The new split season of ‘American Horror Story’ presents a fractured family and a creative take on a classic creature, but already shows fatigue.
“There’s no magic pill for greatness.”
American Horror Story heads into its tenth season with Double Feature and at this point the overall horror theme for each season–as well as the cast–is the most exciting aspect of the series. The anthology series leans into the grindhouse angle with this split season that advertises double the content, but it’s also an encouraging example of Ryan Murphy and American Horror Story understanding their strengths and weaknesses with two mini-seasons that only need to be half as long. American Horror Story’s biggest problem at this point is not having enough story to sustain a season–or the opposite approach where too much is crammed into a season and it struggles with excess. It’s still too soon to tell, especially when every season of American Horror Story begins with encouraging and memorable elements, but AHS: Double Feature’s split structure might end up being the smartest thing the series has done in years.
The season begins with “Red Tide” as the “by the sea” six-episode first story while “Death Valley’s” alien-centric narrative closes out AHS: Double Feature’s final four installments. Of the two pulpy narratives that this season of American Horror Story teases, “Red Tide” seems like the more original of the pair and what occurs in the first two episodes, “Cape Fear” and “Pale,” definitely teases a very entertaining and heightened story that might actually be able to finish without the series’ usual shortcomings pulling it underwater.
There are some clear Shining vibes present as Harry Gardner (Finn Wittrock) takes his family away to a peaceful vacation house in Provincetown with the hope of getting his creative juices flowing. Opposite Wittrock’s Harry is his nervous wife, Doris (Lily Rabe), who also has professional advancements on her mind during this escape from metropolitan life in New York City. Wittrock and Rabe are both two of American Horror Story’s stronger actors and they’re good choices for these roles as opposed to the performers that the series might typically turn to here (it’s very easy to picture a version of “Red Tide” that came out five years ago starring Peters and Paulson as Harry and Doris). Wittrock carries the necessary versatility to shift between sweet and vicious and he works very well here.
It also feels like “Red Tide’s” secret weapon might actually be Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Harry and Doris’ daughter, Alma. Alma is wise beyond her years and she already triggers Harry in fascinating ways. “Red Tide” allows the cracks in the Gardner family to present themselves early on and then only continues to apply pressure to them. Alma’s violin playing is a pleasant stylistic device that’s turned to and her own stresses during her pursuit for perfection are arguably the most interesting of the lot. American Horror Story doesn’t dig very deep into the issue, but it scratches the surface on the dangers of overbearing parents. The family life that Alma has become conditioned towards pushes her to a dark, supernatural substance, but in a non-horror version of this series she could be turning to other very real addictions as a way to cope with the pressure.
The start of “Red Tide” is productive in terms of how it balances its introduction of the Gardner family as well as the many twisted locals that help give Provincetown such “character.” Sarah Paulson is always someone who is 100% game and trusting to encourage any bizarre idea that Ryan Murphy throws at her, but TB Karen might easily be her most objectionable and least glamorous character to date out of any Ryan Murphy production. The TB in her character’s colloquial nickname doesn’t stand for “Total Beauty,” but she also exhibits the most awareness and scruples out of any of Provincetown’s residents. Oh, but she also might steal babies to give to monsters.
This season of American Horror Story has built up some excitement over the addition of Macaulay Culkin to Ryan Murphy’s growing stable of dedicated players. Culkin’s sex worker Mickey is certainly entertaining in a tweaky way, but he appears to contain multitudes and a comparable inner beauty to Paulson’s TB Karen. Mickey’s love of movies and storytelling helps pull him out of being a complete caricature, but he still largely feels useless and like he’s just a tool to eventually push Paulson through greater drama. They’re both caught in their own filth-coated version of an Arthur Miller play that exists within all of this. In complete contrast to this duo’s squalor is the pomp nature of Austin Sommers (Evan Peters) and Belle Noir (Frances Conroy), who add a dash of sophistication to Provincetown. Oh, they’re also vampires. Conroy and Peters look like they’re having a blast in these austere roles, but they’re certainly characters that feel derivative of their past American Horror Story performances.
There’s a comfortable atmosphere to “Cape Fear” and the premiere operates as a bit of a slow burn that mostly shows off Provincetown’s flavor and its many disturbing supporting players in this twisted hamlet. Grim visuals like corpses on the beach or constant roadkill are creepy and effective in their simplicity. The hissing, twitching take on vampires are a little less successful, but they at least attempt something different with the creature, even if it does come across as highly silly. Nevertheless, any successfully frightening visuals also still have to contend with cringe-worthy lines like Frances Conroy’s Belle Noir saying that the kind of vitamin D that she likes doesn’t come from the sun…
“Pale,” on the other hand, is less successful and long stretches of the episode are lost on intense writing sessions and carnivorous behavior after Harry succumbs to the “tragic, magic” drug that solves his writer’s block. These writer stresses feel artificial and cyclical, but some of the pressure gets taken off of them through the rest of the Gardner family and their independent problems.
“Pale” shifts into a much simpler and generic gear, but it’s still fascinating in the level of strangeness that it already allows to come in and take over the series. A perk of a shorter season for American Horror Story means that there’s less time to waste, but it also runs the risk of making the actions of characters feel rushed. Harry’s descent into bloodthirsty murderer feels like it’s much too quick of a development and he’s already getting dental surgery to better suit his bloodsucking needs by the end of the second episode (although this take on modern fangs is perhaps the most interesting aspect of these two episodes). Early on, when Doris cuts her finger, the audience knows that Harry is going to lunge at the wound for a taste.
American Horror Story often crafts its own skewed perspective on classic horror tropes, yet “Red Tide” engages in one of the more extreme examples of this. “Red Tide” unexpectedly develops into an allegory on the creative process and the cost of art. Harry receives answers regarding the mysterious Chemist and the vampires that wander Provincetown. These lost souls are the result of a lack of talent more than anything else and it’s such a bizarre and glib ingredient for this season’s horror cocktail.
Vampirism is just a bloody metaphor for an artist’s need to pull from the lives of their muses and the people who evoke inspiration. Success is as addictive to an artist as blood is to a vampire; maybe artists are just bloodsuckers. American Horror Story’s “Red Tide” transforms something that’s as eternal and revered as vampires into a supernatural discussion on hacks versus savants, and it’s an ego-fueled perspective that only Ryan Murphy would arrive upon. I’m also inclined to believe that he’s possibly had more than a few doses of “The Muse” in his lifetime….
Another slightly compelling dynamic that grows out of all this is how Harry and Alma turn against Doris, but what tears them apart is a divergence in talent. Biologically, changes are happening that separate this family, but it’s creative impulses that they view as the schism. Doris is already on her own island in Provincetown at this point, but I wouldn’t be surprised if “Red Tide” concludes with the entire family stuck on these pills and living in an odd state of murderous bliss with the rest of the transformed community.
“Red Tide” already feels like it’s beginning to careen off the tracks a little, but the plot gets pushed forward so much in “Pale” that there’s still plenty of opportunities for “Red Tide’s” story to take turns that completely change the scope of everything. The season already has a handful of irons in the fire, like Doris’ pregnancy, that will likely come to fruition sooner than later. These opening installments really accentuate American Horror Story’s best and worst qualities. There are evocative visuals as well as glimmers of exciting ideas and themes that are in play, but there are also the typical red flags that could fester a lot over the course of four episodes. It’s soothing to be back in another one of American Horror Story’s haunted worlds with heightened performances from accomplished actors, but hopefully “Red Tide” will keep its story as small as possible and not let itself get carried out to sea by the current.
