Based on the flashing neon commandments in the opening credits I thought this was going to be some sort of “10 Commandments Killer,” but I’m not sure how the exposed innards link up to the commandments in the same way the adulterers do. They’re suspended in mid air with their guts hanging out of them. While we’re told these two were cheating on their respective spouses, we know nothing about the second couple that Lowe finds, being prompted to an abandoned house by a really creepy man’s voice on the phone. We also find out that they’re going to have to cut off the man’s member to extricate him from the corpse. The woman is dead and her hands are nailed to the headboard. (He is also married to Chloe Sevigny, which makes him the luckiest man on earth.) The first couple we come upon is a dead woman perched atop a man with his eyes and tongue cut out. Our way into the story seems to be John Lowe, who is investigating a string of murders in LA, and being taunted by the killer. Still, all of those wonderful shots, props, and costumes nominally are there to serve the story, which so far I find intriguing even though it’s about as twisty and confusing as the hallways of the Cortez that are infested with freakish toe-headed children in adorable school uniforms. Brava for her (and the costume department)! It is never a surprise to see her rocking some sort of avant-garde ensemble, but here she seems to both seamlessly blend into this very textured world and manage to stand out at the same time. On that account, Lady Gaga, who we barely got to see this episode, is absolutely killing it. (My ideal weight is naked Matt Bomer on top of me.) I always think of the visuals that lure you in and then slit your throat while you’re writhing around on satin sheets with naked Matt Bomer on top of you. When I think of the show, I don’t think of moving scenes or amazing characters. Maybe that’s a little harsh, but it is fair to say that it is always much stronger visually than it is structurally. I’m focusing so much on the way the show looks because, let’s face it, AHS is very often style over substance. I have never seen television before that I wanted to reach out and touch quite like that. Speaking of Liz Taylor, the surly and greedy transgender bellhop, the best shot of the whole show was her leading Detective John Lowe down the hallway to Room 64 (duh duh dunnnnnn) with her silk caftan fluttering behind her like a million butterfly wings. So far everything about the season is as plush and tactile as one of those maroon velvet sofas that are littered all over the place like they wouldn’t fetch top gay dollar on First Dibs if Liz Taylor were a little bit more enterprising. The paneling! The woodwork! The giant empty lobby with staircases going God knows where! The basement full of Brooklyn warehouse rave party neon torture devices! It’s absolutely gorgeous. I don’t care if there is a creepy maid steaming bloody sheets in the hallway or some sort of faceless condom man crawling out of the matresses, I would not pass up a chance to spend a night in an Art Deco masterpiece as sumptuous as the Hotel Cortez. There is no way in hell that the Hotel Cortez could actually exist in modern-day Los Angeles, because if it did, I would be booking a room faster than you can type Kayak dot com into whichever internet browser you prefer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |