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American Horror Story: ? |OT| We know nothing about this season

Bladenic

Member
For the first time since Asylum, I'm loving the show.
After the disaster that was Hotel, I had given up all hope.

Same. Every season since Asylum was shit. Roanoke is more subdued but that combined with the secrecy and the different set-up has paid off well for me.
 

.JayZii

Banned
I'm interested to see where this goes. Clearly they aren't banking on the twist of "everybody comes back to the house and dies" considering they spoil that with a cutaway subtitle card halfway through the episode.

I think the found footage-y style is actually working better for the horror and suspense than the first part of the season did. I just wish they would let scenes breathe for maybe another 30 seconds and make more effective use of the format. I also don't really like it when the AHS actors other than Francis Conroy try accents.



I'm wondering if the promotional material was intentionally broad and mostly unrelated to the season in order to keep people from guessing what was going to happen, or if this second half of the series is going to get super crazy. I seem to recall evil babies. alien abductions and bugs crawling out of/into peoples eyes and mouths featuring prominently. I can see the evil baby angle with Lady Gaga's character, but not the other two.
 
Is the only reason Evan Peters character is on the return to the house show because he married Sarah Paulsons character? Because he really didn't have much screentime, I feel like there were a lot of actors from the reenactments that had bigger roles and would have been more interesting to see.
 

Roussow

Member
Oh man, that episode was such a blast. I get why it was promoted as the "big twist" episode for this season, but despite it being a massive shift it was pretty organic. Plus, I haven't had that much fun with an episode of TV in a while.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
lol @ a paranormal docuseries topping Sunday Night Football, Empire, and The Walking Dead - not to mention spawning cons. I can only suspend my disbelief so much Murphy!
 

Monocle

Member
I really enjoyed this episode's switchup. I wasn't sold on the setting before, even though I liked the TV show format, but that behind-the-scenes stuff appealed to me a lot more. Also, earlier on, I wasn't clear on whether the interviewees or the people shown at Roanoke were the actors (I thought maybe we were seeing the real events intercut with fake interviews), so it was nice to have that cleared up. Kathy Bates' interview was great.

And then the found footage twist came. Man, what a great direction to take things. This season started off a bit too reminiscent of Murder House, but now it's definitely found its own groove. I love how the show's become so self-referential that it's actually incorporated the actors-playing-multiple-roles thing within a single season. (I know Hotel played with this just a little, but still.)

It was so cool to see the real ghosts. I love their look.

I wonder what's going to happen with Lady Gaga's role, since Sydney told Kathy Bates that only the "real" characters were going to be featured in the return to Roanoke. Hope she shows up again. It would be cheeky if she actually appeared as Lady Gaga, maybe in an interview about her dead costars.

The credits said Angela Bassett directed this episode. Good for her!

I'm 100% on board with this season now. Can't wait to see how the remaining episodes go down.
 

RatskyWatsky

Hunky Nostradamus
I thoroughly enjoyed that episode but I maintain that it was a huge mistake for Murphy to reveal anything about the season after so much trouble had been taken to keep everything under wraps up to that point. He set expectations way too high by revealing that there would be a twist in episode 6 - even though the twist was well thought out, it was also so logical that it became extremely obvious to anyone who knew that a twist was coming.

I'm sensing a more underwhelmed reaction than I think it would have otherwise garnered had we not known a twist was coming.

I'm wondering if the promotional material was intentionally broad and mostly unrelated to the season in order to keep people from guessing what was going to happen

They initially said that all the promos but one were red herrings, but that turned out to not be entirely true, seeing as how several of them have been reflected in the show.
 
The credits said Angela Bassett directed this episode. Good for her!

Yeah, I just noticed that! Neat.

I'm 100% on board with this season now. Can't wait to see how the remaining episodes go down.

Same here. The meta-fictional angle here is actually really funny. I mean, Kathy Bates even had a Funko Pop! version of her character.

It does make me kind of sad that we probably won't see Frances Conroy, Gaga, Leslie Jordan, or Denis O'Hare again, unless the show contrives some way to get those actors back to the house.

