‘Slasher: Flesh & Blood’ Recap – ‘Face Time’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘Slasher: Flesh & Blood’.
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Something that we are taught from a very young age, is to offer kindness to just about everyone we meet. For we genuinely don’t have a clue what kind of journey someone is upon and being kind to all, might be what makes or breaks the day for someone who is enduring a sour and uncomfortable journey. In fact, we believe so much in the power of good and everything it entails, that we eventually come to believe that good can conquer all and heal those in need of healing and well… that is an unfortunate belief for certain. Because while good intentions are indeed worthwhile in the moment, kindness cannot cure an individual of their ails. It can of course inspire them to be more, but they have to want to get to that point, and really, this particular lesson is top of mind today, simply because Christy was forced to learn it during this week’s episode of Slasher: Flesh & Blood.

For this emotionally ailing medic and now widow, came to discover some hard truths about her adopted daughter Aphra, and this journey of discovery got underway… when this quirky and strange girl… decided to venture out into the night on her own to see how Florence was doing. Which at first glance, made it seem as though perhaps we would finally see the kinder and gentler side of Aphra, one that spoke to her genuine purity and that her quirks were related to some kind of trauma or disorder. But the fact that she took the time to further punish Florence by cutting out her tongue… instead helped us to understand that this little lady had quite the dark side hiding within her after all, and that her strange behavior was related to a desire to indulge in that and well… after the Gentleman dispatched Florence and pushed Christy and her adopted daughter to run and hide in the shelter, is when that hard lesson came into play.

Because sadly, Christy was able to quickly assess that Aphra outright harmed Florence before she died and seeing the joy and panic that surged through Aphra over this, motivated mom to sedate her baby girl and take a little time to ponder upon the past and the kindness that she and Seamus showed Aphra when she first arrived. Which came in spades from the loving couple back then since they really did go above and beyond to give Aphra every chance to grow and thrive. But despite showering her in kindness and unrequited love, something always seemed a little off about her and her behavior on this night left Christy wondering if by chance all that love was for naught and sadly… she was right in that assumption. Because a quick look through Aphra’s phone revealed the truth about her and how the darkness she harbored was something she certainly did not want to let go of and sadly… that phone search brought about a horrible penalty.

In that, Aphra awoke while her mother was going through those unsettling pictures and disturbing videos and saw the disdain and disgust on Christy’s face and well, being exposed in that manner… ended any hope of redemption for Aphra and motivated her to just let go. Which in turn brought about a harrowing sequence, one where Aphra’s true evil was unleashed upon Christy, to the point where she even bit pieces of Christy off for pleasure before disappearing into the dawn to become best friends with the Gentleman and sadly… that aftermath of that horrific attack led to the end of Christy. Because despite making it back to the mansion, it was obvious that her wounds were fatal and it was only a matter of time before she would die in a horrible and painful manner, prompting Grace to honor her dying wish and give her a merciful end. 

But what matters more here, is that this episode really did do a fine job of hammering home its powerful lesson, since Aphra made it clear that no amount of love or understanding was ever going to heal her. It was only going to stave off the inevitable. Since this is who she is and this is who she wants to be and what’s terrifying is that now she’s out there with the Gentleman, who will undoubtedly nurture her darkest instincts in exchange for aiding him in bringing down the Galloway family and well, in the end… this is quite the bleak and devastating tale for certain. For now, only four of the family remain, and their prospects for survival most certainly seem grim, and it will be quite interesting to see how the final family members respond to the dire nature of their situation and if they will be able to learn the Gentleman’s true identity and why he’s chosen to bring them all great harm in the final two episodes of this brilliant story. Until next time.  

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