S09.E09: Final Girl

[jewel21]

Camp Redwood draws in a lost soul looking for closure.

Airdate: 11.13.2019

[Chaos Theory]

Ok not quite what I expected but I still really enjoyed it.  The Margaret Booth death was a little too silly but besides that I did like how the final episode incorporated the story telling aspect with Bobby and all the ghosts.  I thought that it was clever how they dealt with Ramirez..  I also really liked that Brooke got her happy ending.

But mostly I liked the end shot.  How is I that American Horror Story can make me cry, "I wish I could have told him in the living years."

Edited November 14, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[sashayshante]

Easily the best season finale of this show and 99% of it was due to Finn Wittrock. When this show features great actors, even the worst writing shines. This episode had everything that makes a great season for me: a linear story, great acting and no useless characters. The whole episode was tight.

That said, pretending 27 yr old Emma Roberts was 50 by putting some tiny flecks of gray in her hair and having her blurt some ridiculous wordy explanation (Fillers! Healthy living Dermatologist husband!) was ridiculous.

ETA: The Living Years will never not make me bawl and think of my Dad. Such a great choice for a closing song. It was fitting that Wittrock, Rabe and Lynch - the best actors of the season - were the actors in the closing scene.

Edited November 14, 2019 by sashayshante

[SimoneS]

I totally loved this season; the story and 80s music and style was excellent. And the finale was wonderful with adult Bobby going off to live his life free of the past. It was actually sweet to see his family seeing him off into the living world.

I am thrilled that Donna made it out alive. I was surprised that she did. I can't believe that Brooke made it out also. I loved that Ray saved her. Honestly, it feels like the theme of this season is redemption and love.

I cheered that the ghosts stopped the killing, came together as a community, protecting Bobby all these years, and then saving him from Ramirez. At first I didn't like that he went back to Camp Redwood, but his reunion with his father was so sweet. I am glad that Bobby made it out alive. I thought for a second Ramirez would follow him out and kill him.

I absolutely loved Montana and Trevor's love story. I predicted that Margaret would kill him so I wasn't surprised when it happened. I love Brooke for helping Trevor go back to the camp so he and Montana could be together forever. Look how that and Trevor's love helped Montana change for the better. She became a caring person... uh ghost.

Poor Courtney. Margaret was pure evil. At first I cheered when Margaret was about to finally got hers, but damn that was brutal. However, I am glad that Margaret and Ramirez will suffer painful deaths forever. 

Edited November 14, 2019 by SimoneS

[Starchild]

I got a little blood in my eye there at the end. 

Shut up.

Lynch is so f'in good. And Finn and him hugging? They really sold that reunion.

[sashayshante]

Also, I want to know who Cody Fern pissed off this season to get almost no dialogue in the last few episodes.

[Surrealist]

26 minutes ago, SimoneS said:

I am glad that Bobby made it out alive. I thought for a second Ramirez would follow him out and kill him.

Same. I was thinking Ramirez would pop up from behind, or from the side, and slit his throat. 

I was happy when it didn't happen. 

In some sense, Bobby was the Final Girl, er, Boy. 

Edited November 14, 2019 by Surrealist

[yourdreamer]

The time jump made this season work for me. Maybe it was Finn as Bobby that made it so much more palatable or that this episode mostly made sense. I feel like 30 years of killing Ramirez over and over again would be exhausting for everybody though. Maybe they did not really get rid of their bloodlust, and constant killing of Ramirez is the way to sate that desire. 
 

The Living Years literally always makes me cry, so that final scene was it for me. Sobbing mess. Honestly, though, it included the best actors/characters in that one with Lily Rabe and John Carroll Lynch along with Finn. 

[farmgal4]

I thoroughly enjoyed this season, and I hate seeing it end. 😢

[LoveLeigh]

OMG so bad, so corny, and so silly. I can't believe they took so many episodes to tell this story. The only thing that interests me is the real location of Brooke's house because the exterior of that house looked amazing to me. 

