History repeats itself as new owners move into the Murder House.
**CONTENT WARNING: Violence, death**
Synopsis
The opening flashback is Ben and Vivien deciding to move into the Murder House. They come this close to breaking up instead, but Ben convinces her to try this one last attempt to save their marriage. He can picture all the wonderful things that will happen in that house (cross-cut with images of the horrible things that actually happen once they move in).
Ben retrieves the surviving baby, Michael, from Constance’s house, despite her warnings not to return to the Murder House with him. Ben sets out his sister-in-law’s information to have her care for Michael, then prepares to shoot himself because he’d rather be with his family than raising a son he knows isn’t even his. Vivien and Violet appear to him and talk him out of it. He goes upstairs to get Michael and leave, but Hayden and the home invaders murder him by hanging him off the balcony. Hayden takes the baby, but when Constance finds Ben’s body, she tracks Hayden down and takes Michael back (with the help of Travis stabbing Hayden to distract her). Constance raises Michael as her adopted son.
The realtor persuades a new family, Miguel, Stacy, and their teenage son Gabriel, to buy the house. The Harmons don’t want what happened to them to happen to this new family, and Moira offers the help of her and other ghosts who are not evil like some of the vengeful ones. That night the ghosts, both good and evil, repeat several of the same events that happened to the Harmons, but this time the good ones manage to sufficiently scare them into leaving. Though not before Tate nearly kills Gabriel because he wants Violet to have someone to be with if he can’t be with her.
The Harmons settle quite nicely into their new after-lives, celebrating a lovely Christmas with Moira, who has become close friends with Vivien, while Tate and Hayden watch on jealously. Tate tries to make amends with Ben, but Ben says only Tate’s victims can offer Tate forgiveness, and Tate stole that choice from them when he murdered them.
Vivien finds Nora and the stillborn baby, Nicholas. Vivien thought Nicholas didn’t have a ghost because he was stillborn, so she hasn’t be looking for him. Nora is exhausted from caring for him and admits she’s not a very good mother, leaving her in Vivien’s care after all. Vivien asks Moira to be the godmother.
Three years later, Constance has come to believe it is her destiny to raise baby Michael, and that all of the tragedy in her life has led her to this. She returns home from a day out and finds the babysitter dead and Michael covered in blood and giggling. She does not look unhappy about it—in fact, she even lets a little smile slip out at the sight.
The Ghosts
I love the concept that only some of the ghosts were evil and vengeful, while others hate what happens in this house and don’t want anyone else to join them. They simply never had the motivation before to stand up to the evil ones. It was so interesting to see things start to go just the same way they did for the Harmons in episode one, only from the perspective of the ghosts. I’m glad they worked together to scare away this new family and I hope the family lives happily ever after, elsewhere.
The Family
I didn’t necessarily think the whole Harmon family would make it out alive, but I truly was not expecting them to become such a happy family when they all wound up dying. They finally have made amends and are starting their new life together, complete with baby that will never grow old. Too bad they’re also stuck here with Ben’s annoying ex-mistress, a fact that I’m sure will never, ever become a problem.
The Babies
I’m relieved that Nora has realized she is not a good mother and relinquished her right to the baby after all. She really was a bad mother the first time around—she only missed her baby after he was gone. I was worried they wouldn’t address her incompetence, but they actually brought it back around to Vivien’s benefit. It is a little odd, though, that a ghost baby has a ghost godmother, appointed by his ghost mother. The whole point of godparents is to raise the child if anything happens to the baby, but not only will this baby never age or die (again), his parents can’t die (again) either. But it was a nice gesture, at least.
Michael is going to be a problem. The possible antichrist raised by Constance, of all people. Yikes. I seriously would prefer Nora or even Hayden raise him. It must be so frustrating for Vivien knowing that her other baby is literally right next door, but she can’t see him.
Conclusion
I’m glad I gave this season a second chance. I think it did get better over the course of the show. However, this finale was oddly happy for the ending of a horror story. On one hand, I am happy for Vivien and Violet finally getting peace, but I don’t know that this was the kind of story that warranted such an optimistic ending. Practically everything worked out for them. I wish it had been a little more bittersweet. If anything, them becoming ghosts seems like one of the best things that has happened to them. In any case, I can’t wait to start season 2. I remember liking that one a lot more.
Score: 7/10
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