A Man. And His Blog.

Season 1, Episode 12
Date of airing: Dec 21, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 3.222 million viewers, 1.7 rating with A18-49

Like I suspected. Take away an hour of storytelling, and you can’t do much with the finale. Of course it disappointed a bit, because there was no real closer in the house and for the Harmon family. There wasn’t even a closer for Constance’s (Jessica Lange) storyline – why did Murphy decide to end this show on a stupid cliffhanger, which could steer this show into another direction (when the second season would be a complete different show)? The whole epilogue was completely useless and didn’t deliver anything, which could have helped along the way of depicting true American horror. And it wasn’t even something new for the show itself. We already had a psycho crazy serial killer with Tate for the whole run of the season, and now it ends with another psycho crazy serial killer? What is the meaning of this cliffhanger? That the US is full of crazy people and serial killers, and this theme was the true American horror of the season? So why did I see ghosts during the past eleven episodes?

Other than that, the finale was okay. There was no time wasted in bringing some drama into the show, after Violet (Taissa Farmiga) and Vivien (Connie Britton) have died. Instead there’s a tiny time jump, and Ben (Dylan McDermott) has already worked on exactly that. No time for the first talk between ghost-Vivien and living Ben. No way of showing how Vivien copes with being a ghost. No way of showing the tragic of the time between the birth and the beginning of this episode. Maybe that was the former 12th episode, while this episode was in fact number 13. But come on… Instead of wasting this episode with the move-in of another couple, and that useless epilogue, at least ten minutes could have been served for some tragic family story, where Ben mourns over his family and where Vivien and Violet reconnect after both died. Seriously, Vivien didn’t even know before her death that Violet was dead. What did the mother think of the suicide of her daughter? And most importantly: What does the father think of the suicide of his daughter and the death of his wife? Many holes in the story, which could have been more interesting than the story shown in the episode here. I’m truly disappointed. I should better stop expecting great emotional storylines from a scribe like Ryan Murphy, because he doesn’t seem to be ready to change his writing style and make the stories more touching.

That was the biggest indifference I had with this episode: It wasn’t touching. The moment between Ben and Vivien, when he was about to kill himself, was good, but with more tears it could have been a great scene. The “goodbye” scene between Violet and Tate (Evan Peters) was also good, but with more understanding from her point of view (she was instantly seeing him as a crazy psychopath after the last episode, without hopes of seeing the real Tate behind the real Tate) it could have been a great character piece. At least Tate was wonderful in this episode, though I didn’t get his scene with Gabriel (Brennan Mejia). Just because Violet connected with the kid, Tate goes crazy again? A bit stereotypical, isn’t it? In addition, the whole conflict between the boys didn’t help much as the lead to the “goodbye” scene. To let Violet say goodbye to her first great love, the writers could have chosen a less thrilling/violent scene. Like I said, showing more drama, trying to show less horror (especially after twelve episodes, where all the horror moments are known and don’t work anymore) – all the possibilities the show had over the past episodes were not used at all. Which is a shame. Maybe Murphy and writing partners use the chance to learn SOMETHING from it, and try to hold some distance to the horror and deliver some character drama.

At the end, the episode also showed me that I was never liking AMERICAN HORROR STORY much. It is definitely a crazy show with some crazy ideas and twists, but when you can’t begin anything with half of your characters and wait for the twists to happen, then I can’t begin anything with the stories the characters find themselves in. And when the characters don’t even have a motive for their actions, then why should I understand them and their reactions of all the happenings in the show? Why should I give a damn about most of the characters, when I don’t find the time to get the characters from the beginning until the end, feel with them, hope for their survival, and so on? At the end, I didn’t care much. Vivien was basically out of the picture with the entrance to the hospital, Ben never realized what was going on, and Violet died way too early in the show to make her more relevant. In addition, and this is the final criticizing moment of this season: the blurred scenes. As a stylistic choice way too overused, especially in the dramatic moments. When I was hoping to see Ben cry, I couldn’t even make out his eye, because it was blurred. How I hate that style. It should be forbidden, no matter how and when you want to deliver a message with the style chosen. 6.5/10

Say your last goodbyes

There's a little bit of a happy end here

Season 1, Episode 11
Date of airing: Dec 14, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.589 million viewers, 1.4 rating with A18-49

Interesting episode. So, I was right, and the family is dying away. The episode could have done a bit better though. Ben (Dylan McDermott) doesn’t even believe Violet (Taissa Farmiga), when she says she is dead, while Violet is believing her death way too fast for my taste. But at least the birth scene was great. Lots of drama, lots of emotions, a couple of tears, and a death scene, which took time to build up and to execute. I must say that Vivien’s (Connie Britton) death scene is the best of this season. But only because of the build-up, and because of the fact she wasn’t killed. She just died there. It would have been a surprise when Vivien didn’t turn up to be a ghost, because she didn’t die violently. Could have been cool and thought-through, when the house has ghost, because they were killed, and didn’t die in a natural way. But no, it was chosen to have Violet’s mother beside her, when she confronted Tate (Evan Peters) (another great scene).

