#adam carpenter

[zanephillips]

Charlie Carver and Isaac Powell American Horror Story 11.05 "Bad Fortune"

[billykcplan]

CHARLIE CARVER as ADAM CARPENTER  ↪  AMERICAN HORROR STORY: NYC   

[elyangelofdeath]

[slashericons]

[more-hats]

Okay, am I the stupid one? I understand the leather guy is like a metaphor for aids killing gay men or whatever, I get that. But what about when he killed Barbara and then attacked Patrick in her apartment? Or when Fran and them saw him a Fire Island? Or when he attacked Gino, Patrick, and Adam and Patrick shot him in the head???? Or when Stewart saw him outside Sam’s apartment????!!

[callmebrycelee]

AMERICAN HORROR STORY REACTION

This reaction is for season 11, third episode "Smoke Signals" which originally aired on October 26, 2022. The episode was written by Brad Falchuk and Manny Coto and directed by John J. Gray. Spoilers ahead!

SMOKE SIGNALS ...

Last week we got two killer episodes of American Horror Story: NYC and I'm still feeling pretty good about the direction of this season. Adam and Gino continue to be my favorite characters thus far, but Russell Tovey's Patrick is starting to grow on me as well. Before I launch into my reaction to episode number three, I must say, I was initially skeptical about most of this cast being newcomers to American Horror Stories. All those doubts are officially gone because Charlie Carver, Joe Mantello, and Russell Tovey are definitely holding their own acting alongside AHS vets like Leslie Grossman, Denis O'Hare, and Billie Lourd.

Okay, let's talk about the episode. We start off with Fran (Sandra Bernhard) and Dr. Hannah Wells (Billie Lourd) at a diner after the latter's run-in with Big Daddy in Central Park. At the end of last episode, Fran told Hannah the government is responsible for the virus she is currently studying. She further elaborates by mentioning something called Operation Paperclip. Apparently, back in the 1952, the United States used Nazi scientists to create new viruses made from both human and animal diseases to use against the Russians during the Red Scare. They did manage to come up with a good virus but it was too big to be airborne. However, it could be transmitted via mucous membranes.

Naturally, Hannah pushes back against this and asks Fran why the government would wait nearly thirty years later to release the virus. Fran tells her that the Cold War is heating up, so the United States is bringing back the virus that was created back in 1952 and testing it out on people who are considered undesirable, i.e., drug addicts, homeless people, and prisoners. They also used ticks to help transmit the virus but the virus broke free of the island and it's now starting to spread amongst the gay population in New York City. Hannah asks Fran what she's supposed to do with this information. Fran tells Hannah that she believes some of her patients are infected with the virus and she should go to the press about it. Hannah tells Fran that in order to do that she will need proof. Fran tells her she needs to think of something and think of something fast because the government is on to her.

Meanwhile, Stewart (Taylor Bloom) escapes the cage he is being imprisoned in and flees Sam's apartment. It should be noted that when Stewart heads out into the hallway, Big Daddy is standing sentry by Sam's apartment door. Stewart acknowledges Big Daddy's presence, and my theory is that we know Sam has the same virus that several of Dr. Hannah Wells' patients have and if he hooked up with Stewart, chances are he passed on the virus to Stewart. I believe Big Daddy is a manifestation of the virus that will become known as AIDS and those who have the disease are able to see Big Daddy while those who don't have the virus can't see him.

Stewart goes to the police station and Patrick takes his story. Stewart tells Patrick that he answered a payphone outside of a leather bar which is how he ended up at Sam's apartment. Patrick is a wee bit judgmental, but he does go to Sam's apartment to investigate. Sam (Zachary Quinto) is having a party and when confronted by Patrick, they head down to his basement where his sex dungeon is kept. Sam knows that he can't be arrested because according to him, what transpired between him and Stewart was consensual. Patrick insists that something unsavory did take place and he tells Sam that Stewart is worried about his reputation. Sam throws this back in Patrick's face and strongly insinuates that he is well aware of Patrick's own vices and how they could affect his reputation. Patrick backs off because he doesn't want to risk getting outed at work.

