rebsothoth

This episode was such a disappointment. I loved Cody Fern in Cunanan, and I loved Seth Gabel in Salem, so I had high hopes for the two of them in a period piece together. But this... Putting aside the obvious fact that no historical research was done for the story, it was just a muddled patchwork of gross-out imagery, "girl power", and incoherent messaging. What was the point? That only milkmaids can be real scientists, and men are just lustful cannibals? That preachers and little boys are evil? That the only true love is between women, not between men and women, or women and their children? The language, particularly around medicine, was far too modern, even though some of them tried to put on "old-timey" accents. Cody's real accent would have been better here, and Seth seems to have forgotten that he played COTTON MATHER with more accuracy than this. The sets, costuming, and lighting were fine, but apart from some pointless close-ups, the whole feel of the direction cues was, "I don't care. Just do what you want. Freak out, say modern things with a terrible accent, it doesn't matter. It's about THE MESSAGE." All I took from this is that we need to drink more infected cow's milk if we want to stay healthy. But don't eat hearts, because that's part of the patriarchy! As a woman, I am offended by the Mary Sue trope, and hope to never see a Dr. Mary Sue again. Odds are AHS: Delicate is going to have the same issue.

Off to a good start! I was afraid that the dynamic would change too much with Guillermo becoming a vampire, but just as he had to hide his Van Helsing heritage in other seasons, they set up a plausible reason for him to hide his emerging vampirism. I'm also glad that it seems like its going to be gradual, which gives it a cute "coming of age" feel as he eagerly awaits the changes his body is going through. There's also the element of danger, because even though he felt slighted by Nandor, Guillermo certainly wouldn't want to bring shame upon his master, particularly since it has lethal consequences! For the other characters, having worked in the service industry, I think Colin Robinson is the perfect fit. I'd hire him; he's better than a lot of people I worked with. Laszlo walking around a crowded mall is an image that I didn't realize I needed, as was seeing Nandor on a carousel horse. Finally, the setup with Nadia having to get a new body for her doll-self has a lot of potential for future side-stories. I love that WWDitS remains focused on small-scale, personal stories and not some great world-saving (or ending) plot. It's about the characters, and they're still true to form and just as lovable as in prior seasons. Even with the cursing and violence and blood and naughty bits, it's definitely feel-good entertainment, and closer to "wholesome" than a lot of shows these days. But now I'm craving jalapeño poppers, vegetable dumplings, and chocolate pudding...

TL;DR: Started out great, ended up with the main character becoming a jerk who mistreats his friends, girlfriend, and parents, and shifted the focus to over-idealized politics that somehow ignore how everyone in the show that has their material needs met becomes a terrible person.

What started out as a quirky coming-of-age show plummeted into some very dark, antisocial territory. By this final episode, we've seen Cootie and Flora go from innocent flirting to a toxic relationship, where they say they love each other but resort to verbal insults and sniping instead of discussing and modifying their bad habits like reasonable adults. Jones somehow developed the superpower to brainwash people by showing them distorted images of reality, sort of like you see in the news today. There is no logic to her images: if people only respect each other's property out of a fear of violence, how could they ever possibly respect one another enough to make a society where everyone is equal work? The mega-wealthy Hero, who has all his material needs met, is a horrible person. Cootie himself was far nicer and more relatable when he was struggling to find money for a burger; once he became a model and didn't have to worry about finances, his entire character changed. He now has social/financial power, and chooses to resort to violence to bring about change. Worse, he now has friends, and chooses to treat them as commodities that he can use: Flora and Jones for their powers and Felix for his car. He even accuses his parents of making useless weapons and accomplishing nothing. Not forgetting poor Scat, whose death he politicizes and then never mentions again, even though his ghost is still hanging around. Jones, in her/their naïve idealism, doesn't seem to grasp that having their needs met just makes a person adjust their needs. Indeed, it seems like the characters are all at their best when they're longing for something they don't have, because it gives them goals to strive for. Give them what they want, and they cease to appreciate it, the way Cootie does with his friends and family. If there's a next season, I hope they take this into a healthier, less cynical direction. I know Cootie can never go back to being innocent and idealistic, but he can at least stop wanting to be "the villain".

