American Horror Story

[Phuel]

Why are you surprised Scott...? It's Ryan: His initial concept may be brimming with good-- even great intentions and potential, but once he gets going and settles in, it's everything and the kitchen sink, camp-galore fest. As that article has accused him of, he just can't seem to help himself with the gayness of it all. I'm sure there will be vampires as an "homage" to Ann Rice, and Patti Lupone will break into song and dance, at some point... Ryan just cannot help his campy himself.

I'm already quickly losing interest. The Council was abysmal; Just straightup cartoony. Where are the neighbors with the zombies ruckus happening right outside their doorstep? Why would the coven just leave a charred corpse in what looked like a quarry? Why didn't the Head Council feel any pain when Queenie was pulling her voodoo-doll on her? And, let's be frank, only in the deepest fantasies of homely and middle-aged hausfraus and aging gay men would a too-handsome Abercrombie & Fitch model be interested in a girl with Downs Syndrome... This show's a total mess already. I do love that Misty just wanders around and shows up at just the right time and the right place to revive the dead, though.

I suppose it could still be fluffy B-movie fun, but it all feels like such a wasted opportunity.

 

[Scott]

i agree with you phuel. everything is so all over the place. too many ideas crammed into a single concept and not very much in the way of substance….it feels overly contrived but thoughtless. i could easily forgive the campiness if the stories were better….like last season i overlooked that song and dance nonsense because generally the idea and the culminating story was really strong.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ Asylum was clever and subversive for the most part, and at its best, it was able to get under my skin for the inhumane afflictions all in the name of morality. Season 1 remains the best for me with its simplicity and sad creepiness of a ghost story. It's when Ryan tries to dip into the social historical aspect of storytelling that he sort of insults us. The lynching of the little boy is such an irresponsible aspect to illicit/ manipulate viewer emotion/ reaction for a fleeting scene with no further investment. Not to mention that this horrendous act was all but non-existent by the 1960s. It's such a hollow, lazy decision to shock and nothing else.

The hype lead by the impeccable promos for Coven was perfection: Stylish, playful, sexy and creepy. Even the inclusion of some brief doc on voodoo and witchcraft seemed to indicate a more darker tone. Oh well, that advertising for you.

On a positive note, every time I see Angela on screen, I actually get excited since she's so lethally and beautifully cool. She's used sparingly, and maybe that's for the better since Ryan would probably turn her into a drag queen if she were in this more...

And Kathy is really endearing to me, and I really like Queenie--who's my fav of all the women. I know she has a very limited range but she has such a presence. I'm glad they refrained from going the usual ghetto-route, or overly empowering/ angry role with a black character. I like how understated she has been. Although I'm already expecting the worst cliche coming from her relationship with Delphine. I guess this is the race-relationship Ryan harped on about.

Still sort of fun if you check your brain, or just common sense at the door. And still hoping Madison makes a comeback...

BTW, can't they smell Madison? She's in the next room, for crying out loud... Do none of these writers realize how strong decomposing bodies stink? I guess the neighbors can't smell that pile of burning zombies either.

 

[Scott]

yeah the ads were pretty deceptive in the grand scheme of things.

you know i said it after the first episode that i genuinely hoped a lot of this objectification depictions weren't for pure shock-value as opposed to actually having a perspective. but so far it's mostly been surface. i admit i still really love the presence of jessica,kathy and of course angela's story-lines. i just wish there was more cohesion and like you said,more time invested in certain scenarios. to me it just appears as if ryan can't handle executing very many elements into one storyboard….in the end,you're just left hanging as a viewer so perhaps he should have refined his narrative and concentrated,as he did last season,on those key stories. to be honest,i don't feel like ryan really put a great deal of thought into this season….i guess because of the zealous nature of the concept and the hype soon after…..it just hasn't developed into a whole lot for me.

hehe….that burning corpse scene….all i kept thinking during that scene was,won't the bible thumping mother smell that? good grief.

 

[Phuel]

^^^ ^^^ Not to mention she hasn't come 'round knocking for her sexy son's absence. And are they even looking for Madison? And I thought it was bad since we never see these 4 girls-- yes, only 4 girls in the "school", ever being taught a single lesson. More like a foster home. Now they're not even bothering to look for one of their missing girls...

With only six(?) more episodes, it would be nice if these writers start having a point soon besides being spoofs of the monster/ horror genre..

 

[Scott]

i hope there's an interesting climax to the season before it ends.

btw,you guys will get your wish….stevie nicks will be making an appearance on the show as confirmed by ryan through tweet.

http://www.latimes.com/entertainmen...n-horror-story-coven-20131112,0,7766228.story

 

[KoV]

I really love this season. I don't disagree with the critiques, but it's such a silly show and way more comedic than the past seasons. I think it works because it is campy. The fact that they've clearly checked logic at the door isn't lessening my enjoyment any.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

^^^ ^^^ Not to mention she hasn't come 'round knocking for her sexy son's absence. And are they even looking for Madison? And I thought it was bad since we never see these 4 girls-- yes, only 4 girls in the "school", ever being taught a single lesson. More like a foster home. Now they're not even bothering to look for one of their missing girls...

With only six(?) more episodes, it would be nice if these writers start having a point soon besides being spoofs of the monster/ horror genre..

yeah he is always very choppy with his way of storytelling and he needs a woman on his team (or some straight men ) to tell him to tone down the dramatics

 

[kokobombon]

Remember how season 1 had tons of little homages to classics...? anyone catched any this season? I only catched Army of Darkness, for obvious reasons. Frankentein maybe with Evan Peters´s morgue scene?

 

[Scott]

well last night there was a bit of an homage to the exorcist and i think zombie episode was probably an homage to night of the living dead but generally the homages have been historically-based. last night the main focus was obviously jack the ripper.

