Spoilers ahead for American Horror Stories.
When Billie Lourd believes a demon is the father of her baby in American Horror Stories, you believe her. After all, the show is an American Horror Story spinoff. But with all the twists in Stories' "BA'AL," the episode was less Rosemary's Baby and more Gaslight.
Lourd's character Liv really wants to have a baby despite multiple failed attempts of fertility treatments. Her super supportive actor husband is down to keep on trying no matter what. The receptionist at the reproductive center has watched Liv struggling for two years, so she gives her an ancient fertility totem to put under her bed. It seemingly works and she has a baby. But then Liv starts seeing and hearing things that make her believe that Baby Aaron is the spawn of the spirit Ba'al and the demon wants the baby back.
Now, of freaking course, viewers should have suspected the poor, out-of-work-actor, too-good-to-be-true husband. The signs were there. (The most unbelievable of Matt's many, many lies was that his CSI bit character was getting a flashback. Sure, dude.) But, perhaps, with all these twists, you got tricked right alongside Liv... and then tricked again by Liv herself. The devil's in the details, baby.
The Receptionist At The Reproductive Center
As if the receptionist at a swanky Beverly Hills reproductive center doing an under the table deal with a spiritual figurine wasn't red flag enough (that job seems cushy, you don't want to lose it!), Bernadette complimented Liv's husband before handing over the totem — "He's a keeper. Nice guy and hot." Welp, should've known right then and there that Bernadette and Matt were having an affair. Now, does that mean that Matt started cheating on Liv during their visits to get fertility treatments? (Gross.) Or, did his girlfriend secure herself this job in order to set up this ruse? (Elaborately gross.)
A Tale Of Three Totems
Emma the set decorator would like to be praised for all her hard work in carving three different Ba'al totems to make Liv feel like she was losing it. It's called eBay, Emma! I'm still left wondering which person kept moving the little statues.
The Special Effects
The baby monitor glitches, sound system with the words "I want him," mist, and scratches to the duct system were all courtesy of Matt's film friends. To help Liv truly feel the effects of these special effects, Matt even tampered with her medication.
Ba'al
Some things can't be replicated by effects, so the gang needed a real-life actor for the role of Ba'al. Rory, the "tall, geek character actor," apparently hung around Liv's home at all hours of the night to stalk her and her poor child. How does one list terrorizing a woman and her baby on their acting résumé?
The Ouija Board
Manipulating the Ouija Board is the oldest trick in the book. But with an earlier fakeout to prove the second try was "real," maybe these film a-holes tricked you too.
The Banishing Spell
Bernadette is all too prepared to give Liv a banishing spell in her paganism-themed apartment. It turns out to be a hoax to lead Liv to accidentally stab her husband, so he can get all her money. Note to self: Even if someone claims they're super into magic, maybe question them giving you a dagger.
The Summoning Spell
A-ha! The final twist. The fake banishing spell was actually a very real summoning spell that allowed Liv to call Ba'al. Joke's on you, Matt! Ba'al is real, he just killed all your friends, and you're now in jail for the murders.
The moral of the story (I think?) is, don't trust struggling film types in L.A. Oh, and when given the chance, Billie Lourd will create a demon baby.
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Images: FX on Hulu