American Horror Story: Blood Buffet
September 9, 2021 12:56 PM - Season 10, Episode 4 - Subscribe

Five years earlier: Two struggling artists level up. A third...does not.

Random Notes:

*I don't think this episode was at all necessary on a story level -- nothing here is likely to advance the plot of Red Tide, other than maybe something or other we've learned about The Chemist -- but it's probably the best episode of the season so far, due mostly to Frances Conroy. What a wonderful performer. This is somehow the most screentime AHS has ever given her, and man, she deserves more.

*Really, though, everyone was spot-on in this, and the dialogue crackled. I love this storyline...but...

*Something about the whole drag performance deal struck me as, possibly, not great. Maybe problematic? This is not a world I know a thing about, quite frankly, but I'm not sure this is how the drag community would, you know, be jazzed to see themselves portrayed. Uh...

*That aside, good show? I wouldn't have minded a tiny check-in with the present day at the end, but you can't have everything.
posted by kittens for breakfast (6 comments total) 2 users marked this as a favorite
 
I found the way the drag performance was shot was so odd. I mean that's a lot of "upskirt" shooting of a drag performance.

I was happy to get some backstory on how these two came to be who they are and such a pair when they have so little regard for others. And Denis O'Hare was just fabulous as always. I've been missing him this season.
posted by miss-lapin at 8:14 PM on September 9, 2021 [1 favorite]


Seconding the emotion for O'Hare - raising The Chemist's (Angelica Ross) amazing outfit while driving into town (and a bunch of her other ones).

I wonder who dictates actors' main photo on IMDB; Culkin's is extraordinarily out of date. He's more than decent here, I'm rooting for a renaissance for him.

Nice (ironic) 'Breaking Bad' dig, "I have a PhD from Harvard. Meth... is well below my paygrade."

Pulling the "occipital" lobe out of a hat was jarring for me and took me out of the story. It's mostly involved in visual processing, and that's completely not how neurotransmission or drug development works in the general. Anyway, it's all garbage writer's-room science and now I need a few more drinks and to forget about it.

otoh, I have no problems with the lack of IRB - experimenting on people can be horrific, doubly so with "research chemicals."
posted by porpoise at 9:19 PM on September 9, 2021 [2 favorites]


About the drag scenes and characters, if I'm being charitable, I'd chalk it up to writers phoning in "amateur hacks" doing it for the money (ha!) rather than love of the art/ performance? This is also strictly drag (or a subculture of) and nothing to do with trans or ball culture.

The day of the drag lip sync - it's supposed to be Halloween? So, there's problems there too, but could speak to shame/ situational-tolerance/ etc. and how Caucasians (in this neighbourhood) do drag poorly in comparison (to ball culture).

The crotch shots felt like someone's being a tryhard and being edgy and "ironic" meta sexual gaze something or the other.

If I'm being uncharitable...
posted by porpoise at 9:29 PM on September 9, 2021 [1 favorite]


It's weird to be watching two shows simultaneously where Sarah Paulson is completely unrecognizable, between her character in this how and as Linda Tripp in American Crime Story's latest incarnation.
posted by emelenjr at 10:41 AM on September 10, 2021 [1 favorite]


I hadn't put my finger on it until now, but Paulson seems to be channeling a little Charlize Theron from 'Monster' especially around the jaw.
posted by porpoise at 11:56 AM on September 10, 2021


So far this is the most consistent season I've seen from AHS. I'm really enjoying the plot being more focused.
posted by miss-lapin at 2:21 PM on September 10, 2021 [2 favorites]


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