‘American Gothic’ Recap: Season Finale Shockers

American Gothic’s season finale premiered  Sept. 7, the 2-hour special promising to be a shocking end to the thriller-drama.

The episode started with a creepy dollhouse representing each character in a still Claymation. All characters gathered to discuss what to do in regards to the “silver bell killer,” each of them immediately leaving the room to do try and find out what to do. Tess tells Garrett to run away to another country and she would wire him some money while police and security installers arrive. At the police station, Garrett and Madeline, after Madeline is told she will never be a part of Garrett’s family, are told to negotiate with the cops or else they will get 1-5 years in prison. Meanwhile, the creepy cable guy finds a hidden box which he gives to Allison, filled with bells.

Garrett and Madeline try to help the investigation by describing what the culprit looks like, yet they really suck at it and aren’t very helpful other than saying how he has an “Irish symbol” on his chest which looks just like a swastika to any normal person. Meanwhile, Sophie, Jack’s drug-addicted mother, interrupts her child’s video on jellyfish, to take him, barricades the door, and speed off in a car.

Allison comes to the conclusion that Madeline killed Sarah, and Madeline admits to it, stating it was to protect her family, as usual, yet says she didn’t kill the blind woman. Madeline grabs Allison, drives home how she has protected the family, allowing them to prosper, yet Allison won’t have it.

The police lady goes on a rant about how Boston Legal is an amazing show instead of giving Madeline legal advice, understandably. Tess acts as Sophie on the phone in order to track her down. Madeline unlocks Mitchel Hawthorne’s grave, dumps in a crap-ton of money, a passport, and her ring. Tess and Cam discuss the health benefits of ranch dressing with a cashier, as Sophie used the credit card to buy two bottles in order to possibly make some delicious drugs. Police investigation indicates that the accomplice is female while Allison finally meets with Naomi, revealing how she is mostly concerned with how the murders might affect her campaign as mayor. She states she is beginning to forget why she wanted to be one in the first place, by which Naomi reminds her and motivates her with a powerful speech, convincing Allison to dump the silver bell box into the river, discarding the evidence.

Allison talks to Madeline and gives her the same talk Garrett did, stating she’s nothing like her, even though she literally just threw out evidence like Madeline did. Tess and Cam find Sophie and Jack at the aquarium, Sophie stating she wanted one last memory with him. Cam says she got what she wanted, yet another person being told to stay away from their family. Brady and Garrett utilize the information about the tattoo to find out the identity of the silver bell killer’s accomplice, his daughter Dara. Tessa realizes she is perceived as weak, but Cam disagrees, stating she’s the glue that keeps them all together. Allison finds out that Naomi lied because Allison hurt her, and she responds to the information by firing her, effectively hurting her again. This is good karma, however, because Dara is hinted at being the true identity of Naomi, whose name was never stated once in the episode.

Catherine hires private security to protect herself from the doll maker. At Allison’s big mayor day, she is nowhere to be seen, while Brady presents the evidence of John and Dara being the silver bell killers. Brady rushes in, expecting Naomi to be Dara, as we all did, yet this is not the case and Allison was just fine. Jack is concerned not having a mother anymore as it will stop his communication growth. Brady meets a spooky old man in a graveyard in an attempt to get information, and suddenly gets this information by looking at the cherry blossoms. Sophie comes to Madeline, wanting to pick up somethings, but then acts creepy and monologues before injecting something into her, effectively revealing herself as Dara. When Madeline comes to, Dara explains how her mother was treated like crap in the hospital, her doctors not realizing she went into septic shock, and they began murdering the rich contributors of the hospital. Madeline bargains with her but to no avail, but Cam walks in and she has to trap him too, handcuffing him next to the bodyguard. Cam drags the bodyguard down the stairs, but Madeline is already dead by then. He pulls a gun on her, and Garrett comes in to calm him down, but fails and grabs him, making him miss the shot. Brady comes in at this moment, and at the same moment Dana/Sophie flees. Allison wins the election, blissfully unaware of all the murder and drama. Supposedly.

Brady removes the blackmail on his partner and everybody goes to the beach. Jack’s teddy bear has Dana saying “I’ll see you again soon,” in which Jack angrily says “when.” It is revealed Allison helped Dana, saying she didn’t have to kill everybody, just her mother, saying “she would be proud” as a vague answer in an interview.

As somebody who has only tuned in as of this episode, I was confused the entire time. Nobody says each other’s names, nobody says what’s going on, and everybody seems to be oddly okay with the imminent death they are meant to face. So was it a shocking end to the thriller-drama? It was okay. It was a murder mystery that left much unanswered, but Dara’s true identity should have been someone more likable or more prominent to the plot, rather than the drug-addict mother, her relatability reliant on pity and hating those more well off. Down with the 1%!