Los Angeles - 1926
A taxicab pulls up to the Murder House and Mrs. Johnson--the Countess--gets out. She goes inside and meets with the owner, Dr. Charles Montgomery. She explains that her friend Margaret Gibson gave her Charles' name, and Charles was able to help Margaret with her "problem." The countess starts to explains that her husband doesn't know she's expecting, but Charles doesn't want to hear the details. She reveals that she's almost fully pregnant, buy says that she's three weeks along.
Charles leads the woman to his basement operating room. He calls in a nurse and she takes Mrs. Johnson's temperature, and the nurse discovers that the woman's temperature is 75 degree. Charles dismisses it as a mistake error and administers anesthesia, He then begins the abortion, removes the fetus, and tells the nurse to dispose of it. The nurse says that it's still alive, and it leaps on her and attacks. Charles stares as the creature rips the nurse's throat out. He then picks it up and hands it to an awakening the Countess, telling her that it's a boy.
Now
In his room at the Cortez, John tries to sleep and finds Holden in the bed next to him. Holden runs off, laughing, and John chases him down the hallway into the stairwell to the empty pool. The police detective sees the glass coffins and the children inside... and Alex sleeping next to Holden. He pounds on the glass and faints when Alex looks up at him.
Tristan and Liz have sex in Liz's room. Afterward, Liz gives her lover two works of literature, and talks about how when she lets Liz out, she can feel and taste and love. Tristan wonders if she loves him, and Liz admits that she isn't sure. The former model assures Liz that he loves her, and no one ever gave him real books to him because they didn't think he was smart enough. Tristan says that their sex together is the best even though he's not gay, and Liz insists that she is a girl. She breaks into tears and says that she loves Tristan but it won't end well after what they're doing to the Countess. Tristan says that if the Countess saw them together then she'd understand.
The Countess is having sex with Will and asks if he wants her to do something different. He admits that he's attracted to women but isn't sexually drawn to them, and the Countess says that she's inviting him to have an adventure. She texts Tristan and calls him to her room. Tristan says that he has to go, and Liz asks him not to talk to the Countess about them for a little longer.
Tristan runs to the penthouse and finds the Countess and Will there. She asks for some help with Will, and Tristan says that he made up his stories about having man-on-man sex in prison. The Countess tells Tristan to fluff Will up and makes it clear that he can't refuse. Tristan has no choice but to undress and get in bed with Will.
Alex goes to the lobby and tells Liz that she needs her help. Liz isn't interested, but Alex warns that John has found the sleeping chamber. She's drugged him unconscious and insists that John can't know about her and Holden. Liz understands about true love and offers to help her get rid of the coffins.
Later, Alex wakes up the sleeping John and claims that he called and asked her to come because he was having visions. She supposedly found him in the hallway and got him back to bed. John explains about Holden and the coffins, and Alex points out that Scarlett said the same thing and now John is sharing the memories. He insists on going down to the pool to confirm what he saw. The coffins are gone.
Earlier, Liz and Alex break up the coffins.
The Countess goes to Room 33 and lets herself in. She goes to the bed and says that Mommy is going to Paris. When she gets back, she'll have so much money she'll never have to leave again.
Now
Ramona and Donovan enter the lobby and Iris ignores them. The couple gets in the elevator and Donovan says that the Countess is gone. Ramona says that they're going to the basement to kill the children. She says that Donovan doesn't care about the children, and he's hesitating because he's not over the Countess. Donovan figures that Ramona is obsessed as well, and Ramona tells Donovan to go to the penthouse and she'll take care of the children herself. She goes to the pool and Iris joins her... and they discover that the coffins are gone. Ramona is impressed that Iris wants to kill the kids, and Iris figures that they have to kill them to destroy the Countess. The former actress tells Iris to find and kill the children, while she deals with the one other reason the Countess has to go on: the occupant of Room 33.
Donovan enters the penthouse and looks around. He finds a pair of the Countess' panties and sniffs them, and Agnetha and Vendela's ghosts come in and ask Donovan to help guide them out of the hotel. He tells them that they can't leave the hotel and that until they find a purpose, they'll repeat themselves over and over again.
Justin's ghost pounds on the door of his room, screaming for kale.
Donovan tells the Swedish women that there are those who have broken out of the cycle. He explains that there was an elementary school teacher named Cara who came to the Cortez to kill herself. Mrs. Evers sealed the room, and Cara spent months in the tub decomposing. She wandered the hotel for months and finally found her purpose terrorizing the hotel guests. However, Donovan warns the women that they can never escape the hotel: just relieve the tedium. As for him, he lost his purpose when he lost the Countess.
Ramona enters Room 33, knife in hand, and calls to Bartholomew. There's no response, and Ramona says that his Auntie Ramona is there. She looks beneath the dresser and Bartholomew rolls a ball across the floor at her. She spots him and says that she has a surprise, and then slashes with her knife.
Liz is delivering a tray and sees the door to Room 33 open. She opens it and looks inside, and realizes that Bartholomew is gone. He gets Alex and says that they need to find Bartholomew before the Countess gets back, or there'll be hell to pay. Liz goes to the bar and finds Ramona drinking and nursing her bitten hand. she says that it's being taken care of, and Ramona says that Bartholomew should have died years ago. Liz then says that Ramona has to leave because she can't have any upsets. She admits that she's in love at last with Tristan, and Ramona points out that Tristan is the Countess' new squeeze. Liz insists that the Countess doesn't love Tristan, and Ramona says that he has to run. The transvestite figures that he can tell the Countess and she'll understand, but Ramona warns that the Countess will rip Liz's heart out of her chest.
