This week gave us a lot of background info on the event that led up to the first 3 episodes. Narratively, I would suggest that it was the best episode so far. That’s still not saying much and this would have been the worst episode of season 1 comparatively, so lots of work to go. Meanwhile, I would like to thank Melanie, Cece, and Teddy for stopping by to offer their insight and humor me by answering my inane questions. I want to give a shout out to a former contributor who hasn’t shown her face all season, Kelly, who apparently was too busy, something to do with getting married and that being a higher priority than writing on this prestigious blog. Pfft, I don’t get it either. Anyway, congrats Kelly and Darrin and hopefully she will reappear so we can squabble like children. Finally, any comments in the blog in bold are from Kent unless otherwise noted..
Melanie took some time out of her schedule last weekend to discuss the first 3 episodes of this season with Kent on the Are You Not Kentertained podcast, so please give that a listen.
http://www.9deuce.com/Kentertained/2017/10/01/episode-77-ahs-cult-discussion-with-melanie-part-1/
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The 9
- Do you feel that having this episode earlier in the season or at least parts of the episode earlier could have helped the narrative better, or was it best to have the first 3 episodes to establish what was happening?
Melanie: I think the first three episodes were intentionally unhelpful. I feel like this is nothing new for Ryan Murphy and nothing makes sense for a few episodes and then BAM! He hits you with all you need to know.
Teddy: I feel like the first few episodes are purely to make Ally seem crazy, and then build forward from there
Cece: I like how it has gone so far. We needed an intro in real time and now this episode has been great to show a back story into things!
Kent: This season needs all the help that it can get. Adding some of these elements earlier in the season would have helped develop characters better, or at least adding intrigue to them.
- Was Chaz Bono’s part an homage to Saw or just over the top storytelling?
Melanie: Over the top. I couldn’t watch it.
Teddy: over the top to say the least.
Cece: I loved it. Not over the top. It was psychologically wonderful.
Kent: Over the top storytelling. How fucking absurd was this shit? How much did I enjoy it still? Significantly!
- Does this mean that all of the clowns that we saw in the first 3 episodes were real? Does that change your outlook on those episodes in hindsight?
Melanie: They are real. It validated my feeling that Meadow was the small female dominatrix clown.
Teddy: the three clowns are real, and I’m pretty sure it’s kai, meadow, and harrison. Also shows that everyone is in on it.
Cece: I don’t think they were real necessarily. I mean, they’re there, yes, but I don’t think they were there when she was ‘seeing them’.
Kent: It appears that clowns were, in fact, having sex in the produce section. This somehow makes the season premiere all the worse to me. All of my theories are pretty much ruined, aside from the Joker and the gas. Next week they will probably ruin that one for me too. Thanks Ryan Murphy….dick. (Melanie: So, reading your answer I went back to the scene. The clown receiver was wearing a yellow thong-I think it is the silver haired cop. He looks like a bright yellow banana hammock fan.)
- Emma Roberts returned to AHS only to promptly be killed. Was this a total waste of a great talent? Yes, I said great, deal with it.
Melanie: I was glad after she let her boss diddle her nipple like that. EWWW!
Teddy: oh man watching her get knifed must’ve been poetic for Evan peters lol, idk I dont think she is too great a talent so I’m not gonna miss her
Cece: Meh. I loved how they already killed her off! Her character was a slut with no talent.
Kent: Absolutely huge waste of star talent and beauty. She’s the hottest chick in the show so far, and probably will be for the season. I know it’s terrible for a straight white male to want eye candy in this day and age, but I still want something pretty to look at. I really enjoy her acting though if I am being honest. She’s great in the bitch role and would have done great in the world of wrestling.
- The pussy grabbing video, funny or not funny?
Melanie: I chuckled a bit.
Teddy: it’s as annoying as the actual people who did it in real life, I did like that they “songified” it though.
Cece: Not funny. The fact that they auto tuned it was funny to make nod at today’s YouTube shit, but the actual dudes doing it so much. Stupid and annoying.
