American Horror Story had quite a lot to live up to once it was penned as the Coven & Murder House Crossover, and the opening episode holds a lot of hope for the rest of the season.
The season almost immediately builds a tension and hits with the action, so it never really feels like we're waiting for something substantial to happen. Within the first episode, there are moments where the episode slows, but it does show some disturbing moments and nice twists that really bring the interest to a peak. The performances are particularly strong as the series manages to build humour quite impressively despite the haunting and mysterious setting that is Outpost 3. Leslie Grossman, Evan Peters and Joan Collins are immediate favourites as all three break the tension with humorous comments, melodramatic outbursts or just pure greatness. Collins in particular is most significant; every moment she spends on screen or offers dialogue, her character is the instant centre of attention in the mind of the viewer. She's rich, funny and downright crazy and that's why she's such a brilliant addition.
The episode seems to fly by as it never really slows down significantly so it ends quite abruptly, but - in AHS fashion - it leaves many questions unanswered, so the intrigue can carry you to episode two. Unfortunately, the characters portrayed by Ashley Santos (Emily) and Kyle Allen (Timothy) are not especially entertaining and do take up a considerable amount of time. They do seem like they're thrown in there just for the audience to learn about Outpost Three, so maybe some development is yet to come, but at the moment they are rather forgettable. Other than that, the episode is a great opener that seems very true to the American Horror Story style that many feel has been missing in later seasons, so there is much hope for Apocalypse.
The season almost immediately builds a tension and hits with the action, so it never really feels like we're waiting for something substantial to happen. Within the first episode, there are moments where the episode slows, but it does show some disturbing moments and nice twists that really bring the interest to a peak. The performances are particularly strong as the series manages to build humour quite impressively despite the haunting and mysterious setting that is Outpost 3. Leslie Grossman, Evan Peters and Joan Collins are immediate favourites as all three break the tension with humorous comments, melodramatic outbursts or just pure greatness. Collins in particular is most significant; every moment she spends on screen or offers dialogue, her character is the instant centre of attention in the mind of the viewer. She's rich, funny and downright crazy and that's why she's such a brilliant addition.
The episode seems to fly by as it never really slows down significantly so it ends quite abruptly, but - in AHS fashion - it leaves many questions unanswered, so the intrigue can carry you to episode two. Unfortunately, the characters portrayed by Ashley Santos (Emily) and Kyle Allen (Timothy) are not especially entertaining and do take up a considerable amount of time. They do seem like they're thrown in there just for the audience to learn about Outpost Three, so maybe some development is yet to come, but at the moment they are rather forgettable. Other than that, the episode is a great opener that seems very true to the American Horror Story style that many feel has been missing in later seasons, so there is much hope for Apocalypse.