Warning: This recap of the “11/9” episode of American Horror Story: Cult contains spoilers.

As though we’d collectively willed it using witchcraft or the Secret, AHS: Cult finally gave us something new this week! As fun as it has been watching Sarah Paulson screech her way through Anthropologie showrooms for hours on end, we needed answers, and “11/9” provided them in the form of flashbacks to how exactly Kai recruited his band of weirdos. In that regard, Cult admirably sidestepped big reveal moments (the identities of the clowns had become very no-duh) and instead went straight for the explanations. Billy Eichner, Mary Cherry, Ivy, Winter, Chaz Bono, the news reporter: They’re all in league with Kai, and it was nice that “11/9” respected us enough to not pretend any of this was shocking. And while some of the motives and explanations here still felt nonsensical or ludicrous, at least it was something. This episode was borderline FUN, even. Let’s talk about it!

We began on election night! Yes, we were back to this season’s (and this generation’s) central nightmare scenario. Nothing good happened that night… except perhaps for the arrival of Emma Roberts.

As a wistful fan of the late Scream Queens (which never got a second season, please don’t argue), I sincerely believe that Emma Roberts is one of the most underappreciated comedy actresses of modern times, so this was great. Unfortunately, her role in Cult appears to amount to a single-episode (spoiler) and here she played a rival news reporter to Adina Porter. But even with three scenes, Emma Roberts still did way more (and was more hilarious) than whatever it was she was doing on Freak Show, so no complaints here.

Anyway, standing in line at the polls were a bunch of familiar faces! Ally and Ivy were pinkie-swearing to not vote for Jill Stein, and nearby was Winter, and behind her were Billy Eichner and Mary Cherry. What a coincidence that they were all standing so close to each other!

That’s when Kai arrived with Chaz Bono, and they both shouted at poll workers to ignore the blood streaming from Chaz Bono and let him vote already. And after he triumphantly scribbled a sharpie beside Donald Trump’s name (is that how voting works in Michigan?) we finally learned what was up with all that blood…

Story continues