American Horror Story Apocalypse

Safe to say the eager await of American Horror Story dominates the latter part of the year for me. However, this new season took a little longer to get into its groove. 

AHS has worked in peaks and troughs for the past four years. After the disaster that was Freakshow it redeemed itself with Hotel, only to bomb again with Roanoake. The most recent season Cult is probably the scariest yet, concerning itself with true events and dismissing the usual supernatural undertone in order to really get under our skin. Apocalypse goes back to the show's more practised tones, but for the first few episodes I was utterly perplexed.

Initially it seemed like it had no direction, and the scare factor was lacking satisfaction when it was so unclear as to what was happening. The show begins seconds before an atomic explosion that destroys the landscape of the world and leaves most people dead, and those remaining deformed or insane. A select few are guided to a safe house underground, and in this safe house a manner of atrocities occur in light of the global disaster. Sarah Paulson plays a bizarre character with absolutely no back story that embraces a sadistic power over the chosen few's fate. I found her role irritating and lacking in depth. A few new actors come in as youngsters who struggle to defy the safe house's no sex rule, and Evan Peters is a flamboyant, gay hairdresser. So do you see what I mean? It's all very cliche and not particularly gripping. That is until episode four kicks in, and everything begins to make a lot more sense. 

AHS Apocalypse turns out to be a culmination of all previous seasons in one. The universe comes together in this narrative in a slick fashion that makes you go 'oooooooooh' every second scene. Cody Fern blows us away as the first ever official 'bad guy' in the show's history. AHS blurs the lines of good and bad through every episode, but Fern's role of the brooding Michael Langdon gives every character, and I'm talking EVERY character, something to fight for, or against. 

As ever I am spoiler free, but I really cannot commend the show enough for tying up loose ends from previous seasons. After the terrifying real world horrors of the last season, I think its fitting to create a show that engenders a bit of continuity for the true fans (like myself) that are out there, still thinking about that terrifying cannibal baby at the end of season one. 

Amidst all this easter egg nonsense that the majority of people won't give two shit's about, the show has introduced a banging soundtrack and some really fantastic new plot twists. It's not got the same gore factor of Roanoake and Cult, but the narrative choices really are terrifying, and I find myself reluctant to watch it in the house on my own. 

Sadly this probably isn't the season of AHS to start watching if you're not well versed with the show's history. Unlike the others, you really need to know what's going on. But if you're a fan then I hope you're as happy as I am, because for the first time since Murder House I'm enthralled like I've never been before, falling in love with this fucked up show all over again. 

Image Source : http://www.digitalspy.com/tv/american-horror-story/feature/a866087/american-horror-story-apocalypse-season-8-episode-1-easter-eggs/