Hell Week (Scream Queens)

Last updated
"Hell Week"
Scream Queens episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 2
Directed by Brad Falchuk
Written by Ryan Murphy
Brad Falchuk
Ian Brennan
Featured music
Production code1AYD02
Original air dateSeptember 22, 2015 (2015-09-22)
Running time41 minutes
Guest appearances
  • Ariana Grande as Chanel #2
  • Nick Jonas as Boone
  • Niecy Nash as Denise Hemphill
  • Jan Hoag as Ms. Bean
  • Breezy Eslin as Jennifer "Candle Vlogger"
  • Chelsea Ricketts as Amy
  • Anna Grace Barlow as Bethany
  • Grace Phipps as Mandy Greenwell
  • McKaley Miller as Sophia
  • Jeanna Han as Sam "Predatory Lez"
  • Anna Margaret as Coco
  • Jim Clock as Detective Chisolm
  • Deneen Tyler as Shondell
  • Evan Paley as Caulfield
  • Aaron Rhodes as Roger
  • Austin Rhodes as Dodger
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Pilot"
Next 
"Chainsaw"
List of episodes

"Hell Week" is the second episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens . It premiered on September 22, 2015, along with the Pilot, as the special two hour premiere on Fox. The series focuses on a college that is rocked by a serial killer in a Red Devil costume. The episode was directed by Brad Falchuk, and was written by Falchuk with co-creators Ryan Murphy, and Ian Brennan.

Contents

The episode, along with the Pilot, was watched by 4.04 million viewers and received mixed reviews from critics.

Plot

Kappa Kappa Tau's "Hell Week" continues, as it welcomes Detective Chisolm (Jim Clock) and Denise Hemphill (Niecy Nash), the latter is a security guard hired by Gigi Caldwell (Nasim Pedrad) who has odd methods to protect the girls from the killer, and the former is an incompetent police detective who has a history with the dean. The Chanels still don't know what to do with Chanel #2 (Ariana Grande)'s body, and are worried that they will be blamed if someone finds it. Chanel #3 (Billie Lourd) and Chanel #5 (Abigail Breslin) propose to feed the body to pigs. Then, Hester (Lea Michele) walks in and suggests to put her in a food processor or to bone her, disturbing the others with her obsession with death. Chanel rejects all the ideas and decides to put the body in the same freezer where they put Ms. Bean (Jan Hoag)'s body. Hester promises to keep the secret of Number 2's death only if she can call Chanel "Mom". Grace (Skyler Samuels) is in the house basement, where she finds a mysterious locked door and tries to open it but Chanel #5 catches her and says that only Chanel has the key to that door. Grace tells Pete (Diego Boneta) about the secret door, who says that people have been said for years that the Kappa house has a really dark secret. This makes him think that Dean Cathy Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis)'s office may have some archives that can explain that secret, so they both think at the same time that they will have to break in. They start kissing passionately but Grace stops him, saying that they can't kiss if there is a killer on the campus of Wallace University. They both agree that she will break into that secret door at Kappa house and he will break into the dean's office.

Media attention descends on Wallace University after the murder of a Kappa pledge, Tiffany, so Cathy's job is at risk. This problem increases when Grace's father, Wes Gardner (Oliver Hudson), wants to remove Grace from the school, because he fears that something could happen to her. A seductive Munsch convinces him to keep his daughter at school, but Wes demands to be hired as a professor so that he can keep an eye on her. After Grace breaks into the secret room in basement of the Kappa house, Chanel interrupts her and tells her that the room keeps Kappa's darkest secrets. Chanel proceeds to tell that a legend says that 20 years ago a girl died in a bathtub giving birth, that is now in that basement. She also reveals that Dean Munsch was supposedly the Dean in the story who knew about the death, but decided to cover it up to keep it from ruining her career. Despite Grace's comment that the story could be both real and the motive for the recent deaths, Chanel insists that it is nothing more than a scary story. After Chanel leaves, Grace asks herself who the baby is.