If I have one complaint, it's that they're a bit too edit-happy to really sell the found footage thing. I get that part of the gimmick is that there's cameras everywhere, but part of the found footage "rhythm" involves letting the shot linger. Look at that last scene with Rory - they cut five or six times, in a more traditional continuity-editing style, to the point that it doesn't really feel like found footage aside from one or two of the camera angles.
 
It kind of felt like I kept watching this season just through sheer inertia... but I'm really glad I kept with it. Last night's episode was easily one of the best, most effective episodes of AHS in the history of the show. I liked just about everything about it, but in particular, loved how much more horrifying and dangerous the real ghosts are. They are just not fucking around and it's going to be interesting to see just how quickly people on the show are killed off... and whether they themselves come back as ghosts themselves.

Theory time:
The events that the original Roanoke series were based on were, with the exception of the death of Lee's husband, the Polk family, and Lee's kid going missing, were a complete fabrication. This explains why the "real" folks were so willing to go back to the house. There is something evil in the woods that has coerced one of the cast members (hence, the one survivor), and all the ghosts we see from now on are manifestations created by the popularity of the original series.
 

Ydelnae

Member
I thought the twist made the show ditch the horror aspect for the Coven-like camp humor, but the deaths actually made me jump out of my seat. I was surprised to see Angela directed it, too.

I think Sarah Paulson will be the survivor, as this is a Ryan Murphy show and she always gets the best part.
 
I'm happy with how the twist played out. Watching all of the characters evolve and have these different interactions have been fun so far. Haven't really seen something quite like this on a show. We'll see how it all plays out as I suspect there will be more surprises. Roger was an obvious hit, I thought he was a goner during the pool scene. I wonder if the producer will drop more guests on the show. As others said I suspect Farmiga will play the witch.
 
I absolutely can't stand they brought back the real people. Nothing would bring me back. Not divorce or my name being tarnished or an infinite supply of money. Nothing.

I loved the episode and like where it's going, but it could have been done with the actors only and it would have been somewhat believable.

Also where Gaga?
 

holygeesus

Banned
Why is it when an American does an English accent, it always sounds like the Queen? Pretty solid though in truth 7/10 for authenticity, but I expect nothing less from Paulson, who is always fantastic.
 
I'm really digging this season so far. I thought it started out really strong and slowly got worse with each additional episode, but this episode instantly rejuvenated my interest.
 

Alienfan

Member
A very well directed and shot episode, the scares felt earned for once, and I felt genuinely creeped out thanks to how sparingly the monsters were used. Can't wait to see where this season goes, I think they could have done with one less pre-twist episode to clear up some of the pacing issues, but overall this season will probably end up being my favorite since Asylum.

Also, remember the candles in the background during the scene with Evans in the hot tub? That was actually the mob walling towards the house with torches. (Such fantastic attention to detail, really a testament to the excellent direction)
 

Alienfan

Member
I absolutely can't stand they brought back the real people. Nothing would bring me back. Not divorce or my name being tarnished or an infinite supply of money. Nothing.

I loved the episode and like where it's going, but it could have been done with the actors only and it would have been somewhat believable.

Also where Gaga?

Pretty sure her role was very minor this year due to her album release, hopefully back as a major character next season!! As for the "real" people returning, I'm betting on the guy knowing something more than the rest of them
 

Nemesis_

Member
Amazing episode. Amazing season really. I love the way it's been structured.

I think we're done with Gaga's character though, which is disappointing only because I thought she might be a major driving force behind all these people returning to the mansion. The way Ryan Murphy talked about "bringing her back for another season" kind of brings a sense of finality to her role in it.

I just love how different and structured it is this time.
 

dlauv

Member
Edit: Whoops!

Wrong thread.

Double Edit:

I'm enjoying the twist so far. Sidney's hawkishness is gutwrenching. I know they're probably going to, but I'd rather they not
kill off the cast members only for them to reprise their "tv roles" as the real ghosts
.

Also, Monocle's praise of Hotel got me to check out season 5 again. It gets really really good and I think it may be my second favorite season atm. His praise is pretty well-founded. Thanks for that.
 