I just can’t believe that there wasn’t time freed for Ben and Violet. When she told him she killed herself and was dead, I was just waiting for some drama in that scene. But the writers have pretty much penciled themselves into a corner with Ben. All the time, he didn’t have much contact with ghosts, he didn’t act when it was all about Tate, he didn’t act when he saw Moira’s true face, he didn’t act when the rubber man was Tate. He didn’t even act much when it was all about Hayden. Ben only acted for … for whom did he in fact act? Judging from what Ben had done in the previous ten episodes, his reaction towards Violet was believable. But in terms of writing, it was just terrible to see how Ben was inactive all these episodes. You should never write a character this way. Never write a character sitting on his ass, doing nothing. When your main character doesn’t even believe in himself, in the story, and in the other characters after almost a whole season, something must be wrong. I don’t care whether Ben was chosen to be that inactive, or whether the writers chose to not let him into the bigger picture of the story. It is just ugly to look at.

So, Violet knows about Tate now. Finally. At least somebody from the Harmon family knows something about the other. Of course, this makes the tragic love story between Tate and Violet even more tragic, but maybe the final episode can do something with it. Finally Billie Dean (Sarah Paulson) was used for a proper story, and I could imagine how she will be used to find a way to kick the ghosts out of the house. Which could mean that Tate and Violet break up for good (when Tate disappears, moves on), and which means that the Harmons, as dead as they are/will be, end up alone in the house, making it something like in BEETLEJUICE – have only one dead family in the house and spook out the incoming owners. The house is currently way too filled with loads of ghosts I’m about to forget again (like the two dead children; I can’t even remember where they belong. Probably Larry’s kids). But at the end I’m not believing that the story will be closed properly with a proper ending, and some proper answers. I don’t even know the reasons for why stuff is happening in the house. But they should be logical within the storytelling and within the logical responses of each of the characters. And I just can’t think of any reason why Violet is so “cool” with being dead, while Tate still doesn’t know what he has done (and I thought after the events on Halloween he knew what was up with him and his past).

I’m curious how the last episode will work, when Ben realizes that his whole family is dead. With this, and all the stuff to close the season, I don’t think the finale will be much entertaining. 7.5/10

Giving birth is hard work

Hard work can also be door opener to the world of ghosts

Season 1, Episode 10
Date of airing: Dec 7, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.543 million viewers, 1.6 rating with A18-49

Yeah, the episode was good. But mostly because of the big revelation I was waiting for: Violet (Taissa Farmiga) is dead. If I wouldn’t have read some of the comments during the run of the show, I probably wouldn’t have realized in a fast fashion that the ghosts, who died in the house, couldn’t leave it. Okay, I would have probably realized it, but I wouldn’t have connected it to Violet not leaving the house. Because she barely had screentime since her suicide (attempt), and the tragic love story with Tate (Evan Peters) never got some attention or development since that time. No wonder why fans were thinking about the possibility of Violet’s death and were waiting for the revelation. Nice that it happened now, and not in the penultimate episode, or the season finale. But Violet’s death also gives me reason to believe that Vivien and Ben will also die. Just so the season ends with a dead family, and with Murphy and Falchuk creating a complete new season in round two.

But again I have to say, the writers weren’t making much of the story. I felt this episode was written for Violet and for the audience to realize she’s dead. The murder of Travis (Michael Graziadei), and how it affects Constance (Jessica Lange), felt again like a filler, since Constance is one of the major characters of the show. Her story doesn’t seem to connect with the Harmons anymore, instead she just has a history with the house. Except for her whole family being in the house, the writers don’t give me a reason why she just breaks up with her past, moves somewhere and starts a new life. Forgetting Tate, forgetting Travis. Now that Larry (Denis O’Hare) is in jail (I hope he stays there and doesn’t interfere with the story anymore, he’s just getting more annoying with every episode). I know why Constance is still such a big part of the show, and I can understand the reasons for it. But it doesn’t make sense anymore. You have such a short season, and you probably think about cutting all the characters after the finale (therefore HAVE to serve a proper finale), yet you don’t do anything to develop the story towards the finale two episodes before it. Instead the show has two different stories, which are only connected to the house – not really great storytelling here.

