Let me start off by saying I did not love this finale. We've had nine hours of pretty fantastic television, but Chapter 10 was like three chapters crammed into one and I'm not sure why. Were there some bright moments? Sure. But I think I would have been fine if the story ended last week...even with the "what happens to Lee?" cliffhanger. Here's what went down in the final episode of American Horror Story: Roanoke.
I Don't Know What I'm To Say
The episode opens in a flashback to the Millers and the cast of My Roanoke Nightmare in a PaleyFest interview in front of a mass of fans. Season 1 has just become a phenomenon and Sydney is touting the people involved in the show as much as he can to drum up support for another season. Agnes in particular makes me laugh as she eagerly jumps in, hoping for Season 2. "I really think we've just scratched the surface on what makes The Butcher tick." She's already starting to go cuckoo and I love it. All of the young girls are screaming for Rory and he is eating it up, much to the chagrin of his not yet fiance, Audrey. Dominic plays to the fans as well, but one fan in particular is there to see Lee. She "identifies" with Lee and brings her a sweet drawing of Lee and Flora. Cut to this fan's video blog about the end of Season 2 and how it was bigger than the first season. Fans everywhere were asking if the footage was real or fake, but Lee's upcoming murder trial answered that question.
We go now to another TV show within the TV show called Crack'd which is airing an episode all about Lee. The Season 2 footage showed Lee killing the Polk boy, Todd the fan, as well as Monet and her fabulous hair. This should have been an easy conviction right? Nah. Lee did a lot of drugs with the hillbilly while in captivity so obviously she was hallucinating when she committed all of those crimes on camera. The footage also showed the Polks torturing her, so Lee's defense attorney puts together a convincing argument that Lee "didn't know what she was doing" during that time. The attorney doesn't mention the possession by not Lady Gaga. Probably a good call. The jury buys it and Lee is acquitted of all charges.
But then there's that little matter of Lee's taped confession to killing Mason. THAT has to be an easy conviction, right? Well, don't you know that Lee's confession was also a reaction to her captors...and she only said those things to impress the Polks? That's what the defense is going with but the prosecution actually has an eye witness on hand to testify...Flora. She was apparently watching her parents argue from behind a tree in the woods that night. She tells the jury that Lee clocked Mason with a rock and kept hitting him until he stopped moving. Lee leans over and whispers something to her attorney who then rises to cross-examine the little girl. She asks Flora to talk about Priscilla, "the ghost girl from the TV show." The jury then thinks Flora is making everything up and acquits Lee of this murder as well. Good grief.
Today's Another Day To Find You
Okay, so part 1 of this finale is over. Onto Lee's post trial media parade and the return of Lana Winters from AHS Asylum. If you recall, I spent most of that season referring to her as Stupid Lana and she really doesn't make me feel any differently tonight. Just as she was at the end of Asylum, Stupid Lana is still a world famous author and her television interviews are ratings gold. Lee goes on her live show to tell her story. We learn that Lee has become an author and motivational speaker (seriously?) and she has chosen Stupid Lana over people like Diane Sawyer and Barbara Walters because Stupid Lana too has killed to survive traumatic circumstances.
Stupid Lana asks Lee how she is coping with the hell she went through in both rounds of Roanoke and the aftermath. Lee explains that her goal of getting Flora back in her life is what keeps her going. See, Flora pretty much hates her mother's guts and she lives with Mason's parents these days, so Lee is now preparing to head back to the courtroom again for a custody battle. Stupid Lana mentions that because of Mason's murder trial, most of America believes Flora is a liar. Lee gets super defensive before her interviewer asks: "Where is Flora?" Uh oh. Seems Mason's parents reported Flora missing an hour before the show began. Lee begins to panic but her cries of "I have to find my daughter!" are stifled by the sound of gunfire in the hallway. The last of the torturing Polks busts in and shoots up most of the room. Stupid Lana introduces herself and tells him he is on live television. "The world is watching you young man. Millions of people. You have an opportunity to tell your truth." He knocks her ass out with the butt of his gun as the police barrel in and shoot the redneck dead. The picture becomes a "Technical Difficulties. Please Stand By." sign and my brain is starting to hurt. What the hell was the point of all this other than learning Flora is missing...AGAIN?
I'll Be Gone
Starting part 3 of this chapter, we know go to yet another show within the show, Spirit Chasers. These paranormalists are morons and choose to film an episode of their show during the blood moon in the Miller's house. Who even owns the house at this point? Doesn't matter. The Spirit Chasers and crew actually have no authorization to even be on the grounds, but they are somehow still joined by Ashley Gilbert, the little guy who played Tangina Cricket in My Roanoke Nightmare. I've missed him.
When the sun goes down all of the toys and monitors the Spirit Chasers have start to get some crazy activity. Some of it is paranormal and some of it is the fact that Lee is walking around in the house. Whyyyyyyyyy? She's there looking for Flora and tells the Spirit Chasers they're stupid f*cks for being there. Heh. These guys are too busy being fanboys to listen and follow Lee around the house with their camera. The first ghost they encounter isn't Priscilla though...it's the Piggy Man and he guts Tangina Cricket Ashley immediately. Now the Spirit Chasers are paying attention and shitting their pants. Chaser #1 is attacked by one of the Chens. Chaser #2 runs from the nurses and makes it safely outside with the cameraman. Chaser #3 makes it out the front door as well but meets The Butcher's cleaver immediately. The police arrive just then and when they get out of their cars, a shower of arrows rains down and kills everyone still standing.
Lee is still inside wandering around looking for Flora and finds her on the top floor just as more police arrive along with news crews. The reporters are describing the situation as "a standoff" because they believe Lee has kidnapped Flora and is holding her in the house. Do they also think Lee is responsible for the arrows and cleaver? It's not really addressed. Lee apologizes to Flora for everything (including killing her father) and begs her to walk out of there and be a family with her. Flora wants to stay with Priscilla and in the house forever. She's willing to burn the place down and throws a straight up hissy fit when Lee argues with her. Are you wondering how this bullshit will be resolved? Lee offers to stay in the house instead and take care of Priscilla. She says she will be Priscilla's mommy if Flora agrees to go back and live with Mason's parents. "You can come visit us when it's not the blood moon." WHAT?!?! Am I hearing this right? "Please," she says. "Let me do that for you." Flora and Priscilla are good with this plan and Lee burns the effing house down. Flora escapes just in time and sees her mom and Priscilla hand in hand as she is driven off the grounds. The last shot we see is of the blood moon and torches descending upon the police and camera crews still standing outside the house.
And that's that. Look, I was okay with Ryan Murphy trying to re-create the tension from The People v. OJ Simpson with Lee's trial. I could almost swallow his need for a Lana Winters cameo. However, the hillbilly shootout that went nowhere, followed by the worst Ghost Hunters imitation ever, simply made me throw my hands up in the air and scream. I don't buy that the last Polk standing would shoot up a room except for the person he actually came to shoot. I don't buy that Flora somehow ran away to the Miller's house by herself because she wanted to die there and be with Priscilla forever. I don't buy that after all Lee was willing to do to save herself (i.e. kill her ex-husband and try to make her daughter look crazy in court), she was cool with burning down a house and spending eternity with the everyone who died on that land. And I REALLY don't buy that she'd want Flora to come chill with the ghosts during the non blood moon periods. This final hour just doesn't make sense to me but I won't let it shadow the overall amazing season we've watched. Roanoke took a path quite unlike any other season with the documentary and reality TV style format and I really did love that. I'm just going to pretend the whole thing ended after Lee was acquitted, wrote a book, made a shit ton of money, and learned to live with the fact that her kid hated her. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. 
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