Nor'easter (American Horror Story)

Last updated
"Nor'easter"
American Horror Story episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 3
Directed by Michael Uppendahl
Written by Jennifer Salt
Production code2ATS03
Original air dateOctober 31, 2012 (2012-10-31)
Running time41 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Tricks and Treats"		Next →
"I Am Anne Frank"
American Horror Story: Asylum
List of episodes

"Nor'easter" is the third episode of the second season of the anthology television series American Horror Story , which premiered on October 31, 2012, on the cable network FX. The episode is written by Jennifer Salt and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

Contents

Nor'easter was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing for a Miniseries or a Movie.

The episode focuses on the asylum's staff attempt to maintain order as a fierce storm hits the area, allowing some patients to try another escape. Chloë Sevigny guest stars as Shelley. The episode originally aired two days after Hurricane Sandy's U.S. landfall. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

Plot

Flashing forward to 2012, Teresa and Leo are running from Bloody Face. Bloody Face is knocked unconscious and stabbed, but while the couple attempt to escape, two armed Bloody Faces ambush them leaving mortally wounded. Another Bloody Face appears behind these two Bloody Faces.

Sister Mary Eunice gives Sister Jude a newspaper from 1949, with a story about a missing child that Jude had hit with her car. Mary Eunice announces that The Sign of the Cross will be shown to calm residents during a winter storm. Eunice then kills a woman who suspected she was possessed. Meanwhile, Dr. Arden inspects a wound on sanitarium resident Kit, who Arden suspects is a Stasi spy, and Lana asks Dr. Thredson to deliver a note to Wendy.

Jude accuses Arden of corrupting Mary Eunice, while he believes it to be Shelley and Jude's lack of control. While a radio announces the approaching storm and strange lights in the sky. Kit's removed implant mysteriously rattles in a jar.

Thredson tells of his visit to Wendy's empty house to Lana. He reports that he believes Wendy to have been murdered due to similarities between her empty house and the scenes of the other Bloody Face murder victims. During the presentation of The Sign of the Cross, Mary Eunice revels in Christian persecution segments, while Shelley, Lana, Grace, and Kit sneak out to begin their escape. Jude searches the ward for the missing suspicious female patient and sees an alien in a lightning flash.

Three escapees giddily reach the outside, but Arden catches Shelley. Grace, Kit, and Lana discuss heading for the main road. The Raspers force the three escapees to return inside the asylum tunnel. Mary Eunice fetches Jude to tell her of the escape. Jude shuts down the movie, and any other future group events.

In his laboratory, after a failed attempt to rape Shelley, Arden informs her that she is being blamed as the instigator of the escape attempt and everyone believes she is outside the asylum. He then reveals he has amputated both of her legs.

Production

"Nor'easter" was written by co-executive producer Jennifer Salt, while Mad Men veteran Michael Uppendahl served as director.

In a November 2012 interview with Entertainment Weekly , series creator Ryan Murphy spoke on several episode topics. About the timing of the episode's airdate with Hurricane Sandy's landfall, he said, "It's very strange and somewhat sad. We wrote this script I think in June. We based it on several big 50s and 60s Nor'easters that hit the East Coast, obviously not as severe as the one that just hit. It's very eerie." [1] About Jessica Lange's performance, he said, "She's never really played a drunkard in her career so her doing this big drunk monologue that has both comedy and tragedy sometimes within a single minute and I think she just killed it. I think its really brilliant and tragic and it contains my favorite line she's ever said, which is 'Charles Laughton is an enormous whoopsie.' I thought that was really quite brilliant. Jessica Lange talking about Charles Laughton is just great. I know it was very challenging and she had a great time doing it. It was just a master class in acting." [1]

Reception

"Nor'easter" was watched by 2.47 million viewers, receiving an adult 18-49 rating of 1.5, the highest numbers for cable television of the night. [2]

Rotten Tomatoes reports a 91% approval rating, based on 11 reviews. The critical consensus reads, ""Nor'easter" tightens the focus on plot, while maintaining its trademark campy, scary thrills." [3] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the episode a B rating, stating, ""Nor'easter" is the weakest episode of the season so far, but it also has more than enough wacky shit going on to keep me entertained." [4] Amy Amatangelo of Paste gave it a 6.5 out 10 rating, stating, "American Horror Story: Asylum is a completely wackadoodle series. This we know. But even when I accept this premise, the drama still sends me over the edge with its utter ridiculousness. Everything was completely over-the-top in "Nor'easter"." [5]

Related Research Articles

"Unholy Night" is the eighth episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by executive producer James Wong and directed by Michael Lehmann, originally aired on December 5, 2012.

