American Horror Story: Hotel recap: 'Flicker' 

'American Horror Story: Hotel' recap: 'Room 33'

Will Drake’s a busy man. He’s got fashion shows to host, parties to throw, art to create, and a wedding to plan. He can’t be bothered with the little details of the Hotel Cortez. When some construction workers complain about an inch of steel running the length of an entire floor, he throws up his hands: Knock it down. Inside, two construction workers get attacked by ghouls. But are they undead, viralized ghouls, or dead corridor-haunting ghouls? The construction workers will never know — unless they come back as ghosts, too. (Hey, maybe they can get together with the Danish girls!)

Meanwhile, Detective John Lowe has finally taken steps to heal himself. He’s checking in to a hospital. Why? Well, he’s had some professional setbacks, some personal setbacks. He’s very stressed out about this whole Ten Commandments Killer case, which is frequently one of the 700 most-important subplots this season. Lowe’s soon-to-be-ex-wife is proud of him for taking ownership of his mental health. The joke’s on her, though! John’s only checking into this particular hospital because that’s where the cops have posted the leading suspect in the Ten Commandments Killer case. No doubt he’s got one heck of a plan in place.

That can wait, though. Back at the Cortez, Gaga and Kathy Bates find the dead construction workers. This is the scene where Bates says, quote, “I couldn’t pick my butthole out of a lineup.” What a line! I would take a whole episode of 

 that was just every member of the cast stepping into the spotlight on a darkened stage, clearing their throat, and intoning: “I couldn’t pick my butthole out of a lineup.” Paulson would kill that line. Wittrock would kill that line. Denis O’Hare? He would say that line, and Zombie Shakespeare would rise from his grave just to try and write something as good as that line.

Anyhow, this leads to a lengthy flashback: The Origin of the Countess. Back in 1925, Gaga was an actress on an old Hollywood sword n’ sandals n’ anachronistic flapper bodices epic. She played Slave Girl, or perhaps Harem Concubine. She met Rudolph Valentino: The Rudolph Valentino, the great lover of the silent screen, played here by Finn Wittrock, who is now required by law to have at least two different roles per season of 

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In his short life and long death, Valentino was dogged by rumors of homosexuality. On 

, no one is so easily defined. He invites Gaga home for a threesome with his wife, Natacha Rambova, played by Alexandra Daddario of 

 fame. In real life, Valentino died young and Rambova died in her mid-60s in Pasadena. On 

, Valentino faked his death after a chance meeting with German director F.W. Murnau.

, one of the great works of horror cinema. (He also made 

, a much better movie which nobody ever talks about because it has no vampires.) Valentino explains how Murnau researched 

 by going deep into the Carpathian Mountains, where he met a bunch of free-loving virus vampires who had wild forest sex all day. Murnau passes the virus to Valentino; Valentino passes it to Natacha; and they pass it to Gaga.

Just one problem: By the time they reappear, Gaga has been married. And what a husband she’s found: James Patrick March, the haunting mascot of our haunted hotel. Before March killed himself and his beloved maid, he married Gaga. (The irony was too delicious for him: A murderer, he saved her life when she was considering suicide.) In a fit of jealousy, he

‘d Rudy and Natacha, locking them up forever in his hotel.

NEXT: Detective Lowe puts his plan in place

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