Zounds! Every Season Of 'American Horror Story' Is Connected

With one character from "American Horror Story: Asylum" currently appearing on "American Horror Story: Freak Show" (with another - played by Lily Rabe - set to make an appearance in upcoming episodes), it started to look like the disparate universes contained within the "American Horror Story" galaxy were starting to bleed together. The previous claims by co-creator (and series mouthpiece) Ryan Murphy that there was no overlap between seasons, partially since so many of the actors play different characters year-to-year, seemed to be breaking down. Now Murphy, in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, has just come out and said it: yes, they're all connected!



While discussing this week's Halloween episode (maybe the single best episode of the season so far) and the return of Lily Rabe, Murphy said: "The interesting thing about doing a show like this is every season is incredibly its own story and its own beginning, middle and end. Its own journey. But we have always from the very beginning in the intertwining mythologies and how things connect. This is the first year where we begin to tell you that season two is connected to season four which is connected to season one. People have started to write articles about that. A lot of their hypotheses have been completely right on. That's the fun of the show. Hopefully by the end of the run, be it 10 years or 15 years, people will be able to stand back and be able to say, "Oh that was connected to x." (Just as an aside: 10 or 15 years? Yes please!)



Murphy went on: "There's definitely a rhyme or a reason and a connectedness to all of these seasons, but in the same way, they're standalones, which is the fun of it. But it is a puzzle. And Lily coming back and dealing with Pepper is sort of the first unveiling of that connectedness. She's so great in that role, Lily. I understood she wanted to go off and do her own show. But I was thrilled she was able to come back and give us a couple days and show how Sister Mary Eunice and Pepper are connected and how it's all connected. I'm glad she's back in the habit!"



When the website pressed for a definitive statement, Murphy gave in: "They're all connected. We're just beginning to tell you how they're connected. They're all very separate but there's clues every season that we're now telling you how the different worlds are intertwined. Part of the fun of the show is the Rubik's cube design of it, but, yes, there are purposeful connections, character connections, and similarities and things that connect that we'll continue to connect moving forward."



He then let slip that the close-up of the coffee cup with the top hat on it this week was a "big clue" for season 5. Any guesses?







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'The Walking Dead' Season 5, Episode 4 Recap: Bad Medicine

Last week, I wasn't so sure that I wanted to spend an hour catching up with Beth (Emily Kinney), who's been absent so far from the fifth season of "The Walking Dead." After viewing Sunday's episode, "Slabtown," I'm still not entirely convinced.



I wouldn't call it a bad episode, per se; like HitFix critic Alan Sepinwall, I found it miles better than the insipid Governor-centric installment from season four, one of the show's few forays into solo character episodes. Beth has grown by leaps and bounds in terms of character development since her introduction as Hershel's suicidal daughter in season two, and her budding relationship with Daryl (whether it's romantic or platonic is TBD) added new shades to her personality that made her seem integral to the show for the first time. But my problem with Beth's big showcase episode - which finds her trapped in a hospital in downtown Atlanta run by a cop-slash-Nurse Ratched wannabe named Dawn and her police minions - is that for every so-called answer it offered, there were numerous questions that lingered.



Take the reveal that Joan (Oscar nominee Keisha Castle-Hughes) had been the victim of unwanted sexual advances/attacks from Gorman, one of Dawn's fellow officers (who I referred to in my notes as "dick cop," because he was just the worst). We first meet Joan, a fellow reluctant charge of the hospital, when Beth is forced to hold her arm down as it's being amputated - a gratuitously gory scene that no doubt was meant to harken back to Hershel's leg amputation from season three. But it's never fully explained how Joan was injured in the first place. Was she bitten by a zombie? Did Gorman somehow inflict the gaping wound himself? Or did he simply stand by as she was attacked by a walker? And as for Joan's ultimate revenge, when she comes back as a zombie to feast on Gorman's face: What was she doing in Dawn's office in the first place? Was she there with Gorman, and after she rebuffed him again, he killed her? Did she kill herself? Did she do so, knowing that she'd reanimate and get to kill Dawn and/or Gorman?



