AHS Review

I tend to wait to jump on the bandwagon of most shows for some odd reason.  Sometimes it takes me many years until I like them.  I watch them because my friends watch them and I want to be able to talk to them about certain things.  For instance, I have occasionally watched Seinfeld and CSI.  At first I didn’t like either shows, I still don’t like Seinfeld and probably never will, but CSI is still one of my favorite shows on the air.

With that said, I watched one episode of the 1^st season of America Horror Story when it originally aired and found it to be a badly written show that I swear wouldn’t have lasted.  However it did and great other shows were cancelled.  I know I am still baffled by that decision as well. 

After months of dodging it on television and Netflix, I moved to Costa Rica where my US television options are limited to say the least.  After I was caught up on some other shows, American Horror Story continued to stare at me from my Netflix.  I decided to watch season 1.

Season 1 which was about this family that moved into “Murder House” was a stale written show.  The characters were not full developed and were very one sided.  Jessica Lange is fantastic in her role.  I just wish she had more to work with in the script.  The rest of the cast is not too bad either.  Though it had some odd twists and turns, it was pretty transparent what was going on.

Season 2 called the Asylum showed some more promise.  All about demon possession and cruelty in an asylum.  I believe out of the three that I have watched this is Evan Peters’ best season.  The only character however that is developed is Jessica Lange’s character go figure.   

The writers killed this season by adding a Hitler concentration camp experimenting doctor and aliens.  The aliens were the worse.  They had no place in the story and seemed to be filling some plot like that Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk couldn’t get to work without throwing it in there.  They ruined the season with this crap.

Finally we come to Coven the third season and still not the final.  Many of my friends found this to be the best season and love it.  Yes, it is great to see Kathy Bates in such a juicy role and Angela Bassett as a powerful voodoo queen.  However, when you boil it down, it’s just as drab as the rest.

This time it is about witches.  Jessica Lange is the selfish afraid to die matriarch of a school of witches whose membership has dwindled to only a few.  The shows is filled with egocentric witches, dumb pathetic witch hunters, zombies and voodoo queens wrapped in the velvet tones of Fleetwood Mac but more importantly Stevie Nicks.

The story had a completely unnecessary secondary story line with pathetic lackadaisical witch hunters that die just as quickly as they are introduced.  I laughed when Angela Bassett smirked that killing them was easier than she thought it would be.  It was extremely underwhelming and completely not needed on any level.

The characters had no depth and I could care less who would be the ruler of the school.  In fact, I was hoping it would go up in flames.  Evan Peters was completely useless as the resident Zombie, Apparently  he is Ryan Murphy’s boy toy because just like the witch hunters, his character served little to no purpose at all.  In fact, I wonder if Evan has to let Ryan blow him every season or was it just the 1^st one.  Don’t get me wrong, I would blow him too, but it would be more than one time I can guarantee it.

Emma Roberts was boring.  Gabourey Sidibe was boring.  Sarah Paulsen was boring.  Frances Conroy was better in Season 2.   Denis O’Hare forgettable.  Lily Rabe was a breath of fresh air, but never developed.  Kathy Bates was fun. Angela Bassett was a caricature at best.  Jamie Brewer was delightful as usual. Taissa Farmiga was exactly the same as she was in the 1^st season so I am wondering if that is all she can play.  I think she has become my new Kristen Stewart, except she can show some emotion. 

 

Now they have done Freak Show and I will watch it when it comes on Netflix, but I am not holding my breath for it to be any different or better than the seasons before.  Just like Glee is the same drivel week after week and season after season, American Horror Story is the same.  Boring and doesn't stretch the actors or viewers.  

Until next time, may your bartender keep your drinks full and stiff.