Season finale episodes traditionally wrap up loose ends and set up the next season. I had to double check that this was supposed to be the season ender, because it just seemed to trail off in the middle of a scene. This was the shortest episode of the season, and while it may have been completely faithful to the game, it's not how serialized shows are supposed to end. Yes, we resolved the main quest (as well as some DLC), but... That's it? Where's the satisfying conclusion to this chapter of the story? What's our cliffhanger incentive for watching next season? Joel gets to become the happy chatty (murderous) one, Ellie gets to be brooding and suspicious, and... Roll credits!

This is the only series I've seen in recent memory that has handled the subplots more deftly than the main plot. The episode with Murray Bartlett and Nick Offerman was complete, where you got to meet the characters, grow with them, and see where their journey took them. While I understand the reasons why Ellie had to be the main focus, I would have liked to see more attention given to Joel's character development. He had panic attacks for exactly one episode, his flashback with Tess was a subplot of a subplot episode, and he goes from skilled assassin to human pincushion seemingly at random. At the end of this season, I find that although I think the actors are doing an excellent job portraying the characters, I just don't have any vested interest in their future stories. IF the series decides to diverge from the game next season, they could do really great things with such talent and excellent production values. But they'd have to add a lot more depth to the interactions Joel and Ellie have with other characters. (Probably not likely, given the plot of TLoU 2.) As it stands, this was like watching someone else play the game, with nothing new added. The ending of the main plot is fine for a game where you are invested in keeping the characters alive, not so great for a scripted series.

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!

This episode was "A Christmas Carol". That's it. That's all. Multiple Scrooges being shown their past, present, and/or future by ghosts. Why? Is this for people that haven't seen "It's a Wonderful Life", or for the ones that are nostalgic for it? Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Russell Tovey, and I'm glad that he's finally allowed to show some emotional range other than "tough guy" here. This doesn't pull at the heart strings the way his role as George in "Being Human" did, but he's really good at tears and regret. And I love Patti LuPone, both as a Broadway superstar and as an occasional guest on AHS. But her appearance in this episode was PURE CRINGE. It took a perfectly acceptable dramatic moment and poured hot, melted cheese all over it. It was an absolute "oh, no, they WOULDN'T" experience. And the entire episode was a metaphor. I think. It's hard to tell with AHS these days. Yes, hospitals are scary for some people, but nothing that happened is old-school AHS-level of scary. Nothing as horrific as the Minotaur in "Coven", certainly. Nothing as horrific as any of the doctors in "Asylum". Nothing horrific at all, just sadly realistic. That's not why a lot of us watch AHS. We watch it for the weird. We watch it for the absurd. Not for, "Hey, this really happened. And it happens to people every day." That's what documentaries are for, not previously entertaining horror series. And I'm clearly not smart enough to figure out why the ghosts have sparkly antlers, but I'm sure it's a very serious and important reference to something. I hope there's a follow-up special that explains the metaphors in detail for those of us that can't be bothered.

I can see how "Barbarian" might be scary if you're new to the horror genre, but it's really not frightening, and it doesn't feel like it's supposed to be. It's not a parody, although I did chuckle through most of it.

The main "plus" for me was the acting. Justin Long in particular was stellar as a character with poor decision making abilities and wildly low ethical standards, and might be starting his redemption ark, but... Nope. Not so much. Georgina Campbell was also very good, however, as a woman, I am so tired of the stereotypical crying heroine she was at the start of the movie. Glad that changed in the course of events!

At its heart, "Barbarian" is an homage to classic horror. Henrietta, from "Evil Dead II", was a clear inspiration for the antagonist. This almost seemed like an alternate backstory for her, and I genuinely felt sorry for the character. There was also a scene mimicking the end of "Night of the Living Dead", which, given the situation leading up to it, was a pretty obvious sequence of events. I can't say much more without spoiler tags, but if you watch a lot of horror, you'll recognize quite a bit here.

In tone, "Barbarian" owes more to dark comedy than horror. Seriously, no one buys plastic bedsheets in horror movies for incontinence issues. The conversation in the store kept me chuckling the whole time. Cheesy retro television and unwatched VHS tapes with suggestive titles have an important, though underplayed, role. You can't trust men, cops, property rental agencies, etc., but the crazy homeless guy has all the answers! Watching Justin Long be harassed, for lack of a less spoiler-y word, was a cringeworthy hoot. Sometimes it felt like the movie was entirely dark comedy vignettes strung together by a loose narrative thread, which isn't a bad thing.

