TV Review: Scream Queens (Season 1, Episode 10)

Last Updated on August 5, 2021

EPISODE: THANKSGIVING

THE APPETIZER: As Chanel is paid an visit to by an unwelcome guest at the Radwell estate, the Kappa House Thanksgiving turns into an accusatory row.

WARNING: MAJOR SPOILERS BELOW. IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THIS EPISODE, STOP READING HERE!

THE ENTREE: Load up a hefty plateful and crack a brew my good friends, it's time to indulge in the glut of games the Scream Queens version of "Thanksgiving" has to offer. You good? Let's go! Upon the rash of ghastly "Ghost Stories" spun last week, we elliptically find Chanel confessing to Chad that she in fact whacked Hester by launching her down a flight of stairs. Chad of course finds it's so sexy he proposes having a threesome with Chanel and Hester's dead frozen corpse. Worse yet, she agrees in order to be taken to the Hamptons to meet his parents. One problem. Hester's dead body is missing, no longer in the meat locker where Chanel left it. Could this mean old Neckbrace could be Boone's homicidal twin sister? Could be. No clues are given however when we see the lone Red Devil mutely interacting with Gigi as they hide out in a hotel and share a puny room-service Thanksgiving feast.

Then, shortly after, Hester shows up unannounced at Chad's family estate and ruins Chanel's chummy get-to-know-you holiday meal. Remember, Chanel has every intention of marrying up. But in this family? The name of every male in the family rhymes with Chad…Tad, Thad, Brad Radwell, etc., even if needless cameos from Alan Thicke and Chad Michael Murray came as a result. Anyway, soon Hester spills her guts about having a fake bun in the oven. This impresses the Radwell folks none too well. In fact, they grossly berate both Chanel and Hester for being poor and ugly, riddled with poo bellies and the like. Hell, papa Radwell even tries to bribe Chanel for a cool $50,000 if she leaves for good. However, it isn't until a family game of Pictionary escalates to such insolent heights (Neckbrace Whore!) that Chanel and Hester hit the bricks in solidarity, leaving Chad to be alone with his crassly shallow family forever. Which, quite frankly, is worse than being foully disemboweled by the Red Devil herself.

Back at Kappa, Chanel #3 ventures out to see her family on Thanksgiving, only to remember what dreadful eating traditions they have. She heads back to the sorority house in disgust to find Dean Munsch prepping a turkey affectionately named Oberon. The two gals decide to have their own holiday feast there in the house, to which Grace, Zayday and Wes attend. It's here that a confessional game of charades turns into a finger pointing contest. Munsch calls out Chanel #3 for being the killer, citing suspicious behavior around the time a Red Devil attacked the house with the chainsaw. Chanel #3 reciprocates and quickly calls Munsch out as the murderer, a theory backed up by Grace and Zayday. When cornered and threatened to have the police called on her, Wes steps in and surprisingly nominates his own daughter Grace as the potential killer. Pretty sick right? Well, then Pete suddenly shows up out of nowhere to rapidly shoot down that claim, and instead point the accusatory finger at Wes. Proof is hard to overlook when Pete unveils that Wes is actually the unknown father of the now dead Boone!

Wait, what? So Grace is indeed Boone's sister? That could kind of give credence to her being guilty, no? Nah, that's too cheap, too easy, too convenient. Besides, she's supposed to be our Final Girl, right? Aside from Zayday, who we know is not the killer from the painting of the babies, that leaves the Chanels…3, 5, and 6. Who else or among them could it be? Whoever it is, I'd now like to quite a line from Grace that perfectly sums up this episode. "All that tonight proved is that it could be anyone." Truer words never spoken. "Thanksgiving" avoided the brutality of other episodes, likely out of respect for the family holiday the show is named after, yes, but also as a necessary down turn from last week's soaring carnage-laced uptick. No, this episode wasn't about bloodshed, but about laying the groundwork for the revelatory final two episodes. It's getting to be that time. We're lining up the ducks, getting all the proper pieces in place before a credible culprit can be satisfyingly explicated. To that end, the episode did its job just fine. The show ended with the Kappa Thanksgiving being unceremoniously interrupted when Oberon, the turkey they've been slowly roasting all day, is substituted with Gigi's dead-grey decapitated head!

KILL OF THE WEEK: The only kill of the week was that of Gigi. Unfortunately, we're only left to imagine how it went down. The Red Devil most likely decapitated the bossy bitch with an electric turkey carver! I get that this is a family holiday and all but damn that would have been rad to see!

BLOOD & GORE: Nada.

MOST PLAUSIBLE SUSPECTS: Since we know it's a girl, we're left with Grace, Zayday, Chanel #1, #3, #5 and #6. Allow me now to throw out a wild theory and say Pete is the killer, born a girl, now living life as a transgendered man. Dude just admitted to having a brother. He's been a bit too tidy with all his investigations, leading Grace right into the jaws of danger while doing it. Pete's pulling a SLEEPAWAY CAMP. How's that for plausible!