Since the words, "The following story is based on true events." flashed across my screen, I've been wondering -- could a true story really include rain showers of teeth?
Like the season's theme, whether or not it is a true story remains shrouded in mystery. The statement could simply refer to the season's dramatically different format -- which mimicks a Lifetime TV or Investigation Discovery special, complete with talking heads and dramatic re-enactments. The storytelling method Murphy and his team have chosen this year, points to the 'true story' dramas which have come to embody current narratives of American crimes, or horrors.
The statement could also be an ode to the true happenings of the Roanoke colony, whose disappearance occurred in the 1600's. Interestingly enough, the auctioneer says the house was built sometime in the 1800's, a good two centuries after John White returned to a deserted colony. More on that later!
I'm leaning towards a definitive NO, for the story actually being based in reality, but the story still is based in reality. Yes, you read that right, the fake American Horror Story reality, of course.
It seems like despite prior theories about this season being an anthology within an anthology were wrong; however, it will indeed be a show within a show. Season 6 of American Horror Story is officially titled, American Horror Story: Roanoke -- yet every time we cut to commercial during the episode, a logo for "My Roanoke Nightmare" appeared on the screen.
That being said, Roanoke, North Carolina is a real place -- but we have confirmation that the old farmhouse is not. In fact, it was built especially for the season, in a secluded forest in California. So there you have it, in real life -- it's not true, in AHS life, it is true.
A blog all about the best horror show on TV, American Horror Story -- complete with character analysis, research and dissection of the many clues.
Showing posts with label AHS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AHS. Show all posts
Friday, September 16, 2016
Thursday, September 15, 2016
SEASON 6
So, the long awaited season 6 American Horror Story has premiered! As well as, my not-as-anticipated return to blogging! :)
Murphy & Co. kept us on our toes this season, not revealing the theme until minutes into the first episode. As the premiere progressed, I couldn't help but wonder if this season was kept a secret due to it possibly being similar to Murder House in some thematic ways, including the importance of the house itself. In looking at older blog posts from Season 1, I was struck by a comment from Murphy during an interview that each season would focus on some sort of building or entity -- which has held true. Season 1 was obviously the Murder House, while Season 2 is clearly the Asylum. Season 3 focused on the Coven's school house, while Season 4 was primarily based in the grounds of the Freak Show. Season 5, again, based in a hotel. I'm seeing a theme -- are you? That being said, I'm not as disappointed that this first episode seemed so strikingly similar to the Murder House story -- after all, there's so much more to dissect!
Anyway, like many seasons do, we have opening scenes in Los Angeles. The couple falls victim to a gang-related game of knock-out and subsequently tragically miscarries. Like many of our protagonists from seasons past, they decide on a life change and up and leave LA for the country. But wait, before we get into the plot, we need to discuss the back and forth style of the episode!
I personally really enjoyed the mash up of interview and dramatic re-enactments scenes, but that may be my love for Investigation Discovery becoming apparent. I'm also a fan of Cuba Gooding Jr being added to the cast, but I digress. Someone suggested in an article that the entire season may be a combination of various stories surrounding the house, with different characters taking turns being the focus -- essentially an anthology within an anthology. Possible, but doubtful considering the episode ended on a cliff-hanger. I am interested to see if the format with the "dramatic re-enactments" continues, as opposed to the year flashbacks we've become accustomed to in past seasons. The style provides interesting perspectives on the events and seems to be chock full of foreshadowing. A press release indicates that the next five episodes will be titled "Chapter 2," "Chapter 3," and so on, fueling the theory that the storytelling format will last through the season.
The episode centers around Shelby, a yoga instructor, and Matt Miller, a traveling salesman. As we hear from the 'real life' Matt and Shelby (Andre Holland and Lily Rabe, respectively) -- we're treated to dramatic re-enactments depicting the past events, played by Sarah Paulson (a true TV gem) and Cuba Gooding Jr. Essentially, after a series of unfortunate events, the couple up and leaves LA for the east coast, settling in North Carolina. Worth noting, the opening story strikingly resembles the story of the Harmon's moving from Boston to LA in the first episode -- including the miscarriage and need to 'start over.'
Once in North Carolina with Matt's family, the incredibly-in-love couple stumbles upon a centuries old farmhouse, which happens to be up for auction. For a cool 50K, the Millers snag the house and move in immediately. And so it begins...
The creepy comes on full force after this point -- with weird screams in the middle of the night, a damaged lawn, flying trash can, rain shower of teeth -- probably one of the STRANGEST things to ever grace our televisions during AHS, and that's certainly saying a lot. At this point, like many of you, I would be running for the door, not reassuring my husband that I'll be fine as he leaves me alone for three days! But of course, where is the fun in that?
