episode. However, she noticed that some plot points, like Gary's death, could only be explained by Kai's madness, "because it otherwise makes absolutely no sense". [5]

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a 6 out of 10, with a mixed review. He said "A week out from the finale, Cult revealed that Kai was never the person we'd come to know, even in flashbacks. Instead, he was a bitter woman hater who was most definitely not pretending to be a woman hater for the sake of a twist that could have flipped the show on its ear. With increasing paranoia and drug use, Kai went from a man leading an ambitious and lethal social experiment to... just another unremarkable trolling bigot." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charles Manson</span> American criminal and cult leader (1934–2017)

Charles Milles Manson was an American criminal, cult leader and musician who led the Manson Family, a cult based in California, in the late 1960s. Some of the members committed a series of at least nine murders at four locations in July and August 1969. In 1971, Manson was convicted of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder for the deaths of seven people, including the film actress Sharon Tate. The prosecution contended that, while Manson never directly ordered the murders, his ideology constituted an overt act of conspiracy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patricia Krenwinkel</span> American mass murderer (born 1947)

Patricia Dianne Krenwinkel is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by various aliases such as Big Patty, Yellow, Marnie Reeves and Mary Ann Scott, but to The Family, she was most commonly known as Katie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Susan Atkins</span> Convicted murderer and member of the "Manson family" (1948–2009)

Susan Denise Atkins was an American convicted murderer who was a member of Charles Manson's "Family". Manson's followers committed a series of nine murders at four locations in California over a period of five weeks in the summer of 1969. Known within the Manson family as Sadie Mae Glutz or Sexy Sadie, Atkins was convicted for her participation in eight of these killings, including the most notorious, the Tate murders in 1969. She was sentenced to death, which was subsequently commuted to life imprisonment when the California Supreme Court invalidated all death sentences issued prior to 1972. Atkins was incarcerated until her death in 2009. At the time of her death, she was California's longest-serving female inmate, long since surpassed by fellow Manson family members Leslie Van Houten and Patricia Krenwinkel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leslie Van Houten</span> American convicted murderer (born 1949)

Leslie Louise Van Houten is an American convicted murderer and former member of the Manson Family. During her time with Manson's group, she was known by aliases such as Louella Alexandria, Leslie Marie Sankston, Linda Sue Owens and Lulu.

<i>The Manson Family</i> (film) 1997 American horror film directed by Jim Van Bebber

The Manson Family is a 1997 American true crime exploitation horror film directed by Jim Van Bebber. The film covers the lives of Charles Manson and his family of followers.

The Tate–LaBianca murders were a series of murders perpetrated by members of the Manson Family during August 9–10, 1969, in Los Angeles, California, United States, under the direction of Tex Watson and Charles Manson. The perpetrators killed five people on the night of August 8–9: pregnant actress Sharon Tate and her companions Jay Sebring, Abigail Folger, and Wojciech Frykowski, along with Steven Parent. The following evening, the Family also murdered supermarket executive Leno LaBianca and his wife, Rosemary, at their home in the Los Feliz section of Los Angeles.

<i>American Horror Story: Cult</i> Seventh season of American Horror Story

The seventh season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled Cult, takes place in the fictional suburb of Brookfield Heights, Michigan, during the year 2017, and centers on a cult terrorizing the residents in the aftermath of Donald Trump winning the 2016 U.S. presidential election. It is a season that does not present supernatural elements. The smallest ensemble cast of the series, it includes Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Billie Lourd, Cheyenne Jackson, and Alison Pill, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomers Lourd and Pill. This season marks the first to not feature cast mainstay Lily Rabe.

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" is the second episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on September 12, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Tim Minear, and directed by Liza Johnson.

"Election Night" is the first episode and season premiere of the seventh season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled Cult. It aired on September 5, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk, and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Neighbors from Hell" is the third episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on September 19, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by James Wong, and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton.

"11/9" is the fourth episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on September 26, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by John J. Gray, and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton. Adina Porter was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie for this episode.

"Mid-Western Assassin" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 10, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Todd Kubrak, and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Holes" is the fifth episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 3, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Crystal Liu, and directed by Maggie Kiley.

"Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag" is the seventh episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 17, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Crystal Liu, and directed by Rachel Goldberg.

"Winter of Our Discontent" is the eighth episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 24, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Joshua Green, and directed by Barbara Brown.

"Drink the Kool-Aid" is the ninth episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 31, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Adam Penn, and directed by Angela Bassett.

"Great Again" is the eleventh and final episode of the seventh season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 14, 2017, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Tim Minear, and directed by Jennifer Lynch.

"The End" is the first episode and season premiere of the eighth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on September 12, 2018, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Ryan Murphy & Brad Falchuk, and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Sojourn" is the eighth episode of the eighth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 31, 2018, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Josh Green, and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Rest in Pieces" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 6, 2019, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Adam Penn, and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton.

References

  1. ↑ "American Horror Story - (#710) "Charles (Manson) in Charge"". TheFutonCritic. Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  2. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (November 8, 2017). "SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Tuesday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 11.7.2017". ShowBuzzDaily. Archived from the original on November 9, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  3. ↑ "American Horror Story: Cult - "Charles (Manson) in Charge"". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved November 8, 2017.
  4. ↑ Sokol, Tony (November 8, 2017). "American Horror Story Season 7 Episode 10 Review: Charles (Manson) in Charge". Den of Geek . Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ Rosenfield, Kat (November 7, 2017). "American Horror Story: Cult recap: 'Charles (Manson) in Charge'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 7, 2017.
  6. ↑ Fowler, Matt (November 7, 2017). "American Horror Story: Cult - "Charles (Manson) in Charge" Review". IGN . Retrieved November 7, 2017.
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