Alex hears sobbing from a room and goes inside. Agnetha and Vendela are there, and say that they just want to stop walking.
Earlier, a model named Woo has checked into the hotel and tries call his boyfriend. His phone goes dead, and Agnetha walks by and says that she needs a ride. Woo offers to give her a fast ride or a slow one. They are soon having sex in a room. Vendela joins them and says that she wants to play, and Woo figures that it's some kind of prostitute scam to get him to pay double. He tells them to get out and goes to the bathroom. Vendela hands Agnetha a drink, says no more hallways, and then goes into the bathroom. After a moment, Wu staggers out, his throat cut. Agnetha jumps on him and the two women stab Woo to death.
Alex says that she's a friend and the women say that they were trying to find their purpose. They admit that they feel sorry for Woo and refuse to go back to the hallways. Alex says that they can find their purpose by breaking the guests' minds, and says that she knows a guy who always wanted two girls.
John hears about the newest Ten Commandment murder over the police scanner and goes to the church. His former partner Hahn says that they haven't determined yet if the serial killer is responsible, and John shoves past him. The victim was force-fed coins until he burst apart. John tells Hahn that the dead man was a televangelist preaching the gospel of prosperity, and he broke the Commandment against taking the Lord's name in vain. Hahn tells his ex-partner that they don't need him because they have someone in custody.
Back at the Cortez, John is in sitting in the hallway drinking. Liz joins him and says that she's looking for someone. John insists that he loves his family but he's shitty at it, and Liz offers to take him to his bed. When John refuses, Liz tries to drag him up but John shoves her away and insists that he's going to have his breakdown. Agnetha and Vendela come over and circle him, and say that they're looking for him. They kiss John and take him to his room, and the bed fills with blood as they have sex. John sees it and runs out to the lobby, naked. He knocks the book out of Liz's hands and realizes that she can see the blood on him. They go back to the room and find Mrs. Evers complaining about the blood on the sheets. Vendela and Agnetha come out and thank John, and say that they have a purpose. John screams at everyone to get out. Once they leave, March appears and congratulates John on truly checking into the Cortez. John charges at him and he disappears, and John pounds on the walls in frustration. He starts packing and then goes into the shower to clean off the blood. Bartholomew crawls into the room and then ducks into the open suitcase as John gets out.
Once he dresses, John picks up Scarlett from her grandmother and goes home. Scarlett complains that Alex isn't even answering her phone and hasn’t called her for two days. John assures her that he's staying and will never leave her alone, and Scarlett goes off to her room. In his room, John opens his suitcase and hears Scarlett crying in her bedroom. He goes to check on his daughter, while Bartholomew emerges from his suitcase. John tells Scarlett that he's going to make things right again and talk to Alex. Scarlett notices the blood on his clothes and John stares at in shock. He finally says that he was in an accident at the hotel and goes back to his room. The clothes from the suitcase are thrown across the room, and John gets his gun from the closet.
Scarlett is in the living room watching cartoons when Bartholomew crawls in. John comes in and sees the creature in the kitchen, and aims his gun. He shoots, scaring Scarlett, and she screams at her father to get away from him. Bartholomew runs off, leaving a blood trail.
Will and the Countess return home from Paris with a sleeping Lachlan. The Countess helps him to the elevator and tells will to get some sleep. Once he goes up, Liz helps the Countess to her penthouse and says that there's something she wants to talk to the Countess about. She finally says that she's fallen in love... with Tristan. The Countess merely asks how long, and Liz says a couple of week. She insists that she loves Tristan far more than the Countess does, and says that it's her one chance at happiness. The Countess says that she doesn't share, and suggests that she might let Tristan go when she's done with him. Liz points out that she's not immortal like the Countess, and the Countess knows better than anyone that they only get one great love in their lives. The Countess says that they'll talk to Tristan.
Hahn and Alex arrive at the Lowe house and John tells his former partner that he shot at monsters. Alex says that Hahn should take Scarlett back to her grandmother's. Once Hahn leaves with the girl, Alex approaches John. He admits that his own daughter is afraid of him, and wonders if he's going crazy. Alex says that he just needs some sleep in his own bed, and John realizes that she's going back to the Cortez. His wife denies it, and John goes inside and slams the door behind him. Alex then goes to the back and finds Bartholomew hiding in the bushes.
Tristan returns to Liz's room and finds the Countess and Liz waiting for him. The Countess gets them drinks and says that she can taste betrayal. Tristan angrily says that he isn't going to spend his life crying over her broken promise, and knows that she enjoys getting them addicted to her and then take it away. He refuses to suffer over her and insists that he was made for a real love. Liz begs the Countess to let her have just one. Tristan says that it's what he wants as well, and hugs Liz. The Countess tells Liz that she can have Tristan and then cuts Tristan's throat.
Later, the Countess goes to Room 33 and finds Alex comforting Bartholomew. Lex explains that he got caught and lost a little blood, but he'll be fine. The Countess takes her child and thanks Alex for saving her son. Alex reminds her that she saved Holden and leaves. In the room, the Countess comforts her mutated offspring.
Written by Gadfly on Nov 12, 2015