While Matt is away, Shelby decides a soak in the eerie hot-tub is just the ticket to relax her. At some point, she is held underwater, and unfortunately, we are unable to catch a glimpse of her attacker -- the only clue? The torches surrounding the hot tub when she comes to. Matt rushes home, and is greeted by the town's police force, who seems to think Shelby has imbibed a bit too much that evening.
Matt has his concerns about Shelby's mental state, until he finds a dead pig on their front porch, which he promptly buries and hides from Shelby. I'm thinking this is an important part of the story -- though it seems inconspicuous. During the talking-heads, Matt makes a point to tell the audience that he didn't want to tell Shelby about the pig and upset her more. One of my biggest gripes about the Murder House season was, didn't any of the Harmon's talk to each other? Like Violet never came home from school and was like "Hey ma, I think our house is haunted!" Hopefully, this is a way to cover bases -- as it plays out further in the next scenes, with the introduction of Lee, Matt's sister, a former cop with an addiction problem. Both her and Shelby are pitted against each other by someone or something -- with the mysteriously moving knife and tempting bottle of wine.
While Matt is away on business, he sends his sister to stay with Shelby. As the two get into an argument over the aforementioned wine and knife, Matt is alerted by his fancy new security system that someone has entered not only the area, but the house --- and they are none other than pitchfork and torch wielding crazy people. Matt is unable to get a hold of the women, who are lured into the basement by strange noises. They find a TV playing what seems to be a home video of a very scared man who is filming some sort of pig/man being.
When they finally emerge from the basement, the foyer is decorated in some Blair Witch Project-esque angels made of sticks. Shelby freaks out after Matt rushes home to save them, from apparently nothing. She takes off and ends up hitting a woman on the road, as she distracted by Matt's incessant calls. Many have suggested that this woman is indeed the one and only Kathy Bates. Regardless of actress, the woman is dressed in colonial garb. She dusts herself off and takes off into the woods. In one of her worst decision-making moments, Shelby rushes after her, only to get lost in the thick of the forest. Something to keep in mind -- obviously, we don't know how far Shelby got, but we are told when the Millers purchase the house, that it comes with 10 surrounding acres, upon which they cannot build any further. Chances are Shelby didn't make it out of their 10-acres and is still on the 'estate.'
As she runs for her life, she loses sight of the woman she hit, but does find a tree decorated with the same stick-angels, as well as an angry mob of colonists, again with pitch forks and torches. Interestingly enough, the last line of the episode is present-day Shelby saying, "I don't know what it was, and it's still a mystery to me."
On that note, until next time.
If you're wondering why there's been no mention of the Roanoke colony or Billie Jean's infamous Season 1 speech, I'll being address that in detail in an upcoming post. I'm back and I'm here to stay ladies and gentlemen, let's enjoy this scary ride together!
Murphy & Co. kept us on our toes this season, not revealing the theme until minutes into the first episode. As the premiere progressed, I couldn't help but wonder if this season was kept a secret due to it possibly being similar to Murder House in some thematic ways, including the importance of the house itself. In looking at older blog posts from Season 1, I was struck by a comment from Murphy during an interview that each season would focus on some sort of building or entity -- which has held true. Season 1 was obviously the Murder House, while Season 2 is clearly the Asylum. Season 3 focused on the Coven's school house, while Season 4 was primarily based in the grounds of the Freak Show. Season 5, again, based in a hotel. I'm seeing a theme -- are you? That being said, I'm not as disappointed that this first episode seemed so strikingly similar to the Murder House story -- after all, there's so much more to dissect!
Anyway, like many seasons do, we have opening scenes in Los Angeles. The couple falls victim to a gang-related game of knock-out and subsequently tragically miscarries. Like many of our protagonists from seasons past, they decide on a life change and up and leave LA for the country. But wait, before we get into the plot, we need to discuss the back and forth style of the episode!
I personally really enjoyed the mash up of interview and dramatic re-enactments scenes, but that may be my love for Investigation Discovery becoming apparent. I'm also a fan of Cuba Gooding Jr being added to the cast, but I digress. Someone suggested in an article that the entire season may be a combination of various stories surrounding the house, with different characters taking turns being the focus -- essentially an anthology within an anthology. Possible, but doubtful considering the episode ended on a cliff-hanger. I am interested to see if the format with the "dramatic re-enactments" continues, as opposed to the year flashbacks we've become accustomed to in past seasons. The style provides interesting perspectives on the events and seems to be chock full of foreshadowing. A press release indicates that the next five episodes will be titled "Chapter 2," "Chapter 3," and so on, fueling the theory that the storytelling format will last through the season.
The episode centers around Shelby, a yoga instructor, and Matt Miller, a traveling salesman. As we hear from the 'real life' Matt and Shelby (Andre Holland and Lily Rabe, respectively) -- we're treated to dramatic re-enactments depicting the past events, played by Sarah Paulson (a true TV gem) and Cuba Gooding Jr. Essentially, after a series of unfortunate events, the couple up and leaves LA for the east coast, settling in North Carolina. Worth noting, the opening story strikingly resembles the story of the Harmon's moving from Boston to LA in the first episode -- including the miscarriage and need to 'start over.'
