American Horror Story: Apocalypse has left a lot to be desired so far. Has this season let go of what made past ones so enjoyable (and terrifying)?
American Horror Story has never been a perfect TV show, and some seasons have been better pieced together than others. Fans of the show have their favorite seasons, and of course, that is going to vary somewhat from person to person. Overall, however, it feels like the show has struggled to continue to tell engaging stories with a coherent theme and aesthetic recently.
Season 7 of the show, Cult, was a pretty big mess. The season attempted to make connections and metaphors to politics, and, to be honest, making a show centered around hysteria related to Donald Trump’s election probably wasn’t a great choice. The show felt convoluted and like it didn’t which side it was taking.
Many fans, myself included, were hoping that this newest season would mark a return to what American Horror Story has traditionally done best at. I was looking forward to seeing a more cohesive visual theme and a mood that would connect the season together even if every plot point wasn’t perfect. Like many other fans, I was also looking forward to seeing how this season connected to Murder House and Coven.
While we are only three episodes in so far, I haven’t been very impressed by what Apocalypse has had to offer. The characters don’t seem engaging and almost seem like parodies. Now AHS often has camp and humor, but there have often been a couple of characters each season that fans should root for and relate to. So far this season it’s hard to get a grasp on any of the characters. The best moment so far of the season was when the Coven witches showed up. But, I’m not sure having the only highlights to a season be old characters and storylines is a great way to go.
While the season still has many episodes to go, I’m willing to go along with it for now. Maybe it was too much to hope that AHS could actually weave in past seasons in a coherent, engaging way.
Overall, I’m most disappointed in the dialogue. Many of the actors in this show are able to carry it through even when the plots get weird or silly. But, the lines that Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson have had to deliver this season are not great. Even they can’t seem to pull them off, and I’m having a hard time believing what is happening. This season doesn’t feel grounded, and it makes watching it a bit of a mess.
What do you think of American Horror Story: Apocalypse so far? Leave a comment!