But I shouldn’t mind much, because Constance’s story was actually somewhat good. Larry got some reason to be in the show here, and finally he’s out for some revenge. After all the time I asked myself what his status is, he finally gets one and has a purpose. Just too late. Though I wanted the murder of Travis to be a bigger story in the show, and in fact got it here, I hope the story is finished now Just for the sake to not see Larry anymore. I have enough of him.

Again, Vivien (Connie Britton) doesn’t get much attention. Also Ben (Dylan McDermott), but he was at least fighting against the rubber man. I was disappointed about the outcome of this little revelation though. What did Ben do, after he saw Tate in the mask? Basically nothing. Because Tate had to show Violet her body. What a waste of time here. Even more, there wasn’t anything about Ben and Vivien reconnecting after Ben learned the truth. Absolutely nothing. All the time was wasted for Constance’s story, and how she is in danger of becoming a jail bird. Like I said, the writers are pushing too much time into negligibility, and don’t focus on what’s really important for the story. Usually, the Harmons would be the center characters of the show, but then again, they were taken of all their worthy screentime in the past couple of episodes for drama around Hayden, Constance, Travis and the origins of Tate.

I really hope the next two episodes will focus on what’s really going on. But I don’t think so. The fact that Murphy had to cut the last two episodes into one just makes me believe the final hour will be more fast-cut than the pilot. So, off to the two final hours… 6.5/10

Let's put a smile on this face

Shocking twist revealed

Season 1, Episode 9
Date of airing: Nov 30, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.851 million viewers, 1.7 rating with A18-49

The episode seemed okay. But we’re almost at the season finale, and the show still serves some episodic storylines, which have not much to do with the story of the present, and what the Harmons are living through. The whole flashback story with Dr. Curran (Joshua Malina) looked like as if the writers needed a story again, to fill the time, and to fill the space until the finale. And maybe even to find a way to bring Larry (Denis O’Hare) back into the show. The fact that he seems to be one of the major characters of the show, he literally is forced into the story. It wouldn’t have been wrong to completely kill him off early in the show.

In addition, Hayden (Kate Mara) gets too much attention for me. I mentioned already that Hayden is written as the main antagonist of the show, yet she doesn’t do anything to actually be the antagonist of the show. She saves Ben (Dylan McDermott) out of a clumsy-written situation with Hayden’s sister (Tanya Clarke) and the detective, she fucks around with Travis (Michael Graziadei) (and I wonder why – does she want to prove that dead people can still fuck the shit out of the living?), and she doesn’t seem to have a larger plan. She’s just in the house, doing things, which have nothing to do with the plot of the house, and at the end she just kills Travis for obviously no reason (except she might be a serial killer in nature). Kinda boring.

I liked Vivien’s (Connie Britton) mess though. Finally Ben figures out that something is happening, with the twins having different fathers, and finally there is some despise between the two. What a shame that Vivien didn’t have much attention in the episode, because I really wanted to see how she reacts to Ben’s words near the end. And it’s a pretty interesting case so far: husband and wife are hating each other three episodes before the finale. So, there’s a lot to do to get them back together, to make the season shine in a happy-ending-kinda light, especially with the twins probably coming some time in the next three episodes. I just didn’t like how Ben was talking to Luke (Morris Chestnut) though. So predictable that Ben would hate Luke and suspect he would be the other father of the other twin. Seriously lame.

Like I said, the flashback story wasn’t really mine. Elizabeth was an interesting character, but Mena Suvari was just wasted with that role. Yeah, it was disgusting to see how Charles (Matt Ross) parted her apart and how Charles’ way of putting a smile on some faces (I was thinking of the Joker, and I think that wasn’t a coincidence), but what was the meaning of the story for Ben and the present storyline in general, when there was no payoff? I really hope that the finding of Travis’ body will lead to something. Even though it’s just the way of bringing a cold case about a serial killer back to the story and connect it to the Harmons, especially Ben (it was mentioned that Ben will have trouble, when they find Travis’ body in his house – I see that as foreshadowing).

