User Reviews

I commented on another review that the episode (and show) was pretty much unreviewable. The same with Season 11 of AHS, but for different reasons. If you like or disliked the season, it seems to boil down to whether you "got" the metaphoric approach and the approach to AIDS or not.

Speaking as someone who has watched the show for 11 seasons now, and who has lost friends to AIDS, I'm going to try to review the season for what is. And that is... not good.

I got the metaphors, and the approach to AIDS. The cinematography was so-so (were they trying to replicate Patrick's blindness from episode 9?) and they seemed to intermingle characters who were so busy being metaphors that Murphy & Falchuk didn't develop them or their backgrounds. Why was Henry in Sam's... dream? Nightmare? Hallucination? Did they even know each other? At least Sam and Theo knew each other: see episode 9 among others.

I got the same impression with Adam and Hannah earlier in the season. They were just walking down the street and talking about how Adam had impregnated Hannah. I... guess the two met when Adam went to the clinic. Why did Hannah choose him as the father of her child? Or why did she want to be the carrier of his baby? Who knows? Who cares?

Who was Kathy supposed to be? I guess a metaphor for Bette Midler in the 80s, but so what? What was the point of the scenes where she was with an impersonator auditioning to sing for her?

In 'Fire Island', why were Theo and Adam staying with Gino and Patrick? I get that Adam and Gino met at the Native, but does a working relationship really mean you want to have them share a rental with you? And why and how did they get a rental? Was it a rental?

Who or what were the deer boys? I guess they were former photographic subjects of Theo's. But then why did they appear in Sam's... whatever the heck it was?

Most importantly, what happened to Henry? Denis O'Hare gave arguably the best of his performances on AHS. Henry was the most interesting character of Season 11, as an older gay hitman, which isn't something you see anywhere in moves or TVs. Like him or hate him, he was unique. He deserved better than being quietly disposed of off-screen without explanation, only to be seen as inexplicably a part of Sam's death visions. Ditto for Fran. Sure, her character wasn't unique. But she just...vanishes.

And what about Big Daddy? He seemed to be the biggest change when the premise changed in the middle of the season, like Adam and Hannah suddenly being a couple. I think Big Daddy was originally a supernatural presence, and then he became a metaphor. Wait a minute, he firebombed a gay club? A metaphor firebombed a club and put bunch of gay men in the hospital? Wha?

About the time Whitely got disposed of, the wind went out of the season's sails, like Murphy & Falchuk had nothing more to say after they killed the Mai Tai Killer off. It's like they gave up and said, "We don't know how to end this, let's make it a bunch of artsy-fartsy metaphors."

Speaking of ending, it's a good thing they ended it after five double-episode nights. I don't think the season could have survived a full ten-episode season. All the cracks in the season, particularly the post-Whitely ones, could be glossed over in the compressed season. If it had run ten weeks, I think the viewership would have died way, way off.

But that's just my opinion, I could be wrong. What do you think?

This season truly was AIDS - and if you think that this is pretty cynical, wait until you see what the writers have cooked up for you.

What started as an intriguing and stunningly shot period piece horror story ultimately turned out to be a drawn-out, artsy-fartsy let-down deluxe.

You might call AIDS an American Horror Story, and you might even be right, but I don't know - from a commercial TV show I expect some literal horror, not just an allegory.

And it's quite the shame since the actors were all damn good, the characters actually decent, but the plot and the idea behind this - meh.

This season just died a slow and painful death, and maybe that was just the desired effect - to show the unspeakable horror of a new and deadly disease. But if you end up making a bore fest out of such a promising premise, you're probably in the wrong position - and I'm not talking about missionary.

Highly disappointing season.

I loved this initially. A realistic and sensitively handled portrayal of the outset of AIDS. The characters were in the main flea shed out and believable, although the casting of Russell Tovey I found somewhat surprising. I thought the introduction of the archetypal "leather man" was a little too heavy handed and unnecessarily overdone, but overall the concept was good. The trouble is that the story was told and retold by episode 7, the last three episodes were pointless and pretentious nonsense which added nothing and simply detracted from what could have been a poignant and lasting examination of the failings at the time. A shame.

I read a lot of the reviews, and I have to say that while I agree that the last episode was kind of garbage--I understand all of it and WHY. Not that I didn't like the tune they chose, not that AIDS plus hatred focusing on murdering a certain group--women DID get AIDS: From their cheating closeted husbands; THAT is why Barbara died at the hand of "The Boogie Man." Also note that Music Videos were THE THING in the 80s...and it's not businessmen in suits falling into the grave, it's people dressed in their final resting outfit which is almost always a suit. Only children were allowed to wear casual items like baseball uniforms and girl scout uniforms. (Source: I grew up in a family funeral parlor.) THESE were the reasons for that last episode. I get it.

