Election Night

The first episode sets up what could be a very weird season. Some seem to think the show is being politically biased, but in reality it's just using the supreme weirdness of the election and its aftermath as an element of character development. Rather than a fault, this already makes the story complex and of the moment. Looking forward to next episode. And who doesn't love Twisty and the other Krazy Klowns?

The fascinating thing about this series and these reviews of it is the total lack of self-awareness of the MAGA/Trump brigade. Guys, you're the ones who are hyper-partisan, you're the ones who are biased, you're the ones who worship cancel-culture. How about putting on a LALL cap? LIVE AND LET LIVE.

...or a cash-in on progressive angst, as the other reviews say. For non-Americans, it's a test of patience how much more US neurosis one can take with one's entertainment. There are some signs that this could become a great parody, given how over the top Sarah Paulson's character is (that orgasmic beam on her face when she says "and then Barack got elected"). And Evan Peters' character could become a great parody of supremacist basement boys, because he's got a few great lines of derangement and genuinely scary strategies.

But this could also become another play on hyping paranoia if it presents itself as serious social commentary, which is what ruined "Get Out" for me - because in that case the rampant misogyny of the writing would also be serious (the psycho sis; Lesbian super-neurotic time-bomb, butch = masculine, stable, sane; femme = feminine, weak, deranged). Jessica Lange and Taissa Farmiga gave AHS some pretty awesome female characters in the past, but lately the writing's been the only horror in this show.

Update: I thought it would turn real ugly but halfway in, I got to say they've really dared to swing the series towards social parody, and Paulson's character is less of a stereotype now. It's still waaaay over the top compared to the narratives of earlier days. But I keep watching for the sake of the huge risk the team is taking.

Wow. This was a so bad it's good type episode. I was laughing almost the entire time because of how incredibly ridiculous it was. I can't believe that Ryan Murphy expects us to take this seriously - this honestly has to be some kind of satire. The writing was absolutely atrocious, seemingly in a failed attempt at being edgy and cool. I can't identify with such unlikable and poorly written characters, none of the characters in this had any of my respect since they are all so stupid and over-the-top. Billie Lourd is playing the exact same character from Scream Queens, which worked for that since it's tongue-in-cheek, but I can't take it seriously in AHS. Also why did Paulson agree to this? She is so much better than whatever this was trying to be, as proved in People v. OJ. The ending actually looked almost promising, but the last few seconds completely destroyed my intrigue.

I'll keep watching the season for the so bad it's good cringe factor, but I don't expect it to get any better. I hated Roanoke the most out of all the AHS seasons, but now I kind of miss it.

This season was very good. An excellent portrait of the situation that the USA experienced shortly after Trump's election and the paranoid and hateful behavior that took over the average and/or ignorant American. The country really went crazy. And it hasn't improved much 7 years later, since whoever succeeded him, Biden, a weakling, hasn't improved the lives of the 36 million Americans who live in extreme poverty today. After all, his focus is solely on enriching the weapons industry. That said, we have this season of AHS dealing with the topic in a very convincing and faithful way, showing how irresponsible politicians can indoctrinate a large part of a population, especially those Intellectually unprepared for a civilized debate and understanding of political contexts. Once again Sarah Paulson delivers a great performance, with great help from the excellent Evan Peters and Adina Porter. Apart from that, we have the "AHS brand" section, the graphic violence that always excites, despite trying very hard to link fictional violence to political issues. Still worth it. My average rating for the season is 8.