American Horror Story - Roanoke

While one group of viewers was disappointed already because of the premise, and the other group because of what ultimately emerged from it, this time I will only and solely express my gratitude. For the first time since the almost forgotten American Horror Story: Murder House, this puts the horror in American Horror Story. Unexpected appearances of disgusting creatures, occasional well-timed jump scares, or such disgusting character deaths that I preferred to look away. But when there is no fear, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk do their thing again, and this time so harmoniously that I dare to even label Roanoke their best season yet. The deaths here are not only terrifying but also ironically, surprisingly, and often playfully toying with the audience's expectations given the scope of certain veteran actors' roles. Sarah Paulson's increasingly brilliant storylines add a meta-humorous touch, making me laugh even now when I think back to them, but at the same time, I am disappointed by how few people (especially in the references-packed second half) are listening to them. The peak season and the brightest proof that things can be done differently, even for the sixth time. (26/11/2016)

I can't remember ever giving the episodes of a single season the whole spectrum of ratings. Season 6 of American Horror Story is unique in this regard. I was pleased and excited by the first episode, followed by a slight disappointment. Then, from the sixth episode on, it all went completely south. In the second half, the creators tried to compensate for the lack of atmosphere and tension with ever more frequent gore, which was totally unimaginative, as if following the recipe: "If you don’t have atmosphere, add two buckets of blood, one bucket of entrails, and the viewer will surely be delighted." Watching this pathetic effort was the actual horror, and the season had five episodes too many for my taste. I'm giving it two stars out of pity. (19/03/2018)

Roanoke is a very strange affair; formally, it's at least three series in one. There is a lot of work with reality show formats, responding to audience development, fandoms, the strength of the media audience in general, etc. We enjoy the SPOILER return of Lana Banana /SPOILER, which I really didn't expect. The theme of the curse of the 16th-century Roanoke colony is a very strong one in and of itself, so there's no reason to worry that the 6th season of AHS won't be interesting. However, getting through the first two episodes was really a problem because I had no idea what would follow and the idea that the whole series would be in the style of The Story of Us (the annotated romcom with Michelle Pfeiffer) was not something I was excited about. As usual, I recommend not watching it episodically, but as a marathon. Because with the arrival of more old familiar faces from past series, you'll feel right at home again. (14/02/2019)