American Horror Story Episode 1.03 Murder House

1983

Moira is making up the bed when the husband, Hugo, comes in. He's been drinking heavily and suggests that they use the bed. Hugo tries to grab her and points out that Moira liked it the last time, but she refuses. He tries to rape her and his wife, Constance, comes in. She fires a gun into the mirror and Hugo leaps off the bed. She then shoots Moira through the right eye, killing her. When Hugo says it didn't mean anything, Constance says that he's broken her heart for the last time and shoots him repeatedly. She then sits down on the bed, takes off her earrings, and cries.

The Present

Vivien has discovered that the family investment councilor has lost their money and that Ben has hidden that information from her. He insists that he was trying to protect her, and says that all of their money is tied up in the house. They can't get at it until they sell the house. Vivien insists that she can't live there and Ben offers to find her a studio apartment. However, he has to stay at the house to use it for his office and his patients. When Ben says that she's suffering from PTSD, Vivien tells him not to make her out like she's crazy. She tells her husband that they'll meet with the realtor, find some cheap improvements to make, and sell the house. Ben agrees and Vivien warns him that if he lies to her again, they're through.

Vivien meets with Marcy, who says that she can understand that Vivien is angry. The realtor tries to sympathize, but warns that the house may not sell. Vivien reminds her that she didn't disclose all material facts, and that no other realtor will take the listing. She tells Marcy that she'll do anything and everything necessary to sell the house or she'll sue her for gross criminal negligence. Marcy has no choice but to agree.

While young Moira gets Ben coffee, Constance breaks into the house to steal some silverware. Moira catches her at it but Constance casually orders her to polish the rest for when she steals it later. Moira screams at Constance, saying she wants to leave. Constance tells her to leave but Moira admits that she can't, and Constance points out that she can't leave either. When Moira says that she should pay for what she's done, Constance says that she does every day.

Ben tapes a conversation with a patient, Sally Freeman, who drones on and on about why her husband is divorcing her because she's boring. Ben dozes off and wakes up to discover that he's in the backyard, his hands covered in blood. After washing his hands off, Ben goes inside and finds young Moira scrubbing the floor. She says that she's cleaning up Ben's mess and that she's very discrete. Ben goes to his office and discovers that his tape recorder is gone. As young Moira continues to flirt with him, Ben grabs her and Vivien comes in on them. They go to the kitchen and Ben accuses Moira of flirting with him. Moira says that she's well past the age of romance and says that she needs the money. She agrees to forget the entire thing, but when Moira suggests that she leave, the housekeeper flies into a fury and says that she'll press charges if they try to fire her. Once she leaves, Vivien tells Ben that his affair and the resulting guilt are making him paranoid. She tells him that he has to get it together so they can get out of the house without a lawsuit.

As Vivien works with the flowers on the front house, an Eternal Darkness Tour pulls up with a group of tourists ready to see the Murder House.

Ben finds Violet smoking behind the house. She quickly stubs out her cigarette but he tells her that he won't bust her. Violet insists that she's fine and he offers to hire someone for her to talk to. She thanks him for the offer, and once he leaves, Tate emerges from hiding and says that Ben really cares and she's lucky to have him as a father.

Back in the house, Ben confronts young Moira and demands that she give him her tape recorder. She says that it might be down the front of her dress and invites him to get it. She gives him a cup of coffee and says that his next patient is in his office. Ben discovers that it's Hayden, who has made sure that Vivien is gone. She points out that Ben left her in Boston by herself, and that she decided to keep their baby. Now Hayden plans to move to California and have Ben pay for everything. He insists that he doesn't have any money and she screams at him, saying that she matters.

Detective Jack Colquitt arrives at the door and asks to talk to Ben. Hayden tells Ben to meet her later and leaves, and Colquitt explains that he's with Missing Persons. Sally has turned up missing and Ben was the last one who saw her. Ben says that Sally didn't say anything extreme and Colquitt asks Ben to call if he sees anything.

Sal Mineo tries to hit on a man in an alleyway, assuming he's gay. The man takes offense, stabs Mineo, and leaves him in the alleyway to die.

The tour goes by the alleyway, and Vivien is aboard the bus. They finally go to the Murder House and Stan the Tour Guide talks about how it was built in 1922 by Dr. Charles Montgomery, a surgeon to the star. His wife was Nora, a prominent East Coast socialite. When Charles fell on hard time, he became addicted to drugs and performed experiments in the basement.

