Mommie Dearest (Scream Queens)

Last updated
"Mommie Dearest"
Scream Queens episode
Episode no.Season 1
Episode 8
Directed by Michael Uppendahl
Written by Ian Brennan
Featured music
Production code1AYD08
Original air dateNovember 10, 2015 (2015-11-10)
Running time43 minutes
Guest appearances
  • Nick Jonas as Boone Clemens
  • Niecy Nash as Denise Hemphill
  • Breezy Eslin as Jennifer "Candle Vlogger"
  • Anna Grace Barlow as Bethany Stevens/Mary Mulligan
  • Dan Hildebrand as Detective Baxter
  • Daniel Donahue as Detective Chiselhurst
Episode chronology
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"Beware of Young Girls"		Next →
"Ghost Stories"
List of episodes

"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.

Contents

Plot

Grace and Cathy Munsch discuss the baby in the bathtub incident. Grace is angry that Munsch will not offer up any information and the discussion ends with Grace storming out of Cathy's office. After being attacked by two Red Devils, Cathy is more willing to talk. She hands Grace a file containing the name of the girl who died in the tub. Upon studying the file, Grace realizes that, contrary to what she believed, she was not the bathtub baby.

Back at Kappa house, The Chanels gather evidence to prove that Zayday and Grace are the killers.

Jennifer is murdered by the Red Devil while hosting her web show. The Chanels and Denise find her body is posed in the dinner table, covered in melted wax and surrounded by candles. Jennifer's murder leads Cathy to close the university indefinitely, and a candle light vigil is held for Jennifer.

It is revealed that Grace's mother was Bethany Stevens, the ruthless Kappa president in 1995 who refused to help Sophia.

The episode ends with Boone on the phone with the Red Devil. Boone states that Gigi is the only thing standing in their way and he plans to get rid of her.

Production

For this episode, Jamie Lee Curtis recreated the infamous shower scene featuring her mother, Janet Leigh from the 1960 film Psycho. [1] Special guest stars returning in this episode include Nick Jonas as Boone Clemens, who faked his death and has been absent since the end of the second episode, Hell Week, and Niecy Nash as Denise Hemphill, the kick-butt but strange security guard. The other recurring characters are Jennifer "Candle Vlogger" (Breezy Eslin), Bethany Stevens (Anna Grace Barlow), who is revealed to be Grace Gardner's mother who changed her name to Mary Mulligan after the events of 1995 flashback incident, Dan Hildebrand as Detective Baxter, and Daniel Donahue as Detective Chiselhurst, the latter two are the British detectives hired by Chanel to prove Zayday and Grace are the killers.

Reception

Ratings

Mommie Dearest was watched live by 2.51 million U.S. viewers and got a 0.9 rating/3 share in the adult 18-49 demographic. [2]

Critical reception

This episode received positive reviews from critics. [3] Terri Schwartz from IGN gave Mommie Dearest a 7.0 citing that "Unless there's some big plot turn coming up, this week's episode highlighted how the relatively simple plot isn't enough to sustain this whole series. But overall "Mommie Dearest" was one of the show's weaker installments." [4] Meryl Gottlieb from The Post Athens gave the episode a positive review; "“Mommie Dearest” was definitely one of the best episodes of the season. Scream Queens still needs to work on finding the best balance between characters. It’s either heavily saturated with someone or that character isn’t featured at all." [5] The A.V. Club's LaToya Ferguson gave the episode C−. She said that "If you’re at home, trying to solve the mystery, then this episode is a necessary one. It’s nothing much overall, but certainly gets the job done better than last week’s return." [6]

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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.

"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.

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"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. ↑ "Jamie Lee Curtis Perfectly Recreated Her Mom's Infamous 'Psycho' Shower Scene on 'Scream Queens'". Etonline.com. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  2. ↑ "Tuesday final ratings: 'Chicago Fire' adjusts down, 'NCIS' adjusts up | TV By The Numbers by zap2it.com". Tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. 2015-11-11. Archived from the original on 2015-11-13. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  3. ↑ "Scream Queens: Season 1, Episode 8". Rotten Tomatoes .
  4. ↑ "Scream Queens: "Mommie Dearest" Review". IGN. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
  5. ↑ "TV Review: "Mommie Dearest" might be best episode of 'Scream Queens' yet - The Post: Blogs". Thepostathens.com. 2015-11-15. Retrieved 2015-11-28.[ permanent dead link ]
  6. ↑ ""Mommie Dearest" · Scream Queens · TV Review Can mommy issues also explain the lack of Chad Radwell, Scream Queens? · TV Club · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. 2015-11-11. Retrieved 2015-11-28.
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