'American Horror Story' Season 7, Episode 7 'Valerie Solanas Died for Your Sins: Scumbag' Recap [SPOILERS]

Down with the patriarchy! That is the central theme of this week’s “American Horror Story: Cult.” Lena Dunham is a guest star and she plays the infamous Valeria Solanas the American radical feminist who assassinated Andy Warhol. Her lover enlists Beverly, Ivy, and Winter to stand against Kai. Because before Kai’s cult there was Valerie’s group—one driven by rage against heterosexual men enough to turn the Zodiac Killer into a feminist conspiracy. The latest episode, titled “Valerie Solanas Died for your Sins,” tackles radical Feminism, more deaths, and introduces another Cult.

‘American Horror Story’ Scum Manifesto

We are first introduced to Valeria Solanas as a prostitute trying to make a few quick bucks. But things escalate quickly when she stomped into Warhol’s shoot. She demanded her screenplay back from the artist. Butt after Warhol refused, she decided to come back and finish him off. After shooting Warhol it cuts to present day where Ally is in police custody and Kai is ahead in the city council election.
After broadcasting Kai’s win, Beverly Hope was visited by Bebe Babbot, one of Valerie’s former lovers. She tries to enlist Beverly for her cause against the patriarchy. Beverly refuses the offer and walks away at first. But the next day she changes her mind and visits Kai, who was surrounded by his supremely white bodyguards.  There she learns Kai doesn’t want to share the leadership with her. This drives Beverly into accepting Bebe’s offer, even recruiting Ivy and Winter. This is where we get to know Valerie and her “Scum Manifesto.”
Bebe introduces the manifesto to the ladies. She tells them the motivations and the vision their group had back in the day, and that’s trying to prove to the world that women would die if coupled with men. Basically, anything that involves a man in power would lead to the demise of women. Bebe and Valerie’s Cult went to great lengths to prove their beliefs. In the end, Bebe convinced the three women Kai’s leadership will result in their own demise.
After that enlightening conversation,  the three women were shown cutting Harrison to pieces in the meat locker after forcing him to reveal what actually happened to Meadow. Beverly used it as a way not only to be the first to cover the story but to undermine Kai’s new world order.

No One Out Puppets The Puppeteer

It’s a great week for the men of “American Horror Story: Cult.” For the women—well, not so much. It may look like a small victory for Beverly at the moment. She along with Ivy and Winter create their own Cult against Kai. But it won’t be for long because her new cult is all according to plan. Everything was a ruse set up by Kai himself.
Apparently, Bebe was not there to recruit Beverly for a new cult to rival Kai’s but she is actually working with Kai.  The new episode steered away from their narrative to introduce another angle in Kai’s plans. But what is it all for? The clash of cults is getting the main plot a little muddled. Especially when Kai teases Winter about his cult’s own slogan “Men Lead, Women Bleed.” Are we expecting a power struggle between Kai and Beverly? What was the point of all of this?
What purpose is Bebe serving? It is established Kai is the puppet master and everything he’s done is connected to his new world order. A possibility is that Kai is purposely separating himself from all of his followers and placing them in the ultimate mind game. This week’s episode brought more confusion on what the show is trying to present to us.
But one thing is for sure, Kai has a few more tricks up his sleeve.
“American Horror Story: Cult” continues next Tuesday with “Winter of Our Discontent,” 10 PM on FX.