After having sex, Chanel realizes that her boyfriend Chad (Glen Powell) doesn't really love her so she breaks up with him. He furiously returns to his dormitory, with his roommate Boone (Nick Jonas). Boone says that he is scared because of the killer, so Chad lets him sleep with him, since they are best friends but clarifies that Boone will not try to touch him at night like in the past. Chanel, regretful, enters the room to fix her relationship with Chad, but walks in on them sharing a bed together and assumes that Chad is gay. After he explains that Boone was scared and nobody knows that Boone is gay, Chad breaks up with her for being too homophobic. Meanwhile, Pete got caught by the Red Devil during his break into Dean Munsch's office. He is tied up outside the building the next morning with a note "Mind Your Own Business", but still has the note that he found that read '1995 bathtub incident', followed by a list of names. Grace finds a Red Devil costume in his room and thinks Pete is the killer, but he explains that he has the costume because he is the school's mascot.

Boone tells Chanel that she doesn't have to tell everyone about his sexuality, because he wants to come out soon. He proposes that after he comes out, they accept him into Kappa, and Chanel likes the idea because that would give her a good reputation as the first girl who accepts a gay man in her sorority. Chanel #5 disagrees, and madly tells him off, but Boone leaves knowing that they will consider his idea. At night, after Denise and her friend Shondell (Deneen Tyler) fall asleep in their car outside of the Kappa house, Chanel gets attacked by the Red Devil but escapes. Denise hears her screams and runs to the house. The girls go upstairs to investigate, much to Denise's disapproval. Denise goes back to her car and finds Shondell dead. As Denise pushes Shondell's body out of the car and drives away, the girls find a message written on the wall that says "SLUTS WILL DIE". Inside the Dickie Dollar Scholars house, its members find a dead Boone laying on the dinner table with his throat cut. Chad and Denise interrupt the last dinner of Hell Week at Kappa, to announce that Shondell's body has disappeared and that Boone is dead. At the end of the episode, the Red Devil goes to the mortuary and opens a drawer where Boone's body is in. Boone opens his eyes and takes the fake skin used to make his throat seemed cut, revealing that he is an ally to the Red Devil.

Production

On October 20, 2014, Fox Broadcasting Company announced that it had ordered a 15-episode season of Scream Queens, created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan who also co-created Glee. In December 2014, it was reported that Emma Roberts and Jamie Lee Curtis would be featured as series regulars. [1] In January 2015, Lea Michele, Joe Manganiello, Keke Palmer, and Abigail Breslin joined the series' main cast, as well as actress/singer Ariana Grande in a recurring capacity. [2] Later that month, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Nick Jonas would recur throughout the first season. [3] In February 2015, newcomer Billie Lourd and Skyler Samuels joined the series' main cast. [4] [5] Later in the month, Niecy Nash joined the recurring cast as Denise, a kick-butt security guard; [6] and British actor Lucien Laviscount, Diego Boneta and Glen Powell were confirmed as regulars. [7] [8] In March, Nasim Pedrad was cast as a series regular. [9] On March 13, 2015, previously cast Manganiello was forced to depart the series, due to publicity obligations for his film Magic Mike XXL . Oliver Hudson was hired as his replacement. [10] The series began principal photography on March 12, 2015, in New Orleans, Louisiana. [11] [12] Exterior campus scenes were shot at Tulane University. The show completed filming of the pilot episode in April 2015, with filming for the remaining first season installments commencing in early June 2015. [13] Murphy, Brennan, and Falchuk were said to be the first season's sole directors; [14] however, this was not true.

