Review

Back in 1994 its happy families with Larry, Constance, Tate, and Addie doing the roast dinner thing. Tate naturally isn't having a minute of Constance's make believe and points out a few home truths to Larry in one of those saying grace renditions that rock the house down. All good things must come to an end and next morning Tate tools up for his future as school gunman, only taking time out of his busy schedule to remind Larry of the fate that befell his wife and daughters.

In the present Ben has to eat some humble pie over Vivien's rape and naturally doesn't do so with good grace, hey recurrent review concept. Ben faces further problems with a truancy officer arriving to inform him that Violet has been missing from school for sixteen straight days. Tate shows Violet why she can't leave the house for school, in one of the less surprising twists of the seasons. Ben and Tate get it on, due to Ben wanting to send Violet away for schooling, with the result that Ben discovers who the Rubber Man is. Before I forget the local Police are closing in on Constance, surprisingly due to the one murder she hasn't committed - Travis becoming the "Boy Dahlia", but is given a reprieve from a most unlikely source. Add in an exterminator reprising a famous John Goodman role and we're good to go.

Right we are getting down to the final line so being careful about spoilers here as there's a lot being explained as things head into the climax, or non-climax, make your call there. We learn about Larry and what happened to cause his disfigurement. I was rocking out there, to this stage I kind of viewed Larry as being a scumbag but this episode cast him more as the tragic figure who is simply unlucky in love, or at least coming into the destruction zone that is Constance's sphere of influence. There's more than one monster in this show and I got to say that the House may well be the least blame worthy in this regard.

American movie and television shows seem hell bent on promoting violence to women as totally acceptable. Ben is a psychological monster who preys on his family due to his own character flaws.

I guess if anything the episode is all about realisations, at the character level, at the plot level, and in terms of whatever themes might be currently peculating through the season. Remembering this site isn't about explaining the thematic to the nth degree, you're on your own there, I'm here for the scares, the T&A, and hell Jessica Lange kicking it big time in a role that redefines the Actress.

Ben, who as a psychologist does a pretty good interpretation of the husband delivering psychiatric damage to his family, is forced to realise Vivien has been telling the truth. Naturally this is after Ben delivering his diatribe last episode, in one of those turn ups that make you wonder how the Writers managed to capture the exact nature of an egotist to an excellent degree. So Ben, who seems habitually unable to make with humble, still comes off as a major arsehole but just maybe he'll gain enough self understanding to save what is left of his family. Hell, we're talking one dwindling resource there. Interestingly, for mine at least, Ben's recognition of his own errors mirrors Larry coming to self realisation as well. Naturally Constance can't claim the same, and if you ever wanted a rundown of the chick's greatest hits when it comes to murder then this is the episode to rock out to.

We also learn that Moira isn't the only house inhabitant who has been doing her best to help the Harmons out. Tate has been protecting Violet from almost episode one, but here is forced to show Violet one of the great plot twists. Well it would have been great if previous Writers hadn't dropped some clangers on the plot foreshadow front. Was anyone honestly surprised by this turn up on the plot front, there was a better surprise waiting there to unleash, but what the hey I'm not a writer for a U.S network.

One of the great support characters of the season is delivered in Smoldering Children, say hello to Phil Critter, exterminator from the future sent back in time to, uhmm, okay best exterminator since John Goodman rocked the role out in Arachnophobia. Since Phil comes to a bad end in the house I'm really hoping he pops on back to the other side and takes some scenes in the final couple of episodes of the season. In a couple of scenes in this episode W. Earl Brown simply owns it, completely blowing lead actor Dylan McDermott off the screen. Come on down Earl, you the man brother!

Guess I've never really talked about the atmosphere created within Murder House episode after episode, with Smoldering Children being no different. The house is in perpetual twilight, with long eerie corridors, an attic and basement that simply reek of terror, and there's a feeling that anything could be lurking in the darken corners. While the house is a character unto itself, it never really gets lifted to the lofty heights of say the house in The Amityville Horror. You never have a feeling of the old pile brooding or watching events with malevolence. We know the structure is the quintessential "bad place" that plays on peoples' weaknesses, but there's no hint of the Overlook here. The place is simply haunted, it really could have done with a bit of a spruce up and some deft hands creating the organic from the building materials. Guess with two further episodes left in the season the House is going to remain largely unexplained, which for mine is a bitter disappointment.

Surprisingly the only two people who seem to have got the house's measure are the hard as nails Constance, who really knows how to keep the family that hates each other thriving, and Hayden, who matches the house's nasty streak with one of her own. Both Ladies are aware that the house is a place with power, that doesn't particularly like people. It should be noted that the Harmons, collectively and individually, are simply no match for the shenanigans being played out after dark, in those long hallways.

I've tried during this episode write up to avoid some spoilers, a lot gets revealed that will either simply serve as the confirmation of suspicions for some viewers or shock twists for others. One scene to look out for however, a blowfly infestation leads to a discovery in the foundation area of the house, prepare yourself for one hell of a shocking scene as a couple of the characters discover something.

Surprisingly the episode only attracted 2.54 million viewers in North America, proving that the core audience isn't as large as previously expected. That's still a very solid result for FX, with American Horror Story pretty much their flag ship franchise. It'll be interesting to see if season two attracts more subscribers in North America, or folk will simply hit the DVDs when released. Not seeing a Downunder option on free to air television, pretty much a wasteland at the best of times with the notable exception of Australia's ABC, so I'll continue my forced march through the silver discs when they get released.

Another great episode, American Horror Story really does push the limit of what it can get away with, though notably the gore is pretty much kept at a safe distance. About the only thing missing is a central focus, but maybe that wasn't the intention for this season.