[sashayshante]

16 minutes ago, DakotaLavender said:

OMG so bad, so corny, and so silly. I can't believe they took so many episodes to tell this story. The only thing that interests me is the real location of Brooke's house because the exterior of that house looked amazing to me. 

This episode really highlighted just how bad this season was. At least, it should have to people who've been raving about it. Bobby's search for answers and for his father is what the season should have focused on all along. Once the story was shifted to Bobby and off the ghosts, it was way more interesting.  The ghosts and Margaret were all caricatures devoid of substance. Bobby was someone viewers could actually care about.

Edited November 14, 2019 by sashayshante

[phoenix780]

2 hours ago, sashayshante said:

This episode really highlighted just how bad this season was. At least, it should have to people who've been raving about it. Bobby's search for answers and for his father is what the season should have focused on all along. Once the story was shifted to Bobby and off the ghosts, it was way more interesting.  The ghosts and Margaret were all caricatures devoid of substance. Bobby was someone viewers could actually care about.

I think that if they were going to end with Son of Jingles hearing ghost stories, they should have started with that so it wasn't as much...I found it irritating, frankly, to drop this guy in and tell the end of the story in flashbacks, cutting the tension they were building and obliterating a lot of the payoffs by sucking up screentime for this new character's journey. I kept waiting for him to be something, and it didn't happen. It couldn't have, in such a limited time. 

But, I probably wouldn't have been as into the season had they built it around him, because I was all-in on a fun love letter to 1980s slasher movies. For me, that was more than enough to provide entertainment even if characters didn't have a lot of depth. Heck, their lack of depth was itself part of the homage. 

So, the finale didn't really do it for me. They abandoned the 80s premise without giving me something else to get excited about, since pretty much every villain/conflict was dealt with in a matter of seconds. I did love the rest of the season, though. I'm curious how it would have played out if they didn't cut down the number of episodes.

On a positive note, it is kind of interesting that this random collection of ghosts can thwart Satan's efforts, just using the power of community.

[AnimeMania]

Things that still bother me:

Who started the curse, If it was Jingles' mother, why is Ghost Boy Bobby part of it?

How did the Hitch-hiking Ghost leave Camp Redwood?

Why weren't there more girl ghosts, Margaret Booth slaughtered an entire cabin full of girls.

How many days was the Camp Redwood Festival? How long was the bus blocking the entrance? Why did nobody come back to Camp Redwood to remove the stage?

When Brooke was lying in front of Camp Redwood how long had the bus been removed from the entrance.

Why didn't the police search Camp Redwood, since a woman was found shot at the entrance.

How did Brooke get medical treatment with no ID or money.

[BurntWaffle]

The finale was okay, but it really did feel rushed.

I wasn't as connected to the characters and their eventual fates, when it's basically a giant flashback recap.

Teasing the big concert over the previous couple of episodes, and to not deliver....well, I have to mark the show off for that, sorry.

I was also distracted by the idea that the concert stage would still be standing in such decent shape after 30 years!. If it wouldn't have been looted already by opportunistic eBayers, then surely the online community would constantly have bloggers out there snapping pics and YouTubing what would still be a macabre landmark.

It was a serviceable finale, but it felt very lacking in the payoff.

[Mr. Sparkle]

1 hour ago, BurntWaffle said:

Teasing the big concert over the previous couple of episodes, and to not deliver....well, I have to mark the show off for that, sorry.

Seriously, was Billy Idol not available? 

[Chaos Theory]

2 hours ago, BurntWaffle said:

The finale was okay, but it really did feel rushed.

I wasn't as connected to the characters and their eventual fates, when it's basically a giant flashback recap.

Teasing the big concert over the previous couple of episodes, and to not deliver....well, I have to mark the show off for that, sorry.

I was also distracted by the idea that the concert stage would still be standing in such decent shape after 30 years!. If it wouldn't have been looted already by opportunistic eBayers, then surely the online community would constantly have bloggers out there snapping pics and YouTubing what would still be a macabre landmark.

It was a serviceable finale, but it felt very lacking in the payoff.