Reception

Ratings

Along with Pilot as the two-hour series premiere, the episode was watched live by 4.04 million U.S. viewers and got a 1.7 rating/5 share in the adult 18-49 demographic. [15]

Critical reception

"Hell Week", along with "Pilot", received mixed reviews from critics. Terri Schwartz from IGN stated that "Ryan Murphy has worked his TV magic again with a killer start to Scream Queens. From the acting to the costuming to the writing, everything about this concept and execution works. Scream Queens is as funny and self-aware as it needs to be to not bore audiences, but also offers up enough mystery and intrigue to keep even the biggest skeptic entertained," giving the episodes 9.7 out of 10. [16] Melissa Maerz from Entertainment Weekly thought that "Scream Queens is flawed, but it’s worth watching, simply because there’s nothing easy about it. The casual brutality takes just as much work to think about as it does to watch. [17] In a negative review, Ben Travers from Indiewire gave the two-hour premiere a C+ and added, "Scream Queens will be lucky if it survives its first season. Murphy may not be able to tell the difference, but modern TV audiences know how to spot a fake." [18]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nasim Pedrad</span> American actress, writer, and comedian

Nasim Pedrad is an American actress, comedian, writer, and singer. Pedrad was a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy and variety series Saturday Night Live from 2009 to 2014. She later went on to star in the Fox sitcoms Mulaney (2014–2015) and New Girl (2015–2018), the Fox horror comedy series Scream Queens (2015), and the TBS science fiction comedy series People of Earth (2017). Pedrad also created, produced, and starred in the TBS/Roku sitcom Chad (2021–present).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brad Falchuk</span> American television writer, director and producer

Bradley Douglas Falchuk is an American television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for co-creating with Ryan Murphy the television series Glee, American Horror Story, Scream Queens, and Pose. He was also a writer and executive producer for Nip/Tuck and is married to actress Gwyneth Paltrow.

<i>Scream Queens</i> (2015 TV series) 2015 TV series

Scream Queens is an American satirical black comedy slasher television series that aired on Fox from September 22, 2015, to December 20, 2016. The series was created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan and produced by Murphy, Falchuk, Brennan, and Alexis Martin Woodall, and by 20th Century Fox Television, Ryan Murphy Productions, Brad Falchuk Teley-vision, and Prospect Films. The first season stars an ensemble cast consisting of Emma Roberts, Skyler Samuels, Lea Michele, Glen Powell, Diego Boneta, Abigail Breslin, Keke Palmer, Oliver Hudson, Nasim Pedrad, Lucien Laviscount, Billie Lourd, and Jamie Lee Curtis, with Niecy Nash, Ariana Grande, and Nick Jonas in supporting roles. It takes place at the fictional Wallace University, and was filmed at Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana. It follows a sorority, Kappa Kappa Tau (KKT), which is targeted by a serial killer using the university's Red Devil mascot as a disguise.

"Pilot" is the pilot episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It had its world premiere at the 2015 Comic-Con, and premiered on September 22, 2015, along with the next episode, "Hell Week", as the special two-hour premiere on Fox. The series focuses on a college that is rocked by a serial killer in a Red Devil costume. The episode was directed by series creator Ryan Murphy, and was written by Murphy and his co-creators, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. Ariana Grande and Nick Jonas guest star as Chanel #2 and Boone Clemens.

"Chainsaw" is the third episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It premiered on September 29, 2015, on Fox. The episode was both directed and written by Ian Brennan. In this episode, the Red Devil continues the terror on campus using a chainsaw. Chanel finds a new project in Hester, and Dean Munsch appoints a new Wallace University mascot while trying to separate Gigi and Wes 's budding relationship as Chad and Earl Grey lead their fraternity on a witch hunt for the Red Devil.

"Haunted House" is the fourth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It was first aired on October 6, 2015, on Fox. The episode was directed by Bradley Buecker and was written by Brad Falchuk. In this episode, as Halloween approaches, Zayday makes a stunning announcement and in response, Chanel concocts a devious plan. Pete and Grace visit a mysterious woman connected to Kappa's past. And as Hester starts to grow closer to Chad, Dean Munsch struggles to keep Wallace University open after the whole murder spree by the Red Devil.