Patrick talks to Gino about his encounter with Sam and Gino speculates that perhaps Sam is the one who held him prisoner. Patrick assures Gino that Sam is not the guy. Gino shows Patrick a sketch of the man he believes abducted him but Patrick seems unconvinced. Gino justifiably gets frustrated because he believes this is Patrick yet again not wanting to lead the charge towards finding the person responsible for recent rash of murders. Gino also is having a difficult time trusting Patrick because Patrick lied about his leather fetish. Patrick admits to liking leather bars and tells Gino he used to go to leather bars before they got together. These two could benefit from some couple's counseling. Patrick needs to be more open about what he's thinking and feeling and as much as I love Gino, he needs to be a little less judgmental. It's the classic case of someone having to come to terms with their sexuality early on and not allowing others to have their own journey towards self-discovery. Gino tells Patrick that he should check out the payphone outside the leather bar but Patrick reminds him he's not a private detective and therefore he has to have cause for doing such things and he doesn't think he can rationalize to his coworkers why he needs to stake out a payphone. Gino, in order to motivate Patrick, appeals to his desire to be dangerous and reckless which surprisingly works because the next scene we get is Patrick standing next to the payphone.

Patrick continues to wait by the payphone for what feels like hours until he gets a phone call from Whitley (Jeff Hiller). Whitley gives Patrick an address to go to and Patrick is led to an underground party. We see Hans (Casey Thomas Brown) giving a performance. Patrick wanders further into the venue and heads into a darkened passageway. He sees an unmasked patron (played by Zach Meiser) wearing the same kind of leather gear that Daddy wears. This is clearly not Big Daddy because even though this guy is quite muscular, he is not hulking like Big Daddy. Patrick aggressively confronts the bespectacled man and finds a switchblade on him. Rather than further interrogate him in regard to all recent murders, Patrick starts kissing him. He then turns the guy against a wall and uses a cat-o-nine tails to beat him. I believe this scene is here to show us just how deep Patrick's leather kink runs. It's important to point out that it does appear that his behavior is consensual.

We then see the performer Hans heading into a very empty subway. He sees an older, unkempt, heavyset woman standing on the other side of the platform and for some reason he decides to follow her.

Over at the Native, Adam asks Gino if he knows why his captor let him go instead of killing him. Gino tells Adam that the guy saw his United States Marine Corps tattoo on his chest and then thanked him for his service. He then shows Adam the drawing he had made of what the guy looks like. Adam speculates that there are two killers - the guy who abducted Gino and Big Daddy. Adam tells Gino he has a date at a bar and Gino tells him to be careful, especially if he's going around inquiring about the Mai Tai killer. Gino doesn't want Adam to become the next victim. He then asks Adam who he's seeing, and Adam tells him it's Theo. Gino tells him that he's heard some pretty dark stuff about Theo's partner, Sam.

Gino goes to The Ditch and talks with Alana (Rebecca Dayan) who is busy cleaning blood off the sidewalk outside the bar. He shows her the drawing of the man who abducted him, and she confirms that he's been at the bar. She mentions that when she encountered him, he had a dark aura about him. She suggests that maybe he was in Vietnam. Gino tells her that he needs to be captured and begs her to let him put some flyers up in the bar. Alana does acquiesce and she tells him that if he's going to hang up flyers, to be careful not to tear the paint off the walls.

Adam arrives at another local bar called Ascension and is greeted by the hostess, Dunaway (Sis). She tells him it's a member's only establishment, but Adam tells her that he's with Theo Graves (Isaac Powell) and she immediately ushers him inside. Adam asks if he can put up some flyers, and Dunaway tells him 'no'. He asks her if she's heard of Big Daddy, and she answers back that she hasn't but if he ever finds him to send him her way. I love Dunaway! I hope we get more of her this season!

