5x02 Chutes and Ladders

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Today is my turn to discuss what probably is the most controversial season of American Horror Story (yes, I do remember Coven) and the most unliked of all (again, I haven’t forgotten about Coven). To begin with, let me say that while this season surely has the highest quality of design and is the most visually pleasing, I don’t inherently enjoy it. Still, it’s too early for me to decide if I love it or hate it. When I think about Murder House, I wasn’t immediately entranced by it after the first episode. Neither was I with Asylum or Freak Show, but I got to appreciate them later in their run. (In case you are wondering, I did like Coven after the first episode, but that’s something for another time).

When I watch this episode, my first thought is regarding the visual style. It is definetely striking and unique for a TV series in this day and age. However, what’s innovative is the combination of techniques and the format in which it is found. Most of the charactersistics that comprise the style of Hotel are “borrowed” from previous works. The colour palette and lighting, as well as the grittiness, remind me a lot of Breaking Bad, in particular in scenes with more warm and rather copper-ish illumination (as is the case of John Lowe’s room). Also, the camera angles used throughout most of the episode reminds me of a 70s horror film. I also find very interesting the shots used during both the scenes where Det. Lowe chases after Holden and when Tristan Escapes from March. The cameras are in constant movement, and they repeatedly turn on themselves or hold still for a while and then zoom in very fast. It seems to emphasize the idea that the Hotel is a labyrinth, with unexpected turns and, most importanly, that it is absolutely confusing (much like this season itself, but that’s probably the intention).

Now regarding Det. John Lowe, the first thing I have to say is that I still don’t understand why would he decide to stay at Hotel Cortez, from every other hotel he could be in. This episode dug into more of his never ending issues, particularly his alcoholism. This indeed adds more depth to his character, if his son’s abduction, his family falling apart and his constant brushes with death throught his police work weren’t enough to create a disturbed character on their own. However I still don’t find him interesting, personality-wise. It remains unclear if that’s an acting choice by Wes Bentley or if that’s the exact idea behind the character.

Hypodermic Sally, however, is a completely different story. Sarah Paulson continues to delight in this episode, while continuing to be extremely hard to read. I can’t make up my mind if what she said to Lowe on the bar was genuine or if she was faking it, especially her tears when he told her the story of a man accidentaly killing his whole family from carbon monoxide poisoning. This scene coupled with her “Kids are the best” very brief scene make for a very satisfying episode, Sally-wise.

Finn Wittrock’s Tristan Duffy is very very interesting, and sick as fuck. Probably one of the best things about the addicted, narcissist model is that there is not one similarity with Wittrock’s previous AHS character, Dandy Mott. After delivering such a strong and stellar performance (deserving of its Emmy nomination), a common fear might have been that both characters would be very similar, especially since there is common ground between the egocentrical brats. Happily, there are as much similarities between Wittrock’s Dandy Mott and Tristan Duffy as there were between Evan Peters’ Tate Langdon and Kit Walker.

And speaking of Evan Peters, he may have reached a career highlight in the sadist dead James March. If you didn’t know that was indeed Peters, you could have very well have gone ahead not recognizing him. He has undergone a Johnny Depp transformation this season, completely reinventing his voice, his gestures and facial expressions, creating a character unlike anything he’s ever done before. I smell an Emmy on his way before long.

Continuing with the critique of every individual actor, it’s time for Lady Gaga. In one of the most contoversial casting decisions in the 5-year run of this show, Ryan Murphy cast a celebrity with absolutely no acting experience whatsoever to lead the season. Opinions have been mixed, with some people claiming she’s a downright bad actress, while others think she’s perfect for the role. I think she fits perfectly in the role of the bizarre, recently revealed to be a vampire, Elizabeth aka The Countess. It’s a role that was clearly written solely for her, and so far she’s very good. While it’s true that there are many experienced and more talented actresses who could have been The Countess (for example the flawless Gillian Anderson), they don’t have the pop culture renoun that Lady Gaga has and they definetely don’t boost the ratings as much as she does. Finally, Gaga speaks in more than the simple one-liners she had on the previous episodes. In “Chutes and Ladders” she’s given the opportunity to display better her acting capabilities and portray The Countess in more situations that merely having sex and being seductive. While so far I can’t envision Gaga leading a succesful acting career in the future, I would be delighted if she did. Being this her first character, and having her be so much in her comfort zone, I’m completely unable to determine if she has any range at all. If she does, and The Countess is a demonstration of her capabilities, then I’m looking forward to seeing more of her in the future.

I should not fail to mention the reveal of The Countess and Donovan being vampires. After the writing team behind American Horror Story worked with almost every single element of the horror genre, I was baffled by the realization that they hadn’t actually done vampires previously. Their approach is certainly innovative and fresh.

While this clarifies their background, it still doesn’t answer the question of how are other dead characters still roaming the halls of the Cortez Hotel. Are Sally, James March and Mrs. Evers vampires as well, or does the hotel work like Murder House did? After all, this season is supposed to be linked to every previous one and we are set to return to Murder House on episodes 8 and 9.

Before I finish off by talking about Kathy Bates, both Naomi Campbell and Shree Crooks deserve to be mentioned. Campbell is extremely good, which after seeing her in Empire is no surprise at all. I hope she checks in for much longer than just this episode. After all, we barely saw anything of Will Drake at all. On a separate subject, Shree Crooks is rather good for a child actress. I wonder if they have just found the next Kiernan Shipka. Here’s for hoping Scarlett gets to roam more around the halls of Hotel Cortez.

And now as promised, Kathy Bates. Iris may not be the biggest or flashiest of Bates’ performances, but she doesn’t lack consistency. It is clear she was formed by her with extensive care and thorough planning. There wasn’t much of her on this episode, and something tells me there’s not going to be much for the remainder of the season. She will surely get a couple of episodes which will be the highlight of the season for her, but so far her character doesn’t seem to fit into the current narrative.

Her relationship with her son does reming me of Constance and Tate Langdom though. But then again, there’s only so much the same group of people can come up with that differs completely from their previous projects. As long as the trajectory of the Iris-Donovan relationship isn’t the same as that of Constance and Tate, I’m a happy viewer. I won’t fail to mention that the backstory of Hotel Cortez has many similarities with that of Murder House. The formula seems to always be the same: an evil, delusional man creates the titular building in which he carries of dozens of murders in order to satisfy his own sadistic needs, he ends up dying there and his spirit remains in it. However this may be intentional. Det. Lowe’s investigation of the hotel could very well lead him to Murder House, in order to better understand how these haunted houses function.

This episode begins to quicken the pace of the fifth season of a series with traditionally slow beginings. While the first fifteen minutes tend to be unbearable right up to the point where one starts being drawn back into the show, the one hour mark Hotel is hitting lately is excesive and discouraging. With multiple plots that are not yet cohesive (or understandable for the most part), this episode’s only chance at redemption lies in the stellar performances delivered by its cast. For this very same reason, I grant it an hard won 8, but this season needs some serious restructuring if they expect me to stay with them right up to the finale.