Okay, now we’re talking. “Hell Week” was a much more focused episode of Scream Queens – it upped the stakes narratively, it introduced layers of complexity to its characters, and it gave the audience a whole series of questions that beg for answers. While not without its flaws, “Hell Week” is the kind of episode that gives viewers a reason to tune in every week. This makes “Pilot” look like a necessary evil. The comedy still works more than the horror, but I found myself much more invested in the story, which is necessary for this show to become more than just a gimmick.
Not a whole lot happens here, which is okay, because we get to know the characters a lot better. “Pilot” was all about Grace, Chanel, and Munsch (to an extent), but here we get to see more of Neckbrace, who as it turns out is a low-key psychopath. And true to Ryan Murphy’s style, she’s not the only character on this show obsessed with death (Chad, while having sex with Chanel: “I’d love to have sex with a corpse!”). Lea Michele, whose inclusion here seemed like stunt casting to me, deserves credit for turning in a solid performance as a very unglamorous character.
Elsewhere, Grace’s relationship with Pete is progressing nicely, and the two share an easy chemistry that’s fun to watch. When they kiss, I was wondering if there was a time jump in this episode, because they kissed like people who have been doing it for a while. The fact that it was their first kiss speaks volumes about their relationship, and where it could go – at least until Grace finds a red devil costume in Pete’s closet.
That’s what “Hell Week” succeeds the most at: making a solid case for anyone being the killer. Forget what I said in my last review, I’m officially interested in the mystery of the killer’s identity. I assumed – and I’m still not convinced otherwise – that the killer will turn out to be the party baby, or at least in league with them. But there were so many times that the camera lingered on certain characters just so we could see the faces they made when no one was looking (Brad Falchuk is officially better at directing Scream Queens than is Ryan Murphy, who directed the pilot). We get the creepy look from Boone, Pete, and even from Munsch, who for some reason is standing outside the Kappa house late at night. By the episode’s end, we know definitively that Boone is in cahoots with the killer, so it will be interesting to see how that develops.
Oh, and this is a digression, but we need to talk about my new favorite character: Chad. In the pilot, he seemed like a caricature of a rich college douche, but he’s weirdly the most progressive character on the show. He accepts Boone even though Boone is gay, even going so far as to let him sleep in the same bed (after making Boone promise that he won’t touch Chad’s weiner). Then after being caught by Chanel, Chad breaks up with her again for being homophobic. Gotta say, I didn’t see that coming from Chad, and I love being pleasantly surprised. (Although he and Chanel break up like three times in this episode, which I do not need as a running joke, seeing as how it was only marginally funny the first time.)
“Hell Week” was a smarter and more driven episode than “Pilot.” It asked so many questions, which I’ll spend the rest of the week speculating about: did Munsch really help Kappa cover up the girl’s death in 1995? What’s up with Pete? Is the killer actually the party baby? Murphy and Falchuk set out to have fun with a bunch of their friends, but it feels like they almost accidentally created a potentially compelling story.
A Few Thoughts
- Jamie Lee Curtis looks fantastic throughout, but she looked amazing in that first scene
- That was a solid Serial joke courtesy of Shondel
- “Poop lagoon” is just a great phrase
- “If we touch her she can’t haunt her dreams.” Lea Michele killed all those weird lines
- “Supposedly it was a super fun party”
- “He has a huge boner!”
- Current prediction for the killer’s identity: Dean Cathy Munsch, with the assistance of Boone, who I think is the party baby
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