I...was a little conflicted.
To start off with, AHS is my favorite show on the air right now. My favorite season is Murder House because it really has a classic vibe to it that makes me feel warm and fuzzy on the inside. PLUS, I adore Connie Britton and Frances Conray and both are among the leads in that season. Coven comes in second because Angela Bassett is really an acting goddess and so is Kathy Bates and Sarah Paulson. Like, I'm almost certain Angela Bassett is Jesus Christ. Stone me to death, but I was never a fan of Jessica Lange - more so of her characters. They just all become too repetitive to me. She was a smoking, aging widow who was addicted to being young again. And?
Anyways. Hotel has an interesting premise. I love most of the cast but I'm pretty unfamiliar with Greenfield, Jackson, and Bomer. I've seen bits and pieces of stuff with them all in it, but nothing to really judge them or anything. Lady Gaga never worried me. For anybody who is a fan or seen her perform, she knows how to captivate you and grab your attention. A few of her lines felt too delivered, but so what? She'll grow.
First off, I kinda wish the tones of everything weren't as dark, but I guess that matches the theme. Sometimes I did feel like the brightness was just turned down and it got a little annoying. Second, if Hotel Cortez existed I would be on Expedia.com in five seconds flat booking a room forever because that SET THO. Who cares if there's a moody, lying Kathy Bates at the front desk? Or a caterpillar looking condom man crawling out of the mattresses? Or Shining like children? Most people would leave right away (like the Swedish blondies should've) but you bet your behind I would not pass up a chance to spend a night there. The details. That elevator. Those room keys. The lobby. The rave party neon torture devices in the basement. It’s absolutely gorgeous. And THANK YOU @ryanmurphy for a trans character! So much yes. I think the most beautiful shot of the whole episode was when Liz Taylor was showing Detective Lowe to Room 64. That silk caftan flowed so beautifully behind her, slaying in the wind like Beyonce's weave.
As for the plot...I feel very conflicted. I like the theme of addiction; addiction to family, love, drugs, BLOOD-UH, etc. But so far, I feel like I only really like Detective Lowe. Granted, we haven't met Finn (Dandy!!!!!!!) or Angela (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) or some of the other characters, but so far we've either met blood-sucking child abducters, drug addicts with no shame, etc. I think Sarah Paulson's character is interesting and I'm curious to see why she's alive (and the same goes for Donovan). I kinda am getting Freak Show vibes already where there's too many stories going on. And we haven't even met some other recurring characters yet. At the end of the episode I just felt...empty - like I wanted more because I wasn't given enough to really grasp onto. I feel as if the show often focuses on the rich sets, costumes, and cinematography than it does the plot. I feel like that's been Murphy's weakness for a very, very, very long time. Next season I really want a focused plot and story line with the visual treats coming second. I think sometimes he throws too much your way, thinking it'll draw you in, but for me, it makes me feel distant. There's true power in following a concise plot (which is why I loved Murder House so much). When you start throwing in these weird side stories, I start tilting my head and go: why? I know it's hard to keep up a plot over the span of 13 40-minute episodes, so I do cut the writers a lot of slack. But there was just too much thrown my way in the first episode to get a grasp on the show. I mean, just to name a few, we:
- Follow the two Swedish gals
- See the cousin of the Infantata in the mattress
- Meet Detective Lowe and learn of his family dynamic
- See two 10 Commandments Killer crime scenes
- Meet the Countess and Donovan and their blood addiction
- Meet Iris and see her backstory with working at the hotel
- Meet Donovan and see his backstory
- Watch Max Greenfield get....yeah. Poor kid. I don't know if ice is gonna fix that.
- See the weird blood sucking minion kids
- Learn of Room 64
IMHO that was too much for one episode. And there really was no plot necessarily, other than the Detective moving into the hotel (WHY??????????????????????? WAS????????? THAT??????? A GOOD????? IDEA?????) Because the Ten Commandments Killer told him to? (AGAIN. WHY?????????????????????) Besides him, it's just an odd clump of shady people in one building. In Murder House's pilot, we met a lot of characters, but they all tied back to a specific plot that was set up from the start. In Hotel, they were all tied back to Hotel Corez which just wasn't really a plot for me since it didn't seem to display any paranormal happenings itself - just its inhabitants did.
Overall, I thought it was good, but did kind of fall flat. I'll still keep watching because this is only episode 1 and I eat, sleep, and breath AHS. REALLY excited to follow the 10 Commandments Killer and the other slimy caterpillar drill guy. Can't wait to figure out how they play into the story and who they are. Oh, and also I'm interested in the radio/clock dyamic in Room 64. Seems spooky wookie things happen when the radio turns on at 2:25.
OK the best line though:
- ur son has cheekbones 4 dayyyyyz
o and also did anybody just....have a LIL problem with the whole Max Greenfield scene? I dunno. It didn't gross me out but I'm a little unsure of whether or not that was too far for me mentally (for lack of a better word).