And finally, Ben sees the truth. When Moira (Frances Conroy) “revealed” her true face, I was instantly understanding, why Moira put so much effort in seducing Ben. Maybe it was just her way to bring him to see the truth, the faces behind the masks, to realize what happens in the house. That also means Moira is one of the good ghosts, wants to help the family, wants the best of the Harmons. Interesting character drawing so late in the seasons. That makes Moira more likable by the way, and she could eventually shine as a heroine near the end of the season – which is interesting, since she’s a ghost.

Tate (Evan Peters) came short, which is a shame after last episode’s revelation. And I can’t even remember that Violet was in this episode. Not that I don’t mind the missing of the tragic love story between Tate and Violet, but that clearly shows Hayden had too much screentime. 6/10

Nice face cut

Crying doesn't help anymore

Season 1, Episode 8
Date of airing: Nov 23, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.812 million viewers, 1.6 rating with A18-49

I never found the rubber man story to be intriguing. Whether there wasn’t any time to go into the story, or there was no reason to believe this story would be important for later episodes. So, I pretty much didn’t care about the revelation, who was behind the mask. Especially since I was believing in Tate (Evan Peters) already. But while I was looking for some logic in it, this episode gave me some. Though this logic contradicts with other logic. I always thought Tate didn’t know he was dead and a ghost. Wasn’t that the point when Billie, the medium, was introduced into the show? But Tate did so many things over the years after his dead, which brings me to believe he knew all along about his powers, about what he can do. And I don’t really understand his needs of “serving” for the women in the house. I could definitely see it as mother issues, but he wouldn’t just rape Vivien (Connie Britton) to please Nora. He wouldn’t just kill off the gay guys to please Nora (Lily Rabe). It’s like he sees in Nora a better mother or something. Yet the relationship between Tate and Nora was never established to make me believe it. It’s like something in the character drawings is missing to make the story fully cooperate with what we’ve seen already.

But at least there’s a goal behind the story, even though it took a while to get there. I was talking in the pilot review about how the ghosts were trying to break the Harmons apart, that there would have been a goal already. Well, I was wrong, because Hayden (Kate Mara) wasn’t even dead back then, and it feels like she is the mastermind of the situation now. Sure, Tate fucked Vivien, because Nora wants to have kids, but that conflicts with my theory from the pilot, where all the ghosts would team up to break apart the family. Back in the pilot, only Tate had a plan, and he just wanted to please Nora. No grand plan after all, just a depressed dead teenager with mother issues. It’s disappointing when you realize there wasn’t an endgame in the pilot, and you had to create one basically in the middle of a show, just to make your endgame explainable. But hey, the explanations are there now, and with Nora in front and center of the ghost action, I’m almost keen to believe she will be the whole mastermind behind all of this. She will be the villain for the rest of the season, and she will have to be beaten by the Harmons.

But then again, this episode was written to make Vivian believe in ghosts, and she still hasn’t managed to make Ben believe the same. Again, the writing just waits there. Waits there patiently, doing nothing to bring Ben into the story. I find it very conflicting that Vivian goes crazy in awe of the ghosts, while Violet is just sitting there, doing nothing to help her mother, even though she knows about the ghosts. And Ben doesn’t even know shit. Yes, it’s interesting to have one family member standing completely outside of all the events, but it hurts the storytelling, when you keep it up long enough. It took a while for Violet to see the truth about Tate, and now it took a while for Vivien to see the truth in this house. How long will it take for Ben (Dylan McDermott) to see the truth about what’s happening? Until the season finale? Until he’s dead and wakes up as a ghost?

I liked that the episode focused on Vivien though. I didn’t need the flashbacks back to Chad (Zachary Quinto) and his boyfriend feat. relationship troubles. The episode didn’t need this story; it felt like it was included because the producers had Zachary Quinto in the role. I didn’t need scenes, which show me how the couple got killed; I didn’t need the outcome of the story, when I basically knew what happened already. But since the killing scene in the Halloween two-parter wasn’t finished then, it had to be concluded some time.

