Contributor: Gregg Wright
Written by James Wong
Directed by Michael Lehmann
James Wong has certainly become this show’s go-to writer for holiday-themed episodes. This installment was the Christmas episode, and as we’ve come to except from “American Horror Story”, it’s dark, twisted, and violent. The prospect of Ian McShane as a Santa-suit wearing, murderous psychopath had me intrigued from the start. He does end up being one of the more entertaining and memorable parts of the episode, but I’m not sure whether to attribute that to Wong’s script or Ian McShane being memorable just by being Ian McShane.
I’ve been somewhat underwhelmed by recent episodes, and that trend seems to continue. I’ve been struggling to understand why this should be, and the answers I’m left with don’t seem very definitive. It might just be that my expectations were too high going into the season. Perhaps if I’d gone in not having the preconceptions from the first season, “American Horror Story: Asylum” would have been an unexpected delight; just as the first season was.
Then again, maybe the show really has slid into a minor storytelling rut. I seem to remember the first season feeling much more like a steadily uncoiling spring, with the reveals coming along just when I needed them. There were only minor and relatively brief lulls. But the second season seems to have fallen into a status quo, with little in the way of big reveals or plot progression.
I do suspect that a lot of excellent story material is yet to come, but I wonder if this is just a case of not having enough story to begin with. Sister Jude, Dr. Arden, and Sister Mary’s storylines, in particular, seem to have suffered from a holding pattern, of sorts. And yet, their stories are what take up most of the screentime. More progress has been made in the lesser amount of screentime devoted to Lana, Kit, Grace, and Thredson.
I guess I am a bit disappointed that Sister Jude continues to be the manipulated victim. Dr. Arden’s apparent alliance with Sister Jude fit well enough with his characterization. But more than that, it offered hope of a major change to the status quo. The reveal that Arden has simply led Sister Jude into Sister Mary’s trap also fits well enough with the character, but I think it’s a disappointing outcome that returns to the previous status quo.
I did like the progress made with Lana and Kit. Lana has grown into a rather heroic figure; finding strength to continue struggling onward in absolutely horrific circumstances. I look forward to seeing how she and Kit handle Thredson, who they know hold captive. I also liked the very brief return of the aliens, which serves as a reminder that whatever they did to Grace before still remains integral to the plot.
Wong has written a reasonably effective Christmas episode, but one that still seems to suffer from a slight stagnation in the storytelling; presumably the delaying tactics that will precede the bigger events and changes in later episodes. This season’s pacing has been quite good, for the most part. But it has slowed down, considerably, in the past three or four episodes. A bit of breathing room is fine, but I think it needs to get back to its earlier pace as quickly as possible now.
Score: 7/10
