Opening Night

I get it. There was a writers strike..BUT THIS?! It's just a wanna be Rosemary's Baby with modern CGI. Such a spoon fed story. Maybe dump the boring Kar-TRASH-ian too. This story line was about as interesting as watching a broken faucet drip. The clothes are even boring. Who scored this season? Everything about this season just falls flat. What was the network thinking? Hurry ? It's just crap and the series deserved better. Is this what we can expect from AHC? A slooooow and boring crybaby death with each upcoming episode? Is this a joke? I guess it created a few jobs but altruistic it is not. It gives nothing.

I'm still not a fan of Kim Kardashian's acting. I really hope they don't bring her back. It was an ok episode. The gaslighting of emma roberts's character is kind of frustrating. And it seems like everyone is overeacting. But overall I can't get past Kim Kardashian's acting. I really believe it's destroying the overall storyline. I understand that the subject is based off of a book However I do not think it's an american horror story. The show needs to return to its origins. This is just not working. I will finish out the rest of the need to get back to some serious early season type of material. And stop casting people that cannot act.

To be honest, after a half year of waiting I'm kinda disappointed. I was like this: if AHS (which I like a lot) wants to save this season, or cares even a bit: S12E06 is a now or never.

The saving did not happen, in my opinion, which is very sad.

I got to say it straight: if a show is wasting more than half of a season to make an epic conclusion in the last 2-3 episodes: the outcome will be flat. Period.

Not the first time, not the last. Shows have been cancelled for stalling a lot of times; so I don't get the reason behind this now AHS.

To make things worse, this is an anthology. The next season will be (if there ever will be) something totally different, with little to no ties to this season.

So no second chances to redeem. If this goes fubar now: it stays that way.

Obviously, I will stay until the end. The S1-3-8 connection was the best thing that I saw from AHS till now. I had high hopes, that it would continue with S12. Seemingly that's not the case, not until now at least.

"Opening Night," the sixth episode of American Horror Story: Delicate's twelfth season, directed by Bradley Buecker and written by Halley Feiffer, marks the midseason return after a production hiatus and weaves a complex narrative rich in psychological tension, haunting atmosphere, and character revelations. This episode deepens the series' exploration of bodily autonomy, maternal trauma, and occult menace through an intricate blend of past and present, horror and intimate drama, further complicating Anna Victoria Alcott's fractured reality as portrayed with compelling nuance by Emma Roberts.

The episode opens with a gripping cold sequence set in the early life of Anna's mother, who suffers a fatal pulmonary embolism shortly after childbirth. The husband's dismissiveness starkly contrasts the tragic fragility of maternal suffering and establishes a generational trauma that echoes throughout the season. This historical flashback accords a humanizing gravity to Anna's drive for motherhood and contextualizes her present struggles with infertility and paranoia, shown through Lynch's supernatural-inflected direction and muted color palette.

Back in the present, Anna faces mounting pressures from her career, public image, and deteriorating pregnancy. The episode highlights her defiant participation in the Gotham Awards despite medical warnings and personal turmoil, delivering moments of caustic social critique related to celebrity culture and female agency. Memorable scenes include Anna's fraught interaction with a hostile audience, distressing physical manifestations of stress such as a skin-peeling and vomiting episode, and a surreal hallucination sequence involving the ritualistic presence of women such as Nicolette, Ivy, and Sonia-figures emblematic of the show's lingering occult threads.

The title "Opening Night" resonates on multiple levels: the theatrical debut of Dex's play-intertwined with familial and supernatural tension-and a metaphorical unveiling of hidden truths, vulnerabilities, and imminent confrontations. As Dexter's family drama unfolds, dark secrets emerge involving his mother Virginia, whose mysterious agenda adds ominous weight to the narrative. This subplot heightens the episode's theme of generational trauma and the pervasive legacies of violence and abuse, rendered through sharp performances and tense scripting.

Visually, Bradley Buecker employs a restrained yet evocative aesthetic, contrasting sterile clinical environments with lush, often shadow-dappled interiors. The cinematography by Stanley Fernandez Jr. Uses light and shadow to mirror Anna's psychological state-oscillating between moments of clarity and engulfing darkness. The editing rhythm tactfully balances extended suspenseful sequences with intimate character-driven moments, sustaining engagement despite the episode's occasionally meandering pace.

Acting performances stand out, particularly Emma Roberts' portrayal of Anna's multidimensional agony, combining fragility, strength, and relentless determination. Supporting cast members, including Michael Shannon as Dexter and the enigmatic Nicole Kidman-like presence of Virginia, contribute layers of emotional complexity and menace. Billie Lourd and Leslie Grossman's recurring characters maintain a chilling presence, blending charm and danger.

Thematically, "Opening Night" probes deeply into female bodily autonomy, grief, and the societal policing of women's bodies, particularly within the celebrity sphere. The occult and supernatural motifs parallel psychological trauma and medical mistrust, coalescing into a narrative that interrogates power, control, and resistance. The episode's focus on maternal desire and loss situates it within a broader cultural discourse on reproductive rights and mental health, infused with genre's ability to externalize internal horrors.

Culturally, the episode invokes classic and contemporary horror's fascination with motherhood and female agency, echoing works from Rosemary's Baby to more recent feminist horror cinema. It also critically reflects on media culture's commodification of female pain and the performative aspects of celebrity vulnerability. Through these intersections, the episode affirms American Horror Story's tradition of socially conscious horror that balances spectacle with substantive engagement.

Critical reception has been mixed, recognizing the episode's atmospheric direction, thematic ambition, and strong performances, while critiquing its slow pacing and narrative ambiguity. These elements, however, align with the series' stylistic shift towards psychological and feminist horror, inviting viewers into a layered, interpretive experience rather than straightforward thrills.

"Opening Night" is a richly textured and emotionally potent episode that reinforces American Horror Story: Delicate's exploration of trauma, identity, and power under duress. Through evocative storytelling, nuanced performances, and atmospheric direction, it deepens the season's complex narrative web while challenging audiences to reflect on pain, resilience, and the haunting legacies we inherit. Though demanding in its pacing and ambiguity, the episode stands as a thoughtful, provocative installment that elevates the series' thematic ambitions within the horror genre.

Already 6 eps but still nothing happen at all, this the most boring & lame in ahs history so far, i though roanoke & double feature kinda bad, but this one is the winner, and the cast? Really i dont even know almost entire name in the opening credit, feel so cheap & beyond terrible, hope show get better in the next season since i dont have any hope in this one anymore.

Already 6 eps but still nothing happen at all, this the most boring & lame in ahs history so far, i though roanoke & double feature kinda bad, but this one is the winner, and the cast? Really i dont even know almost entire name in the opening credit, feel so cheap & beyond terrible, hope show get better in the next season since i dont have any hope in this one anymore.