Episode two of American Horror Story: Cult begins with a replay of the final scene from episode one. Ally (Sarah Paulson) turns to speak with Ivy in bed and comes face-to-face with a grotesque clown. She races into the kitchen, yelling at Ivy (Alison Pill) that there’s a clown in their bedroom. When Ally grabs for a knife, Ivy stops her and says they’re calling the police.
Ally reminds her their son is upstairs and now it’s Ivy’s turn to grab a knife. Racing upstairs, they cautiously make their way into the bedroom with Ivy holding the knife out in front. Ally points out where she saw the clown but of course, he’s no longer in the bed. They check the room but nothing’s out of place.
Ally’s about to have a breakdown, certain she’s not imagining the clowns. Ivy admits she can’t take much more of this, and Ally understands. They hug as Ally confesses she doesn’t know what’s real anymore.
Meanwhile, a clown has made his way to Oz’s room and switches off the nightlight. Oz gets out of bed and turns it back on and gets the shock of his young life. Twisty’s standing in his room! Oz hides under his bed but the clown from his mom’s room tosses his mattress off. Oz runs from the room and hides in the bathroom, locking the door behind him. Twisty and the clown break through the door and stand over Oz in the bathtub.
Oz screams for his moms and they race to his room. It turns out he’s in bed and was just experiencing a nightmare. They assure him he’s safe, and it’s Ivy he turns to for comfort.
Kai’s brutal beating, which he instigated and secretly filmed, makes the local news. Meadow (Leslie Grossman) and Harrison Wilton (Billy Eichner) claim they shot the video, and they tell the news reporter the beating was much more disturbing to witness in person.
One week later, Kai (Evan Peters) has left the hospital and addresses the media. He suggests Trump was correct when he called Mexicans criminals and rapists. He doesn’t think his community is safe, yelling at the citizens of his town to pay attention to what’s going on. He reveals he’s at City Hall to file to run for the seat on the council left vacant by the death of Mr. Chang. “Vote Kai Anderson. Vote for the man who can take your fear away! They’re out there,” says Kai.
Ally watches from the window as Meadow and Harrison Wilton move into the now-vacant Chang home across the street. As soon as the moving truck pulls away, she heads across the street and looks in the large front window. Harrison, wearing a white hazmat suit, scares her away and she hurries back home without saying anything.
At Ivy and Ally’s restaurant, Ivy’s second-in-command in the kitchen, Roger, threatens one of the cooks when he speaks Spanish. “You get that cholo shit out of my kitchen before I shove this ladle up your ass!” he yells. Ally steps in between Roger and Pedro, and then she refuses to fire an immigrant in this political climate.
Winter (Billie Lourd) is back on babysitting duty, but Oz doesn’t want to talk to her. She gives him a Twisty figurine, making him promise he won’t tell his moms about it. Oz is pissed she wouldn’t back up his story about the killer clowns, and Winter says his moms just think he imagined it. She says people believe what they want to believe. “The trick is, figuring out what they want to believe and then giving it to them,” she explains.
Oz asks what will happen if the clowns come back, but Winter’s sure they won’t. She makes him pinkie swear, telling him they’re connected now that their flesh is touching. If he lies, she’ll know. Oz says he wishes they wouldn’t have gone over to the house across the street, and Winter tells him to give her his fear. “I’m going to keep it for you. It’s going to make us both stronger,” says Winter.
Ivy and Ally return home and Oz doesn’t come when they call. Winter explains he’s across the street with the new neighbors who she describes as super cool.
Ally and Ivy race across the street and hear Oz scream in the backyard. It turns out Harrison is a beekeeper and he’s showing Oz his bees. Harrison says the bees don’t sting, and then Ally sees the holes in the honeycombs and barely manages to keep under control. They all introduce themselves, and the Wiltons apologize for asking Oz over to see their bees without his mothers’ permission.
Harrison, who doesn’t have a filter, calls Ally “Little Miss Snoopy Pants” and asks why she was looking through their window. It’s her turn to apologize and she confesses she was unnerved by someone moving into the Changs’ house so soon after the murder/suicide. Harrison says they called the owners of the house immediately after watching the news because they have bad credit and thought the owners would work with them to buy it because of the house’s notoriety. The owners signed over the lease quickly, and now it’s Harrison and Meadow’s place.