Kent: I laughed. It was annoying, gratuitous, and summed up the past few years of what society deems as cutting edge art.
- Did this episode give you a deeper appreciation for Kai’s character?
Melanie: No, it just showed that he is a master manipulator.
Teddy: I mean the stuff he said in the episode made sense to me, which means that he is good at being a manson character. It does make view his character as a good one (better than roanoke EP for sure)
Cece: Not necessarily. He definitely is super smart and fucking charismatic. But, he is definitely a Charles Manson.
Kent: Absolutely. It’s easy to see why people would align themselves with him. He found the easiest targets and went to work. That’s how cults start, and despite what you would think after seeing this terrible season, thinking that it was AHS: Election or AHS: Down With The Clowns, no it’s actually AHS: Cult. This provides me with hope.
- Who’s the better character: Harrison or Meadow?
Melanie: Harrison, one liners are my jam.
Teddy: Harrison, Meadow seemed only thirsty for dick while Harrison actually is a well defined character.
Cece: I like them both, to be honest. I feel for both of them. However, they’re obviously weak minded and Kai got them when they were down the most.
Kent: Harrison has been given more to work with, but I admit, I have a certain fondness for Meadow, and I have no idea why. I really don’t, but I look forward to her now. Her line about how she shouldn’t be allowed to vote just struck me as brilliant. It’s so nice to have some self awareness, and the reality, most people voting aren’t educated enough to make a good decision. I would guess that over 70% of the people voting wouldn’t pass the test.
- So Ivy worked with Winter prior to being hired as the nanny. Are we going to find out that Ivy has played a more sinister role in what we have seen play out, or was this a one time thing?
Melanie: My first thought was that she is a clown and wants to put Ally in a psychiatric facility and be with Winter. Ladies who don’t roll up their sleeves really butters Ivy’s bread.
Teddy: at this point I feel like the only people not involved is Ally and the kid.
Cece: I believe Ivy, and every other single person we’ve really seen so far, will all be a part of the big picture. And all of this is coming down on Ally.
Kent: I hope they go balls out and have Ivy just be a big bad bitch. I would thoroughly enjoy this. I like seeing this. The more evil characters, the better.
- Did this episode make you wonder how much of the season has been dedicated to simply mindfucking Ally?
Melanie: Yes
Teddy: this episode is on intense therapy session aimed at getting Ally past all of her phobias. Starting to believe the whole “in her head” theory.
Cece: Yes. I believe like I mentioned above, that this whole season is going to be based on fucking with Ally’s head so damn bad.
Kent: It makes me wonder, how many people are actively trying to fuck with her, and did she do something more sinister in the past that deserves this much attention and terrorizing.
Bonus Deuce
- Is this the first season of AHS where they have started to say “fuck” and not have it censored?
Melanie: This much yes, but not the first season.
Teddy: FCC seems to be getting more lax for shows lately…I remember when you couldn’t even say bitch on TV without a beep lol
Cece: I don’t think so, actually. If I remember right, they did it in Roanoke too.
Kent: I think so, but I am not sure. I am just looking for confirmation. If you simply binged it on NetFlix, your response may not be accurate.
- Who was the star of the episode for you?
Melanie: Anyone drinking wine in the background.
Teddy: Kai for sure…but dude can I just scrub the jacking off in the shower scene from my mind?
Cece: Kai. Duh. Evan Peters knows how to creep me out, yet turn me on at the same time. Talented boy, he is!
Kent: Chaz Bono in all of his greatness. Good for him! A lot of people stood out, even Adina Porter to an extent.
Were you Kentertained by this week’s episode?
Melanie: EH…
Teddy: Waaaaaaaaaaaaay Better this week than all the other episodes combined
Cece: Yes, finally! A good episode. I hope it continues to go this way.
Kent: Yes….I finally liked an episode. Took way too long, but it finally happened.
All pictures used in this blog are for review purposes. They are the property of the FX Network, Ryan Murphy, and whoever else is involved.