American Horror Story Delicate Episode 5 Recap With Spoilers: “Preech”

We’ve arrived at the end of Part One of American Horror Story: Delicate — the season has been split into multiple parts due to production issues related to the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes and as we head into what is functionally a midseason finale, things have gotten ever weirder for Anna. Not only did she get confirmation that her baby is alive and she is still pregnant, but she’s started exhibiting some bizarre behavior. Meanwhile, viewers are getting to see some of the things that Anna isn’t — namely that there might be much darker forces at play. Now, with awards season heating up for Anna and her pregnancy progressing, it will be interesting to see where things go — and where we’ll be left waiting. Here’s what happened in this week’s episode, “Preech”.

Spoilers for American Horror Story: Delicate, “Preech” bound from this point on. Only read on if you really want to know.

What Happens in American Horror Story: Delicate Episode 5?

The episode opens in the past. Manhattan 1987. It’s a young Preecher. She’s in labor and Dr. Hill is delivering but he’s antagonizing her a bit as well, reminding her of the agreement she made. The delivery is bloody and terrifying as the strange black-clad figures show up. After a violent few moments, the baby is born, but we never see it.

Back in the present, Dex’s mother is still trying to get him to testify against his father but he says he has nothing against his father. He wants her to drop things, but she can’t. He says he’s worried she’ll come out of things looking crazy. She’s not worried about that and points out that women will do anything for each other but some men wont’ even stand up for the women who birthed them.

Anna goes to her PR office and discovers that her younger rival, Babette, is now also working with them. Anna confronts Siobhan about it but Siobhan stands her ground. Anna wonders if Siobhan is representing the other actress to get back at her for getting pregnant but before she leaves, Siobhan gives Anna more vials of the red liquid from an earlier episode. As she’s leaving, Anna sees Preecher and goes to cross the street to see her and is nearly hit by a truck in the process.

Back at the house, Anna goes to find a pen to sign a magazine for her bodyguard and finds the freezer stocked with ice cream. She also goes back to the photo in the drawer and this time, sees the mysterious nurse in the background of it. Elsewhere, Dex’s mom gets out of a meeting with her attorney and finds herself in a strange alley where she’s confronted by the same black glad figures we’ve seen throughout the series. When she leaves the alley, she’s approached by Preecher who says she needs to speak with her.

Preecher tells her story, about how she was 25 and rising in the world of fashion but had a one-night stand and planned to get an abortion but was approached by a woman who said she could help. She just had to give her the baby. Preecher doesn’t know what the woman wanted but she has theories and thinks the woman was planning something. The woman said she’d give her the world in exchange. She did it. Preecher tells Dex’s mom that her son and Anna are in danger and they are coming for them. Turns out Adeline was one of the mysterious group’s power players and she defected because she fell in love with him. As they speak, a woman is watching.

Dr. Hill examines Anna at home. She’s having pain but he says it’s normal and is very dismissive of her issues. He also tells her that she cannot travel for the remainder of the pregnancy. Once the doctor leaves, Anna asks Dex to invite Sonja over for dinner. After some physical therapy, Anna goes to shower and discovers she’s losing more hair. The lights also flicker and she sees the strange goat creature in the shower. She panics and leaves only to find a Summer Day doll with a bloody scalp outside.

Sonja arrives for dinner but Nicolette keeps staring at her. Sonja and Anna sit down and talk. She brought presents and tells Anna that Dex told her about the stalker and commiserates with her, Anna admits that she thought she was following her at one point, though Sonja denies ever having worn green shoes, which Anna finds odd. Elsewhere, Siobhan has dinner with the director. He wants her attention, but she isn’t interested in that. He asks her questions about the script to his movie — she pulled all the strings about it — and he asks who she really is.

After dinner, Anna shows Sonja the photo of Dex with his late wife but she claims to not have known the other woman. Sonja tells Anna to be gentle with herself and to call her if she needs any help. Anna confronts Nicolette about knowing Sonja, but Nicolette continues to deny things.

Anna goes to physical therapy for pelvic floor massage but she’s not comfortable with it. Back at the house, Anna heads to the basement but is caught by Dex. She tells him that Cora molested her during the massage but he doesn’t believe her. Anna finally confronts him about his behavior and gets him to admit he thinks she’s making it all up about the stalker. Anna goes downstairs alone and watches the Golden Globes alone. She loses the award to Babette. She starts coughing and when she does, she coughs up what looks like tacks. She hears the laughter coming from the mysterious door again and goes towards it. Her phone rings and its Siobhan who asks her if she wants an Oscar and if she wants it as much as a baby and if she’s willing to do whatever she says to get it. Anna says yes and she’s grabbed by someone. The next morning, Anna wakes up in her bed to horrifying news: Babette has been decapitated in a car crash and Siobhan is on the phone.

American Horror Story: Delicate airs Wednesdays on FX.