By the way, one more thing: I don’t know how it goes when you’re a ghost, but when do you realize you’re dead? Hayden obviously knew from the beginning she crapped up and is stuck in the house. And Nora obviously still doesn’t believe she’s dead and is just confused. I wonder what a ghost has to do to realize s/he is a ghost. That looks to me like the writers needed a confused Nora for the baby plot, and an all-knowing Hayden to make her shine as the ultimate villain, who taunts Vivien. I’m calling it inconsistencies. 6.5/10

Blast from the scar-rich past

But Vivien rather cares about her own fate

Season 1, Episode 7
Date of Airing: Nov 16, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 3.061 million viewers, 1.8 rating with A18-49

Finally, something is happening here. Now Vivien (Connie Britton) is finally realizing the creepiness of the house and learns about ghosts. It took a damn while, so I hope that’s not gonna become a cop-out in the next episode, and the season is back to normal with the ninth episode again. It’s about time the Harmons know about the ghost action and do something against it. Calling the Ghostbusters or whatever. Not just sitting there and doing nothing, but taking action. Writing 101: Don’t write inactive characters. They should be active all the time (except it fits with the story, like GOOD WILL HUNTING).

The open house story was just lame though. It looked like it was another attempt of filling an episode with a storyline starting and ending in the same episode. Joe (Amir Arison), the potential buyer, was in fact an interesting character at first, especially with his lustful connection to Moira (Alexandra Breckenridge), but how fast the story was finished was just meh. It could have been an ongoing story for another episode. Especially since Larry (Denis O’Hare) was also involved in the discussion of buying the house for his own reasons. Yet the buyer was killed pretty soon, and the writers were able to show that Moira (Frances Conroy) and Constance (Jessica Lange) can also work together. Not really an exciting storyline, but I at least liked the “chemistry” between Constance and Moira. It has something when former still hates latter (and vice versa), but when it’s about the house, Constance losing her family and Moira losing the only reason why she still puts up with the afterlife.

Again, I don’t care much about the romance between Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet (Taissa Farmiga). She seems to be pretty easy with the fact that she’s dating a dead guy, who has killed people (and I wonder how he can be seen as a dream guy with the female audience, as some Tumblr memes are proving). At the moment, this story is leading to nowhere, and not even his background can change it much. Yes, it looks intriguing that he hates Constance, and that she has one more conflict to fight with in the show (seems like everybody is hating on her), but nothing is being done with the story. It’s just there, teasing problems between the characters for future episodes, but then something else comes up and the conflict is forgotten. So, something big and game-changing should happen for me to care a bit more about Violet’s first real romance.

The flashback back to the 20s (or 30s) was interesting though. Charles (Matt Ross) succeeding in bringing the infant back to life, and Nora (Lily Rabe) saying that he is a monster. I read the pilot script of this show, and during the teaser with the brothers, there were some words about the two-year-old infanta/monster. At least now it should be clear what killed the brothers in the pilot. But I only made this connection, when I heard Nora’s words about it and was reminded by the infanta in the script. I wonder if the infanta is still in the house, killing people… Other than that, the Beau (Sam Kinsey) flashback was not my thing. That was just too awkward to be shocking or to be awful. I just couldn’t stop thinking about how every one of Constance’s kids turned out to be real suckers. Two degenerates with Addy and Beau, one crazy sociopath with Tate. One kid is left. I wonder where that one is at the moment… 6/10

Hold your horses, the realtor has the gun!

And then the dick was off

Season 1, Episode 6
Date of Airing: Nov 9, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.831 million viewers, 1.6 rating with A18-49

The episode was okay. Of course there has to be a filler episode after the Halloween double, but I was astounded about how much story was wasted to fill it with a piggy pig story without a real shocking ending, as well as too much love drama between Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet (Taissa Farmiga). Though I loved that the flashback focused on Tate and his school massacre, I wonder what all of it means in the bigger picture of the show. Because I haven’t seen much which could be considered important for the storytelling of the next six episodes.

At least one Harmon family member knows that ghosts exist. And what is Violet doing? Basically nothing. She just wants to kill herself, she doesn’t wanna believe that a “ghost” is loving her and caring more about her feelings than his own. It really was too much of a tragic love story in-between all the revelation that Tate doesn’t know he’s a ghost (which contradicts with his actions against Fiona in the pilot, as well as the kills against the home invasioners in episode two) and his killing spree in 1994. Even the mention of Addy being scared of Tate back then was more interesting than the whole love story. I better don’t ask why Murphy rather wanted to have the love story in front and center than the actual mystery around Tate as a ghost, as well as the mythology of the whole show. But I have to say that I liked to see the emotional side of Tate for once. During the first two episodes he came over as the cool ghost, who doesn’t stop being a cool guy, even though he’s dead. Now he’s crying, he’s opening his heart, and he has a hidden back story somewhere in the 90s, when (as Constance [Jessica Lange] put it in words) the house was leading him to the killing spree. That also made Violet a bit more sympathetic this time. The scene in the bathtub could have been breathtaking, if there would have been more focus.

