Time to bring in the little girl ghost.
Warning: Full spoilers for the episode below.
It's hard to tell how seriously American Horror Story: Roanoke is taking itself. The premiere established a built-in true story docu-gimmick that unfortunately worked to detach the viewer from most of the jumps and scares, and now this week brought in a bunch of well-worn ghost tale cliches to, supposedly, spice up the stew. But it all just felt like more of the same and that each week, from here on out, Matt and Shelby will just keep reacting to the craziness that seems to be coming at them from all angles.
Sure, things were a bit livelier in "Chapter 2" what with the pig-man human sacrifice (and Kathy Bates yelling "Seize her!"), the little girl ghost who (for the most part) only another little girl could see, and Denis O'Hare's true crime researcher telling the tale of some of the house's former murderous residents (a pair of nurses trying to spell out murder with their victims' initials), but all of it was steeped in usual haunted house horsecrap that now stands as something that could seriously hinder this season.
Firstly, after seeing what she saw in the woods, Shelby decided it was time to make a stand. Previously, she wanted out, but for some reason seeing what she believed was a bats*** elaborate ruse perpetrated by hillbilly neighbors (okay), she felt like it was time to fight back. Despite the fact that that type of ruse would prove just how dangerously dedicated said hillbillies actually were.
Then there's the whole trope where the couple, after learning they can't get rid of the house, still stay in the house. Yeah, it was a problem back in Season 1 too but, comparably, the Harmon family had experienced only a fraction of what Matt and Shelby have endured by their second episode. This Roanoke couple is being bombarded by everything from burning swine tableaus to ghostly visions to bloody cutlery stuck in walls and ceilings. This is the least subtle haunted house in history. It's full-tilt all the time.
Next week on American Horror Story...
I enjoyed the premiere since it felt like the series was branching out and trying something different, while still also getting back to basics. But "Chapter 2" felt like, I suppose, the second act of a movie, if this were a traditional movie. Which makes me wonder about the rest of the season. Will we get frustrated while things get dragged out or will something happen next week, or by episode four, to shake up the formula?
Already, the show is bringing in outside characters to put in peril. This week it was Lee's daughter, Flora, who came as a guest first and then a stolen child later. It was a little cheap to add her to the mix, but I get it. Our main three are untouchable so we need surrogates. Even the story of the murder nurses worked to give the episode some innocent victims. So Flora was added to expand on Lee's character while also giving the show someone it could endanger. It's just a shame that Flora got stuck in that tired old ghost girl tug-o-war where the living child, for whatever reason, isn't freaked out at all by the sight of a colonial ghost whispering death.
The Verdict
American Horror Story: Roanoke reached its tipping point rather early as our heroes were assailed by just about every type of haunting and harassment under the sun. It's almost too much to believe that they would still stay there, whether they can get rid of the house or not. Because of this, the reasons they do choose to stay feel forced while the series seems hesitant to offer up anything truly scary.
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