Scream Queens
Season 1 Episode 12 & 13: “Dorkus” & “Black Friday”
Written by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan (12 & 13)
Directed by Bradley Buecker (12) & Brad Falchuk (13)
Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, Ian Brennan
Starring Emma Roberts, Jamie Lee Curtis, Lea Michele, Abigail Breslin, Nasim Pedrad, Oliver Hudson, Skyler Samuels, Keke Palmer, Billie Lourd
FOX
Air Date: Tuesday, December 8th, 2015, 9pm

So it has come to this. The two part season finale of Scream Queens. The Chanels of Kappa spent last week’s episode trying to kill their number one murder suspect, Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis). But she apparently has a knack for survival, even attempted poisoning and freezing. Here’s what we know: 20 years ago a Kappa girl gave birth to twins in a bathtub during a frat party. She bled out, leaving the twins with crazy Gigi (Nasim Pedrad) who raised them to be vengeance seeking killers wearing school mascot Red Devil outfits as their cover. The twins half-sister, Grace (Skyler Samuels) and Dad, Wes (Oliver Hudson) are trying to cope with Gigi’s beheading as well as plenty of other deaths. Grace’s boyfriend Pete (Diego Boneta) is hiding something”¦ other than just a Red Devil costume in his closet. We know one of the Devils was Boone (Nick Jonas) and Gigi was the organizer of the kill spree. With both dead, we are left with one psychopathic Red Devil, presumably a female. Chanel (Emma Roberts)? Chanel #3 or #5 (Billie Lourd or Abigail Breslin)? Maybe someone supposedly dead like Chanel #2 (Ariana Grande). Best thing I can say about Scream Queens; other than that it’s hilarious and off-the-wall crazy, with cool kills and ridiculously quotable dialogue, is that I have NO clue who will be revealed as the killer!

Spoilers below.

Pete confesses to Grace that he in fact IS a killer. He tracked Boone and got the whole story… revenge not just against the evil Chanels and the wicked Kappa House, but against the whole Greek system of bullying and hazing, which has been responsible for hundreds of deaths. You can REALLY tell that explanation came from the guys who wrote Glee. Pete also hates Chanel because she fake-seduced him, and had him dress up as Daryl Hannah in Clan of the Cave Bear… no I’m not making that up! As Grace readies to leave he coaxes her to stay by revealing the other killer… one of her sisters… it… is… RED DEVIL KILLER SNEAK ATTACK!!!

Chanel writes the “missive to end all missives” and it is truly epic. Emma Roberts should win an Emmy… or just slasher kill the person who does win and steal it. The vitriolic email meant for her Kappa sisters, is forwarded to everyone in her contact list (including President Obama of course), and she becomes a national and campus wide pariah. Before she can commit asp-assisted suicide, a Red Devil cladded human bomb is delivered to Kappa. Despite the messy blown up human remains, the Chanels focus on the important things… restoring Chanel’s reputation, starting by going to the lead Chanel before her, Melanie Dorkus (Brianne Howey) to “fake” apologize.

Grace gets her dad to step up his game, and seduce Munsch (in an intentionally hilarious scene) while her and Zayday (Keke Palmer) peruse for clues as to which Kappa sister is the killer. She looks at an unknown transcript and finds one with false identification records, but whose course list included “Domestic Terrorism,” “Sewing,” and “Gross Anatomy”… seems like we have a major league suspect.

Meanwhile, the Chanels arrive at the Dorkus Estate, but #5 suspiciously sneaks off. Chanel’s apology becomes a confrontation, as she accuses Dorkus of being the killer only to be interrupted by Zayday and Grace with the reveal… it’s Hester (Lea Michele)! Only when they get back to Kappa, Hester is lying in a pool of blood stabbed in the eye with a stiletto, and she points out #5 as the Red Devil.

We enter the second hour, and it’s January 2016. Grace and Zayday are welcoming new winter pledges with their treasurer, Hester (with eyepatch). Hester narrates; she got away with it, a plan 20-years in the making! She knew she was hot so she needed a “cloak of social indifference,” and found one in the mental institution; the neckbrace. Now she’s there with her true sisters, Grace is her half-sister, and NO Chanels.

The plan involved hiring fake actor parents, and getting Chanel #5’s parents to completely disown her and sell her down the river… which is actually really disturbing and mean. Hester goes to accuse #3 of some of the murders, concocting a story about split personalities, and using pen-pal letters from her dad, Charles Manson. Of course, Chanel is next and I have to admit these stories are getting tedious. Denise Hemphill (Niecy Nash) arrests all three Chanels and things appear to be over and done with.

Fast forward to May, 2016, where a happy Munsch is happily gloating about current events. The Chanels are awaiting trial and denied bail. We FINALLY get a Chad Radwell (Glen Powell) update, he was dating, then dumped by Denise. They at least get some funny dialogue set to the tune of Waterfalls by TLC. In the end, the Chanels are convicted and sentenced to life in an asylum. Turns out, in my favorite twist, THEY LOVE IT there, without any of society’s pressures, they can be themselves, and become genuinely good people.

Scream Queens season 1 was exactly what could be expected from the minds that brought us American Horror Story AND Glee. It was those shows blended perfectly into a bloody, sarcastic, and hilariously self aware monster baby. A show like this can only work if the actors are willing to run with the dialogue and situations, and embraces the lunacy. The Chanels, especially Emma Roberts were outstanding. Jamie Lee Curtis, Oliver Hudson, Niecy Nash, and especially Glen Powell had no problem going to the ridiculous extremes of storylines. While the last hour felt totally tacked on, and I would have preferred the season ending after the penultimate episode, nothing was ruined. Hester as the reveal was a good one, as she was the most obvious suspect, but was hiding in plain sight. I kept thinking, “she’s too crazy to be the killer.” So kudos to the three evil geniuses; Murphy, Falchuk, and Brennan for fooling me here. They will have me following them from show to show. The only thing that could’ve made the season better… more Chad Radwell. Can we say SPIN-OFF!?!?

Image Gallery

Videos

SCREAM QUEENS | A Little Crazy from “Dorkus / The Final Girl(s)”

Dean Munsch has a surprise waiting for her at home.

SCREAM QUEENS | A Healthy Culture from “Dorkus / The Final Girl(s)”

Chanel endures a public shaming.

SCREAM QUEENS | Swipe Right from “Dorkus / The Final Girl(s)”

Chanel #5 has to leave abruptly after her Tinder profile gets swiped right.

SCREAM QUEENS | A Friendly Visit from “Dorkus / The Final Girl(s)”

Chanel and company visit Melanie Dorkus.