Just a couple quick bullets coming up…
-It’s always great to have this show back; it’s truly an insanely entertaining hour each week. This year, it feels as if the tone is back to Season 1 lighthearted fare. Yes, there are several dark scenes (more on that later), but it seems like the camp has been turned up a notch. While last year, the prison contributed to an all-encompassing feeling, we’re now back to throwing whatever craziness on screen we can and hoping it’ll fit.
-I really loved Taissa Farmiga back in season 1, and I’m glad she’s back. She has great chemistry with Evan Peters, and she portrays her characters’ vulnerability and reactions to her increasing powers very well. Also, she kills people by having sex with them. That’s interesting. Death by snu snu, right?
-The rest of the younger cast is fantastic as well; Emma Roberts has fun with her role, but she’s also able to convey her feelings over the rape (again, more on that later) in a nuanced way. Or, at least as nuanced as AHS can get.
-Kathy Bates and Jessica Lange are compelling to watch; they’re accomplished actresses, and I look forward to seeing them two in the same scene as Paulson and Bassett. It’s sure to be exciting. Speaking of Bassett, she’s fantastic as Marie Laveau.
-The season seems to be exploring the themes of oppression and injustice in the feminine world, and there are also racial undertones thrown in there. I’m not sure how exactly I feel about Ryan Murphy commenting on society, but it’s an angle that makes sense from a horror perspective. We’ll see.
-The opening sequence and the rape sequence are sure to be the more controversial scenes in the episode. There’s always a question to be asked here: should we dismiss these scenes as just another component of the insanity of the show, or is a line crossed? I think it’is a little bit of both. The show seems to revel in its horrific treatment of its characters (there’s not as much focus on Madison’s revenge as there is the actual rape) , but at a certain point, it becomes overly gratuitous. Personally, it doesn’t bother me, but I can see why it would do so for others.
-Lily Rabe, Francis Conroy, and Denis O’Hare are all back. I need to see more of what they’re up to.
-I didn’t even recognize O’Hare. This should be awesome.
-“Don’t make me drop a house on you.”
-“When are you gonna die and stop ruining my life?”
-“I don’t feel nuthin’. I’m a human voodoo doll, bitch!”
-“My cousin Amanda, she’s just bulimic.”
GRADE: B
Credit to FX and American Horror Story for all pictures. I own nothing.
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