Blood Bath (American Horror Story)

"Blood Bath" is the eighth episode of the fourth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story, which premiered on December 3, 2014 on the cable network FX. It was written by Ryan Murphy and directed by Bradley Buecker. It is notable for being the first episode for series veteran Sarah Paulson to miss since the show's first season.

Plot

Ma Petite's (Jyoti Amge) bloody dress is found in the woods, along with some bones, and the troupe assumes that she has been eaten by a wild animal. However, Ethel (Kathy Bates) is suspicious of Elsa (Jessica Lange) and accuses her of killing Ma Petite for stealing her spotlight. As the argument escalates, Ethel shoots Elsa in one of her legs, and Ethel is taken aback by the revelation that Elsa has fake legs.

A flashback reveals that Elsa was carried from the aftermath of the snuff movie to a doctor (Danny Huston) who crafted the legs for her and reminded Elsa that she was beautiful no matter what. While Ethel prepares to shoot Elsa in the head for lying to her and betraying her, Elsa throws a knife into Ethel's head, killing her.

With Stanley's (Denis O'Hare) help, Elsa stages a suicide for Ethel in which Ethel crashes her car into a tree with a chain around her neck, decapitating her. The troupe believes this story and mourn Ethel while Jimmy (Evan Peters) falls into a pit of despair and casts Maggie (Emma Roberts) away. In response, he falls into the arms of a new recruit of the troupe, a morbidly obese woman with the stage name Ima Wiggles (Chrissy Metz).

Sick of being treated badly, Amazon Eve (Erika Ervin), Desiree (Angela Bassett), Penny (Grace Gummer), and Legless Suzi (Rose Siggins) plan revenge on Penny's father (Lee Tergesen) by sneaking into his house, knocking him unconscious and bringing him to Dell's caravan. After covering Penny's father in tar and feather's, they prepare to mutilate and kill him. However, Maggie hears his screams and begs them not go through with it. Penny lets her father go and warns him to never come near her again.

Meanwhile, Dora's daughter Regina (Gabourey Sidibe) pays the Mott household a visit to investigate her mother's disappearance and refuses to leave without seeing her. Gloria (Frances Conroy), already under stress by talking to a therapist about Dandy (Finn Wittrock), lies to Regina. Dandy is tricked by Gloria into visiting the therapist, and becomes enraged when he realizes what is going on and that his mother thinks he should be institutionalized. Upon returning to the house, Dandy shoots Gloria in the head and bathes in her blood.

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