BWW Recap: Enter the 'Pumpkin Patch' on a Stellar SCREAM QUEENS

As a kid, carving pumpkins was an annual tradition. You go to pick one out, and look down a row of vegetables, all orange with little brown stems poking off the top, scouring the piles for the perfect pumpkin. You need one with a face that's flat enough to carve into, yet round enough to still resemble a pumpkin. And forget about blemishes! Those are always put on the back of the pumpkin. You take it home, and carve a face into it. A face that cannot be changed. SCREAM QUEENS takes us to a pumpkin patch this week, and the show hits its highest high doing what it does best: horror satire.

The pumpkin patch of the title is none other than Chanel's answer to Zayday's haunted house last week. She hires another student to design the maze from the Shining, all in an effort to win votes for president of Kappa house. Of course, because Zayday was kidnapped last week, Grace, Pete, and Wes are more worried about Red Devil, and Dean Munsch, in her first real issuance of power, institutes a curfew and cancels Halloween.

Before Chanel can complain about the closing of the pumpkin patch, however, she is arrested for the murder of Ms. Bean. This arrest was, of course, orchestrated by Hester, who is still vying for power in Kappa. She convinces Chanel #5 to go against Chanel in the best way possible. Chanel goes to prison in the first of the episode's three satire scenes. Chanel sits in a women's prison, sitting at a table with three characters who are taken straight out of Orange is the New Black. Chanel talks about how good friends they're all going to be, right before being taken out 'cause Chanel #3's dad posted bail. Chanel immediately takes back her statement about being friends with them and leaves.

She does this because Chanel doesn't change. She is just like a carved pumpkin, one face, with the blemishes hidden in the back. She pretends to be friends with people for power. Once she is picked up from the jail by Chanel #3 and Predatory Lez, she says, "Let's go to Wendy's and get barbecue sauce to dip our cotton balls in." This line completely goes against the great rant she had last week-but that's the point. Last week, after being fed up, Chanel goes on a rant against the patriarchy because she needs to rally her sisters behind her to win the presidency. As soon as she's in a place of power-getting out of jail and Zayday gone-she reverts back to her typical person. Any possibility of change for Chanel is gone. Once you're an egotistical, material person, you can't go back to caring about others.

Chanel #5, meanwhile, is fed up with Chanel. Their feud last week carries over to this week. Chanel #5, under the help of Hester, gets Chanel arrested. When Chanel returns, Chanel #5 steals her Jackie O. costume. The way the episode was going, Chanel #5 seemed to be growing to lash out against Chanel-at least, until Chanel threatened to kill her. Once Chanel reassumed her powerful, apathetic role as leader, Chanel #5 returned to her position as unassuming subordinate. She goes out to the maze with Roger and Dodger (RIP) to light the pumpkins in the episode's second hilarious satire. Red Devil chases Chanel #5, Roger, and Dodger through the maze, filmed almost exactly the way the climax of the Shining was filmed (only with a few more dutch angles).

In the serious plot of the episode, Grace and Pete (with the help of Gigi, Wes, and Denise) go in search of Zayday. They go to the basement apartment owned by Red Devil and begin to search around. In a scene taken right out of the climax of Silence of the Lambs, Red Devil shuts off the power, puts on night vision goggles, and begins to stalk the people there to catch him. In a hilarious scene satirizing the event, Denise hits Gigi with the taser, who in turn hits Red Devil with a taser. Denise goes to get everyone else, and they return to see that Red Devil "got away" (we find out at the end of the episode that Gigi gives Red Devil directions, and most likely let them go).

Grace's behavior since the beginning has been very consistent-the loyal good girl. She is our final girl here, and her search for the truth is nothing but inspiring. However, she's just like Chanel and Chanel #5-a pumpkin. Her character won't grow or change-she's blind to her father's creepiness and can't see past his love for her. She will continue to fill that role of good-hearted problem solver.

All the characters on SCREAM QUEENS are pumpkins: carved out caricatures. But that's the point. They're meant to be a satirization of real life. All of the Greeks are that way to satirize the one-dimensional look of Greek life on college campuses today. The adults are unchanging pumpkins because that's how college students, which is the lens for this series, sees them. Most of all, having pumpkin characters who don't change or grow is a staple of the horror genre. Why else would characters go up into the attic alone? Or split up to find the killer? It's what the genre does. SCREAM QUEENS uses this trope, and then exploits it for fun satire scenes. It works on this show because each character is genuinely hilarious in their stereotypical ways.

Who's Red Devil?

With the reveal that Gigi is dating Wes, and ALSO is giving Red Devil orders, I am still sticking with Wes and Boone as the killers, and Gigi as their controller now. Gigi is also the hag on Shady Lane, so we'll see how that connects later.

Scream Quotes

Chanel: "Then the firefighters came and they were actually strippers and put out the fire with champagne."

Chanel #5: "I couldn't get Led Zeppelin." Chanel: "What?" Chanel #5: "Well I heard one of them died or something."

Chad: "This dude got his arms sawed off. He's not hiding out. He's down to rage."

Chanel: "I'm burping uncontrollably like Robert Durst. They'll know I'm guilty."

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What did you think of SCREAM QUEENS tonight? Let me know in the comments below, or on Twitter @gunnar_larson. Also, don't forget to follow @BWWTVWorld on Twitter and Like us on Facebook for all of the latest TV news, reviews, and recaps.

Photo Credit: Joaquin Sedillo | FOX

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