Where "Barbarian" fell short, for me, was in that it was too predictable. It reminded me of too many things that I've already seen, and didn't stray far from the formula. It ticks all the trope boxes, all the time. As nicely done as it was, I went in with thoughts from other reviews such as "subverts expectations". No. No, it didn't. It did exactly what I expected it to, at the times when it was obviously headed in those directions. It was a cute homage. The person I watched it with isn't a big horror fan, and I had to pause the playback many times to explain why I was laughing. He still thinks I'm a horrible person, and I'm okay with that. It's a good movie, not great, but it's well-acted and directed, and I'd recommend it to anyone that's looking for an intro to horror. They might be on the edge of their seats instead of fondly reminiscing about movies they haven't watched in years.

Yes, this season of "Chucky" is definitely going to offend a lot of people. There's an interview with Don Mancini explaining his upbringing and relationship with Christianity, and it feels like the main plot of this season is his way of working through and expressing his views. That said, I feel like it's coming from a place of nuance, where some characters have faith that Christianity can forgive people and help them grow, while other characters view the church as a way to oppress and condemn people. It's a debate that goes on every day, all over the world. I'm personally not offended by the exploration of faith, even in horror, and want to see which point of view "wins" in "Chucky".

I do understand that the blasphemy and twisting of iconography might be enough for some people to stop watching, but it happens in a lot of horror. "The Exorcist" springs immediately to mind. I feel that if you can appreciate that it comes from someone that is perhaps disillusioned with faith, you can learn about how "the other side" thinks. There is some value to that, surely.

Horror draws me to it for two main reasons: it's an exploration of the limits of the human mind, particularly regarding how we face adversity, and it makes me glad that IT'S NOT HAPPENING TO ME. I like that. Makes me feel like my life is pretty good, because killers dolls are NOT attacking me at the moment. That's a form of stress relief for me, and this episode provides plenty of purely escapist horror. It brings in a lot of the lore, including familiar faces once again. The plot is layered enough that it shows us where it's coming from and where it's going to, and that really gets me excited to see what's in store for everyone. I really enjoy how deeply it leans into the Jennifer Tilly story, which I've adored since "Seed of Chucky" and is still front and center here. I couldn't be more thrilled with this season, which combines thought-provoking takes on faith and over-the-top comedic horror in ways that I find truly engaging.

Also, Brad Dourif doing a Marlon Brando impression is pure gold. Chef's kiss to the writers!

With a title like "Herogasm", there are certain shocks you can reasonably expect. No spoilers here, but there's nudity and sex. To be fair, if you cut out the "supe" stuff, I've seen more weird boinking at actual sex dungeons in Seattle. If you've seen any edgy modern shows that feature orgies, this really isn't that different.

Since this is "The Boys", you can also reasonably expect a lot of over-the-top gore. Some of the gore hit "closer to home" than others, because there was a level of realism to it that struck me on a visceral level, pun intended. That said, this episode provided some of the best choreographed fight scenes I've ever seen. Normally, I tune out any sequences without dialogue, but this was like watching a dance of violence. The teamwork was seamless.

However, I was NOT expecting so much character development between all that sex and violence. If you focus on those scenes alone, this is the most poignant episode of the series. It shows what happens when someone asks forgiveness but isn't able to turn the other cheek. It shows what it means to let go of the past to help others. It shows how much harm can be done by those who aren't aware of their power and are thus powerless to control it. It shows that appearances are more important than values to people with power. It shows an unexpected character finally realizing that the system is corrupt and can't be fixed from within. It shows that everyone is broken. That's something inherently relatable, and it's a thread that runs through the entire series.

Yes, "The Boys" makes political commentary. I feel that it's an unbiased look at power; there are no good guys, just different ways to leverage strength. Everyone is a potential bad guy if they can't see the humanity of "the other side". In the end, everyone just wants the world to make sense, for it to be something they have they ability to control in a way that makes them feel safe. It's part of being human, whether you have superpowers or not.

Who would have thought an episode called "Herogasm" would have such a deep philosophical core? Oh, don't forget to buy The Deep's new book. Gill-men need love, too.

