Here it is: the season finale of the Roanoke season. With Lee Harris (Adina Porter) being the only survivor left and Audrey (Sarah Paulson) meeting a gruesome end at the hands of the police, we will soon learn the fate of the final survivor. Will Lee be brought to justice, or is the story not finished yet?
After My Roanoke Nightmare, the original survivors along with cast members are invited to Paleyfest for a panel. There, we see that the first series has gained notoriety....and an unhealthy following of fans. From Rory (Evan Peters) graciously providing an adoring fan with love to Agnes (Kathy Bates) bonding with the Butcher fans, it is clear that the show was a big hit. As Sidney (Cheyenne Jackson) hints at another season, one fan from London presents Lee with a sketch of her and her daughter Flora, which she graciously accepts. Post second series, that same fan is seen in a YouTube video discussing Lee and the aftermath of the murders. She cannot believe how Lee is being put through the ringer. Cut to a video of Lot Polk (Frederick Koehler)--clearly disturbed by the murder of his family and ready for revenge on Lee.
Lee has come into her own fame-wise by being featured on the crime series Crack'd. After Roanoke, her life has been in turmoil as the footage of her admitting to Mason's murder created a media circus that even P.T. Barnum couldn't match. While acquitted of the mass murder potentially due to the Polk family's hallucinogenic pot, District Attorney Mark Phillips decides to use Lee's confession as evidence to nail her on Mason's murder.
On the stand, Flora (Jessica Pressley) tells a very different tale of her experience at Roanoke. Instead of being lured away, Flora willingly went into hiding as she witnessed her mother kill her father.Lee's attorney Stephanie Holder (Julie Claire) discredits Flora, mentioning Priscilla and the ghosts that "inhabit" the house. With Flora's testimony in question, the jurors deliberate for 16 days before delivering a verdict of "not guilty". After court, Flora is whisked away by Mason's parents and ignores Lee's pleas of love.
Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), a retired award-winning journalist and survivor of Briarcliff from the Asylum season, has decided to come out of retirement to interview Lee. At first, the interview seems harmless, but delves into Lee addressing Flora via camera: it's clear she still carries a torch to be reunited from her estranged daughter. Lana questions Lee's motives to interview solely with her, as Lee has turned down offers from several networks. Relentless in her questioning, Lana sees herself in Lee but diverts the conversation to asking Lee where she is hiding Flora; an hour before the interview, Flora went missing from her grandparent's house. Shots ring out in the hallway and Lot Polk enters the interview, armed with an assault rifle. Lana tries to reason with him, but he hits her and is then fatally dispatched by officers.
Keeping in documentary-style format, we learn about a show called Spirit Chasers, which eerily mimics its predecessors Ghost Hunters and Ghost Adventures. There was a controversial final episode that had not been released until now. Show hosts Bob Kinnaman and Dave Elder are joined by their tech manager Tracy Logan as they trespass onto the Roanoke property during the Blood Moon. Fitting the home with cameras, they are determined to capture footage of the strange happenings for the sake of ratings.
Joined by Cricket re-enactor Ashley Gilbert (Leslie Jordan), when nighttime falls the readings immediately start to go off the charts. Dark figures and slamming doors spook the wannabe ghost hunters as they continue their investigation. But it isn't until Ashley discovers a bonnet downstairs and the appearance of Lee Harris (who has been searching for her daughter for two weeks now) that all hell breaks loose.
The group begins to separate in an effort to capture footage, yet the result is all the same. In a bloodbath unlike any other, we as the viewer witness as the Spirit Chasers cast and crew are slaughtered one by one. Ashley is attacked by Pig Man as one of the Chens gets their hands on Dave Elder. Bob,Tracy, and the cameraman flee the house. Upon sight of a police car, Bob runs off to what seems like safety. Tracy and the cameraman are apprehended by the Butcher and in a final cruel twist, the Roanoke settlers send a bevvy of arrows in the direction of Bob and the perturbed officers, killing them all. Lee continues to search for her daughter in the house and is not disappointed: Flora has indeed returned to Roanoke.
The news stations have caught wind of a hostage situation as Lee and Flora remain inside. Flora has returned for one reason only: so she can die to protect Priscilla. At first, Lee refuses to leave the house without her, but acknowledges that her only fate is to take Flora's place. Lee is ready to give the ultimate sacrifice as a parent so that Flora can live: her life to consecrate the land during the Blood Moon.
Before the officers have a chance to get inside the house, there is a massive explosion and fire engulfs the house. Flora has emerged, unscathed and led to the back of a police car to leave the scene. Lee and Priscilla stand nearby, as Flora sees her mother one more time. Priscilla's prophecy had come true: Flora is truly the last one left. In one final terrifying scene as the officers continue to investigate, the camera zooms out and we see the butcher and the settlers of Roanoke, heading in the direction of the house to finish consecrating the land.
Ryan Murphy has not disappointed us as Roanoke proved to be a truly horrific season that focused on the voyeurism of media. What will he come up with next? We'll just have to wait and find out....until next time!