Theo arrives at Ascension and Dunaway takes him to Adam. We do see Big Daddy standing behind Theo in the doorway but neither Dunaway nor Theo acknowledges his presence. There is some flirtatious banter between Adam and Theo. Adam is quite taken by Theo and the feeling seems mutual even though Theo is currently in a relationship with Sam. Adam shows Theo the drawing of the man who abducted Gino. Meanwhile, Gino is at the Brownstone talking to Henry (Denis O'Hare), showing him the same drawing.

Henry recognizes the man in Gino's drawing and tells Gino that he was at the Brownstone the night before. Gino asks him why he didn't call the police and Henry insinuates that the police wouldn't have been much of a help. I loved Henry's story about how he ran away from home at age 13 and ended up in New York City. He talks about how he was nearly murdered three times and how he's lost so many friends, acquaintances, and lovers over the years to violence. He tells Gino that if he had tried to figure out what happened to each of those men, he would've ended up dead himself. I find this story so important because people like Gino tend to see inaction as laziness. For men like Henry, inaction, not getting involved, is a matter of survival.

Gino tells Henry that the last night they spoke, he ended up being drugged, kidnapped, and tortured, but Henry remains unphased by his story. Gino gives up and leaves the bar. Meanwhile, back at their apartment, Patrick goes into his closet and puts on his leather gear. it should be noted in this scene, while Patrick is flexing in front of the mirror, he notices some sores on his shoulder. 

Back at Ascension, Adam interrogates Theo about Sam and Big Daddy. Theo assures Adam that Big Daddy is dead. While the two of them continue to talk, a man in leather gear, who looks a lot like Big Daddy, locks the main doors preventing anyone inside from getting out. What follows is an exciting sequence where Adam is given a Mai Tai by an unknown patron at the bar. He looks up and sees that the guy at the bar is the same man in Gino's drawing. At the same time, Dunaway discovers they are locked in and while Adam tries to go after Whitley, Theo manages to kick open the front door. At that moment, the man in leather gear tosses a Molotov cocktail inside the bar setting the whole place ablaze. The man then adjusts the chains and locks on the door and walks off leaving those inside to burn to death.

Hannah meets with an official at the local hospital and her request to draw blood from patients exhibiting signs of the virus she's been studying are denied. As she is leaving the hospital, she sees several patients arrive from Ascension. Hearing that the patients are coming from a gay bar, Hannah springs into action.

Adam and Theo manage to escape from the inferno with minimal injury. Adam suffers from smoke inhalation while Theo has some burns on his extremities. Other patrons like Dunaway, aren't so fortunate. I felt so bad for Dunaway who appeared to have third degree burns all over her body. When a nurse tries to check out Adam who is suffering from respiratory distress, he starts to freak out. After he is restrained, he begs Theo to call Gino.

Theo calls Gino, and Gino shows up with Patrick in tow. Adam tells Gino that the Mai Tai Killer was at the same bar he and Theo were at before the fire and tells him that he needs to find him. Gino shows a nurse the drawing of Whitley and she tells him that she saw him in one of the triage rooms. When Gino and Patrick arrive at the room, they discover that Whitley is gone. Gino suggests that he and Patrick split up so they can find him.

Hannah talks with Dunaway who tells her that she saw the man who started the fire and that he is not only coming for the gay men, but he’s also coming for everyone. This piece of dialogue stood out to me because it further confirmed my theory about Big Daddy being a manifestation of the AIDS virus which has yet to be named.

The biggest twist of the episode came when Hannah went to see Adam and we learn that they already know each other. We don't get much insight into their relationship, but Adam tells her that he feels good about what he and Hannah did. Now that I know that these two characters have a history, it sort of changes how I feel about Adam. He knows more than he's letting on but a part of me still believes that he is the good guy and whatever he and Hannah are working on is something good.

