After what I could only call the most disappointing season of American Horror Story thus far, we are given the most disappointing of season finales.
The episode begins like an episode of Forensic Files, with Lee (Adina Porter) painted to look like a serial killer, gone mad by the divorce and custody battle with her husband. They showed her trial, where she was acquitted based on evidence that the marijuana she smoked at the Polks’ house was laced with a hallucinogen that made her believe everyone was trying to kill her. She was then put on trial for the murder of her husband, which she also got away with thanks to the testimony of her daughter, who said she saw her mother murder her father while she was out in the woods with Priscilla, the ghost girl. This made her sound crazy, and the defense lost their star witness. Now, Lee is being interviewed by Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), who you may remember as our heroine from season two, Asylum.
If anyone could understand the things Lee went through, you would think it would be Lana. She saw some crazy things inside that asylum and she murdered her own son because it was something that she needed to do. In reality, Lee only went on Lana’s show to speak to her daughter, who hasn’t spoken to her since the trial made her look like a liar. It is revealed that Lee’s daughter went missing an hour before she went on the show and, naturally, the prime suspect is Lee. The interview, however, is cut short by a gunman desperate to give Lee what she deserves.
Now, after the Diane Sawyer ripoff that is the “Lana Winters Show”, we get to see an episode of “Spirit Chasers,” which is the AHS version of Ghost Hunters. They were denied entry to the house for their show, so they broke in to film the episode, which apparently seemed like a brilliant idea at the time. It isn’t long before they begin to experience signs of a haunting and then, unexpectedly, Lee shows up looking for her daughter. She believes Priscilla has taken her daughter again as the blood moon as begun to rise. This can only mean that more people will die. Unfortunately, the Spirit Chasers are idiots and apparently learned nothing from the show that sparked their interest in the ghosts of the house.
From this show, we hop to a news show much like CNN. They report that Lee has kidnapped her daughter and is holding her hostage inside the Roanoke house. Once again, the house is filled with bodies and, being that it isn’t our natural instinct to believe in ghosts, the only rational explanation is that Lee killed them all, again. While we see what is really happening in the house with Lee, the news reports far worse than the truth.
In a non surprising turn of events, Lee does something to prove to her daughter just how much she loves her and to earn her love in return. I wont spoil what that is, but, if you have seen Dark Water, a movie similar to the story of Elisa Lam, just like American Horror Story: Hotel was based off of, you already know what that something is.
I can say that I like that they brought Lana Winters in, but I cannot say that I like the circumstances. It felt like a forced way to connect the two seasons. It was also rushed and really brought nothing to the episode that was of use. The only thing we could really walk away from the season with is maybe the message that we shouldn’t believe everything we see on television, but at the same time, we should believe some of what we see. The news twisted the story of Lee Harris, making her into a murderer while telling us not to believe in the ghosts we saw but we really should have believed in those ghosts and not what the news was telling us. Other than that, there really wasn’t a clear message to the season and it ended without the likeable characters we were given to cheer for in the other seasons. In a way I did like Lee but, at the same time, there wasn’t anything about her that made me cheer to see her live or sad to see her die. Lana Winters did that for me in season two. Lee was no Lana in the end.
This was seriously the worst season thus far and I cannot possibly put into words the disappointment I feel over this finale. They need to bring Adina Porter back for next season just to do the actress the justice she deserves with a better character in a better storyline. She deserves that much for having them waste her talent in such a horrible season of such a great show.
Overall, Roanoke may be a sign that American Horror Story has reached a point where they should stop. Naturally they will do another season anyway, which we can only hope will be heaps better than this one. This time I really hope they don’t destroy one of America’s greatest mysteries with the insult of a reality show again. What a wasted opportunity. They have their chance to redeem themselves next year. Here is hoping that they take it.
Rating: 6/10
