until I can flick my brain back on enough to finish my December meme posts
In my defense, AHS: Coven is finally up on Netflix, which means there has been little room in my soul for anything not American Horror Story. HELLO FRIENDS, I AM HERE TO TELL YOU THE GOOD NEWS: AMERICAN HORROR STORY.
This is where I know I should make some disclaimer about aesthetics and subjectivity, because it's true this show is tailored to certain tastes (to wit: superior ones) (it's not that I like you less if you do not have a gaping void in your soul which can only be filled by watching Jessica Lange snort a line of blow with the King of the Underworld, but to be honest I am not entirely sure what we have in common?) but instead I will point out that AHS has everything that critics are so hyped about when it comes to Hannibal - brilliant nightmare logic that takes the viewer into the darkest horrors lying in the human subconscious, illustrated by genuinely artistic cinematography - except instead of being anchored around a well-drawn but not particularly unique central queerbaity relationship, the subjects of AHS are almost all women, gays, and gay women. OOP.
And there's a lot along those lines which makes the conversation around this show so frustrating. Interviewers have an unsavory habit of trying to put the actresses on the defensive about the Terrible Horrible No-Good Very Badness of the show's women, and not paying a whit of attention when the grand dames disagree. Fandom finds it quite trendy to wring one's hands about the Problematic (TM) ~~representation of people who are hardly ever represented, let alone centralized to this extent, and then go back to watching shows that would never in a million years hire actors who display radical difference. &c, &c. The show hits a lot of nerves, a lot of deep stuff I'm not really feeling like getting into right now. What I am into is the fact that it is absolutely fantastic.
There is at least one moment in every episode of Coven and so far in Freak Show - there were a few in Asylum but not the perfect batting average of S3/4 - which is just so deliciously campy and perfect, I have to flop over onto my side and squall aloud in sheer bliss.
~LBR, there is precious little that is more beautiful than witches gloating over misogynists' desperation:
(x)
LOL MEN TALKING LOL
~Though sometimes witches hate each other, for reasons that make sense....
....and in ways that are fantastically entertaining.
~Sister Mary Eunice:
Because of course she is.
~Even if you haven't seen an episode of the show you've seen this one:
(x)
Kathy Bates is a national treasure.
~I was ACHING for Coven to win the Emmy, mostly because NOTHING COMPARES 2 IT but also because it could have set us up for the most glorious acceptance speech ever:
(x)WE COULD'VE HAD IT ALLLLLLLLL.
~If you haven't been following along with Freak Show, my condolences, because you missed out on this:
(x)
WE LIVE IN AN AGE OF WONDERS, MY FRIENDS.
~When I find myself in times of trouble, Fiona Goode comes to me, speaking words of wisdom......
(x)
.......SHE KILLED THE NEIGHBOR, BUT THE BITCH HAD IT COMIN'.
~To those of you who are still doubting:
This is where I know I should make some disclaimer about aesthetics and subjectivity, because it's true this show is tailored to certain tastes (to wit: superior ones) (it's not that I like you less if you do not have a gaping void in your soul which can only be filled by watching Jessica Lange snort a line of blow with the King of the Underworld, but to be honest I am not entirely sure what we have in common?) but instead I will point out that AHS has everything that critics are so hyped about when it comes to Hannibal - brilliant nightmare logic that takes the viewer into the darkest horrors lying in the human subconscious, illustrated by genuinely artistic cinematography - except instead of being anchored around a well-drawn but not particularly unique central queerbaity relationship, the subjects of AHS are almost all women, gays, and gay women. OOP.
And there's a lot along those lines which makes the conversation around this show so frustrating. Interviewers have an unsavory habit of trying to put the actresses on the defensive about the Terrible Horrible No-Good Very Badness of the show's women, and not paying a whit of attention when the grand dames disagree. Fandom finds it quite trendy to wring one's hands about the Problematic (TM) ~~representation of people who are hardly ever represented, let alone centralized to this extent, and then go back to watching shows that would never in a million years hire actors who display radical difference. &c, &c. The show hits a lot of nerves, a lot of deep stuff I'm not really feeling like getting into right now. What I am into is the fact that it is absolutely fantastic.
There is at least one moment in every episode of Coven and so far in Freak Show - there were a few in Asylum but not the perfect batting average of S3/4 - which is just so deliciously campy and perfect, I have to flop over onto my side and squall aloud in sheer bliss.
~LBR, there is precious little that is more beautiful than witches gloating over misogynists' desperation:
(x)
LOL MEN TALKING LOL
~Though sometimes witches hate each other, for reasons that make sense....
....and in ways that are fantastically entertaining.
~Sister Mary Eunice:
Because of course she is.
~Even if you haven't seen an episode of the show you've seen this one:
(x)
Kathy Bates is a national treasure.
~I was ACHING for Coven to win the Emmy, mostly because NOTHING COMPARES 2 IT but also because it could have set us up for the most glorious acceptance speech ever:
(x)WE COULD'VE HAD IT ALLLLLLLLL.
~If you haven't been following along with Freak Show, my condolences, because you missed out on this:
(x)
WE LIVE IN AN AGE OF WONDERS, MY FRIENDS.
~When I find myself in times of trouble, Fiona Goode comes to me, speaking words of wisdom......
(x)
.......SHE KILLED THE NEIGHBOR, BUT THE BITCH HAD IT COMIN'.
~To those of you who are still doubting: