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corinneppierson
Reviews
American Horror Story: Winter Kills (2021)
Far From the Best of the Season
Really had high hopes for this episode (mostly due to the high action, engaging masterpiece that Gaslight was) and honestly I hate to say I'm disappointed.
I feel like actors such as Finn Wittrock, Evan Peters, and Frances Conroy deserve to have good endings for their characters. This episode was one of the most rushed I've ever seen in this series and it absolutely sucks because I genuinely thought this season would end up in my top 3. It's really a pity because the cast was literally perfect this season and they killed every character within two episodes.
For a while, I was on board with Double Feature consisting of 2 short seasons, but now I'm starting to rethink. I am now thinking maybe it isn't a problem that AHS' seasons are two long and lose momentum by the end of the season. I just don't think Ryan Murphy knows how to end a storyline. Not since the flawless endings of Freak Show and Asylum.
American Horror Story: Gaslight (2021)
Lily Rabe's Masterpiece
I normally write a paragraph on each stunning actor but if I had to judge this episode- I would write one for every single person. But the forever shining star was Lily Rabe and her performance deserves every award possible.
Rabe is a genius. The raw emotion Doris portrayed throughout this season is INCOMPARABLE to any character before. Never have I had more words to say about an actor in this series. Lily Rabe is and will forever be a star in American Horror Story.
American Horror Story: Blood Buffet (2021)
A Great Flashback Episode
American Horror Story is too often a hit or miss with their seasons. Some are too boring and drawn on, others have too many storylines to pay attention to one. Double Feature is different. With the right cast and stupendous writing and plot, this season deserves in my opinion as many Emmy nominations as early seasons.
Angelica Ross is gorgeous onscreen- with the Chemist being such a morally intriguing character, it's hard to not like her even if she is bringing doom to the entirety of Ptown.
Frances Conroy deserves millions and millions of applauds from every corner of the globe. She completely STUNS me with every appearance and I adore the very conflicted views Belle Noir's backstory brings me to have (similar to the chemist).
Evan Peters is always a marvel but Austin in drag- honestly one of my favorite AHS moments overall. The amount of ease Evan always puts into his roles will forever be a cemented foundation of the show.
I wish this episode was longer and we got to explore everyone more but I have a feeling the next couple weeks will c r u s h me and all other longtime fans.
American Horror Story: Thirst (2021)
Another Wonderful Edition
These episodes and their all star casts keep getting better and better in my opinion. I never thought I'd be seeing so many Frances Conroy and Evan Peters duets but I am glad that I am!
Leslie Grossman is the comedic star of the show (while being perfectly coupled with Macaulay Culkin). I wish she was given the opportunity to play roles that aren't solely comedy because she's absolutely incredible! Her one liners and delivery made this episode such a fun watch and leaves me so intrigued for the future.
Angelica Ross. No words can describe the excitement I have for her future on AHS. She's incredible and next episode sounds like it will be the most interesting of backstories for her and the others. The Chemist has found her way onto the pedestal that the Countess of Hotel stands on in my mind and I am so excited for the dynamic she will bring to the ensemble.
Denis O'Hare's short cameo leaves me so excited for his future in the season. Since the iconic role that was Liz Taylor in Hotel, I haven't been able to get enough of this incredible actor and his talent. I'm SO glad he's back for this season.
American Horror Story: Pale (2021)
Excellence.
The second episode of the premiere gave the series a more authentic feeling through the general focus on the plot rather than the introductions of new characters and establishment of moodiness in the setting.
Seeing Wittrock's performance in this crushing role makes one feel like they're watching a modernized (and albeit less criminally insane) Dandy Mott work his way through several internal and external conflicts and become a character truly worth the extra effort worked into him. Hats off to Wittrock for a stellar performance once again. Incredible.
Lily Rabe's Doris Gardener shines within this addition with the added conflict between her, her daughter, and husband. The layers to Rabe's character and the humility present makes her feel like the only sane character who truly deserves explanations for all that had been pushed upon her in the few feeble days within the episodes. You feel for Doris Gardener and you feel for Harry and Alma as well.