And as for these "reveals" and "answers": Where exactly do they fit in with the mythology of the show? Are they meant to play some bigger part further down the road, perhaps as a way to bring Beth and Daryl's confusing relationship status to a head? Clearly, the hospital is meant to serve as a cautionary tale for what can happen to a society once it's suffered the worst (the zombie apocalypse), and what it can allow in exchange for a semblance of normalcy (the Governor's tyranny in Woodbury, the Terminus crew's cannibalism). At the hospital, they accept rape and abuse as quid pro quo for saving lives and keeping their camp running smoothly - but does any of this actually matter in terms of Beth's connection to Rick, Daryl, Carol, and the band on its way to D.C.? I found myself not really caring about what happened to any of these people, because I didn't expect to see them beyond this week.



Obviously, we still have at least one more episode at the hospital to go before we're done with Dawn and Dr. Edwards, since Carol getting wheeled in on a stretcher in the hour's final moments means Beth should be linking up again with Rick's camp soon. But I found myself getting impatient, and downright annoyed, by many of the developments throughout "Slabtown." And shouldn't the zombie apocalypse be fun? (For viewers, anyway.)



Other thoughts:



- When Beth first arose in the hospital, I got some serious deja vu - the scene was eerily similar (I suspect purposefully) to the moment in the pilot when Rick wakes up from his coma and discovers that a zombie apocalypse had occurred right under his nose. I actually thought that maybe this whole episode was going to be a dream, based on the strange, stilted introductions we get to Dawn and Dr. Edwards. I can't decide if I would have preferred that scenario.



- Dawn and co. call zombies "rotters," yet another euphemism for the undead unique to a specific society within the show. I'm wondering at what point the writers just give up trying to devise new monikers and just have everyone call them zombies already.



- After Gareth and the cannibals, I guess I shouldn't be surprised by odd protein sources on this show, but Dr. Edwards dining on a guinea pig really grossed me out.



- "They think I'm scrawny. They think I'm weak. They don't know s--t." - Noah, who may as well have been quoting Beth's inner monologue.



- Never has a lollipop been so menacing/disgusting as when Gorman took it, sucked on it, then forced it into Beth's mouth. Excuse me, I need to go dry heave forever.



- Dawn's reasoning for keeping people at the hospital - to pay their dues for being "saved" before they're set free - makes no sense, since it seems that it takes far more effort to keep people locked up than it would to just let them go. As Beth and Noah ("Everybody Hates Chris" alum Tyler James Williams) make a break for it -- and Noah actually escapes -- why do the cops even bother running after them, and then tackling and detaining Beth? Doesn't that go against the very core of Dawn's "no wasting resources" mentality?



- I'm sure I'm not the only one who smelled Dr. Edwards's deception of Beth a mile away. (The mix-up of Clozapine and Clonazepam was purposefully plotted by the not-so-good doctor to kill off a rival physician, and preserve his place as the hospital's top medical dog.) But was anyone else genuinely confused about how Beth knew exactly how to administer the shot - including crushing up the pill, diluting it, and using the syringe - after only being at the hospital for a few days, max? Was she drawing upon her exposure to her father's veterinary work? Or did she just magically know how to do it because of [insert lazy plot device here]?



- The Caravaggio painting Dr. Edwards has hanging in his office is "The Denial of Saint Peter," depicting the moment in the Bible when Peter denies knowing Jesus, during the crucifixion. Dr. Edwards explains that the subject matter aligns perfectly with his decision to off the other doctor, since, like Peter, he was doomed if he chose differently. Whatever helps you sleep at night, pal.



- Dr. Edwards earlier shows off his hipster credentials by playing a Junior Kimbrough record for Beth, who marvels at the music. Per "Talking Dead," the song is "You Better Run," which includes lyrics warning the female protagonist that she's about to get raped. Way to be on-the-nose with that reference, guys.



- "Some people just aren't meant for this life, and that's okay. As long as they don't take advantage of the ones who are." Dawn may have been projecting a bit when she made this little speech to Beth.