"Pumpkin Patch" is the fifth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It first aired on October 13, 2015 on Fox. The episode was both directed and written by Brad Falchuk. In this episode, Dean Munsch makes an announcement that affects the campus, and mostly, Chanel 's plan to throw a pumpkin patch party in support of her Kappa presidential campaign. Grace and Pete lead a search for Zayday, who was kidnapped by the Red Devil.

"Seven Minutes in Hell" is the sixth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It first aired on October 20, 2015, on Fox. The episode directed by Michael Uppendahl and written by Ryan Murphy. In this episode, Chanel makes a surprising decision: to protect herself from the Red Devil by leaving Zayday in position of power and win the election as president of Kappa Kappa Tau. When the Kappa girls hold a slumber party, it costs the life of some people and a shocking discovery is made. The episode title refers to the game Seven Minutes in Heaven, one of the ones played by the Kappa Kappa Tau sisters and Dickie Dollar Scholars brothers in this episode as part of the slumber party.

"Beware of Young Girls" is the seventh episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It premiered on November 3, 2015 on Fox, after a week hiatus due to the 2015 World Series. The episode was directed by Barbara Brown and written by Ryan Murphy. The episode centers around the Chanels' effort to contact the deceased Chanel #2 using a Ouija board to dig information about the killer, and Dean Munsch dealing with facing her ex-husband and his young mistress.

"Mommie Dearest" is the eighth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It first aired on November 10, 2015 on Fox. The episode was directed by Michael Uppendahl and written by Ian Brennan. The episode was watched by 2.51 million viewers and received positive reviews from critics.

"Ghost Stories" is the ninth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It first aired on November 17, 2015 on Fox. The episode was directed by Michael Uppendahl and written by Ryan Murphy. The episode focuses on Denise 's attempt to calm The Chanels down by telling them ghost stories and urban legends, which start to become true. The episode also features the return of special guest star Nick Jonas as Boone Clemens, whose activities while being absent are revealed in this episode.

"Black Friday" is the eleventh episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It premiered on December 1, 2015 on Fox. The episode was directed by Bradley Buecker and written by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. In this episode, The Red Devils attempt to crash The Chanels' shopping spree in celebration of their favorite holiday, Black Friday. As the Kappa Kappa Tau girls conclude that Dean Munsch is the Devil, they make several attempts to kill her. Meanwhile, someone else confesses to being the murderer.

"Dorkus" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the first season of the black comedy slasher television series Scream Queens. It premiered on December 8, 2015 on Fox and was shown back-to-back with the season's final episode, "The Final Girl(s)". The episode was directed by Bradley Buecker and written by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Ian Brennan. The episode follows Chanel's life spiraling downhill, as well as Grace getting information about the identity of the last "Red Devil" killer.

"The Final Girl(s)" is the thirteenth and final episode of the first season of the black comedy slasher television series Scream Queens. It premiered on December 8, 2015 on Fox along with the previous episode, "Dorkus", as the two-hour season finale. It was directed by Brad Falchuk, and written by Falchuk, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The episode focuses on the last remaining "Red Devil" killer, and how the revelation impacts the characters' fates.

"Thanksgiving" is the tenth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens. It premiered on November 24, 2015 on Fox. The episode was directed by Michael Lehmann and written by Brad Falchuk. The episode features special guest star Chad Michael Murray as Brad Radwell, the older brother of Chad Radwell. The rest of the Radwell family are played by guest stars Alan Thicke, Julia Duffy, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Rachele Brooke Smith. As this is the Thanksgiving special episode, the episode centers around the main characters' activities during Thanksgiving.

<i>Scream Queens</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of the black comedy slasher television series Scream Queens originally aired on Fox in the United States. It premiered on September 22, 2015 and concluded on December 8, 2015. The season consists of 13 episodes.