The Big Daddy figure encompassed ALL that killed people of the gay community back then. I was there, in the City at that time. This season started out with such a fantastic premise; instantly I was thrown back into time with old friends and good times before it all went to h3ll via AIDS but there were thousands of instances where people victimized members of the gay community and got away with it: That was the point of Patrick being a cop, so we could see first hand how so many people got away with it. This is why the face was never revealed. It wasn't just ONE killer, not by a longshot.

The hooded figure wasn't JUST a metaphor for AIDS. It was the anonymous faceless brutalization of ALL the vicious circumstances that hit the gay community and those who mingled with them. Yes, another faceless criminal set the club on fire. Faceless criminal being the operative words. Metaphor yes. For simply ONE ghastly occurrence? Not so much.

While I loved this season for many reasons, it did spiral and could have used those last two episodes to clarify just what the Big Daddy creature was about. Everyone needs things completely spelled out any more.

AIDS and Hatred did a number on the gay community. That is what they were trying to say.

Hope this helps.

I'll admit it: I'm completely jaded at this point. I don't expect ANYTHING from the ending of a season of American Horror Story these days. I certainly didn't expect a music video. Joe Mantello was SO GOOD at being dramatic without dialogue here that it created a jarring level of cognitive dissonance because... it was all during a music video. I can't even process that. Worst of all, it was unintentionally funny. Hilarious, even! A music video with businessman after businessman falling into a grave, with everyone on the street wearing cheap halloween masks, while Joe Mantello is being very serious indeed. I know that I am a wicked person, because I broke into laughter every time they showed the graveyard scene. It was like a "Monty Python" skit; it just needed the "aaaaah!" sound effect added. And I really hate to give this finale a bad review, because it was written by Charlie Carver, and I've been a fan of his since "Desperate Housewives". And it was directed by Jennifer Lynch, of "Boxing Helena" fame. Her father, David Lynch, is notorious for ending "Twin Peaks" episodes with musical numbers, but those are only a few minutes long. This was the whole episode! Just... No, please, for the love of Odd, change it into something that makes sense! And I'm not sure what the message of the season was, but I suspect it was: "Sex is scary and dangerous and will kill everyone you meet, but you'll still do it, because you want everything to end with a musical number! So sad!" At least there's a sense of relief knowing that the season is over, and maybe they'll get it right next time... There's always hope!

The timing is the most frightening thing in this episode, but the finale paid off. The last scene, lasting as long as ten minutes, is probably one of the most powerful and artistically worked out for the entire series. All this makes sense at the end - and from this there is a desire to review the season anew. The more I notice the details, the more complete and better NYC becomes... It's a shame how superficial and unadapted the viewer turned out to be, however, this is not the first time for this series. The most important and unusual moment for AHS is that none of the main characters died at the hands of another person - absolutely everyone was killed by the disease that big daddy personified (Barbara, Hannah, Theo, Sam, Henry, Patrick and Gino), and this inevitability of a deadly disease is indeed a much greater horror than ghosts, witches and vampires. It is paradoxical how serious and realistic this season remains, despite the fact that there are so many allusions and symbols in it.

Don't let the show die. I want new stories.

This is the worst and the most disappointing season of AHS. It could be argued that Cult was bad , but it is re-watchable over time. Double Feature was half redeemable. 1984 was disappointing. This season was so bad they got it done in 5 weeks, and that says something. The villain appears to be AIDS, but physically embodied as a Fetish Man. So bad a season. If anyone enjoyed it, I'm glad you did, but this has the most fetish fuel of any season yet. Only a few standard cast member even wanted to be in this season. Don't know if that has deeper significance, but is is telling. I hope this helps.

The reason I gave this such a high rating is because it brought me back in time. It reminded me of all the people I lost due to HIV and AIDS. It was portrayed in a very true way that brought back all the feelings of helplessness at that time. The frustration. The isolation. Not everything has to be just to entertain an audience. There are whole generations who have no idea what it was truly like and I think it is those people who are disappointed with this season. For me, it was true life with a bit of horror on the side. The only parts that were not to my liking were the scenes where the recently departed looked back on their life. Felt a bit like A Christmas Carol by Dickens.

First I want to say that the writing this season was incredible. The story lines were riveting and kept me engaged while also provoking thought and somber reflection, which is the appropriate mood for the subject matter. These were important stories, and each character was integral to representing the many victims of the AIDS crisis.

That said...

The fuzzy, grainy, and lens-flare-riddled camera work was unforgivable. The entire season looked like it was filmed using a dirty flip phone from the early 2000s. These episodes were all important and should have been treated as such, but the stylistic decisions completely distracted from the message. It was so bad I almost called my internet provider to demand that they stop throttling me. It was only when I turned on a different show that I realized the AHS directors did this on purpose. WHY??

Another unforgivable sun was the usage of one of the most annoying songs I have ever heard during the final sequence. The somber and tragic scene of all the gay men suffering and dying was ruined by this horrible song. It would have been better if the sequence was completely silent and just had a heartbeat slowing down until it dwindled to nothing.