You essentially need someone like Margaret to keep people interested or most people do move on to the next big thing.  Montana herself commented on that when she first met Bobby.   People eventually did stop coming and guessed it had something to do with cell phones.  Which is a fair assessment.   Without tours and guides the camp was probably eventually forgotten.   First season Murder House had a bus tour.  Eventually Hotel Cortez got a reputation for having sex ghosts and a Medium showed up.   As for the Concert Stage that was there mostly for the audience to set some ambiance.

8 hours ago, sashayshante said:

That said, pretending 27 yr old Emma Roberts was 50 by putting some tiny flecks of gray in her hair and having her blurt some ridiculous wordy explanation (Fillers! Healthy living Dermatologist husband!) was ridiculous.

AHS FX budget must be pretty high.   Do you spend it on killing Margaret or on a five minute scene trying to make a twenty something actor look fifty that no one is ever going to believe when you can instead throw in a couple of lines about a Doctor husband and giving up on hate and anger which fits in the theme of the season.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[sashayshante]

1 hour ago, Chaos Theory said:

Do you spend it on killing Margaret or on a five minute scene trying to make a twenty something actor look fifty that no one is ever going to believe when you can instead throw in a couple of lines about a Doctor husband and giving up on hate and anger which fits in the theme of the season.

If This is Us can age Mandy Moore with little trouble, I'm sure they could have done something similar for Emma Roberts that wouldn't break the bank. If you are going to forego any kind of aging make-up, at least write a plausible explanation. She looked exactly the same. No amount of fillers in the world can erase 30 years of aging.

Edited November 14, 2019 by sashayshante

[Chaos Theory]

5 minutes ago, sashayshante said:

If This is Us can age Mandy Moore with little trouble, I'm sure they could have done something similar for Emma Roberts that wouldn't break the bank.

I don’t watch the show but I can assume that old Mandy Moore is a character that plays more then a single episode.   I would see the point if old Emma Roberts was as well.   Then again I don’t really care either way and never understood why people focus on something like that.  
 

I like the theme of moving on.   

Edited November 14, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[sashayshante]

1 hour ago, Superclam said:

Teasing the big concert over the previous couple of episodes, and to not deliver....well, I have to mark the show off for that, sorry.

It speaks volumes that the scrapped pretty much every plot point for the finale and inserted an entirely new, never introduced before character to carry the finale. I enjoyed this episode because it was so far removed from everything we'd been given previously.

Just now, Chaos Theory said:

Then again I don’t really care either way and never understood why people focus on something like that.  

Probably because we like things to make sense. Fiction is about suspending disbelief. It's hard to do that when you're served up reminders that what you're watching isn't real.

[hoosiermom]

I enjoyed the heck out of this season. I’m an old fart who loves happy endings.

[MrPissyPuppy]

10 hours ago, sashayshante said:

That said, pretending 27 yr old Emma Roberts was 50 by putting some tiny flecks of gray in her hair and having her blurt some ridiculous wordy explanation (Fillers! Healthy living Dermatologist husband!) was ridiculous.

Seriously!  At least give her a supernatural reason for looking that way.   They did a good job aging Donna, so why not her? 

[WednesdayAddams]

I thought the ending was sad. I was sad for the ghosts being left behind and forgotten. I was hoping that they'd cross over and get their happy ending.

I love that Bertie was back, but would have loved her making out with Cody Fern better, seeing that they had that fun connection.

Why the hell can Jonas leave the camp????

[darkestboy]

I really loved that episode and would even go to say it was one of my favourite finales.

I get why this season hasn't been for everyone but it's definitely been one of the best years we've had and I loved the gruesome just desserts that Margaret, Ramirez and Bruce all got at the hands of the campers.

I liked that Montana/Trevor seemed less homicidal and that the former seemed to forgive Brooke as well.

Brooke and Donna both being the final girl I kind of guessed but it worked for me though.

Bobby was a great character and a reminder of how great Finn Wittrock is as an actor. I really hope we get him back next season in any capacity to be honest.

