Season Finale Thoughts: American Horror Story

There's an old expression I love that says that you need to crap or get off the pot.  I've been promising this review since the finale back in -- get this -- December 2011.  There will be major spoilers, so proceed with caution.

If you recall, back when I recommended this as a new show to watch, I wondered what kind of staying power this series had.  And as the season was coming to an end, my concern only grew stronger.  It just felt like they were plowing through so many huge developments that it truly felt like the series, and not the season, was concluding.  Despite this, I found myself getting more and more into the show -- particularly in the final few episodes, where things were getting ultra exciting and the characters were REALLY starting to development and become interesting.

My initial review of American Horror Story came just before the season finale, when Vivien shockingly died during childbirth. I wondered, and I quote, "has the series given us too much, too soon?"  I mean, if you compare it to Lost (another show built on mystery), it felt like they were going on an extremely accelerated rate.  Could you imagine if Lost had introduced Ben in the first season, and had already provided his entire backstory by that season's finale?  Because that's essentially what they did with Tate.  And the last episode left me utterly perplexed -- the story was tied up so beautifully and perfectly that I wondered how on earth they would come back for a second season (which had already been announced by that point).

And that's the thing....it really did end perfectly.  Vivien had died, leaving Ben alone with their one baby (the other had died as well).  Vivien and Violet had both made the decision to not allow Ben to see them, because it would be too painful for him and they needed him to move on and get out of that house.  And this gave us some great scenes, like when Ben took the baby home and Vivien watched and (silently) instructed him on how to heat up the milk.  Ultimately, however, Ben was too distraught and decided to take his own life.  It was in that moment that Vivien appeared, and the two shared a really sweet, tender scene where they forgave each other and declared their love.  It really was touching.  Ben decided to live and made the difficult decision to leave the house (and his wife and daughter, by proxy).  However, as he was heading to the stairs, the ghosts attacked him and made it appear that he had committed suicide.

And while this was a decidedly sad moment, it came across as sweet as well.  Upon dying, Ben and Vivien had reunited, genuinely happy to be with each other.  And through death, this family was finally able to find happiness together.  It was discovered that the baby that passed away actually died in the house, leaving it as a ghost.  Ben, Vivien, Violet, the baby, and Moira had captured that family dynamic that they always lacked.  This was the happiest any of them had ever been throughout the entire season.  It truly was the the perfect happy ending.

We also learned, unsurprisingly, that Constance had taken the other baby, which had survived the childbirth. This baby was obviously Tate's, though, and thus was demonic and murderous.  The season ended on that cliffhanger.

After the finale, it was announced that the series would be an anthology of sorts, with each season focusing on a different horror genre.  This season, obviously, was a haunted house.  What I thought would have been really cool was if each season organically told a different story.  This season tied up the Harmon family's story in the haunted house.  Next season, I felt, should tell the story of Constance raising the devil child, a la The Omen.  The next season would develop naturally from the conclusion of that story.

Instead, it appears that it'll be a different story with different characters (but possibly the same actors).  This is still interesting and I'll definitely watch, but it'll be a bit unusual seeing Jessica Lange without her playing Constance.

But I definitely recommend this show and am eager to see what they have in store for us next season.