Harrison goes on to explain the bees in a hive don’t sting because every bee is 100% committed to a single task.
Meadow invites them inside because she’s had skin cancer and can’t stay outside. She blames it on global warming. She then goes on to reveal she works from home and that Etsy is her life. They are also co-vice presidents of the Michigan chapter of the Nicole Kidman fan club.
Harrison and Meadow are extremely chatty and apparently believe in sharing every aspect of their lives. It turns out Harrison is gay and they had agreed if they weren’t married by the time they were 35, they’d get married. They have an open relationship and it seems to work out well.
Finally, Harrison and Meadow ask about Ivy and Ally, but Ally doesn’t reveal anything. She says they have to go home and bathe Oz and as she approaches the front door, she sees the outline of a large smiley face drawing that hasn’t been completely scrubbed away.
Ally asks if it upsets them to be there so soon after the murders, and Harrison replies that they don’t scare easily.
That evening in bed, Ally wonders about the huge barrels the Wiltons are storing. Ivy doesn’t care, but Ally is suspicious. Oz interrupts to tell them he’s scared of sleeping in his own bedroom. They invite him into bed just as Ivy gets a message on her phone that the security system was tripped at the restaurant. Oz wants Ivy to stay and Ally volunteers to go.
Ally makes it to the restaurant and the alarm is sounding and lights are flashing. She deactivates the alarm and is about to leave when something catches her eye. She heads into the freezer area where carcasses are hanging on hooks. Roger the chef is also hanging from a hook and Ally screams.
The next day Dr. Vincent (Cheyenne Jackson) pays Ally a visit at home. Apparently, she’s missed her appointments and Ivy told him about the murder in the restaurant. Ally confesses Roger was still alive when she found him hanging from a hook and she tried to help him. Blood was squirting from his mouth and Dr. Vincent reminds her even the police said she isn’t responsible for not being able to save him. Ally thinks Detective Samuels just wants to pin the murder on Pedro the busboy, but she insists she’s the one who killed Roger.
A flashback shows Ivy and Ally speaking with Detective Samuels (Colton Haynes), and both swear there’s no way Pedro did this. Samuels asks about Pedro’s immigration status.
Dr. Vincent asks Ally how she feels and Ally says she’s been vindicated. She knows the world is f**ked up and the election made it worse.
We see another flashback to Ally paying a visit to Harrison and Meadow who just happen to be strong 2nd Amendment supporters that stocked up believing Obama was coming for their guns. Harrison tells Ally only a gun will make her feel safe again.
Ally shows Dr. Vincent her new gun and he’s shocked. When he tries to take it away, she grabs it back. He suggests she reconsider and Ally asks, “Are you talking as my therapist or as a knee-jerk liberal?” She informs him she also initially believed she didn’t need a gun, but then decided it made sense. She demands he keep her gun a secret, and she’s also not going to tell Ivy about it.
Dr. Vincent leaves but not before telling Ivy that fortifying the house is a normal, proactive reaction. (A man is installing a security door.) He also warns that Ally’s exhibiting early signs of agoraphobia.
Ally’s angry Ivy called in Dr. Vincent, and Ivy says she did it because she’s worried.
Home alone the next day, a knock at the door causes Ally to grab a kitchen knife. She opens it, knife in hand, to find Kai on her doorstep. She recognizes him from TV and reminds him he threw a latte at her and Ivy on the street. He apologizes and says he’s clumsy, but she’s sure it was on purpose. He changes the subject, telling her he’s running for City Council. “You need to give a humiliated man some way to redeem himself in his own eyes or else he’s at risk to be drawn into darkness,” Kai explains. He wants to come in but Ally refuses to let him. He asks if she can remember when she didn’t feel scared all the time, saying she’s 40% more likely to be a victim of a violent crime at the hands of an illegal immigrant. He spouts fake news, saying he got the numbers from Facebook. Ally replies that she wants to build bridges, not walls. He points out she’s hiding something behind her back and has installed a new security screen door. He wonders why she needs that if she feels safe.
