Battle Royale (American Horror Story)

Last updated

"Battle Royale"
American Horror Story episode
Episode no.Season 5
Episode 11
Directed by Michael Uppendahl
Written by Ned Martel
Featured music
Production code5ATS11
Original air dateJanuary 6, 2016 (2016-01-06)
Running time47 minutes
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"She Gets Revenge"
Next 
"Be Our Guest"
American Horror Story: Hotel
List of episodes

"Battle Royale" is the eleventh episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story . It aired on January 6, 2016, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by Ned Martel and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

Contents

Plot

Liz and Iris shoot The Countess and Donovan, and The Countess escapes while Donovan lies dying. At his request, Iris and Liz move him outside the hotel to die so his spirit will not be trapped inside forever. Sally saves The Countess, reviving her with blood from her vampire children, and reveals her past. Iris and Liz free Ramona to use as a weapon against The Countess. Ramona confronts a now-weak Countess Elizabeth but is seduced by her old lover. The Countess packs and is about to leave the hotel for good, but John guns her down as his final kill: "Thou Shalt Not Commit Murder." Now trapped in the hotel forever, The Countess' ghost arrives at March's suite, where he tells her that he can finally forgive The Countess for turning him in to the police; she reveals that she did not. Hazel admits she was the one who called the police so that she could have March to herself. March banishes Hazel from his presence, who feels oddly free now that she is not bound to him.

Reception

"Battle Royale" was watched by 1.84 million people during its original broadcast, and gained a 0.9 ratings share among adults aged 18 to 49. [1] It also ranked third in the Nielsen Social ratings, with 52,000 tweets seen by over 897,000 people. [2]

The episode received positive reviews, earning an 82% approval rating based on 11 reviews, with an average score of 6.4/10, on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes. The critical consensus reads: "Thanks to a story that starts pulling the viewer toward the end of the season – and a surprise special appearance from a familiar character – "Battle Royale" is a penultimate episode with more than enough momentum to overcome its flaws." [3]

Related Research Articles

<i>American Horror Story</i> American horror anthology television series

American Horror Story (AHS) is an American horror anthology television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the cable network FX. The first installment in the American Story media franchise, seasons of AHS are mostly conceived as self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters in a new setting within the same fictional universe, and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season are loosely inspired by true events. Many actors appear in more than one season, usually playing a new character though sometimes as a returning character, and often playing multiple characters in a season. Evan Peters, Sarah Paulson, and Lily Rabe have returned most frequently, with each having appeared in nine seasons, followed by Frances Conroy and Denis O'Hare who both appear in eight; Emma Roberts, Billie Lourd, and Leslie Grossman appear in six, while other notable actors including Jessica Lange, Kathy Bates, Angela Bassett, Adina Porter, Finn Wittrock, and Jamie Brewer appear in five of the seasons.

"Murder House" is the third episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on October 19, 2011. The episode was written by Jennifer Salt and directed by Bradley Buecker. The episode is rated TV-MA (LSV).

"Birth" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the television series American Horror Story, which premiered on the network FX on December 14, 2011. The episode was written by Tim Minear and directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon. This episode is rated TV-MA (LV).

<i>Man Seeking Woman</i> American comedy television series

Man Seeking Woman is an American romantic comedy television series created by Simon Rich for FXX. It originally aired for 3 seasons from January 14, 2015, to March 8, 2017. The series is set in Chicago, about a naïve and soft-spoken man in his 20s named Josh Greenberg, who finds himself in several surrealist and awkward circumstances while trying to find love.

<i>American Horror Story: Hotel</i> Fifth season of American Horror Story

The fifth season of the American horror anthology television series American Horror Story, subtitled Hotel, is centered around the mysterious Hotel Cortez in Los Angeles, the scene of disturbing and paranormal events, overseen by its enigmatic staff. The location is loosely based on the Cecil Hotel, marked by deaths and tragedies. The ensemble cast includes Wes Bentley, Chloë Sevigny, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Matt Bomer, Denis O'Hare, Cheyenne Jackson, Angela Bassett, Kathy Bates and Lady Gaga, with all returning from previous seasons, except newcomers Jackson and Gaga. Hotel marks the first season to not feature cast mainstays Jessica Lange and Frances Conroy. Breaking from the anthological format, the season is connected to Murder House and Coven.

"Checking In" is the premiere episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 7, 2015, on the cable network FX. The episode was co-written by creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and directed by Murphy.

"Chutes and Ladders" is the second episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 14, 2015, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Tim Minear and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Devil's Night" is the fourth episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 28, 2015, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by Jennifer Salt and directed by Loni Peristere.

"Mommy" is the third episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 21, 2015 on the cable network FX. This episode was written by James Wong and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Room Service" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 4, 2015, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by Ned Martel and directed by Michael Goi.

"Room 33" is the sixth episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 11, 2015, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by John J. Gray and directed by Loni Peristere.

"Flicker" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 18, 2015 on the cable network FX. This episode was written by Crystal Liu and directed by Michael Goi.

"The Ten Commandments Killer" is the eighth episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on December 2, 2015, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by Ryan Murphy and directed by Loni Peristere.

"She Wants Revenge" is the ninth episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on December 9, 2015, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by Brad Falchuk and directed by Michael Uppendahl.

"She Gets Revenge" is the tenth episode of the fifth season of the horror anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on December 16, 2015, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by James Wong and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Be Our Guest" is the twelfth and final episode of the fifth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on January 13, 2016, on the cable network FX. This episode was written by John J. Gray and directed by Bradley Buecker.

"Chapter 2" is the second episode of the sixth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on September 21, 2016, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Tim Minear and directed by Michael Goi.

"Traitor" is the seventh episode of the eighth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 24, 2018, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Adam Penn, and directed by Jennifer Lynch.

"True Killers" is the fourth episode of the ninth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on October 9, 2019, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Jay Beattie, and directed by Jennifer Lynch.

"Rest in Pieces" is the eighth episode of the ninth season of the anthology television series American Horror Story. It aired on November 6, 2019, on the cable network FX. The episode was written by Adam Penn, and directed by Gwyneth Horder-Payton.

References

  1. Porter, Rick (January 7, 2016). "Wednesday cable ratings: 'AHS: Hotel' returns, plus 'It's Always Sunny,' 'Alaskan Bush People'". TV by the Numbers . Archived from the original on January 8, 2016. Retrieved January 7, 2016.
  2. Fratti, Karen (January 7, 2016). "Scoreboard: Wednesday, Jan. 6". Lost Remote. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  3. "Battle Royale". Rotten Tomatoes . Retrieved January 8, 2016.