‘American Horror Story’ finally making sense

Warning: Spoilers ahead about season five of “American Horror Story: Hotel”

In season five of “American Horror Story: Hotel,” the third episode finally seems to pull together the guests of the Hotel Cortez.

The episode, entitled “Mommy,” clarifies the motivations of most of the characters. Some character’s motivations are still a little murky, but at least now we understand the storyline.

Show creator Ryan Murphy finally revealed the truth about The Countess – she’s broke.

In the previous episode, we learned that she has a virus that causes vampirism. Over the course of her life, she lost all of her hotel fortune to a man named Bernie – probably Bernie Madoff – along with having many failed relationships.

Like previous episodes, viewers were once again introduced to another failed relationship of The Countess, this time with Ramona Royale, a former 1970s actress.

The entrance of Royale is also Angela Basset’s first introduction to the new season. Royale has a bone to pick with her former lover after she murdered the man she was to run away with. Now, Royale plans to get her revenge on The Countess by taking everything she loves.

The interactions between the two women were the best part of the entire episode. The two know how to play off each other with their glam personas which will make for a very interesting storyline.

Meanwhile, The Countess is planning to seduce the new hotel owner, Will Drake. She eventually plans to marry him, take all of his money and then murder him. This is a plot that her new lover, Tristan, will most likely assist with.

Speaking of Tristan, he’s made a new friend in the hotel – former serial killer and original owner of Hotel Cortez James March (Evan Peters).

Peters does an impressive job portraying the insane March, who Murphy based off of H. H. Holmes, a serial killer from the late 1800s who built his own murder hotel. Tristan and March could prove to be a murderous duo.

The leading theme of the episode, however, is motherhood, with The Countess being “mother” to all of her creations, Iris (Kathy Bates) attempting to kill herself after her son Donovon (Matt Bomer) rejects her, and Alex Lowe (Chloe Sevigny), who is the most intriguing of the three mothers.

Alex is the wife of Detective Lowe who is continuing to unravel mentally as his investigation gains momentum. Alex states in a moving part of the episode that losing their son, who was stolen by The Countess, has changed her forever. She even goes as far to say that she loved her son more than her daughter and husband.

Sevigny is incredibly convincing as a heartbroken mother. She makes the audience hurt with her which is why when she sees her lost son at the Cortez, the audience gasps along with her when the boy simply says, “Hi Mommy.”

While this week was not as gory as the last, it did finally tie some serious plot holes together.

The season is shaping up to be one of the most interesting of the entire series if it continues building the relationships and backgrounds of these characters the way it did in “Mommy.”