Kai continues to ask if he can come in, asking to use her phone, use her restroom, and saying he needs a drink of water. Ally threatens to call the cops and Kai, enraged, grabs the bars on her security door. “It’s so easy until it’s you they are coming for,” he warns.
At the restaurant, Pedro is very angry the cops questioned him and asked for his papers. He tells Ivy he was born in San Diego and Ivy asks him to take it easy. She reveals all the food had to be tossed out when Roger was killed, and it cost her a second mortgage on her house to replace it. Pedro wants Ivy’s assurance she knows he didn’t kill Roger, saying it’s “scary to be brown” now.
Winter’s helping Ally while Ivy’s at the restaurant and before she puts Oz to bed, he asks if they can pinkie swear. He thinks it will help him get over his nightmares, but Winter doesn’t agree.
Ally stares at her pill bottle and jumps when Winter comes into the room behind her. She doesn’t want to take her pills, even though she promised Ivy she would. Winter tells her there are other ways to unwind, suggesting red wine and bath salts.
Winter prepares a bath for Ally, getting the water all foamy. Ally tells her she doesn’t have to do that and then watches as Winter removes her coat. She sends Winter away, saying she can finish preparing her bath and Winter leaves the bathroom to check on Oz.
Ally relaxes in the tub, breathing deeply and closing her eyes. She jumps when Winter is suddenly on the edge of the tub, asking if the water is perfect. Winter then begins scrubbing Ally’s back, and Ally admits it feels amazing. Ally stops Winter’s hand when she moves it to the front, but Winter says this is just between them. Suddenly the alarm sounds and then the lights go out.
A clown enters Oz’s room and Oz asks him if he’s real. The clown tells Oz he’s asleep, and so Oz lays back down as the clown leaves his room.
Ally and Winter get busy setting up candles since the electricity is out for the whole block. Harrison knocks on Ally’s front window and says, “Lesbians, we’re under attack!” Harrison claims it’s terrorism and that eight states went dark at the same time. He heard the news on the radio, and he believes something this big took a lot of planning. Harrison gives them candles made of beeswax, tells them to lock their doors, and warns them to stay inside until the rioters have come and gone.
Winter needs to leave because all her stuff is unprotected at home. Ally begs her to stay, telling her they’re protected there and she needs her. Winter leaves even as Ally continues to beg her to stay.
Ally calls Ivy at the restaurant where the power is also out. They’re working by candlelight and Ally, completely panicked, asks, “What if it’s the Russians or ISIS?” When Ivy tells her to calm down, Ally begins crying that they’re by themselves and her battery is dying. Ivy can’t leave the restaurant until she gets a backup generator or they’ll lose all the food in cold storage. They’re disconnected before they come to a resolution.
Ivy grabs a charger and some supplies and asks Pedro to bring them to Ally.
Ally walks through her dark home, holding a single candle. She hears a creak but nothing’s there when she opens the bathroom door. She goes through the house, locking windows and closing doors. She then looks through the front window and sees the clowns’ ice cream truck outside. She tries the alarm but the battery backup isn’t working. She checks out the electric panel in the closet and sees the wires have been cut!
A clown is leering over her shoulder as she turns from the panel. Ally screams and the clown blows out her candle. She walks through the pitch-black house and makes it to the stairs leading to the second floor. Another grotesque clown is at the top of the stairs but Ally heads up anyway. She’s able to make it past the clown, pushing it over the railing and sending it falling to the first floor.
Ally grabs the gun from her nightstand and then hurries to Oz’s room. She gets him out of bed and together they go back downstairs. She tells him that as soon as she opens the kitchen door leading outside, he needs to run. They will run to the neighbor’s house, holding hands the whole way.
As she yanks open the door, Pedro appears. She shoots him in the head before she realizes who he is.
More on American Horror Story: Cult:
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 1 “Election Night”
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 3 “Neighbors from Hell”
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 4 “11/9”
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 5 “Holes”
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 6 “Mid-Western Assassin
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 8 “Winter of Our Discontent”
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 9 “Drink the Kool-Aid”
– Recap of American Horror Story: Cult Episode 10 “Charles (Manson) in Charge”
