American Horror Story: Apocalypse and Am I Cautiously Optimistic So Far?

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Don't look at this if you've not watched American

 Horror Story: Apocalypse. There are a million spoilers in here. 

As usual, just disjointed thoughts, observations and a bit of recap. I could ramble for hours so I have to stop at some point.

I ended up watching two episodes in a row this week on Wednesday as the previous week, I was in a TV show myself. And then, Rogers never put that AHS:A Episode Three On Demand. Actually, it was there for a couple of days. I watched part of it but there was something wrong with the sound and the picture was a bit hazy. I thought it was my TV or maybe a special effect that I didn't "get". Then it disappeared off the menu, never to return. Luckily, FX always plays the previous week's episode before the current week's so I was able to finally catch up.

Some people made these pictures of Cody Fern as David Marsden in The Assassination of Gianni Versace and the little boy from Murder House playing baby Michael Langdon, whom Cody Fern plays at various ages in Apocalypse. Cool beans, eh?! I love it when Murphy crosses his work over like that.

I thought it might be that I'd watched two episodes in a row that didn't suck so I became a bit hopeful. However, I looked quickly at some reviews, and other reviewers appear hopeful as well. Hopeful that this season won't suck!

However, we've been here before. It's always fucking amazing until around Episode Six although a couple of seasons barely made it that far in my own interest. Some people on Facebook hate this season already. I'm finding it very good. 

Great Cast

Anyway, a lot of my joy with this season is due to the great acting and casting. Everyone is perfect. Ryan Murphy usually does very well with casting. There's only been a couple of times I've wondered about his choices. 

I'm not in love with Jessica Lange as so many others are, nothing against her at all. I just don't really care about the characters she plays for some reason. I find it refreshing that the past couple seasons didn't revolve around the same elderly lady with a jaded view on life in charge of it all. Although we know that is how this one will go for sure, we got a little break from it all in recent years. We know she's coming back and she'll be the Super Deluxe Dream Weaver Demon Voodoo Haunted Supreme Puppet Master Burrito with Extra Spice.

Now What's Going On

I liked the apocalypse. It happened quickly and we were drawn right in. We got to know all the survivors in quick little thumbnails and it worked. 

So far, the story is staying focused even though it's drawing in other seasons. 

The mysterious Michael Langdon is choosing people for another Outpost. It's supposedly a better place than where they are now. Everyone wants to go. We all realize that he's not looking for goody-two-shoes type people. It takes a bit to get past the Tom Cruise Interview with a Vampire stuff but Michael Langdon is far more interesting than a vampire and Cody is far more dangerously sensual and leering than Tom Cruise was as LeStat. 

When Michael's interviewing people to determine their worth at the beginning of the episode, he was downright chilling. I wouldn't know how to answer him either. Cody Fern played an excellent victim in Versace. Now he's playing an excellent psychopath demon creature. I could watch him all day.

He's Rosemary's Baby. He's a demon. Son of Satan. Perhaps Satan. A Witch. A Warlock. A Shape-Shifter. We're not quite sure yet but he's a demon of some sort if not the Anti-Christ himself. 

And what's cool is that if you're into Star Wars, you can see how he's Kylo Ren and Billie Lourd's Mallory is Rey (Billie actually auditioned for the part of Rey) or compare Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker. They need to balance the Force. Michael and Mallory are opposites, but not of good and evil. It's all bad, I'm pretty sure. And I don't doubt one will try to entice the other their way is the Supreme Way.

Billie Lourd as Mallory

Billie Lourd is doing a fantastic job this season. Her acting has come a long way since her days in Scream Queens. She really honed her chops last season in Cult. Now she's someone completely different again and doing a great job. 

And boy doesn't she look like her mom here and there?

I love how she's/Ryan Murphy is continuing her crazy hair days, a nod to mom Carrie Fisher. 

Her force awakens when she meets Michael. They have a demon head-to-head and it's pretty cool. They will be battling for Supreme Taco of the Magiverse. 