And the rest? Not really that interesting. Does the piggy pig story have a greater meaning in the show? It probably says something, because there was a spirit in Ben’s (Dylan McDermott) bathtub, and there was a “funny” outcome, when the piggy pig was in fact just a robber at the end. But the meaning of the story for Ben? Invisible, not to be found. As if this whole story was just filler, because Ben needed a story. Since he was out of the house, basically out of Vivien’s life, Ben was about to be forgotten by the audience and the producers (maybe that’s why Dylan was credited first in the title intro this time?).

Meanwhile I’m already about to forget the last rest of the episode. Billie Dean (Sarah Paulson) was a nice way of introducing the medium’s point of view (as well as the fact that mediums are real in this universe), but it didn’t have meaning for me. Just a few more words “between” Constance and Addy, and another reminder that Addy won’t be returning as a ghost. Same goes with the whole flashback in the beginning. I like that the show tackles school massacres, but the scene could have been with a bigger meaning. Or with more thrill. But we were already knowing who those people in the library were, who will die and who will not survive. And who will kill them. So, it was not much of a surprise. The real surprise was at the end of the teaser, when Tate stood in front of the SWAT team and made the head shot.

This is the middle part of the show, and it’s getting boring. At least it’s not trashy like some reviewers used to write over the weeks. I actually like the campiness of the show, but the stories are definitely no burners right now. No good storytelling so far. 5.5/10

Pang!

Braaiiiiiins

Season 1, Episode 5
Date of Airing: Nov 2, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.745 million viewers, 1.6 rating with A18-49

Kinda disappointing episode. After the first part needed such a long time to set up the story, the payoff in this episode was really lame. Almost nothing happened, no revelations, no secrets. Instead just more questions, more mysteries, and me wondering what is actually going on in this house. With Hayden’s (Kate Mara) appearance at the end of the last episode, I was in fact thinking she would be the reason why the Harmons are realizing there are ghosts in their house. Instead, this whole drama involving Hayden was just about Ben’s (Dylan McDermott) adultery, his past with Hayden, and how Vivien (Connie Britton) can’t trust him anymore. This whole story became a relationship/marriage drama, and not a ghost horror/thriller. Super disappointing.

Also disappointing was Tate’s (Evan Peters) story. First off, I don’t know what to do with the information about him being Constance’s (Jessica Lange) son. That felt too much like a shock-value information, but it did nothing for me, except connecting the characters. As well as explaining why Ben could phone his mother back in episode 2. But I can’t imagine that Ben wasn’t noticing Constance on the phone back then. Second, I see his story with the high school group as a filler. It could have been a great moment for Violet (Taissa Farmiga) to realize there are ghosts in Los Angeles, yet nothing happened, because Tate couldn’t even remember. Which, again, brings me to ask if he knows he’s dead. When he can’t even remember that he shot up a school and various students (instead sees it as dreams of his), what about the other ghosts? Especially Chad (Zachary Quinto) and Moira (Frances Conroy) seem to know they are dead and they were able to make their Halloween night “special” – I seriously don’t know what is going on, and I’d wish for some explanations now. Almost halfway through the season, and the Harmons are still not knowing about the secrets of their house, and what is up with all the suspense drama around them.

The whole conflict between Hayden and Viv could have been cut short. The involvement of Larry (Denis O’Hare) is questionable, and why he would warn Ben about the house in the pilot, but wants to destroy him now, is just confusing for me. Also, Hayden’s playing: Why didn’t she just say that she was preggers with Ben’s child? Why the speech about Ben’s adultery to Viv, and why the sudden shock in her face, when she realized Viv is pregnant? That’s either lazy writing, because the writers don’t want the characters (and the audience) to know stuff, or there’s a bigger meaning behind all of it and I don’t understand it, because the writers try to hide their messages over a dozen different plot points. There’s absolutely no reason for anybody in this show to hold any secrets. Okay, except Ben, but he was the only one telling the truth here anyway. So, I’ll count that off as lazy writing.

In addition, the whole conflict between Tate and the group was basically for nothing. It would have been a great moment, when Tate would have realized what he has done. It also would have answered some open questions as well, yet at the end Tate just banged his head with his hand and thought to hear voices. In addition, the group didn’t even do anything to Tate or Violet. They wanted to “show it” to Tate, but all they can do is waiting for the sunlight to come up and go back. Nothing happened. What a waste of time, despite the story being interesting.

