I waited for the second season of American Horror Story with both excitement and trepidation.
I never did get over my tendency to get easily surprised, so I was pretty much expecting the same dread that I felt when I was watching the first season of the series.
When it was announced that creators Brian Murphy and Brad Falchuck were going to retroactively title the first season as American Horror Story: Murder House, and that they would feature an entirely new story, a new setting and new characters for the latest season, albeit bringing back some of the same actors, they have defined American Horror Story as an anthology TV series.
American Horror Story: Asylum is mostly set in the Briarcliff Mental Institution in Massachusetts, a church owned facility that houses the criminally insane that's also famous for its association with serial killer Bloody Face. During the 1960's, Sister Jude Martin (Jessica Lange) runs the facility with an iron fist, both with the conviction of one trying to atone for past sins and to support her supervisor Monsignor Timothy Howard (Joseph Fiennes). Sister Jude clashes constantly with the facility's resident physician and former Nazi, Dr. Arthur Arden (James Cromwell), who lusts after the naive Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe). Kit Walker (Evan Peters) is arrested as Bloody Face after his black wife has seemingly fallen victim to the serial killer and is sent to Briarcliff, where Dr. Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto) will determine if he is indeed criminally insane or if he is sane enough to receive punishment by execution. Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), determined to get an exclusive on Kit, sneaks into the facility and ends up admitted in order to cure her from her lesbian orientation. In the present day, newlywed couple Leo (Adam Levine) and Teresa (Jenna Dewan Tatum) sneak into a now abandoned Briarcliff and find that Bloody Face might be more than just a figure of the past.
It seems that Ryan Murphy and his team decided to top what they were able to achieve with American Horror Story: Murder House, by creating even more interlocking stories that feature even more characters for their sophomore run. Calling this series complicated is an understatement, with so many different themes covered in a single season that ran a mere thirteen episodes long. While there were many stories that surrounded the Murder House run, they were all tied to the house that trapped the spirits of anyone that died in it.
American Horror Story: Asylum, on the other hand, features Briarcliff as a mere location. A location where a heck of a lot of bat-shit craziness occurs. I've been making an effort to keep the spoilers to a minimum, especially for TV shows, but just to give you an idea on what you can expect... a serial killer named Bloody Face who wears a mask made from his victims' skins; Kit claims he isn't Bloody Face and that his wife has been taken by aliens; Sister Mary Eunice is possessed by a demon after a botched exorcism; Dr. Arden performs horrific experiments on patients to turn them into immortal yet flesh-eating creatures; and an angel named Shachath (Frances Conroy) whose kisses are the literal kiss of death. All of these make the fact that Sister Jude is lusting after Monsignor Howard seem pale in comparison.
It was probably overkill to watch American Horror Story: Asylum in a marathon, but it did help me keep better track of all the different characters and storyline. Much like in Murder House, the new season attempted to push the envelope of the usual TV viewing experience, providing rather graphic imagery at times and themes that they could only get away with in cable programming. If you can get past the squeamishness and the constant fear of what lurks around the corner, however, you will find that there's a lot to appreciate (I'd say enjoy if this was a happy series... but it's not) in American Horror Story: Asylum.
I don't think there's any other series this current TV season that boasted a cast quite as stellar as the one featured in American Horror Story: Asylum. I was already excited at the idea of bringing back some of the first season's cast members, who would get to play entirely different characters. It was a welcome sight to see Jessica Lange, Zachary Quinto, Lily Rabe, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters (last season's MVP for me), Dylan McDermott and Frances Conroy back, and in great form at that, with each one embracing their new characters. Then, Ryan Murphy had to top it all off by bringing in new cast members that were worthy of a Hollywood film production. While everyone was blinded by the fact that Maroon 5 frontman Adam Levine was cast in a guest starring role, Murphy and his team brought in Joseph Fiennes, James Cromwell, Lizzie Brochere, Chloe Sevigny, Ian McShane, Clea Duvall and Franka Potente in various main and guest roles. I didn't think it was possible to actually be in constant terror and in constant fangirl mode at the same time while watching a TV series.
While there are times when it feels that the brains behind American Horror Story: Asylum just aims to be controversial and risque, there's actual storytelling gold buried in the horrifying imagery I am now attempting to erase from my mind by watching episodes of Phineas and Ferb. Sure, some of the various plot lines tackled in the series can verge on the ridiculous or the campy, but there's something compelling about the various characters and how they dealt with their miserable (really, really, really miserable for some) lots in life. No one is perfect in the series, as even those with the purest intentions are capable of the most horrendous acts, but there's an undercurrent of communally seeking out redemption, at least for those who deserve it and are not rotten to the core. Sure, I didn't expect that everyone would actually survive the series (heck, no one did in Murder House, except for Constance and the Antichrist), but I fervently prayed that some of them would at least have a semblance of a happy ending.
It was watching the characters who actually made it to the final episode that made me realize that I have long since tagged American Horror Story: Asylum as a must-watch season of the series. It was when I realized that despite the confusion of interlocking plot lines that made up the maze that is the story of American Horror Story: Asylum, Ryan Murphy and his team were still able to successfully make me care about the characters that are worth caring about.
Even if it did take thirteen nail biting episodes to get to that conclusion.
Happy viewing!!... in a terrified way, of course.Labels: American Horror Story, Anthology, Drama, FX, Horror, Must-Watch, TV, TV Series