Kathy Bates

Once again, Kathy Bates has a unique role. She's a robot! 

We see her trick-or-treating as a human kid dressed up like Rosie the Robot. Then we learn it's just a false memory planted there for whatever reasons. 

The robot carries along the theme of dolls and puppets that are in every season of Amercian Horror Story, some more in the forefront than others. Remember Dandy making puppets out of corpses? The Doll Collector? Frankenteen? and more?

 So Kathy Bates is a robot companion and we assume to be programmed to Sarah Paulson, but is she?

When You're a Jet

The plot has now become about a battle between The Sharks and the Jets, or rather, Witches and Warlocks. 

I wish they'd named the covens instead of saying Witches and Warlocks. Not everyone believes there's a difference between a witch and a warlock. Many witches are males. But at any rate, here we are. The apocalypse involves the end of the world and a final showdown between surviving witches and warlocks. 

"Witches (always female) have always been more powerful than Warlocks (always male) because they don't have testosterone," this particular theory apparently espouses. Alrighty, then.

I wish there wasn't a battle of the sexes theme but it's not a new theme for AHS, which was way ahead of the #MeToo movement in examining sex roles and wars. With the current onslaught of news, everywhere, it would be nice to escape into entertainment. Just have two battling covens and give them funky names. But the show is shot months in advance, they don't know what will be in the headlines. 

The warlocks believe that Michael is more powerful than the current Grand Burrito Supreme, Sarah Paulson reprising Cordelia. But Cordelia shuts it down, no Seven Wonders ritual exam for Michael. She may or may not know or expect to meet the Antichrist or whatever Michael is. Not an angel, that's for sure. Or is he? So we're not sure why she shuts it down except for the obvious reason, she doesn't want to NOT be Grand Supreme.

Cody Fern Rocks!

Michael, skyclad, called upon the dark spirits while smearing himself and the floor with his own blood. That was a great scene and I think it was in Episode Three. I can't remember, I was too hypnotized.

There were a lot of great scenes in those two episodes. 

At some point near the end of Episode Four, Michael wants to show he's King Bee so he goes to the Hotel Cortez to find Queenie. Cordelia's biggest regret as Supreme Burrito was that she couldn't release Queenie from eternity in the Cortez. But Michael leads Queenie out, with Mr. March's blessing. Evan Peters plays March as magnificently as he did in Hotel. Queenie has been playing chess with March for eternity. But now Michael has swooped in like an angel and saved her from damnation. 

Emma Roberts

I'm so happy to see Emma Roberts back as her nasty-ass self. I don't know if she's that much of a bitch in real life (and wouldn't blame her if she was as her dad is hunky bad boy Eric Roberts who's not exactly a shrinking violet).  But she's a damn fine bitch. I loved her being in hell at Walmart or wherever it is. Hilarious and perfect for rich bitch superstar Madison. 

Michael saves Madison after Queenie.  The three of them go to gloat at Cordelia and the rest.  

No doubt the next episode is all a double-triple-cross but we'll see.

The Coven of Warlocks was a mighty fine group of very handsome men where the brooding Cheyenne Jackson is chomping at the bit for ultimate power. He's a scary warlock for sure. I couldn't find a picture to do him justice but I'll keep looking!

They are like Hogwart's but aren't, of course.

Tons of other stuff happened as well. I could have done without all the puking, but hey, it's a horror series. I just kept looking away until they were done. I can deal with spraying blood, but not puke. UGH. 

The Last Horror Show

I'm sure where there are witches and warlocks, there are others who have also survived the Apocalypse! I bet there are soldiers and others who are going to show up and more chaos will ensue. And are these the only witches and warlocks? Or only the ones in California or Nevada? Wherever they are, I've forgotten. We already know that there ARE other survivors and not just in Outposts but they are all likely dying from radiation or each other.

I'm still hoping for aliens as well!

I really hope Finn Wittrock shows up but I doubt it. 

What parts did you like?

What parts did you think were stupid?

Are you excited to see what happens next?

