Welcome to the AHS 9 Deuce. We are here to talk about Chapter 6 of season 6 of American Horror Story. They have totally shifted gears here, and now present us with a different presentation format. I find myself today joined by 4 ladies, which is pretty sweet if you think about. I’d like to welcome Stefanie, Kelly, Melanie, and making her first appearance, Cece. Everybody’s name ends with an E sound, except for me. I’m always the outcast. They all have more hair than me. Anyway, here’s how we do this. I ask 9 episode specific questions and then I follow it up with 2 bonus questions that can be anything associated with AHS. Got it? Awesome. Let’s have some fun!
The 9
- In the very beginning, it tells us just how popular this show was by beating out Sunday Night Football, Empire, and The Walking Dead. Did you take that as a nod to Walking Dead for having a successful horror franchise or more as a “our show is better than yours”?
Stefanie: Stefanie: Honestly, I didn’t think anything of it. But if it WAS something, I’d say it was a knock… “our show is better than yours”… because it is. (Kent: Well, TWD has never had a season as bad as Freak Show or Asylum. Just tossing that out there. I have to agree to disagree. Also, in typical Kent fashion, I respond with THIS. )
Kelly: I will apologize ahead of time if my answers aren’t great. I was not impressed with this huge changing episode like I had hoped. Onto question 1, I didn’t at all think it was a jab at the Walking Dead. I think they were just amplifying the success of the metaphorical show.
Melanie: I don’t think it was a nod or a “better then you” situation. I think it was talking about the shows that people watch so there is familiarity.
Cece: I think it was definitely just a nod to it being successful.
Kent: It was a nod in my opinion. Think about it, I believe Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, and American Horror Story all premiered within 12 months of each other, or close to it.
- So far, what are your thoughts on Cheyenne Jackson this season?
Stefanie: I think he’s a money grubbing douche that’s willing to put people in harm’s way for ratings.
Kelly: He is an asshat. I hope they hold out on killing him off, but he’s sure to get the worst murder being that he is now the home owner.
Melanie: He is jumped right into the villain role this season as a money hungry fame whore.
Cece: His character is a douche, and he plays it perfectly.
Kent: Wow ladies, don’t take up so much room on the Cheyenne Jackson hate train. I think he plays a role that gives people what they want, whether they realize it or not. He’s also a douche, but he can be both.
- Now we know where this half of the season is, found footage/Big Brother, do you prefer it to the first half’s style?
Stefanie: So far this is exciting me a little more… the anticipation is almost a bit scary.
Kelly: I do prefer this to the first half. If the first half wasn’t the reenactment style, it would have been fine with just the real characters in the house. I prefer this style for this specific season.
Melanie: I expected this…but was still surprised by the Big Brother format. Do I like it? Eh… However, It is VERY smart of Mr. Murphy to use this format as it is SOOOO popular with TV viewers. (Kent: I begrudgingly agree that it was smart of Murphy.)
Cece: I quite enjoy both. It’s getting interesting.
Kent: No, I am not a fan, but it has more to do with not enjoying these type of shows in real life. I feel that the narrative is going to be messier moving forward this half, but I would love to be proven wrong.
- Are you happy to be dealing with many familiar faces in a familiar setting, or was you excited for a fresh start?
Stefanie: I always enjoy seeing the familiar actors/actresses playing different roles.
Kelly: First off Mr. Waldron, with all due respect, I’m not sure if this is to make sure I’m paying attention, but you know my disdain of your use of “was” and lack of “were.” Carrying on, I really could care less at this point where the show is going. And that isn’t to insult anyone who is enjoying it. It isn’t my cup if tea. I think it will be better as a mirror of Murder House with things happening to the real people in the home, but I’m just not very impressed. (Kent: Kelly has a history of calling me out for my was/were mess up’s, and rightfully so. I proofread what I had written, and actually changed were to was, and am still damned. The lesson: proofreading is for suckers. Needless to say, I cracked up when I got this comment. Also, Ms. Kumse, I do believe that you wanted to say “couldn’t care less”, otherwise you are suggesting that you could care less. 🙂 )
Melanie: A little of both.
Cece: I loved the fresh start. Keeps things exciting.
Kent: I was excited for a brand new start. This isn’t a terrible thing, but it’s not how I anticipated it, and that’s OK. If it was exactly as I envisioned it, then there would be no point in watching it.
- Let’s face it, Agnes has the biggest potential for this second half. Will she kill somebody by the end of the season?
Stefanie: I’m wondering if the root cause of her “mental illness” is because she’s some sort of descendent of the butcher.
Kelly: I’m very happy with her! I think she’ll be doing a great classic Kathy Bates style character! I believe she’s possessed by the real Butcher and just might do some serious damage.
Melanie: I am a huge Kathy Bates fan. The Agnes character is bringing me back to when she played Annie Wilkes, but with more cleavers and cursing.
Cece: Probably.
Kent: I would be terribly disappointed to see her not kill anybody for the remainder of the season. Lots of great theories ladies, better than anything I have to offer.
- Why would Matt, Shelby, and Lee agree to come back to this place if they really lived through the stuff that we saw in the first half?