Whenever I see a movie that sits around a 5-6 rating, I read the 10 star and 1 star reviews to see why it's so polarizing. I feel like this new installment of the Candyman franchise is far more nuanced than anyone seemed to mention in those reviews.

This isn't a "white people are bad" or "black empowerment" movie. It's how clinging to past injustices perpetuates a cycle of violence. Candyman isn't an avenging angel, he's a symbol of the original pain and injustice Robitaille experienced, long ago. He gains strength from injustice, and the only way he can live on is if injustice exists. He's become weaker over the generations precisely because things have become more equal. In any other movie, Anthony would be a "starving artist". Instead, he's successful enough to have a comfortable middle-class lifestyle. This is a mark of equality, not oppression. There's even direct commentary about entitled artists, which seems a little spot-on.

So, at the movie's end, the injustice has to be manufactured. Someone tipped off the police, and it's clear that Burke did so because he needed Anthony to die a martyr's death so that Candyman could return. You show me anyone that's covered in gross holes and has a hook for a hand, particularly one who has been implicated in murders, I'm probably not going to ask questions first. Same goes for burn victims with slashing razor claws, or people in hockey masks, or anything with tentacles.

It's clear that Candyman's doesn't have any "woke" motivations when he kills, he simply kills whoever's around when he's summoned. The vast majority of victims in the movie are teenage girls or all races (as seen in Burke's flashback). Does that seem "woke" to anyone?

The real horror of the movie is that people still cling to the idea of injustice as a way to justify further injustices. Murder is wrong, no matter who does it, and blood for blood isn't how to fix the world. I feel like the deaths of the teenagers show the universal truth behind the movie: when you cling to the pain of the past, children suffer. Everyone suffers. We see this all the time, with childhood depression and violence on the rise. Time to close the book on sowing division for the sake of keeping anger alive and embrace something healthier instead. This "Candyman" is a cautionary tale about what happens when you can't move on from the past.

Social commentary aside, I enjoyed the movie quite a lot. Anyone that thinks a movie can't be "horror" if the murders aren't shown on screen is missing out on decades of classic horror movies. This is true horror, bred from Burke's obsession with bringing the Candyman back to life. If you don't think it's frightening that there are people out there that are willing to sacrifice human lives to keep people divided, then you must think the daily news is a laugh riot.

I enjoyed Yahya Abdul Mateen II's performance; as I usually do. In the beginning, he seemed blissfully unaware that he, and his exploitation of the pain of others to chase the almighty dollar, is part of the problem. And then, as the realization starts to eat at him and he can no longer avoid looking at what he's becoming, he starts to detach from reality. By the end, he was literally becoming a hollowed-out husk of a person, no longer feeling the pain that consumed him. I really felt for him, because self-revelations can be gutting, and he showed that growing despondency well.

Supporting cast was good, too. I liked the comic relief Nathan Stewart-Jarrett provided and would've liked to have seen more of him (loved him in Misfits). Colman Domingo was excellent as the primary antagonist, driving the whole descent into evil, embracing the destructive concept of generational pain. He gave off really strong "crazed cultist" vibes, even if he belonged to a cult of one. Still not entirely sure why he thought bringing back the entity that killed his family was a good idea, but I suppose that's what happens when you're crazy. I feel like Teyonah Parris was underused, and Tony Todd was just there so people like me would say, "Oh! He's in this! I MUST watch it!" Lack of appropriate levels of Tony Todd is my only big complaint. I'll have to watch his scene in "Hatchet" a few dozen times to make up for it, I guess.

So, to summarize: Great, nuanced movie about how clinging to outdated concepts is destroying families. Takeaway message: Don't hold on to anger, it's a way to keep evil alive. Watch with an open mind, no matter which artificial, clickbait, media-hyped "side" you believe you're on. It's an excellent horror movie if you give it a chance, especially if you're frightened by the direction cultures around the world are being pushed towards.

