Welcome to Briarcliff

Plot

In 2012, newlyweds Leo and Teresa visit the abandoned Briarcliff mental institution. Leo loses his arm when reaching through a hatch, and Teresa later finds a hidden tunnel where she encounters the serial killer "Bloody Face" wearing a mask of human skin. In 1964, Kit Walker lives secretly with his African-American wife Alma. While at home, explosions, bright lights, loud noises, and apparent anti-gravity occur; Alma disappears, and Kit is rendered unconscious.

He is supposedly kidnapped and operated on by aliens. Sister Jude Martin, the authoritarian administrator, dislikes Lana's questioning. Jude harbors sexual feelings for Monsignor Timothy Howard, the sanitarium's founder and an ambitious priest. Kit, accused of skinning three women including Alma, is held pending a determination of his sanity.

He denies killing anyone, blaming Alma's disappearance on extra-terrestrials. Kit meets inmates Shelley and Grace, and is bullied by Spivey. Jude breaks up a fight, and Kit is sent to solitary confinement. Jude questions Dr. Arden about patients who died under mysterious circumstances; Arden claims they were cremated.

Dr. Arden sedates Kit, cuts his neck, and extracts a metallic object that grows legs and flees while Kit has flashbacks to alien abduction.

Reception

The episode gained a 2.2 18–49 ratings share and was watched by 3.85 million viewers. It received generally positive reviews, scoring 64 out of 100 on Metacritic from 22 reviews. Rotten Tomatoes reported a 100% approval rating from 11 reviews, with the critical consensus calling it "a healthy dose of mysterious, gruesome fun." James Poniewozik of Time described the season as "a more focused, if equally frenetic, screamfest" with a "gorgeously realized" vision of its 1960s institution.

Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post noted that the emotional pain of the characters often feels as real as their uncertainty and terror. Verne Gay of Newsday gave the season a C grade, stating it "has some good special effects, just not much of a story to hang them on." Linda Stasi of the New York Post found the season "over the top." In February 2013, the episode won a Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing: Short Form Sound Effects and Foley in Television. In September 2013, it won a Creative Arts Emmy Award for Outstanding Sound Editing for a Miniseries, Movie, or Special.