American Horror Story: Roanoke Thoughts and Spoilers

Finn Wittrock as "Dandy Mott" in American Horror Story:Freakshow (picture from TVline.com)

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SPOILERAMA ZONE

Like most American Horror Story fans, I was eagerly anticipating Chapter Six in this crazy series. My anticipation was doubly ramped from spending four days at Fan Expo staring at the booths of several cast members from AHS including Denis O'Hare. I watched a panel about Freakshow where Naomi Grossman spilled the beans about AHS being renewed for a few more seasons. It was fun to read about it later and knowing I was there when it was announced (or slipped, judging by the looks her fellow castmates gave her). I also briefly met Denis O'Hare when he was walking around and he even let me take a picture with him. I was shaking like a little fangirl! I never did talk to the other cast members as I was too afraid to approach them. But I could see them from my own booth and watched their fans line up for them.

Sephera Giron and Denis O'Hare at Fan Expo Canada 3016

But I digress...

SPOILERAMA

I didn't like the first few episodes very much. It likely has more to do with how I was watching them  than the material, but then again, the story just didn't compel me. I had to watch a couple of episodes on my little ancient old-fashioned TV in the bedroom because for some reason it wasn't coming in on the big screen TV in the living room. The cable box wasn't working right and I didn't notice it didn't get FX properly until I went to watch the show. Luckily, the small analog TV got the channel by some miracle! However, it was very difficult to see. The show is dark as it is and that TV is dark because it's old so I couldn't really see what was going on in the re-enactments. I didn't like the reality TV framework. Maybe once I see how it all ties together, I'll go back and binge watch it. AHS is great to binge watch.

I was hoping for a real twist for episode six but they did exactly what I thought they were going to do. Have them all return and shoot another show.

And so, they did and here we are.

The Premise Doesn't Work

The premise that some of them would actually return is not believable. I don't believe for a minute that Shelby and Matt would ever return to that unexplainable nightmare. No. Nothing would get anyone there and the thin idea of a reconciliation is not believable either.

And for God's Sake, please, everyone, stop with the accents. For all that is horror, please stop!

I have a lot of work to do so I can't spend as much time as I'd like talking about actors and storylines and such but I'll touch on a couple of ideas as they come to me before I get back to work.

Finn Wittrock 

Yes, I did indeed spot him the previous week. However, it was only after the episode was over and I was wondering if he had shown up at all. Yay for the Googles! I discovered he was the hillbilly so I caught the scenes again on the rerun and saw him. 

This week his character was featured more prominently. Perhaps I'm jaded from years of horror-watching. Perhaps I'm jaded from last week's head smashing and disembowelments. However, what he was doing to Lee was nothing compared to what Ray Liotta once had done to him! They could have cranked up the gross factor more than they did. And well, though Finn did a great job, again, his talents were massively underused. 

Even if he appears again in the next twist as he did in Hotel, we won't get to know him as we got to know Dandy. We enjoyed Dandy because we got to watch him evolve throughout the show and see a range of talent however with Jether Polk, we see a bit of potential, and a whole plotline I conceived in my head but there's no way it would happen. There was talk that this character would be his most disgusting or whatever yet. I didn't think there would be a way to top his perfect portrayal of Dandy and I was correct. Of course, the issue is with the roles he's getting. I understand he has contracts for other work and so now only wants to do a couple of episodes instead of long stretches. It's too bad because he's a good actor and fun to watch as a demonic psychopath. Like I said, maybe I'm jaded but this character though creepy and disgusting wasn't a showstopper as Dandy was. I'm not sure any of the characters besides Agnes are big standouts or memorable in this round of AHS.

My Theory about Jether Polk

When his character first appeared for the first time in Episode 7, I thought he might be somehow in league with Sidney. Since the Polk house is obviously fitted with cameras as well, (how else are we watching "found footage?") Sidney and his crew had to get in there to do it and either the Polks know they are there or they don't. Sidney might have given Jether a camera and phone to record events as he did with the others. When Episode 8 chugged along, I thought even more that Jether was in league with Sidney about shooting the show. Maybe Jether wasn't even "slow" since he'd say oddly intelligent things now and again. 