And the outcome of the episode? Well, I don’t know. Halloween, ghosts en mass, conflicts en mass, but at the end the Harmons still don’t know what they’re up to. It should have been this episode, where they learn what is wrong. It should have been this episode to answer some burning question. Instead the double episode was wasted for letting Hayden creep around the house, and to show that Larry is more of a crazy person than anyone would have expected. That’s just super-lame in my eyes. Yet still somewhat entertaining. The horror of the show is just gone though… 5/10

Larry is hurting

And Hayley is about to hurt

Season 1, Episode 4
Date of Airing: Oct 26, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.961 million viewers, 1.7 rating with A18-49

Halloween seems complicated in the world of AMERICAN HORROR STORY. Because I don’t know what was actually going on. Besides knowing that Hayden (Kate Mara) would return as a ghost (and I saw her name in the credits, then forgot it, then was “surprised” she stood in front of the door at the end of the episode), I really don’t know why ghosts pretend like they don’t know they are ghosts. Maybe they don’t know they are ghosts, but then I’m missing the bigger picture here. Especially with the gay couple I didn’t get what I wanted to get. Were they still in some sort of time loop, living their lives on Halloween, because it was the only day worth living for them? Or just because it was Halloween? The show should have started by now to lay down some rules. Otherwise it’s not just getting complicated in the near future, but also confusing, illogical, and the episodes will be riddled with inconsistencies.

My theory about the ghosts not knowing they are ghosts is kind of proven in this episode already: I was surprised to see the twins from the pilot back here, seemingly having fun as kids normally do, when they are kids. That means the show probably has a couple of more ghosts we don’t know about yet. Larry (Denis O’Hare) for example. He could be dead or alive. Or Marcy (Christine Estabrook).

Other than that the episode was okay. A bit of a letdown after the last episode, but I liked that the Halloween setting wasn’t used for a stereotypical Halloween episode. Something was clearly done to make this episode more special and worthy of my time, but for me it was mostly a waste of time, because it built up so much. This episode is clearly intended to be the first part of a double episode, which just hurts the storytelling here. Too much time was wasted with practically anything, and the only hellish interesting moment of the episode were the last couple of minutes. Starting with Larry knocking on the door and creeping Violet (Taissa Farmiga) out (plus the rubber man behind her), ending with Hayden at the door. The rest… too much build-up to be considered a stand-alone episode.

I liked the flashback to Charles (Matt Ross) and Nora (Lily Rabe) though. Despite the fucked-up timeline now. The last episode said Charles built the house in 1922. So let’s say that the flashback in this episode happened in the 1920s, at the latest in the 1930s. But the flashback did so not look like the 1930s. Just look at the phone Nora was using. Maybe I don’t know about the history of a phone and make a mistake here; maybe there’s a reason why the flashback didn’t look like the 20s or 30s. But maybe this was one of the inconsistencies I just talked about. But hey, at least I found myself surprised that Charles actually didn’t kill anybody. That also means that he might be the origin of all the ghost action happening in the house. In a SUPERNATURAL episode, this would mean that the current owners go hunt Charles, burn and salt him, and the crazy stuff is all over and done with. But it’s Ryan Murphy here, and he probably hasn’t even seen SUPERNATURAL. I still wonder if the story around Charles will be important for the storyline in the present. As famous as the house already is, somebody must have checked its past and found something out over the years…

Addy (Jamie Brewer) as a “beautiful girl” was kinda cool. She came over as a normal kid this time, who just needs some friends, which is why I was shocked a bit, when she was killed in a hit-and-run. Yes, we probably have one more ghost (judging from Constance [Jessica Lange] though, we won’t see her), but I liked the accident for giving Constance some seconds of emotions. Finally that crazed bitch was a character for once, caring for something, feeling for something – something I haven’t seen since the show started. Same goes with Moira (Frances Conroy). I like her more when she’s emotional. She is definitely fighting against something (most likely Constance), and fighting for her own freedom. Is it really the house why she can’t “move on”? Like I said, the show needs to set its ground rules.