Hannah goes to Whitley's room and draws a sample of his blood. Whitely is paranoid and immediately leaves. He heads out the front door and is confronted by Gino. Whitely pushes Gino down and runs back into the hospital. Without waiting for Patrick, Gino pursues him and is led to the morgue. Gino is subdued by Whitley and locked inside one of the freezer drawers. What is it with American Horror Story and burying people alive? We saw it with Madame LaLaurie and Misty Day in "Coven" and then we saw that poor couple in "Cult" get locked inside twin coffins. The episode ends with Gino screaming and begging to be let out while Whitley gets away.

At this point, I'm sitting on the edge of my seat waiting to see what happens next. Thankfully, I don't have to wait long because while I find it odd that FX is releasing episodes of American Horror Story two at a time, I'm also grateful because there's no way I could have waited an entire week to see if whether or not Gino would be okay.

This episode, like our first two episodes, was pretty amazing. I love the dark tone of this season and I can't say this enough - I'm so happy they chose to go super grounded this season rather than venture into the over-the-top campiness that has been prevalent in the last several seasons of the show. Adam and Gino continue to be my favorite characters, but Hannah and Theo are not too far behind them. The verdict is still out on Patrick and as far as I'm concerned, Sam can go. He's nasty and vile and I don't think he's going to make it out of this season alive. Our OGs - Leslie Grossman, Denis O'Hare, Patti LuPone - aren't given much to do thus far and perhaps that's by design. For the longest time Jessica Lange, Sarah Paulson, Lily Rabe, and Evan Peters were the faces of this series and they've gone on to do other projects for Ryan Murphy. New blood (no pun intended) is exactly what this series needed, and we are getting it in spades with top notch performances from Charlie Carver, Joe Mantello, Russell Tovey, and Isaac Powell. After episode four we will officially be halfway through this season. I am still feeling pretty confident about where this season is headed. Stay tuned for my reaction to episode four. Until next time ...

[positivexcellence]

lesliemccawcarpenter: Happy New Year #funtrip #greatfriends #wildchild

[callmebrycelee]

AMERICAN HORROR STORY REACTION

This reaction is for season 11, second episode "Thank You for Your Service" which originally aired on October 19, 2022. The episode was written by Ned Martel, Charlie Carver, and Manny Coto and directed by Max Winkler. Spoilers ahead!

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE ...

I know I'm a wee bit late with this reaction but I wanted to share my thoughts about "Thank You for Your Service" before I jump into episodes three and four. Things pick up right where they left off in the previous episode. Gino Barelli (Joe Mantello) regains consciousness and discovers he is bound and gagged in an unfamiliar room. It should be noted that a dark book handkerchief is used to gag Gino. His captor uses a hypodermic needle to inject something into his fingernail beds, which made me squirm, but when he sees the United States Marine Corps tattoo on Gino's chest, he thanks Gino for his service and tells him that he's sacrificed enough. Rather than continue with his planned butchery, he sedates Gino, again, and the next time Gino comes to, he is in a booth at an adult arcade. Gino stumbles out of the place and collapses on the sidewalk. We then get our title sequence.

We hop over to the office of Dr. Hannah Wells (Billie Lourd). Her patients include Sam (Zachary Quinto), KK (Clara McGregor), and a guy named Mr. Whitley (Jeff Hiller) who looks exactly like the guy who kidnapped Gino and held him captive. Hannah tells Sam that he has a sexually transmitted disease she's recognized in four other patients and recommends he takes medicine, rest for three days, and abstain from having sex. When it's Whitely's turn to see Hannah, he tells her he has a persistent rash, the same persistent rash the other patients have. 

Adam Carpenter (Charlie Carver) goes to see Gino at the Native. Gino recounts his abduction and torture as well as his attempt to file a report with the police department. Perhaps the most heartbreaking part of Gino's story is how Patrick (Rusell Tovey) pretended to not know him when he saw him at the police station. I get that it's not safe for Patrick to be out at work, but it's still pretty shitty that he turned his back on his partner in his hour of need.

