"Chapter 2" is the

second episode "Second Episode" is the second episode of the HBO television series ''The New Pope''. The episode was directed by series creator Paolo Sorrentino and was written by Paolo Sorrentino, Umberto Contrarello, and Stefano Bises. The episode takes place ...

of the sixth season of the

anthology In book publishing, an anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler; it may be a collection of plays, poems, short stories, songs or excerpts by different authors. In genre fiction, the term ''anthology'' typically categ ...

television series '' American Horror Story''. It aired on September 21, 2016, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Tim Minear and directed by

Michael Goi Michael Goi (born March 4, 1959) is an American cinematographer and film director. He is well known for his work on Showtimes ''Web Therapy'', and for his work with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk on ''Glee'', '' Scream Queens'' and ''American Ho ...

Plot

Shelby assumes the ritual she witnessed was staged, she flees from the mob and is almost hit by Lee's car. Shelby passes out in the middle of the road and awakes the next day in the hospital, she resolves to stay in the house. Lee's ex-husband Mason brings their daughter Flora to visit as part of the couple's arranged custody schedule. As Flora explores the house, she begins talking to an unseen girl who she names Priscilla. Matt and Shelby experience more disturbing incidents, now involving a pair of ghostly nurses. After discovering a burning totem in the woods near the house, Matt and Shelby finally secured the help of the local police to take little interest. Mason arrives to pick up Flora and finds her playing a game of

hide and seek Hide-and-seek (sometimes known as hide-and-go-seek) is a popular children's game in which at least two players (usually at least three) conceal themselves in a set environment, to be found by one or more seekers. The game is played by one chose ...

with Priscilla. Flora tells him that she offered her doll to Priscilla in exchange for not murdering her family, but since Mason interrupted the trade, Flora will merely be killed last. Mason takes Flora away from the house and promises Lee that she will never see her again, causing Lee to end her sobriety. That night, Matt and Shelby discover a storm cellar under the backyard. There, they watched a videotape recorded by one of the house's previous owners, Dr. Elias Cunningham. Dr. Cunningham describes the same malevolent forces pursuing him that the couple has been experiencing and that he was studying the story of the nurses, Miranda and Bridget Jane. The sisters killed their retirement home patients based on the first letters of the victims' names, spelling the word "Murder". The bank refuses to return the money they bought the house with, despite not warning them about the house's gruesome past. As the bank agent leaves, Lee arrives with Flora. While Shelby is distracted on the phone, Flora is beckoned outside by a mysterious figure. When the adults are not able to find Flora, they frantically search for her in the house and then in the woods, where they find Flora's hoodie hanging at the top of a massive pine tree.

Reception

"Chapter 2" was watched by 3.27 million people during its original broadcast, and gained a 1.8 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received a 64% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

, based on 14 reviews with an average score of 6.1/10. The critical consensus reads, "The tried and true premise that emerges in "Chapter 2" is undermined by superficial exposition that damages its credibility – even in the context of ''American Horror Story''."

References

External links

* {{Portal bar, Speculative fiction/Horror, Television American Horror Story: Roanoke episodes Television episodes directed by Michael Goi Television episodes written by Tim Minear