Once in North Carolina with Matt's family, the incredibly-in-love couple stumbles upon a centuries old farmhouse, which happens to be up for auction. For a cool 50K, the Millers snag the house and move in immediately. And so it begins...
The creepy comes on full force after this point -- with weird screams in the middle of the night, a damaged lawn, flying trash can, rain shower of teeth -- probably one of the STRANGEST things to ever grace our televisions during AHS, and that's certainly saying a lot. At this point, like many of you, I would be running for the door, not reassuring my husband that I'll be fine as he leaves me alone for three days! But of course, where is the fun in that?
While Matt is away, Shelby decides a soak in the eerie hot-tub is just the ticket to relax her. At some point, she is held underwater, and unfortunately, we are unable to catch a glimpse of her attacker -- the only clue? The torches surrounding the hot tub when she comes to. Matt rushes home, and is greeted by the town's police force, who seems to think Shelby has imbibed a bit too much that evening.
Matt has his concerns about Shelby's mental state, until he finds a dead pig on their front porch, which he promptly buries and hides from Shelby. I'm thinking this is an important part of the story -- though it seems inconspicuous. During the talking-heads, Matt makes a point to tell the audience that he didn't want to tell Shelby about the pig and upset her more. One of my biggest gripes about the Murder House season was, didn't any of the Harmon's talk to each other? Like Violet never came home from school and was like "Hey ma, I think our house is haunted!" Hopefully, this is a way to cover bases -- as it plays out further in the next scenes, with the introduction of Lee, Matt's sister, a former cop with an addiction problem. Both her and Shelby are pitted against each other by someone or something -- with the mysteriously moving knife and tempting bottle of wine.
While Matt is away on business, he sends his sister to stay with Shelby. As the two get into an argument over the aforementioned wine and knife, Matt is alerted by his fancy new security system that someone has entered not only the area, but the house --- and they are none other than pitchfork and torch wielding crazy people. Matt is unable to get a hold of the women, who are lured into the basement by strange noises. They find a TV playing what seems to be a home video of a very scared man who is filming some sort of pig/man being.
When they finally emerge from the basement, the foyer is decorated in some Blair Witch Project-esque angels made of sticks. Shelby freaks out after Matt rushes home to save them, from apparently nothing. She takes off and ends up hitting a woman on the road, as she distracted by Matt's incessant calls. Many have suggested that this woman is indeed the one and only Kathy Bates. Regardless of actress, the woman is dressed in colonial garb. She dusts herself off and takes off into the woods. In one of her worst decision-making moments, Shelby rushes after her, only to get lost in the thick of the forest. Something to keep in mind -- obviously, we don't know how far Shelby got, but we are told when the Millers purchase the house, that it comes with 10 surrounding acres, upon which they cannot build any further. Chances are Shelby didn't make it out of their 10-acres and is still on the 'estate.'
As she runs for her life, she loses sight of the woman she hit, but does find a tree decorated with the same stick-angels, as well as an angry mob of colonists, again with pitch forks and torches. Interestingly enough, the last line of the episode is present-day Shelby saying, "I don't know what it was, and it's still a mystery to me."
On that note, until next time.
If you're wondering why there's been no mention of the Roanoke colony or Billie Jean's infamous Season 1 speech, I'll being address that in detail in an upcoming post. I'm back and I'm here to stay ladies and gentlemen, let's enjoy this scary ride together!
Friday, February 10, 2012
POSTER FOR SEASON 2 RELEASED! -- UPDATED
UPDATE: I found out that this is just a SICK fan poster -- whoever you are, great job. :)
Check back for some speculation about season 2!
Check back for some speculation about season 2!
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
MORE DETAILS ON SEASON 2 REVEALED BY RYAN MURPHY LAST NIGHT!
Check out this Video from Bravo -- Ryan Murphy stopped by Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen last night and answered a few burning AHS questions!
I've already posted in great excitement about his confirmation that Jessica Lange will be returning -- we know it won't be in the same role, but at least she will be back! There's been rumors going around that Murphy was in negotiations with two or three of the actors that appeared on season 1 to come back for season 2.
Well we got a bit more clarification last night -- Murphy confirms that he is in negotiations with four of the people who were on the last season -- BUT -- none of them were the Harmon's. I'm assuming this doesn't include Jessica Lange as he confirmed her, but said he couldn't confirm the others since contracts hadn't been signed yet.
Who are you hoping the four will be?
We know it won't be Connie Britton or Dylan McDermott. And if they didn't previously play a Harmon, that pulls Taissa out of the running. My guess? Evan Peters (this was his breakout role in the industry -- why would he leave after just one season????) and Zachary Quinto (simply because the fans loved him THAT much.) The other two? I'm not so sure -- Kate Mara's signed on to another show, Alexandra Breckenridge is signed on for a pilot -- maybe Old Moira will be back? Could Marcy the realtor be back? LOL!
