The so far pointless story line of season 6 finally gets some meaning. Episode 6, far from being true to the horror genre and more about drama, serves as an introduction to the "real" horror story to come, given that the 5 previous episodes allegedly belong to a TV- show, broadcast in 2015 and gained massive popularity. The new plot line concerns a new three-day special, in which the actors of the docudrama "My Roanoke Nightmare" and the "real" survivors return to the supposedly haunted house during the bloody full moon. This smartass twist gives an alibi to the unjustified actions of the flat and sketchy characters in a narrative without definite premise and straight direction. Despite the plot-holes thus far-an issue that will not be addressed in this review- the newly established conditions, the re-introduced characters and their intra- relationships create some instinctively high stakes.
A new dynamic, that can shortly described as antagonistic, is being developed between the characters of the production team and the "true" survivors. The cynic people of the media and the traumatized ones of the every-day life create also a double-layer of premises. For instance, Sydney's motive- the producer of the show- is of course all about the money, following the new trend of porn violence on reality TV. But much more is at issue for the viewers of the reality show as well as for the viewers of American horror story. The deeper objective of the show is to uncover the killer of Lee's husband- a mystery remained unsolved by the end of the previous show- and that's one of the reasons why the new plot is quite thickening and multidimensional; it is not only enlightening about the true nature of the broadcast episodes, but is also very promising about the scary story, that just begun. The greed of the production team and the ignorance of the participants are cooking a deadly recipe for the newly launched main plot. Moreover the characters gain some depth (at last!), since they are re-introduced as the directed personas of a TV-show, exposing their true identities and thus personalities. Their aims and desires are now much more clear, realistic and convincing, although they remain, without knowing it, the sheer puppets of a TV-production and the soon-to-be victims of the haunting spirits.
Ryan Murphy is creating once more a meta-narrative, manipulating our sense of reality, filtered by the mass media, reshaping the cliché narrative formula of the classic horror film and commenting on it. His main tool is self-reference, that exposes the means of a TV- production, because "people are interested in the process" of film- making- as Sydney aptly puts it. Furthermore he challenges our sense of morality, by giving away the tragic ending of the shooting. But if we were viewers of the reality sequel, we would still be watching it, right? Last but not least, the choice made to frame the main plot- meaning the gathering of the actors and the "real" survivors in the haunted house- into a reality TV-show production is an excellent comment on the American society, considering its obsession with the media, self-exposure and voyeurism. Whether the creators of the show agree with this principle or not, they surely project modern America's tagline: if you're on TV, you matter!
A new dynamic, that can shortly described as antagonistic, is being developed between the characters of the production team and the "true" survivors. The cynic people of the media and the traumatized ones of the every-day life create also a double-layer of premises. For instance, Sydney's motive- the producer of the show- is of course all about the money, following the new trend of porn violence on reality TV. But much more is at issue for the viewers of the reality show as well as for the viewers of American horror story. The deeper objective of the show is to uncover the killer of Lee's husband- a mystery remained unsolved by the end of the previous show- and that's one of the reasons why the new plot is quite thickening and multidimensional; it is not only enlightening about the true nature of the broadcast episodes, but is also very promising about the scary story, that just begun. The greed of the production team and the ignorance of the participants are cooking a deadly recipe for the newly launched main plot. Moreover the characters gain some depth (at last!), since they are re-introduced as the directed personas of a TV-show, exposing their true identities and thus personalities. Their aims and desires are now much more clear, realistic and convincing, although they remain, without knowing it, the sheer puppets of a TV-production and the soon-to-be victims of the haunting spirits.
Ryan Murphy is creating once more a meta-narrative, manipulating our sense of reality, filtered by the mass media, reshaping the cliché narrative formula of the classic horror film and commenting on it. His main tool is self-reference, that exposes the means of a TV- production, because "people are interested in the process" of film- making- as Sydney aptly puts it. Furthermore he challenges our sense of morality, by giving away the tragic ending of the shooting. But if we were viewers of the reality sequel, we would still be watching it, right? Last but not least, the choice made to frame the main plot- meaning the gathering of the actors and the "real" survivors in the haunted house- into a reality TV-show production is an excellent comment on the American society, considering its obsession with the media, self-exposure and voyeurism. Whether the creators of the show agree with this principle or not, they surely project modern America's tagline: if you're on TV, you matter!