TV Review; American Horror Story Set To Tackle Its Greatest Villain- Humanity?
I think I would be standing next to a lot of people whom agree AHS: Coven, AHS: Hotel, and AHS: Murder House were the top seasons. Yet, I follow through each American Horror Story for the promise of a good tale, great acting, and, maybe, a few morality lectures brought on by the mind of Ryan Murphy. If you have watched Glee or AHS, you know that Ryan Murphy likes to make television that is reflective of societal hiccups and hypocrisies. So, why should AHS: Cult be any different? Yet, will it be scary?
From the beginning of its first episode, the torment of the 2016 Election played, and a sadness struck my heart. Yet, as the episode progressed, it was evident that Mr. Murphy wanted to show that, maybe, the person that can most destroy you is you. From a nation to an individual, if you are scared enough, you will ship your own self down the river to avoid the idea of someone else drowning you. Enter Sarah Paulson’ Ally, whose fear of clowns is activated with Donald Trump’s win. (I see what you are doing there, Ryan!). As Twisty The Clown murdered a young couple and Evan Peters’ Kai plotted his hateful manipulations of others, I realized that AHS: Cult will not be the scariest season in terms of gore and weird creatures. This season is all about showing how terrifying humanity is to itself. If 2016 and 2017 will show us something, its that humanity’s inhumanity is more destructive than any demon, murderous clown, witch, or vampire. It is the everyday people that choose to turn on others for no reason but to feel powerful by seeing another’s demise that can turn the world into a wasteland. Honestly, can you genuinely say that you have risen if all that happened was that another fell? Can you truly declare a world loves you when the only reason they follow you is because they hate another? Fear may get you the shadow version of what you want, like power, but it never get you an honest, even empowering version of power. Again, people like Evan Peter’s Kai, who stands out for being smart, but also unkind and numb, can easily gain followers but do they gain love or loyalty?
I am zeroing in on Evan Peters this season. For every season he has beyond proven his talent, and its seems Murphy really wants to draw out the charm of malice through his character as seen with his speech towards a city council. Watching his words on fear and society’s addiction to it gave me a more dreadful sense of horror compared to others seasons. If Coven or Hotel makes me grimace in gore or yell at the popping out of monsters, AHS: Cult gives me the disappointed terror that perhaps an MSNBC run would give most of us; watching the depletion of goodness in humanity. I like to think that a hero will come through in Paulson’s Ally, and here is to hoping that she becomes a character who realizes that to have fear is to give away your power. As Kai perfectly understands, the more you are scared of someone, the more they own you. Thus, I probably will not scream too much from AHS:Cult, but I will most likely stress eat as I relive and watch that simply being a horrible person can get you more in this world, i.e. the 2016 Election. For More Information AHS: Cult Click Here.