Normally, I get impatient with action scenes because I'm more interested in dialogue. "Barry" manages to create action sequences that just make my jaw drop and keep me glued to the screen. This is my second favorite chase scene of all time - for the entire chase, my stomach was in knots and I couldn't look away. So well done, so nerve-wracking! Far too realistic, which is a good thing even if it means I'm going to have nightmares. PLUS, all the action in no way lessened the progress of the main plot or the humor! Everything felt in balance, particularly because the character development occurred naturally and the humor of the beignet guru lightened things up (particularly with Noho Hank's response to him). So many highs and lows in such a short time! One of the best constructed episodes of the series, certainly.

Glad to see that the Kids aren't afraid to tackle current issues in their return! The bit about cultural appropriation, while perhaps too spot-on, felt like an empathetic take on our modern tendency to vilify everything. The Shakespeare segment is one of my top ten favorite Kids' skits of all time. It's a complete gross-out, but does a great job of showing how much our obsession with media stifles creativity. Both skits delivered their messages without any real vitriol, and their non-aggressive approach is appreciated.

The framing piece has a "Desmond in the Bunker" from "Lost" feel, and while Dave does look a little like Willow from "Buffy" in that wig, I'd watch a spin-off of the world he's in. They really set up the alienation, loneliness, and pathos of the situation, and while the bit doesn't actually go anywhere, the acting makes me care about what happens to the character after the cameras stop rolling.

The first two episodes of the series seemed more nostalgic than fresh, but here it felt like they finally hit their stride. Also, it was good to NOT see them naked for a change. Some things are best left to someone else's imagination and should not be allowed to haunt my nightmares.

First off, kudos to every single actor in this. The men were terrific at acting like monsters, and the women were amazing at playing victims. But it that really the message they wanted to send here? I'm not convinced.

Obviously, "not all men" are seething pits of toxic masculinity. I've personally met very few that are. Equally obviously, very few women (at least in the U. S.) run screaming from men that are behaving badly. I, personally, just tell them using neutral, logical language that any aggressive or negative behavior will not be tolerated. That's always worked for me, and I'm tiny and objectively non-threatening.

Since neither the toxic male or victim female stereotype is 100% accurate in the real world, could "Not All Men" be showing us the world as the divisive elements in the media want us to see it? Is the meteorite symbolic of the media trying to skew public behavior so they have more violence to cover? Maaaaybeee... The fact that they chose to end the episode on a news report could have been a clue.

I'm giving it a 5/10 because the "plague of conscience" blaming the behavior on the rocks in Peele's end monologue is too ambiguous. Clearly, many viewers are seeing this as an "all men bad" message, not "all men can become bad if they're given an excuse like the media-generated concept of toxic masculinity/rocks". I mean, were all women naturally victims before the "me too" movement? Of course not. Only the ones that were actually victimized by the men that were actually toxic. They've always been around, but the media would have us believe that everyone falls into these stereotypes. And it's the stereotypes that the media both feeds and feeds off of. So, there's a chance the message of this episode is "things aren't as bad as the media wants, so don't fall into the stereotype trap". But there's also a chance that it has jumped the woke shark and everyone involved has the collective intelligence of a single mackerel. Hard to tell! So, 5 points for the acting, 0 points for the (hopefully) ambiguous script. I still want to believe the best of people, even Hollywood-types.

I'd swear, the more I see of Mark Proksch, the more I'm convinced he spends his free time in real life naked in a tub of goop.

In this case, his Colin Robinson body was a slime-filled husk, from which the new Colin Babyson burst forth in all its annoying majesty. There is no better form that an Energy Vampire could take than an infant, a creature designed by nature to cry and scream and poop, being at all times and in all ways utterly emotionally and physically draining.

Is he an alien chestburster? Is he a type of insect, hatching from the old cocoon? Maybe he was attracted to the siren because he was an egg inside an egg, a never-ending nesting doll of Colin Robinsons. I can't wait to find out!

The rest of the show was fine, too.

It has been fun watching Laszlo turn from lothario to caregiver, first keeping Colin's impending death a secret as they bonded, then keeping Colin's rebirth a secret so that Nadja could move on with her own life, his lovebird leaving their nest. If he can keep his rampant lust in check, he'll make a great dad.

It's clear that Guillermo has developed a huge amount of self-worth, and hopefully he will lose a bit of that hubris next season, because it could definitely get out of hand if it goes unchecked. Nandor really does care about him, but some time apart will let them both break the cycle of codependency they've developed. Nandor has been sort of a "grumpy teen" lately, so hopefully seeing the world by himself and getting a broader perspective on life will make him a stronger person.