However, his demise seemed very real and kind of hard to fake so even if he was in league with Sidney, he's not now.

Finn had one of the best lines in the episode, as his characters often do. "We live in the United States. We have TV."  

Yup. Even cocaine-snorting pot-growing cannibals like to chill in front of the telly!

Cameras in the Polk House

I've noticed I'm not the only one who's realized there have to be cameras in the Polk house or we wouldn't be seeing all these grizzly scenes. People are questioning it all over social media. So who put the cameras there and do the Polks know?

Lee's Confession

I didn't see kill her husband if she did so I don't know if it's a real confession or if she's covering something up. I didn't see a lot of the first few episodes between crappy TV and half-watching when I had the good one because I was working on something else so she could have killed him in front of us and I missed it. Maybe someone else killed the husband like Flora and Lee figures she's dying anyway so she might as well give a fake confession to let the real killer off the hook. When she realizes she's still alive, she wants to retrieve the tape from Jethel's camera, not knowing the whole Polk house is rigged as well (I don't think. I can't remember if she ever screamed at a camera.)

Pig Man at the End

Of course, we all knew the minute the door opened that it wasn't the real Pigman. I had to hop on the internet to confirm the actor, Wes Bentley who played The Butcher's son in the re-enactment. I think we all agree he'd been hired by Sidney in advance and happened to show up late for some reason, likely his schedule. We were running out of bodies...

How High Are You?

Lee has half a thigh, part of a shoulder, and no ear, Audrey had a tooth ripped out with pliers yet both seem pretty chipper and good to go come morning. I know they are on and had some drugs but do they have an endless supply? What are these magical drugs that let you run from monsters and ease the pain? 

Humans Kill Humans

Notice almost everyone is dying because they turn on themselves, in every sense of the word. Sure they are running through the haunted house but in the end, Shelby was the one responsible for a few deaths, not the ghosts or even the hillbillies.

Reality TV

I think most of us suspect this is a show within a show within a show within a... Obviously, this found footage was edited and such. It drives me nuts when they use camera angles that aren't the planted cameras or a cell phone. I think next week, we'll find many of the dead characters alive because they were acting. Perhaps Sidney had set it up and most of the deaths weren't real at all. I'm not sure I believe Shelby is dead at all. It seems too convenient. I don't believe for a minute Sidney is dead. Don't forget, this is a show within a show and the footage CAN be edited to take out stunt people, special effects, and so on since everyone lies and nothing is real and there were gimmicks planted everywhere.

Big Finale

The last episode will likely be Sidney and Agnes and Jethel on Sara Paulson's medium's show from the other seasons. Or maybe everyone is dead when she comes to do a show on the house and she gets haunted and of course, has more evidence for future shows.

As to who is "final girl?" I lean towards Lee, who gets immediately arrested when the cameras stop as this was some kind of set up to extract her confession. I hope it's not Sara Paulson but it likely is since she is always the winner. They said one person survives. We're supposedly down to three with the arrival of Dylan.

Or it might be Sidney. Or Shelby who faked her own death. 

It's AHS, who knows?

I have many more thoughts but I must stop now!

What thoughts and theories do you have about American Horror Story: Roanoke?

American Horror Story: Hotel Episode 7 "Flicker" Thoughts

Spoilers for American Horror Story: Hotel Episode 7 "Flicker"

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The real Rudolph Valentino

I will admit that I tuned in this week with a heavy heart, knowing that Finn Wittrock was dead and I doubted that he would be brought back as undead although you never know on that show.

Wasn't I thrilled when I was looking at Valentino going, "Hang on, I recognize that mole...and the way his teeth show when he's leering...that jaw line...it's Finn, but is it? All these damn AHS:Hotel guys look the same."

I checked out the brown eyes and imagined them green and by a few minutes in, I knew it was him. 