Murphy ALSO told us that the new location will indeed be on the East Coast -- I suppose that debunks many of the Chicago/IL theories out there. There's so much reference to Virginia, especially in the Birth episode, that I wonder if that will be the state. Seems like many of Murphy's hints were clues right in front of our faces that we seemed to miss or neglect to notice over the season -- that I wouldn't be surprised if it was something so obvious (Rubber Man, reveal anyone?!)
Last bit of news? The new location will NOT be a family home, but instead a 'horror institution' -- whatever that means.
October seems so far away! :(
I've already posted in great excitement about his confirmation that Jessica Lange will be returning -- we know it won't be in the same role, but at least she will be back! There's been rumors going around that Murphy was in negotiations with two or three of the actors that appeared on season 1 to come back for season 2.
Well we got a bit more clarification last night -- Murphy confirms that he is in negotiations with four of the people who were on the last season -- BUT -- none of them were the Harmon's. I'm assuming this doesn't include Jessica Lange as he confirmed her, but said he couldn't confirm the others since contracts hadn't been signed yet.
Who are you hoping the four will be?
We know it won't be Connie Britton or Dylan McDermott. And if they didn't previously play a Harmon, that pulls Taissa out of the running. My guess? Evan Peters (this was his breakout role in the industry -- why would he leave after just one season????) and Zachary Quinto (simply because the fans loved him THAT much.) The other two? I'm not so sure -- Kate Mara's signed on to another show, Alexandra Breckenridge is signed on for a pilot -- maybe Old Moira will be back? Could Marcy the realtor be back? LOL!
Murphy ALSO told us that the new location will indeed be on the East Coast -- I suppose that debunks many of the Chicago/IL theories out there. There's so much reference to Virginia, especially in the Birth episode, that I wonder if that will be the state. Seems like many of Murphy's hints were clues right in front of our faces that we seemed to miss or neglect to notice over the season -- that I wouldn't be surprised if it was something so obvious (Rubber Man, reveal anyone?!)
Last bit of news? The new location will NOT be a family home, but instead a 'horror institution' -- whatever that means.
October seems so far away! :(
LINK: IT'S OFFICIAL, JESSICA LANGE BACK FOR SEASON 2!
I'm sure most of you are as excited as I am to hear this -- especially after Ms. Lange scored both a Golden Globe and a SAG award for her role as Constance... Ryan Murphy confirms she's coming back for season 2! While we don't know how big of a role she'll have, she'll be there!
"Murphy appeared on US show Watch What Happens Live on Monday February 6th as reported on The Huffington Post, where host Andy Cohen asked if Lange would make an appearence on Season 2 of American Horror Story, Murphy simply replied, "yes."" Read more here.
"Murphy appeared on US show Watch What Happens Live on Monday February 6th as reported on The Huffington Post, where host Andy Cohen asked if Lange would make an appearence on Season 2 of American Horror Story, Murphy simply replied, "yes."" Read more here.
Monday, January 16, 2012
LINK: AHS Concept Art
Check out this link for some behind-the-scenes looks at the concept art used to create some of our favorite monsters/humans on AHS. Be warned -- creepy pictures of Infantata follow!
"This concept art was created by Jerad Marantz and Tinsley Studio. From Marantz's site:
Here are a few designs I did for American Horror Story through Tinsley Studio. I had a lot of fun resolving Ryan Murfy's and Christian Tinsley's concepts. This was a great project to work on and I love the show. Can't wait to see what they come up with next season!"
"This concept art was created by Jerad Marantz and Tinsley Studio. From Marantz's site:
Here are a few designs I did for American Horror Story through Tinsley Studio. I had a lot of fun resolving Ryan Murfy's and Christian Tinsley's concepts. This was a great project to work on and I love the show. Can't wait to see what they come up with next season!"
I can't wait either!!
LINK: Jessica Lange Signed On For Season 2?! YAY!
Haven't confirmed this anywhere else yet, but this article from the Examiner.com discusses the current casting calls for Season 2 of AHS.
Apparently 2 or 3 familiar faces will be returning for Season 2, as completely different characters -- this article cites Jessica Lange as a definite! Apparently she confirmed this backstage last night at the Golden Globes -- woman wins a Golden Globe for her role, she better be signed on for season 2!
"Jessica Lange will be one of the familiar faces who will be seen in "American Horror Story" season 2. Met backstage at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the actress revealed she is signing up for the new chapter of the FX horror show. She stated that she will be playing an entirely new character. Two or three other season 1 actors will be returning for the for the second season as completely different characters, creatures, monsters, etc."
Apparently 2 or 3 familiar faces will be returning for Season 2, as completely different characters -- this article cites Jessica Lange as a definite! Apparently she confirmed this backstage last night at the Golden Globes -- woman wins a Golden Globe for her role, she better be signed on for season 2!
