“Aren’t we all running from the chainsaws in our past?”
Spoilers for Scream Queens Episode 3, “Chainsaw,” are below.
Everyone’s a suspect as Scream Queens returns with its third episode, and as its title promises, there was plenty of chainsaw action.
While I would argue Scream Queens’ self-awareness is one of its best strengths — it is a satire and commentary on slasher flicks, after all — that focus on the characters trying to confront the Red Devil killer in Episode 3 actually caused it to drag. There still are some standout moments of comedy, but this week’s episode felt bogged down by the need to respond to questions the audience would be asking by this point, like “who is the killer?”
We want to hear it.
The answer, it seems, isn’t going to be simple. There were almost as many Red Devil killers popping up in this episode as there are core characters, and it appears that there is more than one murderer running around Wallace University’s campus. That means that even someone targeted by one of the chainsaw-wielding killers isn’t necessarily off the suspect list, since anyone could be in league with whatever is going on.
That sort of takes the fun out of the guessing game, though it also expands the playing field. At the end of the episode, Gigi (Nasim Pedrad) and Wes (Oliver Hudson) declare the Dean (Jamie Lee Curtis) the obvious choice for the killer, but that still seems too easy. What seems more likely is that there is some sort of conspiracy going on that a range of introduced characters are involved in, though it’s anyone’s guess who they may be.
We want to hear it.
Following the many deaths in the series premiere two-parter, Scream Queens is having fun with the stereotypical ignorance of characters in slasher flicks. Grace (Skyler Samuels) and Zayday (Keke Palmer)’s inability to accept that Chanel #2 (Ariana Grande) was killed despite her tweet because she had posted an Instagram photo was clever, as was their speedy trip off to Bel Air to meet her parents.
But Scream Queens isn’t limiting itself to just paying homages to horror movies. Chanel #1’s Hester (Lea Michele) makeover is something straight out of a teen comedy like Clueless, and that unfortunate two-arm dismemberment of an unlucky Dickie Dollars Scholars frat boy is a clear nod to Monty Python and the Holy Grail. I’m fine with using those to continue establishing Scream Queens as a horror-comedy, though I’m slightly concerned overusing them in the future could dilute the FOX series’ horror satire.
Scream Queens didn’t dive much deeper into its mythology in Episode 3, but did spend more time setting the stage for dissent among its main characters. Chad (Glen Powell) has apparently slept his way through the Chanels, meaning they all have motive against Chanel #1 (Emma Roberts) and vice versa. Chanel #5 (Abigail Breslins) seemed particularly testy in this episode, while Chanel #3 (Billie Lourd) revealed her hilarious Charles Manson backstory.
We want to hear it.
Powell was the MVP of this episode, and is quickly becoming the funniest part of this show. The sequence where the Dickie Dollars Scholars hunt down the Red Devil killer while Backstreet Boys plays is perfection, as is his second breakup with Chanel #1 (all of Emma Roberts’ faces in these scenes need to be reaction GIFs stat). Coming in a close second is Niecy Nash as Denise Hemphill, who is so hilarious in this role that she’ll probably always feel underutilized.
Scream Queens lost some of its momentum in this episode, and overall I didn’t love it as much as I did the two-hour premiere. My concern is that the show might lose some of its wit and purpose as it tries to deliver the same tropes it’s trying to satirize. Next week’s episode seems to focus on the question of who the killer is, which easily could veer too far off the rails. But I do feel like the series still has plenty of promise, as the strengths of Scream Queens still far outweigh its weaknesses.
Scream Queens dives deeper into its whodunnit mystery in Episode 3 by showing that there are multiple killers and proving anyone can be a suspect. But in adding new folds to its story, the FOX series runs the risk of over-complicating itself. Still, the humor remains biting and hilarious and the cast delivers committed, clever performances, and Scream Queens remains a joy to watch.
