The time has come, Kappa fans. Ryan Murphy has used his twisted little mind to fool viewers once again into watching an entire series of bloody murders and extreme satirical dialogue only to reveal the killer as the most obvious choice (in Murphy context as well as the show).
Part one of the two-hour finale starts where we ended last week, Grace’s failed voyage into losing her virginity to Pete. Pete explains to Grace how he got involved with the Red Devil killings and how the murders on campus actually make sense with Grace and Pete’s goal of destroying the evils of Kappa. During the death of the security guard, Pete followed the Red Devil back to the Dollar Scholar house and discovered Boone’s identity as the Red Devil. Boone explained to Pete the whole story of why he was killing on campus. Pete then got caught up into the whole thing and had to then kill Roger or else the other Red Devil was going to kill him. Grace is clearly upset and confused, as would any girl living on a college campus with serial killers and your boyfriend happens to be their ally. However, as she is about to leave Pete is ready to reveal who is the second Red Devil, and spoiler alert: it’s one of Grace’s sisters. But before Pete can tell Grace, the Red Devil pops out from the closet and stabs Pete.
In the aftermath of trying to kill Dean Munsch, Chanel has decided to write an email missive to all the Kappa sisters that did not show up to the pool in the last episode to kill Munsch. The email, which happened to be based off of the real-life email from a sorority sister that inspired the show, addressed the Kappas with such hostility that the Red Devil sister shared the email with the media. Chanel is berated with public shaming and bad press. This is not the kind of famous Chanel wants so she decides the only way to escape is to kill herself like Cleopatra, with a venomous snake.
Before Chanel can take the snake out of the box, Zayday teams up with Chanel to stop the killer and change Chanel’s bad press. At that moment, the Red Devil storms in. As Chanel and Zayday put up a fight, the Red Devil screams and surrenders. The girls tie the Red Devil up, bring him downstairs and unmask him. There’s a middle aged man in the suit who claims “she,” who could only be the other real Red Devil, forced him to wear the suit into the Kappa house and kill everyone or else the bomb strapped around him will detonate. After a few squeaky devilish laughs, the bomb explodes.
Shortly after, in one of the few heart to hearts shared by Grace and Wes that doesn’t involve Grace storming off, the two devise a plan that will need one of Wes’ most important playlists. At the Dean’s house, rose petals are scattered everywhere and candles are lit. Wes, practically naked, lies on the Dean’s bed. As his playlist begins, the Dean pounces. While that travesty is happening in the bedroom, Grace and Zayday sneak into the Dean’s files to read into the Chanel’s pasts. They find a Chanel with entirely fake information and decide she must be the killer.
Embarking on her apology tour, filmed by #3, Chanel makes her first stop at Melanie Dorkus’ house. Melanie was the girl who received the acid spray tan at the Kappa house earlier. While Chanel claims she didn’t do it, she believes apologizing will lighten her media image. Hester stayed back from the trip to Melanie’s and goes rummaging through Chanel’s closet. #5 tags along; however, someone finally swiped right on her Tinder and she runs off to find him. Just as #3 begins to film Chanel’s heartfelt apology to Melanie, Chanel tries to stab Melanie with a pair of scissors. Chanel accuses Melanie of being the Red Devil. Luckily, Grace and Zayday arrive and reveal that Hester is the actual Red Devil.
The girls rush back to the Kappa house to hear a scream come from Chanel’s closet. As they run upstairs, #5 is stunned in the bathroom, claiming her Tinder date was a joke. She follows the other girls into Chanel’s closet to see Hester lying on the ground with a red high heel jabbed into her eye. She is still alive; she points at #5 and screams Red Devil.
Part two of the finale fast forwards to January 2016. Grace and Zayday are welcoming girls rushing Kappa for the winter semester, with the help of the treasurer, Hester. As Hester gleams into the camera, her inner monologue confesses she stabbed herself with the shoe as part of a plan 20 years in the making. Hester is the second Red Devil.
Reel back to present day Kappa. The sisters are confronting #5 about being the Red Devil when Hester arrives back from the hospital. Denise arrives with news of Boone’s death, which the girls had already discovered at this point. While Grace and Zayday claim they have proof of Hester being the killer, Hester brings in her “parents” to vouch for her sketchy past. Her parents are actors that say their identities had to be hidden on Hester’s files because they work for the CIA. Soon enough, #5’s actual parents arrive and argue against their own daughter, accusing her of most likely being the Red Devil. Through some previous discussions with Hester, #5’s parents agree to lie and say #5 came from the asylum.
Hester goes on the frame all of the Chanels for murder, indicating that #3 had no alibi for the night deaf Taylor Swift was killed, and Chanel Oberlin had previously purchased weapons at Home Improvement and killed Ms. Bean in the pilot episode.
This proves to be enough evidence for Denise and she arrests all three of the Chanels with the help of male strippers she deputized.
As for Chad, he created a scholarship named after each murdered Dickie Dollar and began a relationship with Denise until she took a job with the FBI.
Dean Munsch wrote a book titled New New Feminism, with the help of a ghostwriter. After the strange yet somehow enjoyable sex with Wes, the two began a relationship. There is a new memorial on campus for the murdered students and the Dean confronts Hester, who is seen washing the memorial. The Dean confesses she knew Hester was the murderer all along; however, both bottling up each other’s secrets, agree to keep quiet.
The Chanels almost received a not guilty verdict until Chanel mouthed off to the jury, landing them a spot in an asylum. However, the girls happen to actually love asylum life. The Chanels enjoy the no popularity, no judgment and no boy zone, meaning they don’t have to stay skinny for anyone. Chanel even became asylum house president.
As Chanel strolls past the other asylum inmates, she smiles and as she tucks herself into bed. She lies down and the Red Devil is right above her.
REACTION:
Of course Ryan Murphy’s angel Lea Michele would be the Red Devil! Hester was a completely obvious choice for the murderer; however, that doesn’t mean I think it fit well. Hester was not an obvious choice in the way of it felt like she slipped right under our sleuthing noses and the finale brought us an A-HA moment. Instead, the reveal felt lack luster. It made too much sense that the creepy girl who called Chanel Mommy would be the one with mommy issues and murderous tendencies.
Overall, the show left me feeling incomplete. Looking back on previous episodes, the show started off ridiculously satirical and hilarious, weird in just the right way. However, the mesh of tangible clues as to who the killers could be and the humor failed on several occasions. A lot of episodes were both hilarious and useless to driving the plot forward, or gave several clues that purposely led the audience the wrong direction.