I really like the idea of Nadja and Guillermo traveling together, because they don't have a vested interest in each other's happiness. This should allow them to grow towards independence without completely giving up their safety net.

All together, this episode felt really... HEALTHY. Sometimes, people need to have fights with their family so they can grow on their own. They still love each other, clearly, but they need some fresh air and new horizons. When they come back for the next season, I'm sure they'll have exciting stories to share. Their fans will all be waiting for them!

I saw "Blair Witch" when it first came out, and didn't get what the fuss was about. It didn't seem to have much of a plot or character development, and none of the protagonists seemed like they knew what they were doing. It was a lot of crying and screaming, with no nuance. Not frightening, at all.

I've seen numerous other "found footage" movies since then, and found them all to be equally dull and unrealistic. But I liked the concept, so I kept watching them while I was doing other things, waiting for something to interest me.

Finally, I found "Butterfly Kisses", a few years after its release. It's a faux-documentary about found footage, and initially treats such footage with skepticism and disdain. I have an extremely high tolerance for horror, and no, this didn't scare me. However, I found it extremely compelling to watch.

It's several "nested" films: the found footage, a documentary about the found footage, and a documentary about the documentary about the found footage. Sounds more confusing than it is, but I enjoyed the documentary layers immensely. There were some people, back in the day, that thought "Blair Witch" was real. Since then, people have become far more savvy about these things, and that attitude is accurately reflected in "Butterfly Kisses". Every aspect of the found footage is analyzed, and it's an interesting tutorial on how someone *could* fake it all. Slowly, some of the participants start to believe. And that movement from outright disbelief through suspicion to acknowledgement of the possibility that there's something real behind it all really drew my attention.

The acting for the documentary sections was very natural and believable. The acting for the found footage section was not, which makes sense, since the premise was that no one was certain if it had been faked or not. We expect found footage movies to have over-the-top acting; we expect real movies that we find in boxes in storerooms to have no acting at all, just natural behavior. If the found footage was too realistic, there wouldn't be such a rush to immediately dismiss it as a student film. It's that rush to deny that sets up the middle documentary layer so well.

I would definitely recommend "Butterfly Kisses" to anyone that's interested in writing horror or directing a found footage movie. I'd also recommend it to anyone that is looking for something more thought-provoking than jump scares and gorefests.

So, the ending of the first half of the season ("Red Tide") had the basic message that Hollywood doesn't care about anyone, and is fine with watching the world turn to chaos for everyone that isn't special enough to survive swallowing their pill. The ending of this second half ("Death Valley") seems to be sending the message that we've sold our planet for technology, and because we let this happen at the expense of the environment, the only part of humanity that the aliens will allow to survive is a single Vegas showgirl that's willing to see the rest of the humans die so that she can finally nurture a baby.

What...? Only the Hollywood elite survive the first half, and only a traditional mom survives the second? I am very confused by the apparent messages of this season. Is Ryan Murphy seriously calling out Hollywood and Big Tech, saying they want to take over the world for their own benefit? On a streaming show that makes millions of dollars for FX (a Disney subsidiary)? And the comments Valiant Thor makes about people getting distracted by conflict so they don't notice when the aliens start experimenting on humans, making a very clear reference to a current widespread medical procedures... Play with the toys so we can all be victimized by the doctors? Really? AHS went *there*? For what purpose?

This all feels like conspiracy theory fodder to me, and maybe that was the point. The acting in the season finale was fine, I laughed a little too hard at what they ended up doing to Kaia Gerber, and it was all over before I was entirely sure where they were going with it. I mean, both halves seem to say we're all doomed and there's nothing we can do because we're up against something bigger than us. It feels like an agenda is being addressed here, but not one I would ever expect to see on "American Horror Story".

At least it gave me something to think about, and maybe I'll spend a little less time and money on the Hollywood vampires and the Big Tech aliens for a while.

Second week in a row that "What We Do" has tugged at the heartstrings, in a positive and lovely way. Like last week, the episode is also special-effects heavy, with some really cool sequences and new creatures.