 

[Lamia]

I feel like this season is going nowhere, the plot isn't moving in any direction, first two were definitely much more interesting and wicked. I love Lilly Rabe, she a true chameleon, love her acting skills.

 

[dior_couture1245]

I actually felt like the last episode finally brought back some of the creepiness and unsettling elements from the previous seasons. The development of the witch hunter in cahoots with Marie, the Axeman, the three girls and the Ouija board, reviving Madison....all were very compelling to me.

I've enjoyed the season so far - not as much as the last two, but I really liked the most recent episode a lot. Felt like a tighter plot and less mayhem than the first 5 episodes.

 

[TREVOFASHIONISTO]

ehhhh its gotten to that point where i lose interest, as i did with last season (though i will probably finish this season)

 

[tigerrouge]

It seems that nearly everyone who dies is going to come back at some point.

 

[Scott]

i'll be honest myself,i actually enjoyed the last episode much more myself….i agree dior,that it seemed to bring back a bit of the unsettled nature that made the last two seasons pretty compelling. wasn't nearly as cheese-ball-worthy. i wish the 1919 witches were more an intrinsic part of the story….liked that bit quite a lot. and btw,the young woman who played the lead witch in that sequence was meryl streep's daughter grace gummer.

and all that resurrection stuff is a bit boring. i just don't understand,if somebody dies and all they've done is bring them back,it sort of becomes predictable by the end of it.

 

[Littleathquakes]

But at the same time, in a bit of irony, when someone does die and they're not resurrected, you're left scratching your head even though that's a normal course of action.

 

[heelscatchfire]

I loved the bit from 1919 as well, I hope those witches make another appearance but since they were there just to introduce the Axeman, they most likely won't. The Axeman, was an actual serial killer in New Orleans in the early 19th century. His letter the 1919 witches read is very close to the real letter the Axeman wrote. If I remeber correctly, he was never caught and stopped killing after that night where everyone played jazz music. I read somewhere that he is to be Fiona's new love interest.

One of my favorite parts of the episode was finally finding out Coredila's husband's deal! I was curious after he killed his read haired lover. I must admit, I did not see this coming.


There is a lot of resurrection in this show. I feel that is someone is resurrected they cannot be the same anymore, like Kyle.. he is clearly different.

I love love, Lily Rabe's character. She is my favorite of the young witches!

 

[Scott]

i have to say i find the axeman tie-in with the coven quite interesting and now he will be entangled with fiona. i had no idea that was a real event but not surprising considering so many of the antagonists in this series are based on true people and inspired from actual events. and danny huston,btw,being more prevalent in the show is all the more better….such a great character actor.

heels,yes,that whole thing with cordelia's husband is becoming all the more intriguing to me as well and it seems as though fiona's disdain for him wasn't all in vain. speaking of that situation,that quip line of the episode from angela bassett's character,literally had me in stitches…."when i plant a blankety blank blank i expect her to stay planted!".

 

[Phuel]

No lovin' for Coven anymore..?

You know, amongst all the silly but fun going-ons that will undoubtably be crammed into this season (I had no idea there would be 13 episodes), I do think Ryan has hit a very sensitive, uncomfortable nerve with the depiction of Marie.

She's extremely racist, and unapologetic of it. In this day of overly-PC amongst many-- particularly in the US and with, and towards blacks, I think Ryan is rather brave with his un-PC depiction of Marie. There's no defending her racism and cruelty towards the (white) witches. She's evil, conniving, mean and full of hatred for whites; while she is tender, protective and caring of her black crew. She's been systemically planning the eradication of the Salem witches long, long before Fiona dug up Delphine.

Good for Ryan for showing that racism knows no color.

(And despite her very unlikeable character, Angela still dazzles me every time she dominates the screen.)

 

[chickadee]

No lovin' for Coven anymore..?

You know, amongst all the silly but fun going-ons that will undoubtably be crammed into this season (I had no idea there would be 13 episodes), I do think Ryan has hit a very sensitive, uncomfortable nerve with the depiction of Marie.

She's extremely racist, and unapologetic of it. In this day of overly-PC amongst many-- particularly in the US and with, and towards blacks, I think Ryan is rather brave with his un-PC depiction of Marie. There's no defending her racism and cruelty towards the (white) witches. She's evil, conniving, mean and full of hatred for whites; while she is tender, protective and caring of her black crew. She's been systemically planning the eradication of the Salem witches long, long before Fiona dug up Delphine.

Good for Ryan for showing that racism knows no color.

(And despite her very unlikeable character, Angela still dazzles me every time she dominates the screen.)

Well, that's certainly an interesting way to look at it. Personally, I find his depiction of Marie and LaLaurie, especially when compared, nothing short of reprehensible. Both were real characters, and yet only one of them--the least deserving of the two--so far has been extended any semblance of humanity: LaLaurie. I don't know how much you know about her, but trust me, she was possibly one of the most sadistic monsters to have walked this earth. It disturbs me how many people have bought into this storyline so easily without taking any time to look at it critically, especially given how racially insensitive it is. You take one of Louisiana's most beloved figures and turn her into a villain, meanwhile you turn this real life monster LaLaurie into a figure of sympathy? How is that fair? Why should Ryan be praised for that? That's not brave, that's either incredibly stupid or incredibly heartless.

It's true that Angela is playing the hell out of Marie, but both the actress and the real life woman deserve so much better. That's to say nothing of the fact that white racism and black racism are nothing to compare. Yes, there are black people who don't like white people, but white racism is far beyond just a simple feeling/opinion. White racism is enforced and systematically supported by practically every institution of America, England, France, and a slew of other western and/or colonized countries. So...again, what is Ryan doing that's worthy of praise?