American Horror Story Season 7 Episode 9 Review: Drink the Kool-Aid
Yana Grebenyuk
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At what point will every single role be played by Evan Peters?
It seems only far after all the different cult cameos he had, including one where he was God. It could have been too far but this is American Horror Story where these things make all the sense in the world.
On American Horror Story Season 7 Episode 9, Ally and Ivy were trying to figure out how to get them and Oz away from Kai. A lot of poison was involved, both fictional and real, and eventually Ivy ended up dead.
Meanwhile, Kai was losing his grip on reality even more, gearing up his cult group to the idea of dying for their beliefs.
Ally faced her fears and got rid of the past that was holding her back, all in one go.
It was clear that Ally was going to kill Ivy right around the time their dinner went south with talk of the cult. But Ally was ruthless about it to the point where she was just unrecognizable.
This Ally was very different from what we were introduced to earlier on in the season, and frankly this Ally is the best thing that could have ever happened.
What she is representing isn't all that great considering she was meant to be the only innocent one out of the entire group. But her finally standing up against the torture that she was forced into by someone she trusted was the best road for her to go on.
Ivy getting involved with Kai and his cult was just as absurd as Ally thinking that her vote for Jill Stein was a good idea.
Ally came out on top for the sake of her son, but what the hell is she up to now?
Kai coming over for dinner was perfect timing for her to poison him, especially since he still seems to trust her.
Ally told him she poisoned Ivy and he kept eating, so what kept Ally from doing it right there and then?
Her tricking Kai into thinking he actually was Oz's son and staying with the cult was a drastically different plan than I originally imagined. Whatever twisted revenge Ally might have planned it feels like staying with Kai to test that theory is more dangerous than anything else.
Kai might be losing it a bit but he is still a step ahead of them as we saw with Oz.
Ally runs the risk of staying too long and actually having to drink the Kool-Aid or having Kai discover that she isn't really with him.
Was I the only one who thought for a second that Ivy was going to wake up in that creepy burial room? It made me wonder if maybe Ally didn't kill Ivy after all and if the plan requires Kai thinking she did, only for Ivy to be an unexpected person roaming around his house.
What if I asked you to make the ultimate sacrifice?
Kai
Kai lost it five dead bodies ago but to some he is still going strong. Honestly though, he is growing more delusional than anything else.
His next plan is focused on running for Senate but in-between that he is baiting his followers with tales of previous cult leaders.
He keeps telling them about how members would be willing to die for the cause, only to test them with fake poison.
That could be the end of it, but he goes back at it with the idea of God helping in the end.
Where is he even going with this?
The initial test made sense, he had to make sure everyone was loyal.
But now he has this story time session every evening, and all the guys are buying everything he is selling. This would be great if there was a purpose to it.
Kai's plans are never revealed before he is ready for them to be shared with everyone else, but at this point there is heavy foreshadowing of death.
Who the hell is Jim Jones?
Winter
Evan Peters as different cult members over time was a strangely fun distraction.
The common theme was directed back towards mass suicide, and there was a very clear picture painted in every example.
The best part thoguh was watching Evan Peters somehow sell all these different leaders as people seperate from one another. There would come moments where I wasn't sure if it was him playing these people because there was such a stark contrast between all of them.
Having them all be played by one person though made it easier to connect the stories back to Kai, because that has to be exactly what is going on in his brain.
Kai has to be thinking that he is like all of these people, except better. He is building upon their previous ideas at a time when the US has an enviorment perfect for the mission he has to control.
The only cult leader missing was Charles Manson, something that had to be done on purpose so that he could have an entire episode dedicated to him. He is not only very well known, he is also the only one still alive and having that come back to life through Evan Peters will definitley be a sight to see.
And perhaps Kai is really pulling from Charles Manson, because one thing he doesn't seem to be interested in is dying. All these other leaders had death in common, but I can't imagine Kai choosing to die when he is on the verge of even more power.
Death is of no use to a leader like Kai who is thriving on the power both in and out of this cult that he has built for himself.
Why would I kill us? I'm running for Senate and dead people can't vote. Except in Chicago.
Kai
At this point I can't even imagine where things are headed next because of how unpredictable the characters themselves are.
Kai is losing his sense of endgame, specifically because he is losing himself. When a leader veers off track there is no way to guess what he will decide to do next, or who he will decide to kill off.
My best guess would be that Winter's days are numbered, mostly because no one is really happy with her right now. She would have to strongly align herself with either Kai or Ally to get out of this alive.
Ally has her newfound strength on her side but she is just getting into the game while Kai has been on the court for a while already. One wrong move and everything could end up blowing up in her face.
Beverley though is who I have my eye on, probably because she has proven time and time again that she could surprise everyone around her.
She is still very much following Kai, but she isn't stupid and for all we know she might be planning something herself. Maybe she will team up with Ally, both of them would have to put their varying views away.
Kai's biggest problem is the fact that he is close with a new member, until he isn't. He brings them in with promises and a close relationship, only to pull back once they have become a part of the cult.
But that is when those people start to turn on him or reconsider what all this means, because his cult is only as good as his lies. Once he focuses on telling those lies to someone else, he loses a piece of his power over someone that came before.
Hopefully that won't come back to bit him in the ass, he already has enough to worry about with the enemy having him wrapped around her finger with so many lies that he can't seem to pick up on.
Ivy: You'll never do anything to me.
Ally: I already have.
What did you think of the episode? What parts did you see coming and what were you surprised by? What are you hoping to see build up towards the finale? Who do you see making it out alive? Let us know what you think below.
And don't forget that you can watch American Horror Story online, right here at TV Fanatic.
Yana Grebenyuk was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in April 2021.
