‘American Horror Story’ Episode 206: ‘The Origins Of Monstrosity’ Recap

In this week’s episode of American Horror Story: Asylum, “The Origins of Monstrosity,” we get more insight into the backstory of Briarcliff’s deadlier characters.

Last week’s episode was incredibly suspenseful as we saw that Kit just might be telling the truth about being abducted by aliens and we finally learned the identity of “Bloody Face.”

We got a small taste in the opening this week of what is happening at present day Briarcliff. A mysterious voice is heard calling the police to report several “imposters.”

When they arrive they are horrified to find three bodies dressed up as Bloody Face strung up in the grand hall with chains. (Insider’s Note: Later at the end of the episode this week, fans of Bones will be delighted to see Eugene Byrd in a cameo as one of the detectives who arrives on the scene.)

Back in 1964, Sister Jude is forced to turn away a mother who has arrived with her young, possibly homicidal, daughter.

But the girl proves harder to shake then Jude realizes, and Sister Mary Eunice may have found an interesting new protégé.

Lana is still being kept prisoner by Dr. Thredson / Bloody Face, who she wakens to find making her breakfast. As they eat he reveals a bit about his childhood. He was abandoned at an early age by his mother and raised in the system, never feeling the warmth of human contact.

Lana tries to appeal to his humanity, complimenting his cooking and talking about their shared experiences inside of institutions. Believing he has found a kindred spirit, Thredson opens up even more about his past.

It was his struggle with abandonment that led to his developing predilection towards skinning women. And now that he has Lana in his life his “mommy issues” are coming to a head. Can she keep up her ruse of empathy long enough to get away?

After Sister Mary Eunice dumped a mutilated Shelley in a playground, she is taken to a local hospital to die. Unable to find anyone else, the hospital calls upon Monsignor Timothy to read her last rites. Even though she is almost unrecognizable, the Monsignor immediately knows he has found one of their missing patients.

Not only are we given more information about the creation of Bloody Face, we learn about how Dr. Arden and the Monsignor began their questionable partnership. Despite seeming to know something about what Arden was up to last week, the Monsignor had no idea that he was mutilating his test subjects in such a manner.

Arden manages to convince the Monsignor not to report him to the authorities. He tells the Monsignor that the person he really needs to get rid of is their common enemy, Sister Jude. Are her days at Briarcliff numbered?

What did you think of tonight’s revelatory episode of American Horror Story: Asylum, “Origin of Monstrosity”? Do you think the real Bloody Face is still terrorizing modern day Briarcliff?

Photos by Byron J. Cohen / FX