A fantastic ending to a fun (for me) season, 9/10

[phoenix780]

Didn't they also give Emma Roberts more exaggerated lines around her mouth? They stood out to me, for some reason. 

The whole explicit final girl conversation that kept happening- was that term an 80s thing? I thought it was from the 90s, coming from studies of the horror movies from the late 70s/80s, popularized because we don't just enjoy stuff anymore we dissect it.

[AnimeMania]

2 hours ago, sashayshante said:

It speaks volumes that the scrapped pretty much every plot point for the finale and inserted an entirely new, never introduced before character to carry the finale. I enjoyed this episode because it was so far removed from everything we'd been given previously.

I think there was supposed to be one more episode to this season, but it got scrapped for some reason.

[Keywestclubkid]

Question tho if they have Richard Ramirez's soul trapped at the camp how did he show up in hotel? if he cant die then how did his soul show up? they just did a big ass plot hole

[Chaos Theory]

24 minutes ago, Keywestclubkid said:

Question tho if they have Richard Ramirez's soul trapped at the camp how did he show up in hotel? if he cant die then how did his soul show up? they just did a big ass plot hole

Not really.   Ramirez sold his soul to Satan a long time ago.  He is essentially a soulless killing monster.   It’s not hard to write around the plot if you don’t take it literally.

[Keywestclubkid]

14 minutes ago, Chaos Theory said:

Not really.   Ramirez sold his soul to Satan a long time ago.  He is essentially a soulless killing monster.   It’s not hard to write around the plot if you don’t take it literally.

if that was true then why keep killing him to save jigles son? if he could leave the camp that one night he wouldn't come back just for the hell of it.... if his soul isnt trapped then he could just have the devil resurrect him somewhere else he wouldn't go back to the camp every other night but that one to be constantly killed i don't think the devil would care about any rule if he could get his "soul" out of that camp and he didn't age the entire time he has been killed and rekilled  but his soul sure did look older when he was in hotel?... IT is a plot hole

Edited November 14, 2019 by Keywestclubkid

[kokapetl]

I thought Emma Roberts and Angelica Ross looking the same was intentional, that it was supernatural.

[Chaos Theory]

This is definitely going in my top five list.  Maybe even my top three list (not sure).  I know I am not going to get anyone to like this who doesn’t and you all aren’t going to make me think this is anything but the best season of AHS since the very fun Hotel which yes I also really liked.   I don’t see Ramirez as a plot hole at all.  But ok if you do.     Even if it is...it one day a year when he can leave and even then in another cursed location so not really.   
 

I really appreciate that the focus of the finale was on Ben and his family.   That maybe what the whole story actually was.  That even Brooke and her plight was a secondary story.   That being said I would have liked more of Brooke because she was my favorite character.

I know there was alot of people missing some of the bigger actors but honestly I didn’t.   I thought this was a fun and exciting season and it was far better then the deeply disappointing Appocolpse and it will probably age better then the overly political Cult (even though I liked Cult).    Freak Show and Coven we’re both ultimately disappointments and Roanoke had its moments but might have been a little too confusing.    
 

So yeah 1984 is definitely in my top 3.

Asylum

Hotel

1984

Murder House

Edited November 14, 2019 by Chaos Theory

[methodwriter85]

2 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

It speaks volumes that the scrapped pretty much every plot point for the finale and inserted an entirely new, never introduced before character to carry the finale. I enjoyed this episode because it was so far removed from everything we'd been given previously.

I mean, technically, Bobby WAS introduced as a baby. But I do think it's really obvious that they scrapped what they were originally intending to do this season and did a hard-left in the last three episodes. I enjoyed it, but I felt like I was getting whiplash from how fast they were galloping through the finale.

I enjoy Finn Wittrock. I'm pretty sure they picked him to play Bobby because they knew they weren't going to be able to write much for him as a character because of the episode reduction but they also knew that Finn would be able to carry it regardless.