- As mentioned above, Carol is brought into the hospital at episode's end, prompting a series of questions. Did she somehow meet up with Noah, and pretend to be wounded to sneak in and break Beth out? Or did she and Daryl get hurt or separated, and then legitimately captured, and now she and Beth must work together to escape? We're spending next week with Abraham, Eugene, and the rest of the Washington-bound crew, so we'll have to wait to find out.



Photo credit: Gene Page/AMC







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Revenge Season 4 Episode 6 Recap: Meet the Press

Now that David Clarke has escaped from his creepy cave, grown out his hair and started feeling -- as Jessie J would say -- sexy and free, it's time for him to find out what happened to his daughter and take down his enemies. Unfortunately, that process is all kinds of complicated -- partially because David has severe PTSD / is completely unhinged -- and also because tensions on Revenge are at an all-time high. Not to be confused with Nolan's hair, which was also at an all time high. Let's get to our recap!

David Clarke Double-Crosses His Protege

As we all know, Emily Thorne is an expert in sleuthing, and this week she realizes that there's more to her dad's story than meets the eye. After doing a little digging, Em comes to the conclusion that David's imprisonment just doesn't add up -- in fact, there's even a photo of him walking around when he was supposedly locked up. You know what that means: time for Revenging! Unfortunately, Nolan refuses to help Emily get her revenge on because he's busy cozying up to David in an interview organized by Margaux LeMarchal. But while David and Nolan chat with the media, Emily breaks into David's cell and discovers that there's no rust on his bed despite the fact that the area is filled with water. The conclusion? David staged his entire hideout!

Oh, and if you're wondering how David and Nolan's interview went, the answer is terribly. Not only does David accuse Nolan of stealing Amanda's inheritance, he publicly blames him for the fact that she was forced to work as a stripper. And yes, Nolan starts crying. And yes, you probably did too. But it gets worse: David also wanders into Nolan's house and punches him in the face, which leads to even more tears.

Emily and Charlotte: Sociopathic Socialite Sisters

Last time we checked in on Charlotte she was in the process of being lured into a car by the mysterious moon-tattooed random who tried to murder David -- because apparently she learned approximately zero life lessons from the last time she was kidnapped. Well, actually she learned one very important lesson: self defense. After realizing that her one night stand has ulterior motives, Charlotte morphs into her hidden alter ego, Revengey Charlotte, and promptly murders her captor. Guess she and Emily really are related!



Obviously, Charlotte decides she probably shouldn't call the police (because no one does on this show), and instead calls Emily -- who seems to have forgotten that Charlotte tried to burn her in tavern fire a few weeks ago. After pouring through some files the kidnapper had on David, these two shoot him up with heroin and make his death look like an overdose -- and then Emily drops the bombshell that Victoria murdered Aiden. Finally, the bonding moment we've been waiting for!

In other news, Charlotte finally decides to go to rehab, tells Daniel a huge secret about Emily before peacing out, and then reads a mysterious letter from her sister on the way to her treatment center.

Single White Female

Over in Daniel's particularly tragic and miserable part of Manhattan, our favorite lost soul once again finds himself in the tabloids when his heiress client, Louise Ellis, sells the story of their relationship to the media. Naturally, Victoria sees said story and tries to warn Daniel about Louise being slightly unhinged, and when he doesn't listen she's forced to intervene and put Louise in her place. Next thing we know, Louise flies into a crazy-spiral -- not only does she randomly show up at Margaux's tennis court to size her up, she starts peeping in her windows Single White Female style. Can't wait to see who this girl murders first!

And now let's take a moment to suspend our disbelief and touch base with our favorite unqualified policeman, Jack Porter. Last week, Jack's partner Ben decided to investigate Jack as a suspect in Conrad Grayson's murder. This week, Jack finds out about Ben's witch hunt and gets majorly emo hurt feelings, but together they decide to fish around about the death of a policeman who was involved in Condrad's demise. The boys in blue search their dead friend's garage after finding out that it had been occupied by a mystery man, and find a double infinity sign etched into some wood. Looks like we've officially found David Clarke's secret hideout!



And now, some questions...