I just kept wondering when they would give the answer for the final mistery (the masked man's identity)... And instead they gave us a music video that lasted almost the entire episode... Was he death? Was he the representation of everyone dying of aids? If so, then why did he kill that woman? Why did he have a physical presence when he fought Patrick?

Anyway, no complaints regarding the actors, they were great and did what they could with what was given... I just wish they had been given more to work with...

I wish there had been closure, but alas, this is the way AHS has been closing lately... Maybe it's time to put it to rest?

Wow. Where to begin? I thought the season was really good up until the finale. I was honestly with the show until the finale but it completely just went off the rails and didn't make much sense. None of the mysteries of yhe season I was interested in were ever really answered and then everyone pretty much all just dies. What was the point of it all? It turned out to be a very depressing ending for all of the characters. What was the point of the man in the mask? It seems he represented death but at times it seems he was a real, live person but in the finale he's like a killer ghost appearing at random.

Snowflakes will complain that an openly gay creator is using his platform to make people uncomfortable with the fact that AIDS was the real killer of the 80's and 90's.

It was tastefully done. It was poignant and sad to watch.

"That story doesn't need to be featured in American Horror Story".

That story was an actual American Horror Story.

If you're uncomfortable watching it. That's a you problem. This actually happened. Hundreds of thousands died at the hands of a disease that the government branded as "the gay cancer" or "the gay plague". The Regans sat back and watched as hundreds of thousands died because of this disease and was buried in mass graves.

The rating 2 stars is only for the ending. I did like the first seven episodes of NYC. Then it fell flat starting on the 8th episode.

This has got to be the worst ending of any AHS seasons I've seen. So when NYC ended, I was like, "that was it???" Is AHS losing its edge?

NYC would've been a good season but not for AHS. NYC feels like an entirely different series of its own.

Anyway this episode is just a bunch of fillers or whatever. The episode shows the victims succumbing to AIDS, including Gino. It did make me sad. I mean, honestly it can be depressing to watch. Leather Daddy turns out to be just a personification of AIDS. Like that wasn't obvious enough lol. There's just too many metaphors too and the execution is off.

I am impressed by the acting though. Acting was great, especially Joe Manatello. Hope I see more of him in future seasons of AHS.

With the conclusion of this season, the final two episodes reveals the true point of this season of American Horror Story in a way that is empathetic, emotional, gut punchingly real - telling a story that was lived by so many and long forgotten / not experienced by generation-PREP.

As it turns out, there was nothing supernatural this season. No conspiracy to explain the new outbreak. Leatherman wasn't a killer stalking gay men but rather a sign of impending death. There was one serial killer and he was very much human. His actions were extreme responses to the complete lack of caring/action/respect from those the gay community was supposed to be able to rely upon. It was a disturbed and misguided attempt to say, "stop ignoring us!"

The underlying horror comes as a consequence of the disrespect/dismissal/hate the gay community endures. Toxicity from those who are supposed to love us resulting in self-loathing and destructive behaviour. This season was, in a way, a love note to those who fought for the community. Gino and Adam bravely and unrelentingly crusading even as they watch the people they love die, one after another.

The accuracy of what so many gay people had live through is so respectful, the tragedy so heartbreaking. Like I said, it felt like a love story dedicated to those who lived it.

Unfortunately this eleventh season is the least successful of the series, and it's a real shame because initially it wasn't bad, the first episodes were interesting, at least until the seventh episode when Whitey is defeated, the season should have ended there, the last three episodes are useless , also there are numerous script errors. Would Big Daddy be the embodiment of the AIDS specter?? Ok, it may be correct, but there are obvious contradictions, first of all, if it was only a representation seen by gay people how does big daddy kill the policeman's wife??? Why do the three girls see and interact with him outside the house???

Last but not least, is this final episode an episode or is it a music video???

I'm not saying that this season 11 sucks, but the level is very low, the days of Asylum or Hotel are long gone, perhaps it would have been better if Murphy closed everything with 1984 which was excellent and in fact would have been the 9 circles of hell that would have closed the whole series.

I hope Murphy keeps his word and closes everything with season 13 and above all that the last two seasons return to being at the same level as the first ones.

After years and years using IMDB and never creating an account, I feel compelled to create one so I can leave a review on this POS season of AHS.

This show has long sunk into depravity and senseless violence and gore. I'm pretty sure than every school shooter and psychopath has watched every episode of this show.

I swear off of it but get suckered back in, thinking that there will be something interesting to watch.

But here comes the latest season.

It literally made no damn sense.

Who was the man in leather? Was he real? Imaginary?

Was anyone murdering anyone or was it all a metaphor for the virus that was killing the gay population?

Does anyone out there have any idea what the hell I just binged?

This show needs to go away already.

Our society is already sick and depraved without the endless violence and bloodshed that is poured into our homes in the mask of entertainment.

This show represents everything morally depraved and sick in the new American culture.

Did I mention that season 11 sucked beyond words?