Edited November 14, 2019 by methodwriter85

[iMonrey]

I was on the fence about this whole season until around episode seven. I get that a lot of fans enjoyed the "fun" of the first six episodes, but to me it seemed more like a season of Scream Queens than AHS. When you do straight parody, by definition you're playing the whole thing for laughs. And yeah I get that people thought it was fun and enjoyed it but . . . where is the horror? They didn't really start playing this show for laughs until around Coven, but even then they had genuine horror. Genuine horror seemed mostly lacking for most of this season.

That said I think they tied it up nicely towards the end with the introduction of Lily Rabe's character and Jingle's backstory, and I really enjoyed this finale, especially the final shot. I like how the season dovetailed into the familiar AHS theme of ghosts being trapped in the physical location of where they died (even though the show has never explained why that happens in certain places). There's a certain sadness to that even if they try to use humor with it.

I still don't think Billie Lourde is a strong enough actress to have a lead role, though, and Emma Roberts is entirely too polarizing so the cast was something of an issue, even with the addition of Matthew Morrison. I don't think it was coincidence that the show really came alive (for me, anyway) with the addition of Lily Rabe and Dylan McDermott. Finn Wittrock was a welcome addition as well.

I'll definitely rank this season over Cult and Roanoke, but somewhere in the middle of Coven and Apocalypse. 

Quote

But I do think it's really obvious that they scrapped what they were originally intending to do this season and did a hard-left in the last three episodes

Yeah, and the feedback I'm seeing falls along the lines of enjoying the first six episodes but not the last three or vice versa. I'm in the latter category, as the show seemed to return to form in the last three whereas it just didn't feel like AHS during the first six.

Edited November 14, 2019 by iMonrey

[ClareWalks]

10 hours ago, AnimeMania said:

How did Brooke get medical treatment with no ID or money.

You don't need an ID or cash to get medical treatment. Holy crap, that'd be awful if you did. That'd mean if you were out jogging and collapsed, doctors could just refuse to take you into the ER. Even in the US with our kind of lousy medical industry, that'd be insane.

[PWHCHCH]

They should have had Brooke dying at the half way point between Camp Redwood and the exit. Half ghost, half alive who can live in the real world but never age as a ghost. That would have explained why she looked so young but could leave the camp. 

[iMonrey]

Quote

You don't need an ID or cash to get medical treatment. Holy crap, that'd be awful if you did. That'd mean if you were out jogging and collapsed, doctors could just refuse to take you into the ER. Even in the US with our kind of lousy medical industry, that'd be insane.

Still I wonder what happens if you have no ID. Geez the one time I had to go to the emergency room they must have asked me for my SSN and insurance info about 12 times. 

[Ms Lark]

Shoot. I was hoping for a twist and Courtney would be the final "girl." Margaret truly was the worst boss ever.

Edited November 14, 2019 by Ms Lark

[sashayshante]

1 hour ago, methodwriter85 said:

I enjoy Finn Wittrock. I'm pretty sure they picked him to play Bobby because they knew they weren't going to be able to write much for him as a character because of the episode reduction but they also knew that Finn would be able to carry it regardless.

Wittrock has proven time and again how clutch he is. He's the only reason I bothered to watch the finale.  Murphy announced they were currently in talk to bring back some of the OG cast members for season 10 as it "might" (lol) be the last one. (It's soooo the last one.) I hope they secure Wittrock for season 10.

6 hours ago, WednesdayAddams said:

I love that Bertie was back, but would have loved her making out with Cody Fern better, seeing that they had that fun connection.

I strongly believe that scene was supposed to be Xavier and Bertie, especially because of the comment she makes about Chet going both ways. The way Cody Fern's part was whittled to next to nothing in the last few episodes and the fact he did almost no promotion of the season makes me think there were problems on set. By the end of the season Xavier barely had any dialogue.

I think the over-reaching problem with the season  (besides the uneven cast) was that the writers didn't know what they wanted the show to be. Was it going to be a campy homage or a psychological supernatural theme? It constantly went back and forth.