"Jessica Lange will be one of the familiar faces who will be seen in "American Horror Story" season 2. Met backstage at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards, the actress revealed she is signing up for the new chapter of the FX horror show. She stated that she will be playing an entirely new character. Two or three other season 1 actors will be returning for the for the second season as completely different characters, creatures, monsters, etc."
LINK: Jessica Lange Wins Golden Globe!!
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| source |
AHS's own Jessica Lange won a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Series, Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television for her role as Constance.
Congrats, Jessica! You deserved it... Constance was one memorable character.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
SPOILER LINKS: A PREVIEW ROUNDUP OF EPISODE 11, BIRTH!
There's a ton (ok, well maybe not a ton, but FOUR compared to the single promo we had last week!) of previews/spoilers floating around the web this week for Episode 11, The Birth.
Here are the links to the different spoilers that I've found... comment if you have one I haven't listed!
This one on the American Horror Story Facebook page, a sort of intense scene between Ben and Violet.
This one from examiner.com shows Billie explaining her theory on the house.
This one from spoilertv.com depicts a scene in the 'nursery' between four of the ghosts.
And last but not least, the promo from fx.com is here.
Enjoy the links!
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| source |
Here are the links to the different spoilers that I've found... comment if you have one I haven't listed!
This one on the American Horror Story Facebook page, a sort of intense scene between Ben and Violet.
This one from examiner.com shows Billie explaining her theory on the house.
This one from spoilertv.com depicts a scene in the 'nursery' between four of the ghosts.
And last but not least, the promo from fx.com is here.
Enjoy the links!
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Spooky Little Girl
I'm getting REALLY excited for tonight's episode of American Horror Story, entitled, "Spooky Little Girl."
Here's a link to the promo from FX if you haven't already seen it -- go watch!
The promo opens with Constance talking to the Medium, through the promo she explains that when a new Pope is chosen -- he is given a key, a key to the "ultimate secret." "A child born of human and spirit, the essence of evil, the end of the world. In the mixed of us learning this from the Medium -- we see Constance walking into the basement of the Murder House calling for Tate then we cut to a scene of the two of them in the basement, Constance caressing his face, hyseterically crying "What have you done?"
I'm not sure why I think this -- it probably isn't based on any real clues within the show, but I wonder if Constance and the Medium aren't talking about what Tate did with Viv, but instead what he did with Violet -- wouldn't whatever he did hold way more weight having sex with a virgin and impregnating her?
Can't wait to find out how this is tied into Catholicism, and what is really born when a spirit and human mate -- I'm in the process of doing research about the key and the Pope... look for an update before show time if you're interested!
We are also treated to scenes of Viv in the insane asylum, tied up to a bed, and bleeding. The OBGYN calls Ben, and tells him she would normally tell his wife this but..... We also see Ben asking young Moira (I'm guessing this as I see the back of her head with red hair) "What happened to Viv?"
In between we also see a flash of young Moira on top of what seems to be the Black Dahlia? Interesting -- always thought Moira had a bit of a lesbian vibe to her. :)
So what do we think is going to happen? Does Viv escape the insane asylum? Do we finally find out what is wrong with the twins? Will they both even be born?
Here's a link to the promo from FX if you haven't already seen it -- go watch!
The promo opens with Constance talking to the Medium, through the promo she explains that when a new Pope is chosen -- he is given a key, a key to the "ultimate secret." "A child born of human and spirit, the essence of evil, the end of the world. In the mixed of us learning this from the Medium -- we see Constance walking into the basement of the Murder House calling for Tate then we cut to a scene of the two of them in the basement, Constance caressing his face, hyseterically crying "What have you done?"
I'm not sure why I think this -- it probably isn't based on any real clues within the show, but I wonder if Constance and the Medium aren't talking about what Tate did with Viv, but instead what he did with Violet -- wouldn't whatever he did hold way more weight having sex with a virgin and impregnating her?
Can't wait to find out how this is tied into Catholicism, and what is really born when a spirit and human mate -- I'm in the process of doing research about the key and the Pope... look for an update before show time if you're interested!
We are also treated to scenes of Viv in the insane asylum, tied up to a bed, and bleeding. The OBGYN calls Ben, and tells him she would normally tell his wife this but..... We also see Ben asking young Moira (I'm guessing this as I see the back of her head with red hair) "What happened to Viv?"
In between we also see a flash of young Moira on top of what seems to be the Black Dahlia? Interesting -- always thought Moira had a bit of a lesbian vibe to her. :)
So what do we think is going to happen? Does Viv escape the insane asylum? Do we finally find out what is wrong with the twins? Will they both even be born?
Recap Roundup! Episode 8: Rubber Man
This will normally be posted the Thursday afternoon after each episode -- however, with the holidays I'm a bit late! I figured I would post to do, so those who wish could do a little bit of reading to jog their memories of last week's CRAZY episode!
