AHS 1984 (S9E7) “The Lady in White”: Reunions

With no shortage of flashbacks, we are given Richter’s (John Carroll Lynch) background, completing the grisly characteristics of his damaged self. We get a glimpse into his tortured soul and discover the birth of the curse of Camp Redwood.

Richter’s younger brother, Bobby, was the apple of their mother’s eye after his father was killed in the war. Lily Rabe reappears after her long-awaited arrival to portray this distraught young mother. She takes the job of Camp Cook in order to take care of her children. 

One day, when Benjamin is in charge of watching his little brother during a harmless swim, Richter neglects him and goes off to watch the lifeguard and a camp counselor frolic in the woods. With his back turned, Bobby decides to swim without him. He dives in, splashing and enjoying his time. Until, suddenly, he dives too deep. The men operating a small boat do not see him as they start the motor. As Richter watches his brother get mangled by the blades underwater, life as he knows it will never be the same.

(Roller) Skates and Strangers

Richter’s mother snaps and is in hysterics after discovering Bobby to be dead, as she is in this wild rage, we cut abruptly to our female duo, Brooke (Emma Roberts) and Donna (Angelica Ross) who are holed up in a hotel. The bond that they form is critical. Without each other, they are completely alone.

After witnessing Donna save Brooke in the last episode and redeem herself, I have grown to like their new attitudes as their character arches hit their peak. Their journey together continues when Brooke discovers what Margaret (Leslie Grossman) is planning at Camp Redwood. Out for blood and to escape her inner turmoil, Brooke is determined to see this through.

During a trip to a roller rink, Brooke and Donna meet a man with a thick mustache and an eerie aura played by Dylan McDermott (you immediately do not trust him, which ends up being an accurate gut feeling). After fixing the girls’ car (obviously he fiddled with the distributor cap, don’t try and fool me), Bruce, our ever so friendly stranger, is granted passage for the ride to Camp Redwood. 

With regrets and a new threat, Brooke and Donna must get away from this new shadow that has plagued their life with a certain darkness. 

The Blood Curse 

Back at the camp, Richter comes face to face with his victims and those who were brutally slain by Margaret as well. Once he hears the story of “the lady in white”, he tells them the story of his mother and how Redwood used to be Golden Star.

After Bobby’s death, his mother deals with her grief by slaughtering an entire cabin of counselors and even attempting to kill Richter. The amount of pain and anger she held turned her into a feral animal, she murdered anyone who she blamed for the death of her perfect son.

In the end, Richter had to put his mother out of her misery, with fear that she would never recover. As an act of self-defense, Richter lost both his brother and his mother. He explains to the group that, he thinks they are bound to Camp Redwood by her blood that seeped into the soil on that dreadful night. A type of blood curse that kept them haunting the grounds of the camp without a purpose. 

Not only that, but his mother’s presence has left a greater impact than ever anticipated. We learn that she convinced Margaret (whispering into her ear during the night) to kill. This realization alone offers the audience, finally, an origin of Camp Redwood’s deadly curse and an explanation for the gruesome murders that took place.

Another Serial Killer?

Cutting back to Brooke and Donna, Bruce has caught up with them, intent on his goal. In a sheer display of badassery, Brooke tricks Bruce takes this hitchhiker to town. Leaving him strung up, without thumbs, the duo begin the trek to Camp Redwood.

No doubt that we will meet Bruce again, I am sure we will be reunited with his twisted character soon enough. Along with the return of Ramirez (Zach Villa), it spells out trouble for the music festival. His demonic devotion compels him to commit an epic musician massacre on a tour bus.

In the end, we come full circle on the docks. Richter longs to make the world a better place for his son and wishes to stop hurting. With encouragement from his now surprisingly (and suspiciously) welcoming mother, Richter decides to cross into the land of the dead. Purgatory calls to him as he plunges his knife into the swell of his gut, whispering a prayer to his own brother. 

A Battle on the Rise

Now that we have an inkling of the camp curse and the origin of this tale, we are prepared for the present to make its mark. As Brooke and Donna approach the camp, as the ghosts prepare for a bloodbath and Richter plots his revenge on Ramirez, the anticipation for this bloody showdown is high.

Predictions? I am eagerly awaiting the reunion of everyone, both dead and alive in a place that has haunted them all for years. I have this hope that the blood curse will be broken and Bobby will be reunited with his family, and that peace will be made. However, this is American Horror Story. It is essential to expect the unexpected.

Watch American Horror Story