American Horror Story

[Sxottlan]

After three episodes, I don't know how to feel about this show yet. It's all over the place and so over the top, it's almost a comedy. But there's really no sympathetic characters. Everyone is kind of detestable.

Thoughts?

[Dukefrukem]

I have them queued on my DVR. A guy at work told me about it so I intend on checking it out soon.

[number8]

It's all over the place and so over the top, it's almost a comedy. But there's really no sympathetic characters. Everyone is kind of detestable.

Welcome to Ryan Murphy television. Try the Glee, stay for the Nip/Tuck.

[Henry Gale]

After three episodes, I don't know how to feel about this show yet. It's all over the place and so over the top, it's almost a comedy. But there's really no sympathetic characters. Everyone is kind of detestable.

Thoughts?

I guess I'll redirect what I said in the main TV thread here, because I will agree with you in at least with the two episodes after the pilot being mostly lackluster, but I thought this week they brought things back around:

After being so joyfully befuddled by its pilot, I was actually pretty let down by the second and third episodes of American Horror Story. Slowing down the frenetic and disorienting pace of the show, making it more straightforward narratively and spending so much time dealing with its mostly uninteresting main characters all really brought to the forefront a lot of the things I liked the least about the first episode. Luckily, this week's Halloween episode (or at least Part 1 of it) definitely made me excited about this show again.

The flashback scene with the Montgomery's in the basement may have been the most disturbing thing they've done yet, and the rest of the episode managed to keep a similar off-kilter tone to the pilot that I liked so much with enough new developments in the plot to remind me that they actually want to tell some sort of cohesive, overarching story here. I also thought Quinto was really enjoyable, especially seeing him in such a fun, multi-layered, but also brazenly gay role the same week he publicly came out in real life. I guess I'm so used to seeing him play such calm and collected characters in things like Star Trek, Heroes and 24 that he almost felt like a whole new actor here.

The A.V. Club review also claimed that Part 2 is even better (or at least crazier), even calling it "good"(!), something they haven't said about any other episode so far.

Good to have a thread dedicated to the show seeing as it looks like it'll be around for a while now (whether or not it stays interesting). Between the success of this show and the network just announcing they've bought Charlie Sheen's Anger Management pilot, I'm all for FX having bigger hits if it means bringing more attention to their other, greater shows.

[[ETM]]

Welcome to Ryan Murphy television. Try the Glee, stay for the Nip/Tuck.

Or, you know, bail on it before you get too pissed off.:lol:

[Lucky]

Funny, the Halloween Part 1 episode was my least favorite so far. Oversaturated with Ryan Murphy-isms. "Hallowqueens?" Really? I understand KFan's early dismissal of this show during certain moments in this episode. It wasn't a total wash; however, as it set up the cards for a probable awesome part deux.

I wholeheartedly disagree about there being no sympathetic characters in this show. In fact, I would say that all of the female characters evoke sympathy while the male characters are generally the cause of their damage and fear. Moira especially, but that has more to do with Frances Conroy's fantastic performance which elevates the material every episode. How do you not feel anything during the moment with her mother last episode? Even Jessica Lange's character, who I will definitely agree starts out as a detestable character, has developed into a character whose detestable actions I can understand and somewhat sympathize with. She has evolved from the one-dimensional cartoon she once was.

[number8]

So I'm pretty sure this show is more Tim Minear and James Wong than Murphy and Falchuk.

[number8]

Renewed for second season already. Woo hoo! I'm so glad this show exists. The Halloween episode was righteous.

[Lucky]

Wowza, how is this show gonna maintain this pace? I haven't had this much fun watching television since the second season of True Blood, and this is better than that. I'm never ready for the hour to end.

[Henry Gale]

Wowza, how is this show gonna maintain this pace? I haven't had this much fun watching television since the second season of True Blood, and this is better than that. I'm never ready for the hour to end.

Seriously. Even if I can somewhat figure out where they're going to take things (like what we learned about Tate, the teenagers), the fact that the episodes go ahead with answering my suspicions with reveals one way or another so quickly makes me wonder even more about where they plan on taking this show beyond Season 1. Unless they move to another house with a severely screwed up history, I can only imagine the Harmon family meet their ends in the house, forced to haunt it and work out their problems as ghosts for eternity. Assuming they aren't already dead!

