We can all agree that every season of AHS (save for maybe the first three) has its ups and downs as well as a point where it sort of stalls out. None, however, have been so abrupt to plummet from compelling to unbearable as this season. I, for one, have enjoyed a season where the true horror has been motivated by human animosity rather than something supernatural-- until this episode.
People who have left positive reviews of this episode have suggested that those those who didn't like it simply didn't get it, or that they were blinded by personal feelings about the guest star, Lena Dunham. Let me put it this way: I've never reviewed something on IMDb and I felt compelled to write this to confirm that this episode is objectively bad.
First and foremost, the narrative structure is UNFORGIVABLE. The episode starts with its real- life inspiration, Valerie Solanas' failed attempt at assassinating Andy Warhol, which could have provided a good hook but was a little drawn out. For the remainder of the episode, the characters we've grown familiar with are only part of a frame tale for a new story told by a girlfriend of Solanas (Frances Conroy). The connection between these events is both tenuous and contrived. The story itself should have taken MAYBE one segment of the episode, but instead is drawn out and redundant. Because of the limited focus on the season's main characters, the central conflict of the episode seems entirely contrived as there's NO build- up. Similarly, the dubious motivations of the female characters (except maybe Beverly Hope) as well as their malleability to an influence other than Kai's completely undermines the cult dynamic crafted thus far.
Without giving too much away, I didn't find the twist at the end of the episode entirely predictable, but that's probably because I honestly just didn't care. While it did leave me with some questions, the ending mostly left me with a feeling of anxiety--NOT the kind that makes a horror series compelling, but the kind that stems from a feeling that this is the episode we will all point to as the moment the season went off the rails.
Honestly, I wish I could say the worst part of the episode was Lena's insufferable, self- indulgent attempt at acting, but even her cringe-worthy accent was eclipsed by the feeling that the rest of the season will be unsalvageable. I honestly don't know if I could sit through another episode so entirely irredeemable, and that's coming from someone who FINISHED season two of Scream Queens. GET IT TOGETHER RYAN MURPHY.
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