Never one to be deterred, Gino writes in great detail about his capture. Adam suggests establishing a hotline where gay men can report information anonymously without fear of retaliation from the police. Gino ends up hiring Adam and the younger man starts placing flyers with the hotline number up around the city. It doesn't take long for the phone calls to start rolling in. Adam gets brought into the police station where he is interrogated by Patrick, Detective Mulchahey (Brian Ray Norris) and Mac Marzara (Kal Penn) in regard to the Gino's article which features the interview he gave to Gino at the Native. They demand he retract the interview because it shines a negative light on the police but he refuses. Adam is put in a holding cell as punishment and Patrick goes to talk to him. He tells Adam that he will be released. Adam asks if any of the other police officers know that Patrick's gay but Patrick avoids the question. He gives Adam his business card and tells him to call him if he sees anything out of the ordinary. He lets Adam know that he does care about everything that's going on and that he is quietly investigating the murders. 

Gino and Patrick's ex-wife, Barbara Read (Leslie Grossman) run into each other on the street. She gives him a small, wooden box she found in storage and tells him it belongs to Patrick. The contents of the box include poppers, some bondage gear, and handkerchiefs. Barbara tries to tell Gino that Patrick has been lying to them but he accuses her of being jealous. Gino stalks off but he is obviously rattled by the revelation.

Meanwhile, Adam is released from the holding cell and he is picked up from the police station by his friend Morris (Kyle Beltran). I love the conversation between the two as Adam recounts his horrific experience with the NYPD. Morris reminds him that this sort of thing happens all the time to people of color, especially queer people of color, and that perhaps Adam has been able to turn a blind eye to the NYPD's mistreatment of their community because his white privilege shielded him from it. He then invites Adam to a warehouse party.

Back at Gino and Patrick's apartment, Gino is upset because the detective he talked to about his capture accused him of making it all up. He is upset at Patrick because he feels like he isn't doing enough to investigate. While I sympathize with both men, ultimately I'm on Gino's side. I get Patrick's initial reservation about taking interest in cases involving gay men but now it's personal. At some point he is going to have to choose between his job working for the NYPD and his relationship with Gino because in this particular social and political climate it's next to impossible for him to have both. Gino suggests the two of them go to a nearby leather bar to gain some intel. 

We then see a young man named Stewart (Taylor Bloom) sitting at a bar. Someone sends over a Mai Tai but he declines the drink. He heads outside and hears a payphone ringing. The man on the other end of the line is Sam and he invites Stewart to come over to his place. Not to pass any judgment, but I must say, I do find it interesting that this guy is obviously savvy enough to decline drinks from strangers, but he's willing to show up to a complete and total stranger's house for sex. Very, very interesting. 

Adam and Morris go to a warehouse party which reminded me of a scene straight out of Velvet Goldmine. The master of ceremonies, a guy named Cameron (Gideon Glick), invites Morris onto the makeshift stage along with another performer named Hans (Casey Thomas Brown). It should be noted that Cameron is wearing a powdered wig and is looking very much like the Edward Mott character in "Roanoke". Cameron injects himself with an unknown drug and I must say, if "Hotel" didn't give me a phobia about needles, this season definitely will. Cameron recites some slam poetry and warns the audience that something's coming. He looks right at Adam as he says this which prompts Adam to leave the venue. Adam runs into Theo kissing another man and Theo follows him outside. 

I really dug the conversation between Adam and Theo because I have been both of them at some point in my life. Adam wonders aloud why Theo goes from one man to the next when he is supposed to be in a relationship with Sam. Theo explains that for him, sex is biological. For him sex and love are mutually exclusive, and he can love Sam while seeking sexual satisfaction from other men. Adam counters this by asking Theo if he thinks he can do better. For Adam, sex and love aren't mutally exclusive. Theo hints at wanting to having sex with Adam, but Adam suggests they go somewhere to get something to eat, have a drink, and talk. I love that this interaction was included in the episode because the gay community, or rather the queer community, in general, has often been maligned as hypersexual, and while sexuality and sexual expression are an important part of the community, there are queer people who share Adam's philosophy. I don't think one perspective is particularly more valid than the other. I think both should exist, just as they do with straight people.