But tonight's was probably my favourite episode so far, even if it does feel like most of what was allowed to happen in the episode was a result of writers continuing to be vague enough with their rules of supernatural happenings and ghosts wandering about the house. I know it was the Halloween episode, so the whole "the one day the barrier between the living and the dead is the thinnest" card could be played without having to ever explain how Hayden and some others were so visible, I guess I'm just hoping they eventually start drawing lines with that sort of thing.

[Mr. Pink]

I kind of thought they killed the Halloween episode with the addition of the bickering gay couple (not remotely scary/eerie/even the slightest bit creepy), but otherwise I'm enjoying the show so far.

I'm a little worried they're gonna do something that makes me turn on the show like Boardwalk Empire did, but I really hope I can stay on board.

[number8]

I fucking love this episode. The conclusion to Piggy Man is both anticlimactic yet satisfying. This show is great stuff.

[Lucky]

I fucking love this episode. The conclusion to Piggy Man is both anticlimactic yet satisfying. This show is great stuff.

Agreed, I actually chuckled at that part. The opening sequence might have been the tensest scene they've shot so far. Very effective with complete silence from Tate minus the deafening gunshots.

[number8]

Apparently the CG to make Jessica Lange younger in the flashbacks cost more than the dinosaurs on Terra Nova. :|

[Henry Gale]

Apparently the CG to make Jessica Lange younger in the flashbacks cost more than the dinosaurs on Terra Nova. :|

Wait, this is something we've been seeing?

[number8]

Wait, this is something we've been seeing?

Yeah, in the "1994" segments in the last two episodes.

[Henry Gale]

Yeah, in the "1994" segments in the last two episodes.

At the most I just thought it was subtle hair and make-up changes because I didn't think she looked that different. So in that sense I was starting to assume it was the show's way of beginning to hint that she may be a ghost too since she didn't seem to visibly age.

[Lucky]

With the way things are progressing, I'm thinking the Harmons won't survive the finale. I'm hoping each season tells the story of a new family and their experience with the house. That way the past inhabitants can still be recurring characters or guest stars. Actually, I have a theory that...

[

Show Spoiler

Violet is already dead and that her suicide was successful a few weeks ago. Hasn't been to school in two weeks or left the house?

]

[Mr. Pink]

With the way things are progressing, I'm thinking the Harmons won't survive the finale. I'm hoping each season tells the story of a new family and their experience with the house. That way the past inhabitants can still be recurring characters or guest stars. Actually, I have a theory that...

[

Show Spoiler

Violet is already dead and that her suicide was successful a few weeks ago. Hasn't been to school in two weeks or left the house?

]

Interesting. That would explain . . .

[

Show Spoiler

. . .why they went from absolutely needing to leave the house in a hurry, but ran right back in when they saw ghosts in the car. Covers their asses assuming violet couldn't leave the premises if she were already dead.

]

[Lucky]

Can't wait to see how this ends up this season. Also, can they cancel Sarah Michelle Gellar's ridicluous CW soap-thriller and get her to sign on for this show next year? I think she'd be right at home here.

[Henry Gale]

I suspected the twist for weeks, but they still did a pretty great job of making its reveal as entertaining as possible.

I should also say that this week's is the first episode since the second part of the Halloween episode (or to a lesser extent, "Piggy Piggy") I'm comfortable with saying I actually liked. I kind of hope the show finds further ways of keeping McDermott and Britton apart and away from the main focus of the story now and then, because this week it worked wonders.

[Mr. Pink]

Holy shit. That last episode was nuts. It'll be interesting (hopefully) to see where they take things from here.

[number8]

The actual house has been put on the market for 4.5 million. Heh.

[Lucky]

What a great ride that was! This show never let me down and was entirely solid throughout. It's rare for the first season, but the creators knew exactly what kind of show they had planned from episode one and firmly landed on their feet guns ablazin'.

Have no idea where they're taking this next season, but I have a newfound trust for everyone involved. Well done. One of the best debut seasons I've seen.

[transmogrifier]

Holy shit. That last episode was nuts. It'll be interesting (hopefully) to see where they take things from here.

This should answer your question