Basically each week, I'll be gathering up links to the best recaps for the previous night's episode that I've found on the web.
Here's the roundup for Episode 8: Rubber Man
EW.com -- Jeff Jensen does a wonderful job recapping the entire episode; Jensen pays special attention to the many details that can be easily overlooked in this episode filled with clues.
Highlights? On the first page, Jensen's evaluation of Tate as Rubber Man is incredibly interesting!
AfterElton.com -- Brian Juergens is a comedic genius. No matter how heinous the topic on American Horror Story, Juergens manages to make me giggle reading through his recap.
Higlights? The entire last page! Juergens does a weekly round up of best comedic moment, best shriek, and "Blood, Beasts & Buns."
Wall Street Journal -- Michael Calia's run down of what happened in episode 8 is a great short version of the happenings, while he does little analysis, it is still a good read to get you up to speed.
Highlights? Not sure there are any -- just a solid walk-through of the episode.
Washington Post -- Although this isn't a recap per se, Jen Chaney and Paul Williams ask themselves 10 questions about each episode after it airs -- it's really a quite interesting read!
Highlights? Question #4 "Did anyone else think it was weird that Violet said this to her father: “You’re so weird and pathetic, I’m surprised you haven’t gone after me”?" -- Totally forgot about this line and what it could mean until I read this article, go read Jen and Paul's thoughts on it!
Know of any other great recaps? Leave them in the comments!
Basically each week, I'll be gathering up links to the best recaps for the previous night's episode that I've found on the web.
Here's the roundup for Episode 8: Rubber Man
EW.com -- Jeff Jensen does a wonderful job recapping the entire episode; Jensen pays special attention to the many details that can be easily overlooked in this episode filled with clues.
Highlights? On the first page, Jensen's evaluation of Tate as Rubber Man is incredibly interesting!
AfterElton.com -- Brian Juergens is a comedic genius. No matter how heinous the topic on American Horror Story, Juergens manages to make me giggle reading through his recap.
Higlights? The entire last page! Juergens does a weekly round up of best comedic moment, best shriek, and "Blood, Beasts & Buns."
Wall Street Journal -- Michael Calia's run down of what happened in episode 8 is a great short version of the happenings, while he does little analysis, it is still a good read to get you up to speed.
Highlights? Not sure there are any -- just a solid walk-through of the episode.
Washington Post -- Although this isn't a recap per se, Jen Chaney and Paul Williams ask themselves 10 questions about each episode after it airs -- it's really a quite interesting read!
Highlights? Question #4 "Did anyone else think it was weird that Violet said this to her father: “You’re so weird and pathetic, I’m surprised you haven’t gone after me”?" -- Totally forgot about this line and what it could mean until I read this article, go read Jen and Paul's thoughts on it!
Know of any other great recaps? Leave them in the comments!
Tuesday, November 29, 2011
Constance's Family Tree
Thought it would be interesting to break down what we know about the former Madame of the house and her relationships with the characters we have met thus far.
We learned in an early episode that Constance has four children -- she explained that three had down syndrome, but one was born okay, but she lost him to other things.
Tate -- Son, Ghost. We can assume that maybe he is the normal one lost to other things, but with this show, who knows! Tate is also the father of Viv's unborn twins and Violet's boyfriend. There has got to be a ton to this relationship that we haven't learned yet -- Tate references his mother as a ****sucker in the pilot episode and frequently mentions his mommy issues. Constance waves to him standing in a window of the house when she passes by in an earlier episode and she is ignored. In episode 7, Constance comes to find him after his session with Ben and Tate really gives her the cold shoulder, explaining they are really getting to the root of his problems -- his mother.
Beau -- Son, Ghost. Beau is the big kid we met in the attic in episode 8 who was killed by Larry the Fire Guy.
Addie -- Daughter, Passed on. Addie was in her mid-30's when she was hit by a car on Halloween. Constance seemed to torture Addie with the fact that she was ugly (cue the mirror filled closet!) and a handful, but yet seemed so tortured by her death. Constance alluded to some strange things during the Halloween episode when she finds Addie in the kitchen reading with her boytoy.
Viv -- Next door neighbor and feeder of all things raw. Gross.
Moira -- Her former housekeeper that she caught having relations with her husband and shot in the eye.
Ben -- Next door neighbor and mother of one his patients -- now we know that Ben actually had someone to call in the episode where he tells Tate he can no longer treat him!
Hugo -- Husband?, Ghost. Was this Constance's husband for sure? Didn't Tate say that his father left when he was young? Was Hugo not Tate's father?
