To paraphrase John Mulaney from one of my favorite pieces of pop culture this year: “What is American Horror Story? Really, why do we keep watching? Stop watching until we figure it out!”
If Billy Eichner ran up to you on the street and asked you what Ryan Murphy’s first anthology is — now in its eighth season — he’d run away yelling you’re wrong. It’s not about the horrors of America or much of a story anymore, really. The real answer is that it cuts Eichner among others a paycheck, and we keep giving them that cash.
AHS was a once reliable horror-homage, repackaging classic tropes and stories like demon babies, covens, asylums, and evil clowns into fun escapes. They also served as honest mirrors to the times they were placed. Ideas of pro-choice, gun control, irresponsible capitalism and greed, and its own audience’s desire to watch the disturbed were the heart of the show.
These are American Horror Stories. Murphy and his crew didn’t have to insert modern politics or projections into the story. Instead, we lived in Anytown America or historical backdrops just for atmosphere.
Now for a second straight season, the cloud of a sitting president looms large over the series. As the season’s tag indicates, we’re heading toward apocalypse. Oh no! What will we do?
There’s no direct mention of the fascist leader responsible for setting off the ICBMs that destroy the planet in the first moments of the show. Though, a newscaster says “We actually did it,” possibly implying the show later dives into a country’s collective insanity that led to this moment. As the premiere stands, it’s a mess, though.
Not only was AHS once focused on providing fun easter eggs for fans and drawing parallels from classic films, it thrived in those moments. There was a sense of sophistication that’s missing now. In fact, it seems almost wholly unaware of its surroundings, burying its head in the political sand.
Once the premise is set up and the central characters all hide in a doomsday bunker headed by AHS regulars Sarah Paulson and Kathy Bates — representatives of “The Cooperative” — things take a curious turn. Is Paulson moonlighting as Jared Leto from Blade Runner 2049? What’s this medieval sci-fi interior and costuming doing here?
It’s all sending mixed messages for an audience that’s largely knowledgeable of tropes and modern culture.
The content and characterizations don’t serve much better, either.
Fans burned down the internet when it was announced Dame Joan Collins would join the cast. She’s given little more than one note as a stereotypical rich, old, white, grandmother with a dash of charming racism. And of course, she’s on a first name basis with the president.
Leslie Grossman plays the young equivalent of Collins’ part, an Instagram heiress with the tact of a brick.
Perhaps the only real development and potential is shown through the blue bloods of the show. Paulson and Bates shine as the central figures of the co-op, as does Evan Peters as a flamboyant celebrity hair stylist. They’re charming as ever despite the rote writing which only comes alive in bursts.
If the writers got one thing right, it’s how well they crafted an intimate hellscape. The mood is lit just right to invoke a painful and dull post-apocalyptic life, even invoking the black death with hazmat suits inspired by bubonic plague gear. But the real joke comes from playing a song on repeat for 18 months. Even if they played Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band on a loop, that’d be insanity inducing.
Maybe this is actually hell, and the survivors are actually dead. If there are still hardcore fans that connect with this season, conspiracy theories are sure to start up.
Still, we’ll keep watching. Last season, even more on-the-nose with modern politics eventually turned around and made for some amusing observations and original ideas. It’s possible this season will too, if only to finally see the crossover with Murder House and Coven fans have anxiously awaited.
Overall Grade: 5 out of 10
American Horror Story: Apocalypse airs Wednesday nights on FX.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xKrpgJTS-Vg
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