Speaking of directing this episode, it would be hard. First you have the fact that they're filming behind-the-scenes footage, but they want it to appear "behind the scenes." So you basically have cameras filming other people who are carrying cameras.

Then the second half of the episode, you have mostly stationary cameras that are all mounted to a ceiling or corner, and the cameras can never move. Quite tricky to pull all that off.

This is the first season of this show I've ever watched and I really like it. Last night's episode was the best.

And I totally think the asshole producer guy is going to die.
 
So, if The Butcher is still "alive" and kicking, that means that the Millers definitely lied, right? Great season so far, it's scary when it needs to be, it's corny and cliché in all the right places (like that disclaimer that everyone died in the following weeks except for one person) and the characters are all behaving in adequate ways (like Audrey questioning why the Millers are back to that house if they went through the ordeals they claim to have gone through). Also, wonder how some of the confirmed returning actors will play into this thing.
 

Baron Aloha

A Shining Example
I just thought of something... it's a long shot but....did they or did they not establish in earlier seasons that ghosts could not be captured on camera/filmed?

If that is the case, then what if the twist is that Evan/Rory faked his death as part of the producer's plan to increase the drama/tension in the house and he ends up being the one who survives because he got the fuck out of there before the blood moon really hit?

So basically.... the nurses = fake, pig man in bathroom = fake, Mason = fake, guy killed by chainsaw = real (unseen force), female producer who was killed = staged.

I could imagine a scenario where the producer has hired other actors to stir things up and they are able to move about the house without being discovered via hidden passages. We already know from earlier in the season the house has at least 1 of them.

Plus, the text in the episode said they all died under "mysterious" circumstances. If the ghosts were able to be filmed then it would not be mysterious at all. But an unseen force killing people? That fits the bill.

Things might get really interesting...
 

tribal24

Banned
I just thought of something... it's a long shot but....did they or did they not establish in earlier seasons that ghosts could not be captured on camera/filmed?

If that is the case, then what if the twist is that Evan/Rory faked his death as part of the producer's plan to increase the drama/tension in the house and he ends up being the one who survives because he got the fuck out of there before the blood moon really hit?

So basically.... the nurses = fake, pig man in bathroom = fake, Mason = fake, guy killed by chainsaw = real (unseen force), female producer who was killed = staged.

I could imagine a scenario where the producer has hired other actors to stir things up and they are able to move about the house without being discovered via hidden passages. We already know from earlier in the season the house has at least 1 of them.

Plus, the text in the episode said they all died under "mysterious" circumstances. If the ghosts were able to be filmed then it would not be mysterious at all. But an unseen force killing people? That fits the bill.

Things might get really interesting...

Yeah this might be the best theory, makes the most sense.
 

dlauv

Member
I hope that isn't the twist.

Sydney did ask, "So we'd get in less trouble for killing someone than giving her alcohol?" or something like that. The attorney said, 'Yes."
 

Kuros

Member
Finally watched the twist episode. While I enjoyed it and looking forward to the rest of the series i don't think it excuses how mundane the 5 episodes that came before it were.
 

JonnyKong

Member
Just finished watching it. It was a very entertaining episode that's for sure, I liked the light hearted comical nature of it.

Much like the rest of you I simply cannot get on board with why the "real life" people would ever want to go back to the house.

Are the producers watching the live footage as it's being filmed? Will be interesting to see if they try put a stop to the show when they see people dying.

Just waiting on Michael Myers turning up any minute now.
 

.JayZii

Banned
Just finished watching it. It was a very entertaining episode that's for sure, I liked the light hearted comical nature of it.

Much like the rest of you I simply cannot get on board with why the "real life" people would ever want to go back to the house.

Are the producers watching the live footage as it's being filmed? Will be interesting to see if they try put a stop to the show when they see people dying.

Just waiting on Michael Myers turning up any minute now.
There's definitely something about their experience in the house that they didn't reveal to the show crew. They have some sort of ulterior motive for going back.
 
Just finished watching it. It was a very entertaining episode that's for sure, I liked the light hearted comical nature of it.