The plot focuses on the bond between Nadja and her Doll, and the friendship between Colin and Laszlo. It's a feel-good situation all around, which is nice for horror geeks like me that get tired of shows that focus on negativity and drama all the time. To quote one of the songs in the episode, "Vampires are a happy folk, they share a laugh, they share a joke." The world needs that right now.

It feels like Matt Berry was genuinely letting his love of music shine when he was... "buying" a stereo system. It also feels, having watched "Dream Corps LLC", that Mark Proksch is an exhibitionist with a love for grease. Just saying.

There was something so heartfelt and touching about this episode that it's going to be my new "happy place" to go to whenever I get a little bit down. It delved a little into the mythology about what happens when a vampire's master dies. Pretty lightweight stuff, considering we know this isn't the kind of show to let truly bad things happen to the protagonists. But it wasn't the plot that made me love the episode so much, it was the warmth.

The scene-stealing hellhound is back, and one of my all-time favorite actors returns in his original role. The special effects were charmingly cheesy, sort of 80s "Ghostbusters" level nostalgic goodness. I believe Cole Escola was the voice of one of the newly introduced creatures, and that whole sequence was a hoot. Guillermo took center stage as the hero, which is always fun to watch. The episode ended on such a darkly adorable sequence that I wanted to hug every character involved.

10/10 for the warm fuzzy feelings, for the dog, and for Nandor's incessant guilty wailing.

All the advertisements made it look like we'd have an interesting retro take on an alien invasion. I love Neal McDonough, and was excited to see him added to the cast. Fine! Good start, a little trite with the alien imagery and plot, but still fine.

Then... Shift to the present day with vacuous college students obsessed with their sex lives. Still an alien invasion plot, but now populated by people that belong on a reality TV dating show, acting as if they *are* on one. Just because you *can* cast young, pretty people in your show doesn't mean you *should*. How many viewers will be able to relate to them?

It feels like this half escaped from "American Horror Stories", and that is not a good thing. At all. If it was intentionally funny, like "Scream Queens", then I could maybe enjoy it. This isn't even unintentionally funny. It's just unrelatable and uninspired in every possible way.

There was so much potential for this half of the "Double Feature" to end well. They had a chance to wrap things up before they got too complicated, but for some reason they decided to both leave us with unresolved questions *and* introduce new characters.

What happens to the newly-introduced Dot Marie Jones? Did Ursula ever notice that Mickey was missing? Will anyone ever find Karen's final masterpiece? Is Doris doomed to wander around eating people until she dies? Who even cares about the little seaside town when the entire world is going feral?

Yes, it concludes with the "Hollywood is evil" message, but there's nothing redeeming about that. There's no hope for humanity; Hollywood is too powerful and the uncreative-types it's filled with are killing everyone on the streets. The Chemist doesn't care. She just wants to start over and create something new to test on gullible humans. I'm not sure what the show is trying to say with that, and any guesses veer into "conspiracy theory" territory.

The acting was fine, particularly that one look between Alma and Ursula. Angelica Ross is as lovely as ever. Dot Marie Jones is sorely misused, and I'd love to see her as a main character in a different season. Same goes for Robin Weigert.

I just wanted more. More plot lines actually wrapped up. More of the main characters. More hope, even though "happy endings" aren't guaranteed for anyone on AHS. Just a glimmer of something that wasn't gloom and doom would have helped this ending immensely.

If you are looking for unadulterated gross-out humor without any redeeming qualities whatsoever, this is the episode for you! If you're watching Dream Corp LLC at all, you probably have a strong tolerance for pure bile. There are no dream sequences in this episode, but every moment is surreal and inexplicable.

Colin Robinson from "What We Do in the Shadows" is nearly nude, wearing bananas and fudge stripes cookies. Ahmed is vacuuming, nearly naked. Some other guy is clearly naked. I don't even know who he was, but there was a pooping llama (?) nearby.

Blood and glitter. Foaming at the mouth. Randy made an adorable new friend, after having made out with a lifelike doll of 88. I can hardly believe they were able to cram so much random, grotesque nonsense into one single episode.

The ending was an homage to "Naked Lunch", which made everything make a little more sense, but not much. While this review may make the episode sound terrible, if that's what you enjoy, you won't be disappointed. I personally need an escape into someone else's madness every now and again, and Dream Corp LLC naturally scratches that itch.