Boy was I happy. And what a nice surprise. I realized that of course they would use him to play Gaga's lover. It was set up long ago that Tristan looked like The Countess' long lost love but we hadn't learned the back story yet...until this episode.

I'd never really noticed that Wittrock does indeed share a resemblance to Valentino. And Wittrock is about the age Valentino was when he died. They both are smoldering hot heart throbs when on-screen.

Valentino met his wife Natacha on a film set and though the gossip magazines had them divorcing, in the world of AHS: Hotel, they were actually swingers.Valentino likes Gaga when he meets her as a mousey yet exotic girl on a film set and so he brings her home to Natacha and the three of them share a decadent tango and proceed to enjoy many months of hedonism.

When Valentino dies too young and suddenly, Gaga was going to jump out a window at the fancyass party thrown by James March (Evan Peters) however March catches her. And they quickly get married.

Despite the distraction of being a married to a serial killer, Gaga still visits Valentino's crypt every day. She's the Lady in Black. 

However, it turns out that Valentino had faked his own death. He received the secret of eternal life from filmmaker Murnau who learned it while he was researching Nosferatu.

Valentino and Natacha want their threesome to continue on into eternity and they come back for Gaga and turn her.

Unknown to the Countess, March discovers her love for Valentino and also discovers that he's still alive, and so seeks revenge.

The story is kind of cool with how Valentino and his wife had been trapped in their room and hotel hallways for nearly 100 years until they were unearthed by the construction crew.

I will admit, I almost, almost got sucked into an American Horror Story headspin about how did Valentino become Tristan. What is the timeline? Then I remembered my first instinct, one actor, two people.

Valentino himself played two roles in films.

real Valentino

Of course, now Valentino and Natacha are running loose on the streets of LA so they might be gone for many episodes. Who knows? Maybe they'll find the vampire not vampire child army and do something with it, to get back at March for walling them in.

Maybe they'll make a movie. Maybe they just go on a debaucherous blood and drug-fuelled hedonist rampage.

They might end up in cahoots with Angela Bassett and her gang but likely not since they love Gaga.

In the meantime, there were other stories, like crazy cop dad pretending not pretending to be nuts to get into the insane asylum to talk to a murderer.

Meanwhile I think he was insane in a cell talking to himself. I think by this point it's pretty obvious he's the Killer and that's why he was at the serial killer dinner.

The ending of the episode was unexpected and in hindsight, it's hilarious.

No one stays dead at the Cortez, really.

Wonder if Valentino will meet Tristan if Tristan comes back as a ghost vampire not vampire? Wouldn't his neck just automatically heal anyway? It was just a flesh wound after all. He might not even be dead.

Will Elizabeth Taylor hook up with Valentino?

Will the Countess regret killing Tristan when Valentino returns? She could have had TWO of them at once.

So many questions and now we have to wait two weeks!

And thanks, American Horror Story for giving me a great twist with keeping Wittrock around a bit longer!

Edited to add:

I love reading other recaps every week. Here's one that's fun. I know I didn't mention "the accent." I figure Finn got his accent training from the same place as Jessica Lange and Kathy Bates. American Horror Story Recap

Oh, Dandy, How I'm Going to Miss You!

Superdeduper Spoileramas for American Horror Story: FreakShow

I began watching American Horror Story: FreakShow during the second part of the two-part Mordrake story arc. I didn't really like the Dandy character much and thought he was totally out of place in the FreakShow universe.

I eventually was able to finally view the series from the first episode right up until Tupperware Party in pretty much a two-day binge.

The character of Dandy made way more sense to me, obviously, and I fell in love with his man-baby, blood bathing, puppet-making ways.

When we first meet him, he's wide-eyed at the FreakShow and wants to become part of it. He knows he's "different" and hopes that maybe the freaks will accept him. He also wants to buy the twins who have two heads and one body. His mom gives it a shot but Elsa refuses to sell them. Dandy also wants to become part of the FreakShow but Elsa turns him down.