Each role is perfectly casted and each performance is another level on top of the mountain of praises I wish to sing to every actor within it.
American Horror Story: Cape Fear (2021)
What A Beginning!
Besides the brilliance that is Finn Wittrock in his leading role this season, this premiere was one of the most entertaining additions to the series since Freakshow (with Wittrock's debut role and the addition of Jessica Lange to the main cast for the final season). The colorful characters, psychological storylines and underlying messages kept me as a watcher of many years feeling like I was watching Asylum or Hotel for the first time again.
Ryan Keira Armstrong is an incredibly talented actress with the immense ability to work alongside some of the most talented actors in the television industry in my opinion. Lily Rabe also shines once again in one of the only sane roles in the season (thus far). Frances Conroy's character has much to be explored and I can't say I'm not excited! I am equally if not more excited to see the fleshing out of Evan Peters' Austin Sommers as we are expected to see much of the trio between Peters, Conroy, and Wittrock.
The only critique I have thus far is the pacing coupled with the choppiness. I assume this is due to the short amount of time specifically blocked out for Red Tide. But as most characters are introduced by this point, I expect the pace to be more steady and the scenes to be less action oriented ("we're going on a run" "I'm going to get a drink").
Hats off to Ryan Murphy and the other creators for making up for whatever most of Stories was.
American Horror Stories: Game Over (2021)
Why
I find the entirety of the rubber woman Murder House plot uninteresting and unnecessary. Maybe I would've found it bearable if the acting was good too but yikes that was in the gutter as well. We didn't need to go back to murder house in this show at all. But I feel this episode was the worst addition.
The idea of a frame story is only good when done correctly and this was the most confusing attempt I've ever witnessed. Maybe it was meant to be confusing so we wouldn't ask questions but... I still haven't half a clue at what is "reality" vs. What is the video game? Did the Murder House ghosts ever truly get freed? I assume not because that was part of the video game as was all of the other content referring to Murder House as a whole in this episode besides the two attempts attempts at the video game.
The "reality" of this episode is where American Horror Story exists as a show (exactly like real life) and the video game is where AHS still exists (because the game developer recognized Ben, the scared people at the beginning were AHS fans, and the developers' son was a big fan) but so do the AHS characters (because we saw all the ghosts and so did the video game characters). Which brings me to my last question-
Does this effect the reality of AHS as a whole because the AHS show never existed in a timeline for any of the seasons of the show?
PLUS HOW TF DID BEAU END UP IN THE DEVELOPERS HOUSE IN THE "REALITY" OF THE SHOW?? WHERE DOES THAT CORRELATE?!
American Horror Stories: Feral (2021)
Why did it take so long for Ryan Murphy to get it right?
It astounds me that this show actually has gone anywhere since the disaster many of the first episodes are but with the return of actors like Cody Fern and Billie Lourd- the AHS universe returns to its natural state.
This episode was by far my favorite even over 1x05 because of its absence of supernatural entities and actual eeriness at points. One example of something that actually evoked an emotion resembling fear was when the creatures watched on and cocked their heads while the parents and Birch walked on down the pathway through the park.
I genuinely liked some of the characters particularly Addy and Stan. The acting and charisma of Stan's character actually made him likable and charming while Addy's emotional grieving mother mixed with her unresolved feelings for her ex gave a compelling performance as well.
The ending I actually predicted from when the son was kidnapped in the first place and that actually means the storyline was followable so good on them! Overall a stellar classic American Horror Story addition that I adore.
American Horror Stories: Ba'al (2021)
For the First Time This Actually FEELS like American Horror Story
The ending wasn't my favorite but I genuinely enjoyed Billie Lourd's portrayal of her character and the genuine gradual insanity felt very real... until the very end of the episode.
I'm NOT a fan of the "twist" endings that don't make sense with the plot created, especially the attempts at Black Mirror endings by using technology as a backbone for the twists (such as live-streaming of Scarlett's personal talk, the publishing of Rabbit Rabbit, the filming of Liv's insanity). Why does the end of every episode feel like it's trying to fit turn upon turn upon turn on us? It's genuinely annoying when in the final 5 minutes of the episode- the endgame changes multiple separate times.