American Horror Story: Hotel (Season 5)
Starring: Lady Gaga, Angela Bassett, Wes Bentley, Evan Peters, Kathy Bates, Sarah PaulsonCreated By: Ryan MurphyAiring From: Oct 2015 - Jan 2016Network: FXRating: 5/5
Summary: Murders consistent with those of a serial killer lead detective John Lowe to a hotel with a dark past and an even darker future down the line for him, his family and those who reside in the hotel.
My Thoughts: After skipping out on the train wreck that was Freak Show and ultimately being let down with Coven, boy was I surprised when I sat down and watched Hotel. Hands down this is the best season yet and I'm so glad I didn't stop watching after being let down for two whole seasons. We're brought back familiar faces and some new faces, with that being Lady Gaga. When I first heard about her joining the show, I was a bit confused and worried about how the show would go with her basically taking the place of Jessica Lange and let me say this, she is not as good as Jessica, but she's not far from her. I'm going to need to see more of her acting to see if she's as versatile as Jessica Lange is, but let me say, she deserved that Golden Globe. Every facial movement, every line, every movement in general is a performance that adds to the story. A lot of people say she's cold and unnerving, but that's who she is. She's cold because of what she went through and she's in a shitty situation, but you can see the change in her character throughout the episodes. It's a transformation. She's great and I'm just saying, the woman can act. I just hope she can do as well next season.
Okay, let's move on. Another new face I was excited to see was Wes Bentley. Reminiscent of Brad Pitt in Seven, he is fantastic as a detective on the brink of a mental breakdown trying to track a killer and even Max Greenfield in the two episodes he was in. They both lost themselves in their roles and I could see it and it was great to see some new faces in this show because while I love the cast dearly, it gets a bit boring seeing them over and over again, but again, I love them dearly and none of them miss a step this season, especially Evan Peters who plays someone quite different from his usual on this show. The individual shots, the direction, the pacing, the music, everything was just great about this season and I think it was because I went into it expecting nothing from it.
I went in questioning it's quality and while the last couple season weren't scary, this season was creepy as hell. I was actually disturbed at some points and I haven't been this disturbed at this show since Asylum. While most of the story is about John's hunt for this killer, the side stories of the characters in the show are what drove it home for me. I felt for them. They were like friends and it makes me sad to see them go because event though it jumped around from storyline to storyline so much, it made sense, it fit and it came full circle at the end for me. Like the ending of Murder House, it felt that everything was wrapped up at the end, but what makes this season better than that is the fact that while the last episode of Murder House felt more like an epilogue and made me want more which is what they wanted, but this finale of this season wrapped everything up and let me fulfilled and a little bit heartbroken. I didn't want more, I just wanted something better for these people I considered my friends. The ending wasn't bad, it was bittersweet and while it made me sad that the show came to an end and that is was left with such a twisted version of a happy end.
The show left me on the edge of my seat after every episode. There were cameos from previous seasons, there was drama, blood, guts and twist after twist and what makes this season so great is the fact that there wasn't just an 'OKAY' episode, each episode brilliant! So, go, go watch! I'm very excited for season 6, which I think may be set in the Thatcher Boarding School, but that's my theory.