Charles is working on a stuffed pig in the basement when Nora calls him up to dinner. He finally comes up and sits with his wife and their child. Charles complains that the way Nora has dressed their child up, he can't tell if it's a girl or a boy. Nora complains about how she came all the way from Philadelphia to be stuck in a house with two servants. Charles insists that he'll become famous one day but Nora doesn't believe it. When he breaks a glass, the baby starts crying and Nora calls in the maid, Daphne. Once she removes the baby to her room, Nora reminds Charles that they have bills to pay and that he'll have to support the family by performing abortions.

The next day, the first girl, an aspiring actress named Dorothy Hudson, arrives for the abortion. Nora gets the money up front and then gives her a sedative to help her forget. She then escorts Dorothy to the basement and lets her husband take her down to the basement.

As the tour guide prepares to finish the story with their deaths in 1926, Vivien starts bleeding from the groin and runs into the house. Later, she goes with Ben to her obstetrician, Dr. Hall, who assures her that everything is fine and it was just spotting. When Hall learns that they're planning a move, she warns them that the stress could trigger a spontaneous abortion. Ben suddenly collapses to the floor, and Hall runs an EKG and a blood panel to make sure that he's okay.

As Marcy puts up the for sale sign for the house, Constance passes by. She sees Tate in an upstairs window and waves to him, but he backs away without responding.

Ben is jogging when Larry tries to catch up with him. He asks Ben to run lines for him and, when Ben refuses, figures that Hayden is still giving Ben grief. Larry then asks for $1,000 for head shots for his acting portfolio. Ben warns him to stay away and jogs off. When Ben gets back, he turns his office upside down looking for the tape recorder. He suddenly passes out and finds himself in the backyard, holding a shovel. Constance is there and suggests that he's suffering from stress. As he starts digging for a gazebo, Constance says that the grounds are soaked with pesticide and the best he can do is cover it up. Ben keeps digging while Constance looks up and sees Moira watching them from an upstairs window.

Vivien is searching the paper for apartments when the doorbell rings. Nora is there, the same age as she was in 1922. She claims that she's there to see the house and Vivien reluctantly lets her in. Nora is familiar with the house and describes it in loving detail. When they go to the kitchen, Nora says that it's not right and panics at the sight of the modern appliances. Vivien gets her a cup of tea, unaware that Nora has a gaping hole in the back of her head. Nora discovers that Vivien is pregnant and says that she had a child. When Vivien turns back from the microwave, she discovers that Nora has vanished.

As Ben digs in the backyard, Colquitt comes to see him. Sally was admitted to the hospital after a failed suicide attempt, and had Ben's tape recorder on her. Ben says that he couldn't say anything under doctor-patient confidentiality, but Colquitt doesn't believe it. He plays the tape, which has a recording of Sally trying to get Ben's attention by cutting her arms and saying that she knows how to get people's attention. Ben insists the tape proves his innocence, and Colquitt points out that he was just an asshole.

A landlord, Ronni, shows Vivien and Violet an apartment. Once she leaves, Violet tells her mother that she and Ben don't deal with anything. They've uprooted everything to move to Los Angeles. When Vivien insists that what happened in the house was a nightmare, Violet says that she considers their house the place where she and her mother survived. When Vivien says that the decision has been made, Violet promises that if she goes ahead with the move, she'll disappear for good.

Hall calls to tell Ben the results of his tests. There were traces of laudanum in his blood, a surgical opiate used up to the 1930s. The doorbell rings and Ben goes to answer it. He passes Moira and accuses her of drugging his coffee, and she dares him to prove it. Hayden is at the door and Ben tries to apologize, but she starts yelling for Vivien to come out so she can tell her that Ben has new responsibilities. He tries to calm her down and get her to go somewhere private to discuss the matter. Hayden calms down and kisses him./

As Ben and Hayden go out the back, Larry clubs her with a shovel and beats her to death before Ben can stop him. Larry warns Ben that he hasn't killed anyone and that now that Hayden is dead, he has nothing to worry about. He advises Ben not to call the police since it will look bad since Hayden was carrying his baby. While Ben goes inside to clean himself up, Larry goes to the hole that Ben was digging earlier for the gazebo. As he continues digging, he finds Moira's skeleton in the hole. Moira watches from the window as her body is buried a second time.

Later, Constance comes up behind her. Together they watch Ben build the gazebo and cover up the shared grave. Constance tells Moira that now she's stuck there forever. Meanwhile, Vivien brings Ben a glass of tea and together they admire Ben's handiwork.

Later, Vivien and Ben are sleeping. Nora sits on the edge of the bed and watches Vivien.