American Horror Story S2 Review

*No Spoilers
*In between each paragraph is an actual quote from the season.

American Horror Story is a show which you literally have to see to believe.  In this season, there is a serial killer, the angel of death, a devil nun, a murdering Santa, Anne Frank, an exorcist, deformed mutants, and a Nazi doctor.  Oh yeah, and aliens of course.  (I'm really not kidding about any of that; that is all in this season)  Seriously, if you've never seen this show, you're probably thinking this is the worst show ever or the best show ever.

"Are you purposefully trying to make a murder baby?" - These are real quotes by the way

So, people who've never seen this show, you're not going to believe me when I say I actually liked this season for the most part.  Whether it's surprisingly emotionally affecting, hilariously awful, or bewildering, this show is always entertaining.  I don't know if I like what's going on or if I hate what's going on, but I find myself strangely entertained.  I can confirm though that you will be saying to yourself "What the fuck?" many many times.  Just go with it.

"What do you say we blow this pop stand, savage a few elves, then suck on each other, hmm?" - Delivered by Ian McShane!

American Horror Story is unlike any other show I've ever seen and probably any show I will ever see.  It's daring, it's exploitative, it's beautifully shot, it's got some of the worst dialogue ever, and it somehow gets some of the better actors out there.  It's a show that you pretty much need to watch if you are interested in television.  The first season left me confused on what to think of this show, but this season has sealed it for me.

"You must understand, these so-called Nazi Hunters are nothing but self-loathing, self-seeking, money grubbing JEWS! (Delivered by James Cromwell!)

I bet this is the type of show directors love to work on.  Every episode creates a pretty visually interesting shot.  Sometimes, the show veers to close to show-off directing - in fact, it pretty much does that every episode, but a lot of it works.  The directing pretty much reflects the entire show in general - they are swinging for the park and it's either a home run or a strikeout.  I don't think anything about this show can be described as mediocre.

"I have a rocking body and a titty full of milk, let me help you forget her." - Her being his mom of course

This show remarkably lands pretty great actors.  2-time Oscar winner Jessica Lange basically carries episodes by herself she's so good.  Yes, this show has an actress who has been nominated for six Oscars.  It also has five-time Emmy nominee Frances Conroy, Oscar-nominated and four-time Emmy nominee James Cromwell (including one for this season), Ian McShane, Chloe Sevigny, Zachary Quinto, and Joseph Fiennes.  It also has the lesser known Evan Peters and Lily Rabe who display acting talent comparable to that onslaught of respected and acclaimed actors.  I think great writing can carry mediocre actors, but the is the first time I've seen evidence that great actors can carry a bad script.  (Also, the third season has Kathy Bates and Angela Basset so I'm glad my "How the fuck did they land them?" quota will be filled for next season.)

"Slowly, show me your mossy bank" - He's referring to her vagina just to be clear - didn't want there to be any confusion.

This show is also set in the 1960s so the show can delve into issues of woman's rights, LGBT issues, the treatment of mental patients, and of course have period details.  This show isn't subtle at all so the a lot of the 1960s stuff is "HEY LOOK AT THIS IT'S FROM 1965, DO YOU GET IT?" of course, but I'm a sucker for period pieces.  Also, not particularly subtle, is the show's portrayal of how a lesbian would feel back then - but hey it doesn't really make it any less effective.

"A sexual deviant, a Mexican, and a pinhead won't get far in this storm.  I hope they drown." - This line is said by a fucking nun

Also, this show is actually a good reflection on the treatment of the mentally disabled.  It's remarkably affecting in its portrayal of the hopelessness and mistreatment that the patients suffer.  Undoubtedly, it's probably the best thing the show's ever done.  So hidden beneath the alien plotline and the mutant humans is a touching story on people losing their sanity.

"I'll have to keep you around to breast-feed that baby for at least the first year.  The health benefits are myriad." - There's no way to explain this line without spoiling, but it's even weirder in context.

I could refer to this show as good or poor television, but American Horror Story needs a different grading scale.  If I watch a poor season of American Horror Story - which I haven't yet - it's going to mean a totally different thing than if I watched a poor season of anything else.  This show is fun to watch because one moment it's good, and the next it's awful.  But my requirement for it to be good is simply for it to be interesting and for it to entertain me.  Part of the charm of this show is that even when it's bad - and it's definitely bad at some points - it's still different.  For American Horror Story to be good, it simply has to be not boring.  Well that and the good parts have to at least surpass the bad parts.

"Hey Sister, I have a cucumber in my room, but not because I was hungry." - Oh yeah, there's also a nymphomaniac in this season.

Well, thanks for reading.  I hope you had as much fun reading this as I had writing this.  I'm not going to recommend this show to you - I mean after this review, you're either in or you're out and that was basically my purpose of writing it this way.  You have to have a relatively high tolerance for weird shit though.  I think for my next season review, I will write in an a completely disjointed and nonsensical fashion in the spirit of this show.

Playlist
1. "Young Blood" - Sophia Ellis-Bextor
2. "Who Are We" - Switchfoot
3. "Step Masters" - Step Brothers
4. "Remurdered" - Mogwai
5. "Tracks of My Tears" - Smokey Robinson & The Miracles