Much like the rest of you I simply cannot get on board with why the "real life" people would ever want to go back to the house.

Are the producers watching the live footage as it's being filmed? Will be interesting to see if they try put a stop to the show when they see people dying.

Just waiting on Michael Myers turning up any minute now.

Shelby thinks it'll get her back with her husband and seems pretty obsessed with that, Lee is doing it for the money, so even if she dies, that money goes to her daughter. It may not be the best explanation, but it makes sense in the context of the show.

The only one that doesn't make sense or have a real reason is Matt as of yet.
 
Don't forget, the network head said people were unhappy with the end of the first season, so I think that there definitely could be ulterior motives for the "real" people coming back to the house. Some even commented here at the end of episode 5 that things felt too neat.

That said I LOVED this episode. I'm a huge fan of Paranormal Activity and trashy reality shows so this was like a perfect storm. And I loved seeing the show runner being a total fucker trying to orchestrate drama.

Loving this season.
The real versions of the ghosts look wayyyyyy better.

Yeah if that's what the real ghosts look like holy shit. They are creepy as fuck.
 

Monocle

Member
Kind of lost interest after episode 2. Did they use the show-in-a-show structure to good effect? Might have to catch up if so
Yeah, it's very well done. I wasn't especially into this season either, and I found the structural switcharoo to be surprisingly effective. It's too early to say for sure, but the show-in-show device will probably resolve the issues I had with the Roanoke setting. I really loved the last episode.

Also, Monocle's praise of Hotel got me to check out season 5 again. It gets really really good and I think it may be my second favorite season atm. His praise is pretty well-founded. Thanks for that.
Very glad to hear it!
 

EulaCapra

Member
Huh... episode 6 suddenly revved me up and really excited me barring Sarah Paulson's surprisingly bad British accent.

I wasn't entirely enthusiastic about the dramatization since the stakes felt so low, but the stakes definitely seem high now.
 

Lan Dong Mik

And why would I want them?
Man that episode just knocked me on my ass. Wow! Love the twist.

The real ghost versions of those two insane nurses damn near made me shit my pants when they killed Rory lol. I absolutely did not expect that. I reallly hope we get to see the real Butcher and Witch.

Probably my favorite episode of AHS ever. Cannot wait to see what happens next.
 

Holmes

Member
I think Matt returned for Scathach, and that he will be the only one to survive because of shenanigans with her.

That, or Sarah Paulson's character will survive because it's Sarah Paulson.
 

kirblar

Member
The second half isnt just going into Blair Witch territory. The show is now a slasher flick. It's fantastic.

There's strong speculation that a major casting hint for the rest of the season was dropped in the dialog elsewhere on the net. I hope it's true.
 

.JayZii

Banned
Huh... episode 6 suddenly revved me up and really excited me barring Sarah Paulson's surprisingly bad British accent.

I wasn't entirely enthusiastic about the dramatization since the stakes felt so low, but the stakes definitely seem high now.
I know, no bueno. Over-the-top accents on AHS should be reserved for Francis Conroy and maybe Kathy Bates.
 
Shelby thinks it'll get her back with her husband and seems pretty obsessed with that, Lee is doing it for the money, so even if she dies, that money goes to her daughter. It may not be the best explanation, but it makes sense in the context of the show.

The only one that doesn't make sense or have a real reason is Matt as of yet.
I feel that Matt feels like he has unfinished business, as in wanting to stop the evil. Or wants to reunite with the witch as he had said he would've went with her had it not been for Shelby.
 
Man that episode just knocked me on my ass. Wow! Love the twist.

The real ghost versions of those two insane nurses damn near made me shit my pants when they killed Rory lol. I absolutely did not expect that. I reallly hope we get to see the real Butcher and Witch.

Probably my favorite episode of AHS ever. Cannot wait to see what happens next.
I believe we saw the butcher, on the road.
 
I can't believe how much this last episode brought me back.
I enjoyed Hotel a lot but honestly i kinda took it as a different show from AHS1&2.
This was right back at the peaks of those two seasons.

Freakshow was meh, and Coven might as well be Scream Queens season 0.
 
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