American Horror Story: Delicate – Season 12 Episode 5 Recap & Review

Preech

American Horror Story: Delicate Season 12 Episode 5 starts with a flashback to 1987, when Mrs. Preecher experiences a terrifying birth at the hands of The Ashleys and Dr. Hill. 

Back to the present day, and Mrs. Preecher has turned her attention to Dex’s mother. The two of them sit down for drinks, and Preecher’s full backstory is revealed: She was a top student at FIT in the late 80s and got an apprenticeship by Karl Lagerfield and Saint Laurent before she graduated. She had a one night stand, which ended up in a pregnancy she had intended to abort, but was prevented from doing so by a woman who promised to help her in exchange for the baby. She goes on to explain that the Women in Black are targeting Dex’s family because Adeline left the group after falling for Dex. 

Anna is having a bad week. Dr. Hill puts her on bedrest, which means she misses the Golden Globes. Then Siobhan takes on her rival, Babette Eno, as a client, without notifying her. Sonia reassures Anna about her concerns regarding her stalker, but then looks guilty by lying about never wearing green shoes. She also denies being in the photograph Anna found in the kitchen drawer. Anna gets a massage to ease her pain, but Cora gets a bit too rough with her, and it ends in Anna yelling, “get your fingers out of me.”

Dex shrugs off Anna’s claims that Cora sexually assaulted her and then admits that he doesn’t believe her about anything. 

Babette is announced as the winner at the Globes, and Siobhan calls Anna to ask her if she wants an Oscar. Anna says she does want one, of course. She wakes up the next morning to find out that Babette has been decapitated in a car accident. Ouch!!

The affair between Hamish and Siobhan comes up again, and it turns out she gave him the script for The Auteur without telling him who wrote it. He asks the question “What is going on? And who the hell are you?”

The Episode Review

Wow. This was a shocking end to the mid season finale, with pay offs to plot strands built up in previous episodes. Things have officially gone way past the point of no return in this gripping horror series.

Babette’s death by decapitation raises a lot of questions, and Anna’s continued pain and suffering are more evident than ever in this episode. A brilliant cliffhanger to keep fans on the edge of their seats until the show returns.