The flirtations between Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet were not such a burner though. I have nothing against little romances, especially when a ghost is involved (damn, I’m almost referencing CASPER here), but it should go forward now. Somehow the story stands still, and is just creeped up, because Violent will going to deal with the rubber man. By the way: The whole mystery around the rubber man is way too overhyped already. It’s not the question who he is and why he impregnated Vivien. It’s the question how a ghost can fuck a living woman preggers, and what it has to do with the overall story of the show. As if Murphy and Falchuk needed a big mystery in the show, created the rubber man, and made him a presence in the show, even though it’s not even necessary. Another by the way: It’s obvious that the writers try to hide the identity of the rubber man, but chose to show Tate in the costume first, I have already seen too many horror movies and TV shows (hello HARPER’S ISLAND) to not tell me you shouldn’t trust your guts when it comes to suspicions. And that Tate was shown in the costume, making it “obvious” for the audience he isn’t the rubber man, usually means he is in fact the rubber man. 5.5/10

The new neighbors, eh... dead people introduce themselves

But then, something horrible happened

Season 1, Episode 3
Date of Airing: Oct 19, 2011 (FX)
Nielsen ratings information: 2.586 million viewers, 1.5 rating with A18-49

Damn, I’m starting to like this show. Great episode, considering how the show started, and how the show continues to be. Still a bit messy, still a bit fast-cut, which is just too much for being a visual style (it just doesn’t give the characters time to shine as characters), but the Harmons are getting likable. Even Ben (Dylan McDermott), who is just too much of a male man for me to consider him a “regular” character in an irregular TV show. Or maybe it’s just Dylan McDermott, whom I don’t like very much (maybe it will change when I finally start with THE PRACTICE. In fact, I expect it to change). But it’s not the family which kept me going. The little twists and turns, as well as some revelations about the mythology, made it interesting.

Starting with the flashback. So, Constance (Jessica Lange) really killed Moira (Alexandra Breckenridge, Frances Conroy) (and her lover). That would explain why she’s all crazy and stuff. I still ask myself if Constance is also dead. Figuring how many ghosts and wannabe-ghosts have visited the show already, I can surely imagine Constance is also not among the living anymore. Yet, Moira said she wished Constance would be dead. Which lets me ask if ghosts know when people are dead. But there are just too many questions I’m asking here, when I find it interesting how big of a conflict there is between Moira and Constance. And how it affects Hayden’s (Kate Mara) presence with the house. Just because Ben covers up her grave, she’s stuck forever? Which kind of means that there must be a whole bunch of bodies laying in, under or around the house, when all the ghosts are dancing around. Does it also mean Hayden will return as a ghost?

Damn, another question. When I saw Kate Mara’s name in the credits, I wasn’t really expecting for her story to turn out better. The whole pregnancy thing was already lame and tiring in the last episode, and now she’s standing in Ben’s house. Which was a nice little WTF moment. Growing to great proportions, when she was standing again at the door, screaming for Vivien, completely behaving like a crazed lunatic. I was sitting there with an open mouth – interesting how a lame story like this can turn out to be that intriguing, when you just make your character a bit more crazy in a medical sense. Larry (Denis O’Hare) killing her was off though. Not much of a shocker, because I wondered why he would do it, instead of ‘OMG, he just killed her’. Okay, that made him also crazy just then, but that final twist was too questionable in my eyes to really swallow the fact he just killed Hayden. But it makes for some new conflict. I don’t wanna even think about all the new created possibilities with that murder. Ben having very big secrets now, Hayden dead (the detective was already in the house, will he return?), Larry being her killer, and also his words to Ben about the house. In addition to the conflict between the two men now, after Hayden’s death.

Vivien’s (Connie Britton) story was not that interesting this time. Blame it on the fact she just wanted to move out. I want to like why the Harmons are ultimately staying in the house (though money problems seem to be the most lazy excuse for a writer), and I don’t wanna say much against it, but I have the feeling Ben is living through more shit in this house already than Vivien. She hasn’t had a ghost experience so far, only the house invasion, while Ben needs to question himself about Moira, about why he woke up on the same spot in the garden, and about his patients in general. There are just too many irregularities in a person’s life here, especially when you just saw somebody killing your mistress. So, I hope the next episode will not just go further into the mythology of the whole ghost thingy, but also how Ben reacts to this house and the last events. Vivien hasn’t lived through “much” so far, so she should step back with her “I wanna sell this house”s. Though she could discover some secret about the house. Like the woman without the back of her head, who came and disappeared again.

By the way: The 20s flashback should have been the starting flashback of the episode. It’s nice to have the origin of the house in the show, but for me it seemed more important than how Moira died. What a shame that Charles (Matt Ross) wasn’t seen on screen how he cut open the young women. And what a shame that the life of Charles and Nora (Lily Rabe) wasn’t followed through a bigger flashback with more story in it. Because I liked the creepiness of it. 7/10

Dead Moira is not so dead at all

Getting to know the history of the house from above