American Horror Story S2 (2012 - 2013)

Now that Briarcliff has closed its doors for good, I thought I would comment on the entirety of the season rather than doing a blow-by-blow (as I was doing over on my friend's site, which I am sorely behind on). Overall, this season impressed me far more than the first did. Season one felt like it still had some kinks to work out, or maybe some of the actors just didn't fit. The second season was not without its flaws, but it descended to a depth that was both shocking and, well, rather timely for the current situation we're living in (at least those of us in America).

Let's start with the bad.

THE CONS

OK I don't know whose baby ralphed on Ryan Murphy, but can we stop with the potentially-demonic/potentially-christlike children? I get it, Rosemary's Baby, pregnancy is scary, hormones and bodily changes that you have no control over. It was more than well addressed in the first season with Michael; the three babies that came to life in this season were overkill. Not that I don't love Thomas, Julia, and Johnny all in their respective ways, but honestly, if there absolutely had to have been a baby the only one super pertinent to the story line was Johnny. The aliens could have easily been doing something else to people -- I mean, they gave Pepper intelligence and the ability to convey that intelligence. They brought Grace back to life. So why the breeding experiment? That wasn't explained very well, other than hey we can do it, so why not?

If I see another baby next season, I am turning the TV off.

If the kids are this old, they might get a pass. MAYBE.

I want to list this as a pro as well, but did it not seem that Jessica Lange and Evan Peters were essentially redoing Constance and Tate? Jude was not too far off from Constance to begin with, though obviously far less greedy; Kit on the other hand was certainly no serial killer/active shooter. But the wrap up between them seemed like closure for the first season when we see Constance grappling for some kind of foothold in her children's lives, even as that drives them toward their destruction. I know it's difficult to get away entirely from these characters and relationships when you're dealing with the same actors, but... Eh. It's not a huge con, but something that stuck out to me.

Oh, and the accents. They really could have lost them; Lange was losing hers and then finding it again every five minutes. Peters seemed to have a better hold on his, but I've never really heard a Jersey accent in person so I can't really be a judge there. But they were really the only two trying accents on for size, so I don't think it would have been remiss for the entire cast to go without.

The aliens. Perhaps not necessarily as a con, but as iterated above, their story line didn't make a whole lot of sense. But perhaps that was the point -- that there are things beyond our grasp, things we may never understand, which quite well underlines the tone of the entire season.

I know, Grace, I know. Trying to make sense of it all just makes my head hurt as well.

THE PROS

Oh man, where do I even start? Well, I'd love to start with the two leading ladies who seriously stole the show from Lange, despite her best efforts to fight back. I'm talking about Sarah Paulson and Lily Rabe.

Paulson, as Lana Winters, was just flat out amazing. I am so glad that they gave her something to really chew on this season, because her character in the first season was incredibly superfluous to explaining why Violet could see the ghosts. That whole aspect felt so shoehorned in. But Lana was a completely different character, and watching her evolution from a perky, wide-eyed little girl of a reporter into a hard hitting sleuth who's survived the worst of conditions really made the show for me. Murphy described the relationship between Paulson and Zachary Quinto as that of incredibly close friends, which allowed them to do such horrible scenes because they were so comfortable with one another.

One really tough cookie, especially when it came to that finale!

And Rabe, who also got a larger role and one completely opposite her first season character. In fact, one could even count Sister Mary as two separate characters, both pre- and post-demonic. But her delicious torturing and bedlam-inducing actions inside of Briarcliff were a real treat to watch. Seeing poor little Mary go from a sweet and clumsy do-gooder into this powerhouse of evil was fantastic. And the relationship between Mary and Arden (James Cromwell) was especially touching since it was removed from the usual 'star-crossed romance'. It was idealism and chivalry in its most base form, and the fact that it was between a Nazi and a nun just made it all the more strange and, well, unique.

Remember, when you look into the face of evil, evil will look right back. Don't blink.

I think the most interesting thing about this season, though, aside from the fantastic cast and the great script, is its timeliness. Mental health is becoming a huge issue in America, following several mass shootings. We've had 5 in 2013 alone, and we're not even out of January yet. Jails are becoming holding centers for people with severe mental illnesses because there's no where else for them to go. Very few know how to treat them, and those with the illnesses don't really know that they need treatment because our society stigmatizes these things while at the same time throwing products at you that will make your skin the right tone or your hair the right color. You can look at the images Lana Winters takes of Briarcliff in order to get it shut down are certainly not made up -- similar footage of such events took place in places like Willowbrook State School, which was only shut down in 1987. The jails in nearly every state in America are overflowing with inmates, many there because of mental issues, and still posing a threat to officers who work at those jails. Treatment for them is virtually nil, so then they are released back into the public because no one knows what to do with them.

Will people take this as a wake up call, though? Or is this just entertaining television? It's hard to say. Most people will probably just look at this season and think "it's 2012, that sort of thing doesn't happen anymore." Please get your head out of the sand and realize that horror in the media is just a reflection of horror in reality.

OK, getting off my soap box now. Overall, this season was a tremendous success in my opinion and I can't wait for the next. Hints are already flooding in that it's going to be something in the Salem Witch Trials, but my hopes are on New Orleans voodoo/hoodoo. Right now, three actors are slated to return -- Jessica Lange (of course), Evan Peters, and Taissa Farmiga. Who knows who else will sign up for another season of horror? Can we get Ian McShane back? Let me know what you thought of the show!