Larry -- Previous lovers? Alive. Larry and Constance's relationship is an interesting one that we definitely are going to find out more about. It seems as though Larry was in love with Constance beginning in 1994, I'm assuming after Tate's massacre -- Constance was living next door and Larry fell in love with her and broke things off with his wife. After killing Beau, Constance's son, as she demanded. Larry's family is in a room filled with flames -- however, we haven't met their ghosts yet -- which suggests they may have not died in the house. Denis O'Hare alludes to this in an interview found here.
"I wanted to talk about the first basement scene where Larry tells Constance that he loves her, and she says to him, 'Look what you did to yourself, look at what the house did to you.' And then he responds, 'The house didn't do this to me, you did this to me.' So she seems a little disgusted, and he sort of seems to blame her for his physical condition. Can you share with us more details about what this is all about?
Denis O'Hare: All I'll tell you is all will be revealed in, I guess it's Episode 9. There's an explanation of that, and I would be irresponsible if I said anything more. I love their evolving relationship, and I love the information we get. There's some great stuff in Episode 9 that comes out. We call it nine, sorry, that would be your ten, I think. But there's some great information that comes out about Constance's' life with Larry and Larry's attempts to become part of the family, which are sad and disturbing."
Seems as though the upcoming episode is going to tell us alot about Constance -- what she knows about the powers of the house, which I think will be telling on how she may have used/abused it.
We learned in an early episode that Constance has four children -- she explained that three had down syndrome, but one was born okay, but she lost him to other things.
Tate -- Son, Ghost. We can assume that maybe he is the normal one lost to other things, but with this show, who knows! Tate is also the father of Viv's unborn twins and Violet's boyfriend. There has got to be a ton to this relationship that we haven't learned yet -- Tate references his mother as a ****sucker in the pilot episode and frequently mentions his mommy issues. Constance waves to him standing in a window of the house when she passes by in an earlier episode and she is ignored. In episode 7, Constance comes to find him after his session with Ben and Tate really gives her the cold shoulder, explaining they are really getting to the root of his problems -- his mother.
Beau -- Son, Ghost. Beau is the big kid we met in the attic in episode 8 who was killed by Larry the Fire Guy.
Addie -- Daughter, Passed on. Addie was in her mid-30's when she was hit by a car on Halloween. Constance seemed to torture Addie with the fact that she was ugly (cue the mirror filled closet!) and a handful, but yet seemed so tortured by her death. Constance alluded to some strange things during the Halloween episode when she finds Addie in the kitchen reading with her boytoy.
Viv -- Next door neighbor and feeder of all things raw. Gross.
Moira -- Her former housekeeper that she caught having relations with her husband and shot in the eye.
Ben -- Next door neighbor and mother of one his patients -- now we know that Ben actually had someone to call in the episode where he tells Tate he can no longer treat him!
Hugo -- Husband?, Ghost. Was this Constance's husband for sure? Didn't Tate say that his father left when he was young? Was Hugo not Tate's father?
Larry -- Previous lovers? Alive. Larry and Constance's relationship is an interesting one that we definitely are going to find out more about. It seems as though Larry was in love with Constance beginning in 1994, I'm assuming after Tate's massacre -- Constance was living next door and Larry fell in love with her and broke things off with his wife. After killing Beau, Constance's son, as she demanded. Larry's family is in a room filled with flames -- however, we haven't met their ghosts yet -- which suggests they may have not died in the house. Denis O'Hare alludes to this in an interview found here.
"I wanted to talk about the first basement scene where Larry tells Constance that he loves her, and she says to him, 'Look what you did to yourself, look at what the house did to you.' And then he responds, 'The house didn't do this to me, you did this to me.' So she seems a little disgusted, and he sort of seems to blame her for his physical condition. Can you share with us more details about what this is all about?
Denis O'Hare: All I'll tell you is all will be revealed in, I guess it's Episode 9. There's an explanation of that, and I would be irresponsible if I said anything more. I love their evolving relationship, and I love the information we get. There's some great stuff in Episode 9 that comes out. We call it nine, sorry, that would be your ten, I think. But there's some great information that comes out about Constance's' life with Larry and Larry's attempts to become part of the family, which are sad and disturbing."
Seems as though the upcoming episode is going to tell us alot about Constance -- what she knows about the powers of the house, which I think will be telling on how she may have used/abused it.
LINK: Interview with Denis O'Hare (Larry)
This is a great article on Movieweb.com -- an interview with Denis O'Hare. Check it out here.
I pulled a few really interesting tidbits out -- I especially loved the whole section where he talks about the process of getting his makeup on.
"In your opinion, what kind of release or redemption do you feel that Larry is ultimately looking for?