Dandy is bummed out and bored. He's well read and loves the theatre. He dreams of becoming an actor, a star, but his mom won't let him become common theatre folk. However, she attempts to cheer him up by renting him a clown that she finds wandering the road. Of course, she has no idea that Twisty the Clown is a demented serial killer.

Dandy plays with the clown a bit, but the clown isn't into his puppet shows. The clown is bored of Dandy and knocks him out. Dandy wakes up and follows him, likely for revenge, but he has the time of his life when he sees what Twisty is really all about.

It is around this time that the audience sees the character of Dandy evolve through an arc that is actually carrying into the final episode.

Along the way, Dandy finally gets to have his twins in his playroom and he's thrilled and spoils them rotten. One of the twins falls in love with him. The other twin loves Jimmy the Lobster Boy. The twins leave when Jimmy discovers where they are and takes them back to the circus.

Dandy is beyond despair at the loss of his loves. He wanted to marry them. Even worse, they lose their virginity to a crazy ventriloquist and Dandy has the pictures, provided by his P.I. We actually feel sorry for Dandy when he realizes what's happened. When he says, "They were supposed to be mine," we know that this isn't over by a long shot.

Now, at the end of the latest episode, "Show Stoppers" Dandy owns the circus and essentially, owns the twins, again. What a thrilling and chilling moment!

Storyline, character, actor, director, and photographer have combined to create a work of horror art/iconic psychopath that hasn't been done in a while. Dandy was already a costume this past Halloween and that was before the Dandy/Finn Wittrock fan base blew up.

Dandy is a perfect commentary of the modern psychopath/sociopath/narcissist. Material greed, selfishness, hovering narcissistic mom, unlimited resources, and boredom is indicative of many households in modern times. Even without unlimited resources in a family, a narcissist usually manages to find a way to get others to pay. Dandy is the modern man-baby, it's all about him. His bedroom is like a child's nursery though he's a grown man, perhaps early twenties? It doesn't matter that FreakShow isn't a modern story, the parable is, on many levels.

Fun things about Dandy is that he drinks booze from a crystal baby bottle. He's obsessed with his looks. He likes puppets and theatre. He likes learning new skills. He's not afraid of exotic adventures. It's all about what he wants though he doesn't know what he really wants except to be an actor, well, until he decides he's much more.

Where I went from not really like this character to thinking he was the best thing I'd seen in forever occurred when he was sawing off Matt Bomer's arm. Sure I loved seeing him running around in his undies, especially both of them together. Absolutely. But Dandy was just another pretty spoiled TV-show boy until that moment. That classic moment when he's sawing off the arm, and Matt is still alive. Dandy has the best moments there. I was laughing and horrified at actor Finn Wittrock's brilliance. How hammy that could have been (don't get me wrong, this character is over-the-top but it IS about freaks and showbiz) or how wooden as so many other "psycho" actors can be. Finn hit the mark and it rocked.

He had a couple of now classic lines that he delivered magnificently as well throughout the series that have been made into countless memes. Especially some of his comments to Twisty. They are priceless. That Julliard training paid off for Finn Wittrock.

Dandy's droll observations really make for great entertainment. And really, that's all I want in any show. To be entertained. So thank you writers.

When the curtain comes down tomorrow, Dandy will be gone. It doesn't matter if he dies or not, the magic of this character creation in this season is over. Dandy Mott will live on in reruns but we'll never see anything original about him again. I'm sure Murphy is well aware of how many new fans Finn Wittrock has garnered and will likely put him in Season Five and who knows? Dandy may make an appearance or Finn may play someone else, as he's stated he wants to do in various interviews. But Dandy will never be Dandy how we know Dandy now. So enjoy him tomorrow night no matter what happens in the plot.

I will miss Dandy and his crazy adventures.

Can't wait for tomorrow's final episode.



Added thought:
Long ago we saw the twins in a bottle at the museum. I guess that this was just a fantasy?

It would be kind of cool if somehow Dandy became curator of the museum as well and put his beloved twins in his collection after they meet their demise.

I also had high hopes that Stanley's appendage would end up in a bottle as well.

What do you think?