1. What did Charlotte tell Daniel about Emily'? And more importantly -- will he tell Margaux / the media?

2. What was in the letter from Emily to Charlotte?

3. Will Emily finally come clean to David now that Nolan's being directly harmed by her secrets?

4. Where has David Clarke been hiding, and can even he be trusted?

5. Louise seems completely crazy...hands up if you think she'll end up killing everyone with her evil side-eye by the season's end? Thought so.

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New Jersey Professor's 'Game of Thrones' Punishment Reversed

PARAMUS, N.J. (AP) - A New Jersey professor suspended after he posted an online photo containing a quote from "Game of Thrones" has had his punishment rescinded by the college.



Francis Schmidt, who teaches art and animation at Bergen County Community College, said he was suspended for 11 days after posting a photo in January of his 7-year-old daughter wearing a T-shirt with a quote from the graphic HBO show that read: "I will take what is mine with fire and blood."



Patti Bonomolo, the school's director of human resources, said in a letter sent to Schmidt Sept. 29 that the school "may have lacked basis to sanction you" for the Google Plus social media post and that the punishment might have violated his constitutional rights.



The letter was published online by the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education, an organization that set Schmidt up with an attorney to handle the matter. School spokesman Larry Hlavenka Jr. on Thursday confirmed its authenticity.



"Rather than participating in protracted discourse resulting in an extended period of legal fees, a compromise definitively closes this matter - treating it as if it never occurred," Hlavenka Jr. said in a statement.



Schmidt, 47, said that he believes the suspension over the T-shirt was to punish him over a grievance he filed after requesting to take a sabbatical.



He had also been forced to consult a school-appointed psychiatrist as one of the conditions of being reinstated with back pay and said he was ordered not to talk publicly about the case.



"It's a hard fought letter, it doesn't remove any blemish, the only thing is does is it gives me back my first amendment rights, which the school took away from me," he said.



The letter said that the penalties against Schmidt are rescinded and won't be considered against him in any other decisions concerning his employment.



Schmidt said that school officials questioned whether the reference was meant as a threat against a dean, who was one of the people who viewed the post on Schmidt's Google Plus feed.



The hit television series is based on the books by Bayonne, New Jersey-born fantasy writer George R.R. Martin.







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Weekend Box Office: 'Nightcrawler' and 'Ouija' Tie For the Top Spot

NEW YORK (AP) - In a scary close finish, the Jake Gyllenhaal thriller "Nightcrawler" and the board-game adaptation "Ouija" tied for first at the box office with $10.9 million each over the Halloween weekend.



That was according to studio estimates Sunday. When final figures are announced Monday, one film could slightly edge out the other. Studios estimate Sunday grosses with fairly accurate precision.



For Open Road's low-budget Los Angeles noir "Nightcrawler," it was a strong debut considering its creepy, unconventional protagonist. Gyllenhaal plays an ambulance-chasing man who shoots gory footage for the local news.



Universal's horror "Ouija," last week's top movie, held reasonably well, benefiting from its holiday tie-in.



With Halloween cannibalizing Friday night moviegoing, Hollywood studios largely avoided the weekend, making it one of the quietest release weeks of the year.







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Disney Princesses Reimagined as Different Ethnicities

Ever wonder what Jasmine would look like as an African princess? What about Latina Snow White? Well, self-proclaimed "lazy illustration student" LTBD has tackled the task of changing the ethnicities of nine Disney princesses, and the results are pretty astounding. Take a look for yourself.







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The 'Furious 7' Trailer Is a Kick-Ass, High-Octane Ode to Paul Walker

"Just when you didn't think it could get any better."



Paul Walker exclaims this in the opening moments of the "Furious 7" trailer and, seconds later, there are custom rides falling out of the sky. Seriously. The trailer opens with a short, adrenaline-filled clip and it's just... wow. If it's any indication, the latest installment of the "Fast & Furious" franchise will be bigger and badder than anything Walker, Vin Diesel, or the crew have previously done, promising a worthy farewell for the late actor.



Check out the high-octane trailer for "Furious 7" below.



"Furious 7" rides into theaters April 3, 2015.









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