I love AHS! From S01 to S10 - I have my faves of course, and some have benefited from a rewatching, but overall... they all have a place for me. Cast, writing, directing, subject matter - all delicious, all smart as a whip with playful nods, all riveting, all AHS!
But this??? I'm so disappointed!!! It was neither one nor the other.
It certainly wasn't AHS, by any stretch. I don't understand how it made it past whatever usual checks and balances whenever the storyline is initially agreed?
What emerged was some poorly cobbled together story about a tragic and shameful time in recent history.
It's like a janky version of Hill Street Blues meets Queer As Folk meets Sapphire & Steel, with none of the charm.
And I agree completely with some previous reviews here - not only was it a poor AHS, it was an abysmal failure in highlighting the decimation of a close knit community due to disease, violence, and ineffective government. In fact, not only did it do a horrendous disservice to those who lived and died through the grief and injustice of that time, it did nothing to highlight the mistakes we continue to make through pandemics and society by forgetting our past.
If Murphy, Falchuck and Co wanted to take this offline and present a serious standalone drama based on the NYC themes, I would be right there, front row, eager to listen and learn and appreciate what they have to say.
In fact, given their platform, I think it would be massively important for them to use their significant reach and share such an important message.
But yeah, back to AHS - this, is not that.
I'm still holding out hope for S12!!!
I'll be watching... I'm always watching...!