"Scream Again" is the season premiere and the fourteenth episode of the horror black comedy series Scream Queens, which premiered on Fox on September 20, 2016. It was directed by Brad Falchuk and written by Falchuk and his co-creators, Ryan Murphy and Ian Brennan. The episode was watched by 2.17 million viewers and received mixed to positive reviews from critics.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hester Ulrich</span> Fictional character from the Fox series Scream Queens

Hester Ulrich is a fictional character in the horror-comedy television series Scream Queens, portrayed by Lea Michele. Hester is introduced as a pledge of the popular Kappa Kappa Tau sorority at Wallace University. She faked suffering from scoliosis and is accepted as a pledge due to Dean Cathy Munch's new rule that everyone who would like to join the university's fraternities and sororities is welcome to. She was the main antagonist of season one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chanel Oberlin</span> Fictional character from the Fox series Scream Queens

Chanel Oberlin is a fictional character from the Fox comedy horror series Scream Queens. The character is portrayed by actress Emma Roberts and has appeared in the series since its pilot episode. She is introduced as the rich and self-centered president of Kappa Kappa Tau sorority at Wallace University during the first season, where it was targeted by a serial killer in a red devil costume. In the second season, she is enlisted as a medical nurse by Dean Cathy Munsch in the C.U.R.E. Institute, where again, serial killings occur. Chanel was developed by Ryan Murphy and was created specifically for Roberts. The character, along with Roberts' portrayal has been acclaimed by critics and has become popular in the internet with quotations made by Roberts as Chanel.

References

  1. Goldberg, Lesley (December 8, 2014). "Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis to Star in Ryan Murphy's Fox Horror-Comedy Series". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  2. Goldberg, Lesley (January 17, 2015). "Lea Michele, Joe Manganiello, More Join Ryan Murphy's 'Scream Queens'". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  3. Goldberg, Lesley (January 26, 2015). "Nick Jonas Boards Fox's Ryan Murphy Comedy 'Scream Queens' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  4. Andreeva, Nellie (February 2, 2015). "Billie Lourd Joins Fox's 'Scream Queens'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  5. Wagmeister, Elizabeth (February 11, 2015). "'Scream Queens': Skyler Samuels Cast as Series Regular". Variety . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  6. Harnick, Chris (April 23, 2015). "Niecy Nash Joins Scream Queens and She's Going to Kick Butt". E! Online. Retrieved February 23, 2015.
  7. Petski, Denise (February 23, 2015). "Lucien Laviscount Joins Fox's 'Scream Queens'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  8. Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2015). "Diego Boneta To Co-Star In Fox Series 'Scream Queens'; Glen Powell Also Cast". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  9. Andreeva, Nellie (March 10, 2015). "Nasim Pedrad Joins 'Scream Queens'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  10. Andreeva, Nellie (March 13, 2015). "Oliver Hudson Joins 'Scream Queens' As Joe Manganiello Has To Pull Out". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  11. "Joe Manganiello, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin & Keke Palmer Join FOX's 'Scream Queens'". TV by the Numbers . January 17, 2015. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 18, 2015.
  12. Goi, Michael (March 12, 2015). "Rode the trolley to the set of the first day filming for @ScreamQueens this morning. Let the screaming start..." Twitter . Retrieved March 13, 2015.
  13. Abigail, Breslin (April 25, 2015). ".missin dat @ScreamQueens life rn". Twitter . Retrieved April 27, 2015.
  14. Andreeva, Nellie (May 11, 2015). "Fox Fall 2015 Schedule: 'Minority Report' On Monday, 'New Girl' Held For Midseason". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved May 11, 2015.
  15. "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Voice', 'NCIS', 'Limitless' & 'The Muppets' Adjusted Up; 'Best Time Ever' Adjusted Down | TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com | Page 470718". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. 2015-09-23. Archived from the original on 2015-09-25. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  16. Terri Schwartz (September 19, 2015). "Scream Queens: "Pilot/Hell Week" Review". IGN. Retrieved September 21, 2015.
  17. Maerz, Melissa (2015-09-22). "Scream Queens EW review: Flawed, but worth watching, simply because there's nothing easy about it". EW.com. Retrieved 2015-11-26.
  18. "Review: 'Scream Queens' Struggles to Balance Ryan Murphy". Indiewire. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2015-11-26.