Apparently, I am the exact target audience for "Solos". As a woman "of a certain age", every single one of these stories gripped me and wouldn't let go. I binged the series in one evening, because I knew I never wanted to feel this way again. I don't think I'll ever be to rewatch it, but I definitely feel that anyone that's capable of empathy should view it at least once. The stories are light on the sci-fi, but heavy on emotional impact. This is NOT a feel-good show. It's about love and loss, and every one of the actors conveys their message with intense conviction. There's no action, and the episodes have a very claustrophobic focus on less than three characters each. It's easy to see why a show like this can have such polarized reviews; if you're expecting something that's like other sci-fi shows, you will be very disappointed. This is a show for people that can feel deeply and are open to being moved by the suffering of others. Granted, that is a very small demographic target to hit. If you fit in that category, though, "Solo" will help you have a nice, long cry and remember everything good that you have in your life, and hopefully you'll be able to draw strength from it the way I have.

This episode was mostly filler, and if this was the one that edited out the scenes with a certain unnameable canceled musician, I understand why. But apart from the scenes covering the trauma Technical Boy experienced in his "mortal life", the episode really felt like it was missing heart. The "date" between Shadow and Bilquis seemed forced, like it was there just to say, "See? I don't need to believe women are only good for one thing just because society tells me that." The "new enlightenment" Bilquis had came about for most women in America (where this is set) back in the 1960s. I felt sorry for Demeter, because her dialogue about loving Odin seemed very authentic. But apart from those moments, the episode didn't contribute much to the plot or the character development. I could have done without the spy scenes, and definitely done without Laura and Salim moping about. I understand that Salim is heartbroken, but it never changes and has moved from being sad to being annoyingly predictable. This episode is missing fire, energy, genuine STRONG emotional engagement. And COMEDY. I couldn't find anything to chuckle at, at all. Ibis needs Aunt Nancy. Laura needs Sweeney. The episode was a downer, but the reason I rated it so highly was because it sets up the conflict between magic and technology, so the first 10 minutes and the last two get a full 10 stars, and the rest would be about a 5. Hopefully, the next episode will bring some light and excitement back.

The first five minutes could be interpreted as "wokeness", but really, it's more about how Gods need worshippers, and the more they have and the more unified they are, the stronger the Gods are. It's the same theme as Odin telling Johann that he needs to stop fighting and keep performing music to get more followers. Not really a spoiler, but the high point of the episode was seeing a dazed and naked Odin flashing traffic. There's a little about Bilquis, and about how much she depends on her followers for power, and on other Gods that she'd left behind. There are some weird Technical Boy special effects, and he's clearly breaking down because of the tech billionaire's disappearance, so I'm curious about that power dynamic with the New Gods. There's also a continuation of the subplot involving the Deadwife, who I disliked in the first season, but I find her complicated relationship with Sweeney interesting and I hope he's actually going to return at some point. All in all, yes, it's filler intended to reiterate the importance of the planned war. But it's enjoyable filler, and there was some very good acting in it from secondary characters. It gains bonus points for being dedicated to Cloris Leachman.

Today, I learned that the book that this is based on, which is marketed as "exploring the conjunction of H.P. Lovecraft and racism in the United States during the era of Jim Crow laws" is, according to other reviews here on IMDB, not supposed to be inspired by Lovecraft's stories. It has otherworldly monsters, secret cults, and names that are strikingly similar to those used by Lovecraft. It even makes direct in-world references to Lovecraft's stories. But, despite all this, and despite the title, I'm assured by numerous other reviewers that it was never intended to relate to Lovecraft and his darker themes whatsoever. While I find this hard to believe, I still think the show, even as a stand-alone horror is merely "okay". The reason I give it an overall 7 is because of the acting, and because it is entertaining if you're looking for something along the lines of Dan Brown and Indiana Jones. It's not particularly deep, and if you have any passing interest in supernatural fiction from the early 20th century, the only thing new are the protagonists. That part is refreshing; I just wish the characters had been given a better story to explore. Some real darkness would have given them a chance to show us what they can do. This isn't cosmic horror. It's barely horror. It's adventure, and if the original author didn't want us to associate it with the Lovecraft name, perhaps a better title would have fit his novel.