American Horror Story Episodes 1–3 Review:
I think the main problem with the season is how it’s been broken down into smaller episodes, when it’s pretty clear that Episodes 1, 2 & 3 function as one larger episode.
Episodes 1 & 2 were extremely boring. And it’s not just Joey Pollari, even Jessica Lange is doing the same old song and dance, which gets repetitive and tiring after a point. (Perhaps she needed better screen partners? Frances, Lily, Kathy, Connie Britton… where are you? A sweet reminder that Jessica, even with her brilliance, has not thrived on this show in isolation, but with good co-actors to build off and bounce off.)
The show does pick up with Episode 3, as most AHS seasons tend to. So, knowing the history of the show, if we consider Episodes 1–3 as essentially one long opening act, hopefully the season will pick up from here.
The most refreshing parts were Jamie Brewer & Mena Suvari. They were a breath of fresh air after the tediousness of the other characters, simply because of the energy they brought to the episode. I enjoyed the entire sacrificial-lamb-to-the-portal-of-Hell sequence in Episode 3. And the fact that the Appolyon is structured with Satan housed on the 13th floor, Hell underground, and a literal lift connecting the two.
The camera movements are gorgeous. The sets are gorgeous. The colour palette can be terrible at times with the yellow filter completely saturating the frame.
And the title sequence is slop, lmao. They could have done something much fresher, with the music and clips.
Anyway, hoping it picks up in the following episodes!