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‘AHS: 1984’ Recap: ‘Final Girl’

Last week‘s “Rest in Pieces” set up an epic finale for this season of American Horror Story. Though the entire season wraps up nicely, I will always want more from AHS: 1984. Whether it be that tenth episode or more of the characters appearing in future episodes. A part of me hopes eventually we will return to Camp Redwood considering all of the spirits that lurk there. However, with the ghosts becoming reformed this might not be as much of a blood bath as people expect. Regardless of whether we return to camp or not, “Final Girl” gives fans the moments we have yearned for all season and more.

Bobby & Montana - Finn Wittrock & Billie Lourd - AHS: 1984 - Final Girl
Bobby & Montana – Finn Wittrock & Billie Lourd – AHS: 1984 – Final Girl – 9×9 – FX Network

The show opens with a major time jump to 2019. The plus side is seeing another familiar face return this season. Finn Wittrock. Instead of listening to the signs and staying off private property, he walks into the campground anyway. We see what is left of the 1989 music festival as he begins to take pictures and walk further around. Montana greets him and insists that he’s in danger. She’s not wrong. However, he says he must get some answers, which makes sense considering that he is Bobby Ritcher.

Bobby ends up going into a cabin with Montana where he learns that she is Montana Duke who died in the eighties. She and Trevor gives him a quick glance at what it’s like to be a ghost. They also explain the first day of the festival and how Trevor tried to stop the festival from happening at all. However, Margaret not only shot Courtney for telling Trevor about the band’s death. She went out to shoot Trevor as well, finally killing him unlike before. However, since he was outside of Camp Redwood as she shot him, she sealed his fate.

'AHS: 1984' Recap: 'Final Girl'
Trevor – Matthew Morrison – AHS: 1984 – Final Girl – 9×9 – FX Network

Only thanks to Brooke, she didn’t. Brooke managed to help Trevor up just before he died in order to unite him and Montana forever. Much like all of that ghosts at Camp Redwood decided to band together in order to take down Bruce, Ramirez, they ganged up together to kill Margaret and her serial killer cronies. Bruce is taken out rather quickly as he is tricked into chasing one of the counselor ghosts from the past and Trevor uses a machete to cut the side of his neck open and quickly makes sure to kick him down the hill.

Once they manage to capture Ramirez they also make sure that they keep him occupied. They spend the next thirty years making sure to kill him over and over again in creative ways. They have to make sure that he stays in the camp so Satan cannot heal him again. He cannot leave the grounds because if he does that means he is going to go kill Bobby. However, while Bobby is learning about the camp and the fact that they have not seen his father, Chet and Bertie almost ruin everything!

Chet - Gus Kenworthy - AHS: 1984 - Final Girl
Chet – Gus Kenworthy – AHS: 1984 – Final Girl – 9×9 – FX Network

Although, I do appreciate that at this camp when sex occurs Satan literally comes. Sex is bad! If these slasher films have taught us nothing over the years that is the message always given. However, he manages to get away from them and into the cabin with Montana, Trevor, and Bobby. As he is attempts to escape, the ghosts go to save him one more time. As they gang up on Ramirez Bobby manages to escape the camp one more. Montana yells a them to go to Red Meadows Asylum and talk to the person who runs it.

The person who of course runs the Asylum now is none other than Donna. At first the receptionist up front is determined he is crazy and calls some orderlies to contain him. However as he is going on, Donna overhears him and she learns that he is Ben’s son. Immediately she takes him back into the room to begin to explain the truth to him. That the Mr. Jingles legacy did not belong to his father. Mr. Jingles was actually Margaret. She needs him to know the truth. Much like the rest of the world he finds it hard to believe her.

'AHS: 1984' Recap: 'Final Girl'
Cast Ensemble – AHS: 1984 – Final Girl – 9×9 – FX Network

However, she is right and she reveals Margaret’s fate at the camp.  Donna and Brooke worked with the former counselors to take her down.  This was not before supposed tragedy struck at the camp.  When Margaret and Brooke begin to fight for the gun, we cannot imagine Brooke NOT being the final girl. So when we watch her lying there after being shot we find it hard to accept this is the moment that finally takes her down.  I did not believe for a second she was gone and thankfully later on in the episode I learned I was right.

Despite Donna being distraught over her death, she leaves and tells the numerous ghosts outside to come get Margaret.  This is where the wood-chipper we see at the beginning of the episode comes into play.  In one of the most brutal deaths of the season, maybe even series, the ghosts start by chopping off her arms.  They move to her legs and even remove her head as well.  She insists that she is dying and will be stuck there with them.  However, because the wood-chipper is sending her body outside of the camp she will not come back to life.  Or so they think.

Courtney - Leslie Jordan - AHS: 1984 - Final Girl
Courtney – Leslie Jordan – AHS: 1984 – Final Girl – 9×9 – FX Network

At the end of the story, Bobby makes sure to tell Donna thank you for sending him the money over the years.  However, we learn that Donna is not the generous person behind all those checks.  Following the trail, they both discover that Brooke is alive.  Ray finds her and realizes she is alive.  Getting her to the line of Camp Redwood, he tells her he cannot go further with her.  Despite his horrible past, I felt sad knowing that these two did not end up together.  Kissing him goodbye, she collapses just outside of Redwood.

Thankfully, someone called an ambulance back inside the camp and she woke up in the hospital.  Now with a husband and a family, Brooke finally gets the happily ever after she deserves.  A happily ever that Bobby deserves as well, but one we are not sure he will attain at first. Although Brooke’s goal of sending the money over the years was to keep Bobby away from the camp, he tells Donna upon leaving Brooke’s home that he has to go back to the camp.  He needs to see his father.

'AHS: 1984' Recap: 'Final Girl'
Bobby & Ben – Finn Wittrock & John Carroll Lynch – AHS: 1984 – Final Girl – 9×9 – FX Network

Upon arriving back at the camp for a second time, we learn that Margaret died a second before her head went through the wood-chipper.  She does not deserve to even walk the woods of this camp anymore.  And yet despite knowing he should not trust her, Bobby follows her because she tells him she knows where his dad is.  Instead she reveals her goal is to kill him.  However, right before she is about to stab him, Ben appears and saves his son.  After everything Margaret has taken from him, he is not about to let her take anything else from him.

As they embrace, he tells Bobby that he has to leave the camp.  He cannot stay there.  Soon thereafter, Margaret comes back and stabs Ben before attempting to kill Bobby once more.  She’s the final girl!  She’s always the final girl!  At least this is her mindset as she goes after him.  As he’s running, he runs into Lavinia who immediately protects him.  She admires him and is determined that Bobby would have looked the same if he had grown up.  As Margaret reveals herself, Lavinia orders the camp ghosts to take care of her.  Needless to say her fate is going to match Ramirez’s fate of a lifetime of torture.

Bobby - Finn Wittrock - AHS: 1984 - Final Girl
Bobby – Finn Wittrock – AHS: 1984 – Final Girl – 9×9 – FX Network

And in an unprecedented move, Bobby gets his happily ever after.  My fear was that there would be that final moment where the killer comes back for one last scare.  Something fairly common, especially in 1980s horror films.  Instead, he looks back at his family he’s leaving behind at the camp and knowing regardless he’s loved by so many people.  People who have his back even though they never knew him.

Did you enjoy the ending of AHS: 1984?  What would you change?  What was your favorite part this season?  Who ended up being your favorite character?  Make sure you let us know in the comments below and stay tuned for future American Horror Story news.

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