[SimoneS]

I also want to add that I am thrilled that Angelica Ross (Donna) had a leading role this season. She was outstanding and carried a lot of the season. I was concerned that after her character, Candy was killed on Pose that she was just being tossed a bone with this AHS role. So I am pleased that Murphy didn't waste her talent and use her as a token to diversity

[SimoneS]

10 hours ago, WednesdayAddams said:

I thought the ending was sad. I was sad for the ghosts being left behind and forgotten. I was hoping that they'd cross over and get their happy ending.

I thought the ending was bittersweet. I did think that the blood curse would be broken and that the ghosts would be able to rest, but it seems like this is their purgatory where they have to do penance for their sins. At least, Trevor and Montana have each other and are still in love, Ray is happy that Brooke is alive, and all the ghosts (except Margaret and Ramirez) have stopped killing people and created a community where they seem somewhat content.

I hope that the ghosts are earning their redemption by constantly killing Ramirez to protect not just Bobby, but all the people who he would butcher if he ever left the camp. Maybe eventually when Ramirez's deal with Satan broken, the ghosts will be free. I hope so anyway.

Edited November 15, 2019 by SimoneS

[leocadia]

11 hours ago, sashayshante said:

If you are going to forego any kind of aging make-up, at least write a plausible explanation. She looked exactly the same. No amount of fillers in the world can erase 30 years of aging.

Particularly when telling this particular story...her lack of aging made me think that she didn't actually survive and was also a ghost.  I kept waiting for a big reveal that never happened.

[Keywestclubkid]

The hotel night stalker plot hole is still bugging the hell out of me ...Going  by the rules they established and set up for him and the “deal” he made with the devil.......Hes not trapped at the camp like the ghost are because the devil never allows him to fully “die”. The only reason he is trapped there is because the ghost keep killing him after he’s resurrected. He never was or is a ghost ever....the devil resurrects him and he doesn’t turn ghost. So the devils night loophole would have no baring on him at all because he was/is never bound to the camp ground in the first place like the rest. he can leave whenever he wants it was repeated and shown over and over. he’s not like them he doesn’t stay “dead” because he is never a ghost.
 

Basically it’s like a really fucked up groundhogs day for him he wakes up dies wakes up dies wakes up dies for eternity because his body keeps getting resurrected. He is shown to be trapped in that body forever just like they are trapped at that camp. He can’t leave that body like they can’t leave the camp.  If the ghost at the camp never leave ( they don’t get devils night off for some reason or don’t know about it or for some weird reason it doesn’t apply to these set of ghost) and continually kill him over and over he would never be able to leave to go to the hotel. (His body is basically his own tainted camp/murder house that he can never escape. He’s continuously put back into it no matter how many times he gets “killed” he’s like a weird sorta zombie kinda thing he will live forever yet that forever now involves being murdered over and over forever and ever or until the ghost get bored and stop putting him down the moment he resurrects and lets him leave or he breaks his deal with the devil which in 2019 he still hadn’t done )

Edited November 15, 2019 by Keywestclubkid

[madhacker]

15 hours ago, BurntWaffle said:

I was also distracted by the idea that the concert stage would still be standing in such decent shape after 30 years!. If it wouldn't have been looted already by opportunistic eBayers, then surely the online community would constantly have bloggers out there snapping pics and YouTubing what would still be a macabre landmark.

Exactly!! At least in Roanoke, in the last episode some idiot ghost hunters broke into the cursed property that had a military fence complete with barb wire, and what happened to them? Deservedly slaughtered that night. I forget the name of the character but she even said "you fuckers deserve to die!!"

I just want to know who Cody Fern pissed off cause the last 3 episodes he was basically a stand in extra. Next season (witch supposedly might be the last) I want a great story to end it on. Murphy said he wants to make this a total star fest of all the previous seasons including Evan, Sarah and Jessica.

