Don't Be Afraid of the Dark (''American Horror Story'')

"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.^[1]

Plot

Ivy (Alison Pill) inspects the bedroom and finds nothing. Oz (Cooper Dodson) has a night terror involving Twisty the Clown (John Carrol Lynch) and Ally (Sarah Paulson) and Ivy rush to his bedside. Oz takes particular comfort in Ivy, dismaying Ally.

Beverly Hope (Adina Porter) reports on Kai's (Evan Peters) assault which was caught on camera by Harrison (Billy Eichner) and Meadow Wilton (Leslie Grossman). Kai announces his campaign for a seat on city council.

The Wiltons move into the Chang's former home. They invite Oz over to see Harrison's colony of bees. Harrison discloses to Ally and Ivy that he is gay. He refers to Meadow, who suffers from melanomas, as his “fag hag”. They are co-vice presidents of the Michigan chapter of Nicole Kidman's official fan club.

Roger (Zack Ward), the sous-chef at the Butchery on Main, bickers with a Hispanic employee named Pedro (Jorge Pallo). Later that night, the Butchery's security alarm trips. Ally investigates the premises and discovers Roger hanging on a hook in the meat locker. Detective Samuels (Colton Haynes) singles out Pedro as the most likely suspect.

Ally obtains a gun from the Wiltons for protection and Ivy instigates an impromptu therapy session for Ally with Rudy (Cheyenne Jackson). Afterwards, Kai canvasses at Ally's doorstep. Kai unnervingly belittles her political positions.

That night, Winter offers Oz advice on overcoming night terrors and draws a bath for Ally. Winter attempts to seduce Ally but is interrupted by the power going out. Harrison alleges that there is a multi-state power outage. Winter flees and abandons Ally by herself with Oz. Ivy, after a frantic phone call with Ally is cut short by Ally's phone dying, sends Pedro to the house with a charger and some other supplies. Ally is terrorized by multiple clowns before grabbing Oz and planning to vacate. Upon opening the backdoor, Ally instinctively shoots Pedro with the gun she acquired from the Wiltons.

Reception

"Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" was watched by 2.38 million people during its original broadcast, and gained a 1.2 ratings share among adults aged 18–49.^[2]

The episode received positive reviews from critics. On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" holds a 88% approval rating, based on 16 reviews with an average rating of 6.89 out of 10.^[3]

Tony Sokol of Den of Geek gave the episode a 3.5 out of 5, saying "[this episode] continues to shade the atmosphere of American Horror Story: Cult with false leads and red herrings. Everyone will be part of the hive by the end. We are all pods." He also praised Lourd's performance, calling her "positively hypnotic, magnetic as a new age guru", but criticized the acting of Pill.^[4]

Kat Rosenfield from Entertainment Weekly gave the episode a B, and praised in particular the introduction of the Wiltons.^[5] Vulture's Brian Moylan gave the episode a 4 out of 5, saying "Subtle, intimate, and insightful aren't adjectives I’m used to using when talking about AHS, but I really like it. Let’s hope it stays that way."^[6]

Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a 6.8 out of 10, with a mixed to positive review. He said "the madhouse manipulation of Ally started becoming a bit too obvious, and unbelievable, this week as it felt like she was being easily steered in whatever direction the show needed her to go for the sake of plot. There's some good acting, and decent jolts here and there, but right now the complex plot to gaslight her feels like an exhausting endeavor for seemingly minimal rewards."^[7]

References

External links

• "Don't Be Afraid of the Dark" on IMDb