Stefanie: That’s what I’m trying to figure out!! If I were them you couldn’t promise me ANYTHING to get me to go back there.
Kelly: You’ve got me! I certainly wouldn’t if it were true. No matter the amount of money, I’m not sure living through such a graphic experience would ever get me back on that land.
Melanie: Money talks, I suppose.
Cece: They’re all at hard times in their lives, I just don’t think they care anymore.
Kent: Deep in my heart, I truly hoped that we would find out that a lot of the first half was a fabricated hoax of sorts, stuff to make the story sexier for TV. That doesn’t seem to be the route that they took, and Melanie already took my answer. So I will give you a sweet music video again. To my white female friends, I apologize that this isn’t hip hop. Money Talks
Also, I think Shelby may actually hope to repair things with Matt, so this was an act of desperation on her part, perhaps.
- Will the spirits or ghosts of Thomasin’s group, be played by the same people who played them in the first half? For Pig Head, it wouldn’t matter, but The Nurses it would matter.
Stefanie: I suppose they might be, as not to confuse viewers.
Kelly: I don’t see why not. If they possessed Agnes then I’d assume they’d possess the others. I didn’t get a good look at the nurses this episode though to see if they were the same people.
Melanie: Nope because in the first half the cast was actors and actresses. We will see a whole different group .
Cece: Yeah, I think so.
Kent: No, Melanie and I are right. We discussed it in last week’s podcast and it would be a logical fallacy otherwise. Those were actors portraying the nurses, Thomasin, Ambrose, the Witch, and so on. They wouldn’t look identical to the real life spirits, unless Gaga is casting some ridiculous spell. Logic dictates that they should be different. (Update: The ladies playing the nurses in episode 6 were indeed different than the ones we got earlier, but Pig Head is still the same actor for obvious reasons. And damn it feels good to be a gangsta.)
- Give me your thoughts on what happened with Evan Peters’ character for this episode.
Stefanie: He was the “R” name they needed to complete their wall… made him the optimal first kill.
Kelly: *in a Drew Carey voice* “Welcome back to Coven, where we throw away a flourishing actor’s potential!” (Kent: I laughed, you get a point!)
Melanie: Evan Peters character is annoying, but I love him as he is playing a typical actor dude. His character is not dead, not even close. The “nurses” are actresses hired by Sidney (Cheyenne Jackson).
Cece: I thought he was silly and oddly charming.
Kent: Once again, to piggyback on the theory about different people, we never got a good look at the nurses. Evan wants to get more acting gigs, and “reality” style shows always do fake things to spark more drama within the house. Yeah, I think it was fake. I kind of have to if I believe everything else that I have been saying. By not showing their faces, it could prove that they are real, but I think Evan simply wanted to go to his audition.
- Who will be the lone survivor?
Stefanie: I think it’s a crap shoot. I’m gonna throw it out there and say that dead Mason somehow will save Lee because she has to raise their daughter.
Kelly: I have the sad feeling it’ll be Shelby, the real one. She’s already getting on my nerves.
Melanie: Agnes, because crazy always lives.
Cece: I think Lee (original). (Kent: I so hope that you are wrong, yet I fear that happening. Shudders…..)
Kent: I’ll go with Evan Peters because that would be hilarious. If not, then Sidney because he’s the obvious choice to suffer the most horrific death. I don’t want it to be somebody boring. I will also suggest that I am wrong.
Bonus Deuce
- What was funnier: Evan trying to break up the fight in swimming trunks (I think) or the way that he went about trying to find Audrey’s assailant upstairs?
Stefanie: He was trying to be so manly, yet so cautious, while searching for the intruder. I probably would’ve looked about the same… with a big knife in my hand.
Kelly: I’d say when he attempted to find the assailant.
Melanie: Both were equally as funny, but not as funny as Sarah Paulson’s accent. (I do love her though.)
Cece: Evan trying to break up the fight!
Kent: As much as I loved both, something about his antics searching for the assailant made me giggle a little louder. He was gold all episode.
- Based on what we have seen, which character, aside from Agnes, intrigues you the most?
Stefanie: Kent, I think you’re much more profound while watching this shit than I am. lol No one in particular intrigues me… I’m just waiting to see what happens next. (Kent: I force myself to take notes for I can ask 11 weekly questions. With that being said, even if I wasn’t writing this blog, I probably would be on Facebook asking you half of this nonsense anyway.)
Kelly: I suppose Cheyenne only because I’m really wondering how They’re going to off him. The others are almost disposable to me.
Melanie: Sidney
Cece: Probably Lee and Angela Basset’s character. (Kent: The dichotomy of those 2 is the only think keeping my interest in Lee.)
Kent: I have 2 answers, one for me and one for Stef as she passed. 1. Finn’s character when he is on the show. According to the articles, this is going to be a can’t miss character. 2. Lee, because I truly believe that it will be revealed that she killed Mason. I’d also like to see actor Mason show up.
Thank you for reading. Another thank you to all of my wonderful contributors. Please leave a comment if you have any questions.
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.