As both journalist and fan, I’ve attended various conventions, Comic-Cons, and celebrity panels over the years — which is probably why I appreciated the nauseating opener of theAmerican Horror Storyfinale.
In real life,Ryan Murphyand his cast have graced the stage at PaleyFest to promote the anthology series, but here they poke fun at the scenario by bringing out the cast of the fictionalMy Roanoke Nightmare. In the timeline of season 6, this moment occurs before the mass murders inReturn to Roanoke, and it embodies everything that can be aggravating, fan-baity, and — at worst — empty about these fan-driven events. The actors may try to outshine each other on stage for the best soundbite or audience reaction, the producer often makes a teasing remark about “some ideas” for another season without saying much of anything, and there’s always those one or two fans who ask silly questions like, “What’s your favorite color?” to which they get equally silly answers.
It was a moment that summed up the entirety of season 6.Roanokebegan by baiting fans to guess the mysterious theme with an elaborate puzzle of teasers. The mystery went beyond thepremiere, as what seemed like aTrue Crimeshowrevealedfour pieces to the larger puzzle: theMy Roanoke Nightmareshow complete with confessionals and reenactments, the behind-the-scenes drama with the producer, theReturn to Roanokereality show, and the aftermath that played out in news segments.
On top of that, this was the season to connect all the seasons: The Piggy Man killer fromMurder Houseterrorized the mansion,Sarah PaulsonreprisedherAsylumcharacter for the finale, Murphy drew a line toCovenby confirmingLady Gaga’s witch to be the very first Supreme, andEvan Peters’ Edward Mott was a descendant of the Mott family inFreak Show. The only one left out wasHotel, but we already know it’s linked toMurder Housethrough Billie Dean Howard.
That was the true victory of season 6 — tying it all together. Murphy has hopes to make this show theTwilight Zonefor a new generation, and wants touniteMurder HouseandCovenfor a future season. Now he can do that with virtually no explanation, but if you cut away all the spectacle, there was little else to be enjoyed.
The only reasonsAHSseems to be surviving are the thematic mysteries, the creatively gory deaths, and the cast. It’s theJessica Lange, theSarah Paulson, and theLady Gagaof it all that impress, but the material has been waning since Season 1, arguably the best of the bunch.Asylumwas complicated, but still tantalizing;Covencould’ve transcended what ended up being a kitschy plot line; I glazed throughFreak Show;andHotel, again, at least had Gaga.Roanokewas another low note: it wasn’t too far off from the trash reality television it tried to channel.
DuringThe Lana Winters Special, Lee figured that the news woman can sympathize with her, having been through horrors of her own at Briarcliff Manor and her ability to realize there’s more to the story than what’s on the surface. That’s the problem with reality television, isn’t it? We don’t really have the full story. We don’t see the cast playing themselves, only them playing a part for the cameras.
There are few real moments inRoanoke. Audrey (Paulson), Dominic (Cuba Gooding, Jr.), Rory (Peters), and Monet (Angela Bassett) all seemed as though they were hamming it up for the cameras because, hey, we only see them through the lens of found-footage from a reality show. It’s difficult to care about actual reality stars for this very reason.
It was equally difficult to care about Shelly (Lily Rabe) and Matt (Andre Holland) because their true horror story turned into a media spectacle, which was diluted further by the introduction of the self-absorbed actors. All of a sudden, a story that was physically confined to a single space (the Roanoke mansion) broke off into various moving parts, like with Agnes (Kathy Bates) and Sophie (Taissa Farmiga), each carrying less and less of an emotional impact. It’s hard to care for those we’ve only just met.
What was missing from a lot of the season was that human connection. There were attempts, like with Lee (Adina Porter) and her daughter, Flora, but most felt staged and insincere.AHShas never truly been scary, so it usually tries to bring in more flair, more gore, more style, more character.Roanokewas mostly flair. But that is the true magic ofAHS: No matter how bad the seasons become, I’m still at my computer every year, refreshing the page for when FX announces the new theme.
