‘Scream Queens’ Recap: Ryan Murphy’s Latest Campy Fright Fest Makes Its Debut

Scream Queens – the latest series from Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk and Ian Brennan – premiered on Fox with its first two episodes Tuesday night.

Scream Queens Recap

Scream Queens opens in 1995 at the Kappa Kappa Tau sorority house. While a raucous party takes place downstairs, a sorority sister who’d been unaware of her pregnancy, is giving birth in a bathtub upstairs. Though her sisters do eventually find her, they’re too concerned with swaying their arms to TLC’s “Waterfalls” to be bothered helping her just yet. Upon their return, they find her dead, but the baby alive and well.

Twenty years later, Chanel (Emma Roberts) is the president of Kappa, ruling over a dominion of Chanels – No. 2 (Ariana Granda), No. 3 (Billie Lourd) and No. 5 (Abigail Breslin). Though things seem to be going swimmingly for Chanel with her minions and subservient “White Mamie,” that’s all about to change now that Dean Munsch (Jamie Lee Curtis) is in charge. She believes that Chanel maimed the former Kappa president with a spray tan machine filled with hydrochloric acid in order to succeed her – and she’s not going to quit until she has the proof. Representing Chanel in the matter is Gigi Caldwell (Nasim Pedrad), the national president of Kappa Kappa Tau, who still dresses like it’s the 90s.

On her way to college is aspiring Kappa Kappa Tau pledge Grace (Skyler Samuels). Though her father (Oliver Hudson) tries to dissuade her from joining the sorority, she explains that following her late mother’s footsteps into Kappa is one way she can feel close to her. After her father leaves her in her dorm room following an emotional goodbye, Grace heads to the sorority house with her new roommate and pal Zayday (Keke Palmer).

Grace and Zayday aren’t the only new pledges eager to join Kappa. Neck Brace (Lea Michele), Deaf Taylor Swift (Whitney Meyer) and Candle Vlogger (Breezy Eslin) are among the others who want in as well. And, per the new rules handed down by Munsch and Gigi, Chanel has to let them all in the house. Incensed that Kappa is now rife with misfits, Chanel goes to see her sort of boyfriend Chad, who tells her that since she’s no longer cool, they’re no longer a couple. His pal Boone (Nick Jonas) reiterates that it’s all over.

Onto the next plan, Chanel takes Ms. Bean aka White Mamie to the local coffee shop so that she can order an obnoxiously long and absurdly hot pumpkin spice latte from barista/college newspaper reporter Pete (Diego Boneta). When she sits down with Ms. Bean, she informs her that she’s going to burn her face off in the deep fryer to scare off the pledges. When Bean balks, Chanel assures her that the oil will be cold and that it will all be merely a trick. On the way out, Chanel catches Pete trying to scare Grace off from pledging Kappa and quickly takes Grace away and under her wing.

Grace soon regrets her decision to trust Chanel, as back at the house, Chanel threatens to pin the death of Ms. Bean on her after her deep-fryer trick went awry, and the maid’s face was burnt off. Chanel convinces all the sorority girls to keep quite with promises of boyfriends and trips to Cancun, so Grace has little choice but to go along with the ruse and help her new sorority sisters in bringing Bean’s body to the freezer. But the body later inexplicably goes missing.

Freaked out by the latest death at the house, Chanel No. 2 decides it’s time to pack her bags and leave. In the midst of packing, she gets a text from an unknown number that asks her to open the door. She opens it to find the Red Devil. The two text back and forth as it informs her he’s going to kill her. She texts back incredulously. Then, with a knife plunged into her neck, she tries to tweet to save her life – but it’s too late.

The Red Devil sticks around after killing No. 2 while the pledges are enduring their first bit of hazing. They’re to spend the night buried up to their heads in the backyard. Before long, the Red Devil has mounted a lawn mower and is charging towards their heads, selecting Deaf Taylor Swift as its next victim.

When Dean Munsch and Gigi get wind of the murder, they tell the girls to stay put in the house until the culprit is apprehended. In the meantime, they’ll be under the watchful eye of unarmed security guard Denise Hemphill (Niecy Nash). Not trusting their new minder, Grace goes off to do some investigating on her own and ends up coming face-to-face with Chanel, who tells her of the legend of the Bathtub Baby. According to Chanel, Dean Munsch had a hand in covering it all up. Then, there’s Pete, who has a Red Devil costume, but apparently only because he’s the school mascot.

Meanwhile, Chanel tries desperately to win Chad back only to find him platonically cuddling in bed with Boone. When she freaks out, Chad accuses her of being homophobic and dumps her for good. Boone’s biggest concern is that Chanel will out him before he gets the chance to come out himself. He wants to do it is own way – and he wants to join Kappa. Though the other Chanels balk at the idea, Chanel No. 1 sees it as a good PR move and is onboard.

Before Boone can make his big declaration, he gets spread out on the fraternity dining room table, his neck sliced and bleeding, leaving his brothers distraught and screaming messes. Later on, however, the Red Devil, back at its morgue, opens up a drawer to reveal a living breathing Boone. Are they in cahoots?