Sounds great, but I just want one thing.....for it to be SCARY!! Seriously were you guys even slightly scared this season? This is American Horror Story and 1984.....I wasn't horrified

[toodywoody]

23 hours ago, Chaos Theory said:

Ok not quite what I expected but I still really enjoyed it.  The Margaret Booth death was a little too silly but besides that I did like how the final episode incorporated the story telling aspect with Bobby and all the ghosts.  I thought that it was clever how they dealt with Ramirez..  I also really liked that Brooke got her happy ending.

But mostly I liked the end shot.  How is I that American Horror Story can make me cry, "I wish I could have told him in the living years."

I am glad I wasn't the only one that cried. 

I really liked it. Mostly because it just seemed to be poking fun at everything. 

[sashayshante]

1 hour ago, madhacker said:

I just want to know who Cody Fern pissed off cause the last 3 episodes he was basically a stand in extra.

Yeah, it was impossible not to notice that. I knew when he didn't promote the season premiere he was unhappy with how things were going. Even in the video Angelica Ross posted of her, Lourd, Fern and Kentworthy watching the premiere he seemed VERY subdued. I have a feeling the writers Heigel'd him.  I will not be surprised at all if he's not in season 10. It would be a shame if his career were over before it started.

1 hour ago, madhacker said:

I want a great story to end it on. Murphy said he wants to make this a total star fest of all the previous seasons including Evan, Sarah and Jessica.

Please no aliens. Ever since Murphy started pandering to the younger fan base and using the show to give his friends jobs, the quality of this show has deteriorated. I swear to god, if he casts Ben Platt for season 10, I'm out.

I think it's very odd that Paulson was quoted saying that she would return if Peters returned. That hints at some kind of drama behind the scenes. I truly hope they don't revisit Coven in the tenth/last season. This show really started tanking when Murphy started with the stunt casting. I'm perfectly fine with Kentworthy and Billy Eichner not returning and Roberts, Lourd and Grossman getting marginalized roles in favor of Conroy, Bates and Bassett. And for the love of god bring back Denis O'Hare, John Caroll Lynch and Finn Wittrock.

Speaking of which, it just occurred to me that Wittrock and Lynch played Dandy and Twisty. That must have helped a lot in their scenes for the finale.

Edited November 15, 2019 by sashayshante

[tennisgurl]

I admit it, everything with Bobby and Jingles got me teary eyed, and its been a long time since AHS gave me a real case of the feels. The Living Years was a perfect song to end the season on, especially if you see the season as being about looking back at the past, moving on, and, of course with the last half, family. Bobby looking back at his ghost family just hit me right in the gut. 

This season was pretty hit or miss for me, and I have a lot to process about what I feel about the season as a whole, but I did end up really enjoying how it wrapped up. Its a surprisingly happy ending, especially for how many dark turns this season took. I am thrilled that Brooke made it out (and became immortal apparently) and Donna also made it and and they both moved past their traumatic pasts, and that Bobby survived and seems to be doing alright. Plus, the whole serial killer trio got their just desserts! Margaret's death was grisly and ridiculous, but its hard to say she didnt have it coming.

The ending for the ghosts was more bittersweet, and was actually similar to how Murder House ended. The ghosts are still stuck in between life and death and unable to move on, but they did manage to find some peace (and become not as murderous and evil!) and community in each other, and found purpose in protecting innocent people from the evils of the place they're stuck in for their afterlives. 

[methodwriter85]

1 hour ago, sashayshante said:

Yeah, it was impossible not to notice that. I knew when he didn't promote the season premiere he was unhappy with how things were going. Even in the video Angelica Ross posted of her, Lourd, Fern and Kentworthy watching the premiere he seemed VERY subdued. I have a feeling the writers Heigel'd him.  I will not be surprised at all if he's not in season 10. It would be a shame if his career were over before it started.

It really wouldn't shock me. Cody Fern is a fine actor but he never struck me as the type who knew how to toe the company line. He's still pretty green.

Luckily for Cody, being that he's a man, he'll get a lot more chances than he would have if he were Charlene Fern instead. I'm guessing that he kept complaining about the show and what he was getting to do and then they Heigl'd him.