Denis O'Hare: You know, in upcoming episodes it's played out a little more. On a prosaic level he's looking to expiate his guilt. But what does that mean is that he's going to pay for his crimes or does it mean he's going to finally be held accountable and judged, I suppose, is one. But in a metaphorical sense, I think he's looking for meaning. Why have I gone through this? Why have I experienced this pain and suffering? Why have I not been allowed to reach happiness? And I think what he wants is resolution in the form of an answer, and that answer can be an action or it can be a message. I think all the characters in American Horror Story, which is why I love it, are looking for some sense of meaning, and also it's their form of happiness. If you think about Tate and Violet, if you think about even Vivien and Ben, their marriage, they're-people are struggling to find sense in what is a crumbling marriage. So I think for Larry it's a similar thing. He's looking for, sort of, a way of out of what he considers to be a hellish existence."
Seems like alot of the characters on AHS are just looking for a meaning -- meaning in a variety of different things, but meaning nonetheless.
"Denis O'Hare: I would love to have had a scene with Larry running lines with Ben in the apartment for The Odd Couple and giving each other notes. I think that would've been fantastic. And I would love to see Larry's photo session with the photographer who's saying, 'Okay, chin down. Okay, a little more to the right. Okay, that's nice. Hold that.' I think that'd be terrific. You know, they write me beautiful comic stuff. There was a great scene last night when I was coming to the open house with Marcy, the realtor, and Vivien, and I just love the fact that they give me this nice little comic stuff. "
Would LOVE to see a bit more comedy in the episodes -- although they already do a good job of inserting some great little lines in the dialogue that make you snort or giggle, think it would be a nice sweet and sour mix. What do you think?
"I wanted to talk about the first basement scene where Larry tells Constance that he loves her, and she says to him, 'Look what you did to yourself, look at what the house did to you.' And then he responds, 'The house didn't do this to me, you did this to me.' So she seems a little disgusted, and he sort of seems to blame her for his physical condition. Can you share with us more details about what this is all about?
Denis O'Hare: All I'll tell you is all will be revealed in, I guess it's Episode 9. There's an explanation of that, and I would be irresponsible if I said anything more. I love their evolving relationship, and I love the information we get. There's some great stuff in Episode 9 that comes out. We call it nine, sorry, that would be your ten, I think. But there's some great information that comes out about Constance's' life with Larry and Larry's attempts to become part of the family, which are sad and disturbing." Can't wait to learn more about this relationship -- my hunch is that Constance threw Larry into the fireplace. :)
Check out the rest of the article, it's a great read!
I pulled a few really interesting tidbits out -- I especially loved the whole section where he talks about the process of getting his makeup on.
"In your opinion, what kind of release or redemption do you feel that Larry is ultimately looking for?
Denis O'Hare: You know, in upcoming episodes it's played out a little more. On a prosaic level he's looking to expiate his guilt. But what does that mean is that he's going to pay for his crimes or does it mean he's going to finally be held accountable and judged, I suppose, is one. But in a metaphorical sense, I think he's looking for meaning. Why have I gone through this? Why have I experienced this pain and suffering? Why have I not been allowed to reach happiness? And I think what he wants is resolution in the form of an answer, and that answer can be an action or it can be a message. I think all the characters in American Horror Story, which is why I love it, are looking for some sense of meaning, and also it's their form of happiness. If you think about Tate and Violet, if you think about even Vivien and Ben, their marriage, they're-people are struggling to find sense in what is a crumbling marriage. So I think for Larry it's a similar thing. He's looking for, sort of, a way of out of what he considers to be a hellish existence."
Seems like alot of the characters on AHS are just looking for a meaning -- meaning in a variety of different things, but meaning nonetheless.
"Denis O'Hare: I would love to have had a scene with Larry running lines with Ben in the apartment for The Odd Couple and giving each other notes. I think that would've been fantastic. And I would love to see Larry's photo session with the photographer who's saying, 'Okay, chin down. Okay, a little more to the right. Okay, that's nice. Hold that.' I think that'd be terrific. You know, they write me beautiful comic stuff. There was a great scene last night when I was coming to the open house with Marcy, the realtor, and Vivien, and I just love the fact that they give me this nice little comic stuff. "
Would LOVE to see a bit more comedy in the episodes -- although they already do a good job of inserting some great little lines in the dialogue that make you snort or giggle, think it would be a nice sweet and sour mix. What do you think?
"I wanted to talk about the first basement scene where Larry tells Constance that he loves her, and she says to him, 'Look what you did to yourself, look at what the house did to you.' And then he responds, 'The house didn't do this to me, you did this to me.' So she seems a little disgusted, and he sort of seems to blame her for his physical condition. Can you share with us more details about what this is all about?
Denis O'Hare: All I'll tell you is all will be revealed in, I guess it's Episode 9. There's an explanation of that, and I would be irresponsible if I said anything more. I love their evolving relationship, and I love the information we get. There's some great stuff in Episode 9 that comes out. We call it nine, sorry, that would be your ten, I think. But there's some great information that comes out about Constance's' life with Larry and Larry's attempts to become part of the family, which are sad and disturbing." Can't wait to learn more about this relationship -- my hunch is that Constance threw Larry into the fireplace. :)
Check out the rest of the article, it's a great read!
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