TV Review: ‘American Horror Story’ Season 11, Episode 8
by Frank Martin
After the death of the Mai Tai killer, it was obvious where this season of American Horror Story was headed. Fortunately, just because a viewer is able to see the tracks laid out before them doesn’t mean a stale ride awaits. There is a lot to unpack both in terms of story and theme with what this season has presented. And now that one threat has passed and another is looming on the horizon, it’s tough for the characters to try and enjoy their relative safety knowing that it’s really meaningless.
The program has showcased Fire Island before, but only briefly. In this week’s second episode, viewers got to see exactly what the island looks like in action during the present plot. All the main characters except for Hannah (Billie Lourd) visit the island for a party, except it seems as if Big Daddy is along for the ride, as well. He attacks Gino (Joe Mantello) and is seemingly killed by Patrick (Russell Tovey). But of course, he mysteriously vanishes, alluding to the fact that he may be supernatural in nature. Also, in the episode’s closing moments, it seems as if Theo (Isaac Powell), who had been sick the entire time, finally died in a bizarre trance as all of his past lovers took him away.
There’s definitely something strange going on in the show. A lot hasn’t been explained, but viewers have been exposed to the weirdness. Also, it helps that this season’s themes are everywhere. It focuses on the lives of gay men and the gay community being ignored. It’s unclear whether or not HIV is the culprit behind the disease, but it seems as if it’s something more, perhaps something supernatural in nature. Whatever the case may be, American Horror Story has always shined when it wraps real life horror with classic horror fiction tropes. After several seasons where it seems as if the show had forgotten this, it appears as if it’s back on track.
American Horror Story airs Wednesdays on FX.