[DangerousMinds]

5 hours ago, madhacker said:

Exactly!! At least in Roanoke, in the last episode some idiot ghost hunters broke into the cursed property that had a military fence complete with barb wire, and what happened to them? Deservedly slaughtered that night. I forget the name of the character but she even said "you fuckers deserve to die!!"

I just want to know who Cody Fern pissed off cause the last 3 episodes he was basically a stand in extra. Next season (witch supposedly might be the last) I want a great story to end it on. Murphy said he wants to make this a total star fest of all the previous seasons including Evan, Sarah and Jessica.

Sounds great, but I just want one thing.....for it to be SCARY!! Seriously were you guys even slightly scared this season? This is American Horror Story and 1984.....I wasn't horrified

I haven’t been legitimately scared since Murder House.

[MrsWitter]

6 hours ago, leocadia said:

Particularly when telling this particular story...her lack of aging made me think that she didn't actually survive and was also a ghost.  I kept waiting for a big reveal that never happened.

At first, I thought maybe she also made a deal with the devil, which would also make her lack of aging more plausible. I think that could have been a good spooky twist, but maybe that’s because I don’t really love Emma Roberts in a pure, good girl role. I think she is at her best (or most believable) when she’s closer to Madison Montgomery than Brooke. Emma’s real life issues might be coloring my perception a bit.

Also, thank you @sashayshante! I turned to my SO when they showed “old” Brooke and said: “couldn’t they borrow a makeup intern from This is Us?” Perhaps we’ve become spoiled with the amazing job TIU (and others) do to age actors, but I felt like they weren’t even trying with Emma Roberts. It’s like they created some shadowy darkness in her nasolabial folds and her elevens and called it a day. I expected a bit more. 
 

I have to say I really, really didn’t like this season when it started, but I’m glad I kept with it. I actually really enjoyed the last few episodes. Having Lily Rabe and Finn Wittrock at the end (and THE LIVING YEARS!) really made this episode for me. He’s a great actor overall, but I really enjoyed Finn in the more subtle moments too (like the pained face and long pause he gave when Montana asked who was President, knowing quite well how much explaining that might require to 1980s Montana). 
 

Toward the end of the season, I kept thinking of the Met Gala this year (and how, in the words of RuPaul, so many people don’t get camp) and I appreciated the mix of literal and figurative camp we got toward the end, even if the season was uneven overall.

[methodwriter85]

17 minutes ago, MrsWitter said:

Having Lily Rabe and Finn Wittrock at the end (and THE LIVING YEARS!) really made this episode for me. He’s a great actor overall, but I really enjoyed Finn in the more subtle moments too (like the pained face and long pause he gave when Montana asked who was President, knowing quite well how much explaining that might require to 1980s Montana). 

Would someone like Montana even know how Trump was? His fame really didn't seem to take off 'til like 1987 or so.

Finn is equally good at broad, campy stuff and silent, nuanced drama. He really is clutch- I keep hoping he gets a movie role that makes him break out, although Ryan Murphy clearly wants to keep him employed so I don't blame him for going with that instead of the suphero stuff that seems to be keeping most American male actors in their 20's and 30's employed.

[sashayshante]

4 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

Finn is equally good at broad, campy stuff and silent, nuanced drama. He really is clutch- I keep hoping he gets a movie role that makes him break out, although Ryan Murphy clearly wants to keep him employed

I think Finn does a really good job of maintaining his place within the RM Universe and building a solid career outside of it. He's constantly working, just not on big projects. He was smart to take breaks from AHS. Not sure if people know, but Wittrock is a Juliard grad. If you never watched season one of Masters of Sex, watch it for his small but breakout role as a gay male sex worker. He's heartbreaking. Subtlety is his thing.

7 hours ago, methodwriter85 said:

It really wouldn't shock me. Cody Fern is a fine actor but he never struck me as the type who knew how to toe the company line. He's still pretty green.

Yeah, I get a strong whiff of diva from him. He's always talking about preferring darker roles so I can see him expressing frustration about Xavier and the season overall.