Meanwhile, Gino and Patrick arrive at a leather bar called The Ditch and they immediately split up. Gino goes to talk to the bar's manager, Alana (Rebecca Dayan). These two clearly have a friendship and mutual respect for each other. Alana asks Gino what he's writing about these days and he tells her he is reporting on the string of murders. Alana agrees that what's going on in their community is awful, she asks that he not mention the bar because the bar is owned by the mob and they wouldn't take kindly to be associated with the murders. Gino promises he will not mention The Ditch in any of his articles. 

Patrick gets propositioned by the bar's bouncer but rebuffs his advances. The bouncer is sent a drink, a Mai Tai, and comments that it's an odd drink to be serving in such an establishment. He downs it without even thinking twice. 

Gino and Patrick meet back up and sit at the bar. Gino tells Patrick about his run-in with his ex-wife, Barbara. He tells Patrick that he knows about his leather fetish. Patrick is frustrated that Barbara is getting involved in their relationship. Their argument is cut short when the bouncer is stabbed in the neck by Whitley who disappears into the shadows of the club. Whitley is getting bolder and bolder with his killings. Killing someone inside a crowded bar is kind of reckless but it's also kind of genius in a way because everyone seemed too preoccupied to notice what he was doing. Patrick goes into cop mode to access the situation while Gino looks on in horror. 

Later on that night, we see Hans, the performer from the warehouse party, walking home. We also see Big Daddy following him. We also see Dr. Hannah Wells at her office reviewing the lab work from her patient Whitely. She gets a phone call from Fran (Sandra Bernhard) who asks her to meet her in Central Park. Fran tells Hannah she has information about her patients and the deer on Fire Island. Hannah heads over to Central Park, at night, and is accosted by a leather-clad man wielding a chain. He chases Hannah but she ends up running into Fran. When she tries to show Fran where the man was, there is nothing to be found. Fran tells Hannah that the disease she is studying was deployed by the government as a way of attacking the most vulnerable populations in the city. 

We see Sam return to his apartment. Big Daddy is standing outside his door but he walks by as if he doesn't see him. We then see that Sam is holding Stewart captive in a cage. Stewart asks to leave but Sam decides to keep him locked up. I'd like to take a moment to say I don't think Sam is the one reponsible for the murders. I do think he's quite sadistic and something tells me he's going to get his comeuppance by the end of this season.

The next morning, Patrick and Gino talk about the murder at The Ditch. Gino laments that once again, a gay man is murdered and the police aren't doing anything about it. Patrick tells Gino there weren't any drugs in the drink the bouncer drank before he was killed, but Gino thinks Patrick is holding something back. Patrick gets a call and heads over to yet another crime scene. Marzara points out six severed hands, each of them belonging to six victims. That's where we end the episode.

I really love this episode. I can't say this enough - the characters this season feel very grounded and it's hard to believe that someone like Gino Barelli exists in the same universe as Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) or Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts). This season is very, very dark, but we've had dark seasons before. "Roanoke" and "Asylum" and "Murder House" were very dark seasons. So was "Cult". But there was always a borderline cartoonish element to those seasons as well, like the clowns in "Cult" or the "Name Game" sequence in "Asylum" or the general campiness of the reality show characters in "Roanoke". There isn't a whimsy or campy element to the season, at least not yet. It feels very gritty. It feels like prestige television which is something I've never said about any of Ryan Murphy's shows. Some folks have even commented that this season, so far, doesn't even feel like American Horror Story. I don't see that as a bad thing though. Last season, as a whole, was pretty much a dud. This season feels like an overcorrection of that and I think that's a great thing. American Horror Story is one of those shows that feels like it could be on for many years, like Grey's Anatomy or NCIS. These two episodes - "Something's Coming" and "Thank You for Your Service" - make me feel like if this season manages to stick the landing, maybe we can get to season 20. I guess we have to see how things continue. Until next time ...