<i>American Horror Story</i> Anthology television series

American Horror Story (AHS) is an American horror anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the American Story media franchise, seasons of AHS are mostly conceived as self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters in a new setting within the same fictional universe, and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season, usually playing a new character though sometimes as a returning character, and often playing multiple characters in a season. Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, and Lily Rabe have returned most frequently, with each having appeared in nine seasons, followed by Frances Conroy and Denis O'Hare who both appear in eight; Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Leslie Grossman appear in six, while other notable actors including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Adina Porter, Finn Wittrock, and Jamie Brewer appear in five of the seasons.

"Piggy Piggy" is the sixth episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on November 9, 2011. The episode was written by supervising producer Jessica Sharzer and directed by Michael Uppendahl. This episode is rated TV-MA (LV).

<i>American Horror Story: Asylum</i> Second season of American Horror Story

The second season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled Asylum, takes place in 1964 and follows the stories of the staff and inmates who occupy the fictional mental institution Briarcliff Manor, and intercuts with events in the past and present. The ensemble cast includes Zachary Quinto, Joseph Fiennes, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, Lizzie Brocheré, Dylan McDermott, James Cromwell, and Jessica Lange, with all returning from the first season, except newcomers Fiennes, Brocheré, and Cromwell. The season marks the first to not feature cast mainstays Connie Britton, Taissa Farmiga and Denis O'Hare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Welcome to Briarcliff</span> 1st episode of the 2nd season of American Horror Story

"Welcome to Briarcliff" is the first episode of the second season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on October 17, 2012, on the cable network FX. In its original airing, the episode was watched by 3.85 million viewers, the largest audience of the franchise thus far, 2.8 million of which were from the 18–49 demographic.

"I Am Anne Frank" is a two-part episode, consisting of the fourth and fifth episodes of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The first part aired on November 7, 2012, and the second aired on November 14, 2012. The first part is written by Jessica Sharzer and directed by Michael Uppendahl, and the second part is written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. Both episodes are rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Tricks and Treats" is the second episode of the second season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on October 24, 2012, on the cable network FX. It is written by James Wong and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"The Origins of Monstrosity" is the sixth episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy and directed by David Semel, aired on November 21, 2012. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Dark Cousin" is the seventh episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by Tim Minear and directed by Michael Rymer, aired on November 28, 2012.

"The Coat Hanger" is the ninth episode and mid-season finale of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by co-executive producer Jennifer Salt and directed by Jeremy Podeswa, originally aired on December 12, 2012. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Spilt Milk" is the eleventh episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by series co-creator Brad Falchuk and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, aired on January 9, 2013. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Continuum" is the twelfth and penultimate episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by series co-creator Ryan Murphy and directed by Craig Zisk, originally aired on January 16, 2013. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"The Name Game" is the tenth episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by Jessica Sharzer and directed by Michael Lehmann, originally aired on January 2, 2013. The episode is named for the 1964 song of the same name by Shirley Ellis, which is performed by the cast in the episode. The cast version of "The Name Game" was available for purchase through iTunes. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Madness Ends" is the thirteenth and final episode of the second season of the FX anthology television series American Horror Story. The episode, written by executive producer Tim Minear and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, originally aired on January 23, 2013. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Fearful Pranks Ensue" is the fourth episode of the third season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on October 30, 2013, on the cable network FX. This episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"The Sacred Taking" is the eighth episode of the third season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on December 4, 2013, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Ryan Murphy and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon.

"Orphans" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on December 17, 2014, on the cable network FX. It was written by James Wong and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"She Wants Revenge" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on December 9, 2015, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

"True Killers" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 9, 2019, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Jay Beattie, and directed by Jennifer Lynch.

"Final Girl" is the ninth and final episode of the ninth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 13, 2019, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Crystal Liu, and directed by John J. Gray.

References

  1. 1 2 Stack, Tim (November 1, 2012). "'American Horror Story': Ryan Murphy talks the shocking fate of SPOILER and reveals Franka Potente's super-secret role -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  2. ↑ Bibel, Sara (November 1, 2012). "Wednesday Cable Ratings: 'American Horror Story' Wins Night, 'South Park', 'Duck Dynasty','Face Off', 'Key & Peele', 'South Beach Tow' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  3. ↑ "Nor'easter – American Horror Story: Asylum, Episode 3". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 29, 2018.
  4. ↑ VanDerWerff, Emily (October 31, 2012). "American Horror Story – Nor'easter". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved July 21, 2019.
  5. ↑ Amatangelo, Amy (October 31, 2012). "American Horror Story Review: "Nor'easter" (Episode 2.03)". Paste . Retrieved November 1, 2012.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.