S05.E01: Checking In

[Tara Ariano]

In the season premiere, detective John Lowe investigates a series of murders in Los Angeles, and a peculiar tip indicates the Hotel Cortez as a place of interest.

[RazzleberryPie]

This is terrible. 20 minutes in and sexual assault/rape. Nothing is intriguing or even spooky, just dark and violent. I'm done.

Edited October 8, 2015 by RazzleberryPie

[toodywoody]

I loved it. Little bit of Hotel California where no one ever checks out and The Shining

[peach]

This is terrible. 20 minutes in and sexual assault/rape. Nothing is intriguing or even spooky, just dark and violet. I'm done.

 

I've never seen this show before, but everyone raves about it.  Just happened to catch it this evening, and I'm beyond appalled.  It's the most vile thing I've ever seen.  How is this on a nonpay channel?  Also, it seems like a ripoff of The Shining, and the movie Seven (which I also hated).  Anyway, sorry to be negative.  I'm just wondering if the other seasons are like this?

Edited October 8, 2015 by peach

[toodywoody]

And they even used the song before I even knew about it

[mustbekarma]

And I'm never staying in a hotel ever again. To think, there's something worse than bedbugs. Murderous ghost crawling out of the mattress...ew. I'm not sure I want to go to bed now.

 

It's creepy and disturbing, so that makes it perfect Halloween season fare.

[Primetimer]

Welcome to the Hotel Cortez! You'll wish the only thing that had contaminated the bedspread was semen.

Read the story

[Mya Stone]

I'm in. The last 10 minutes sold me.

Misery loves company.

[Chaos Theory]

I think I am going to like Hotel. It looks like it went back to what made Murder House and Asylum so successful. I am going to enjoy Hotel. It is shaping up to look like the place murderous ghost go to live. I like when the show is creepy and disturbing.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[DB in CMH]

That was fucking awful. It has now fully tilted toward style without a hint of substance.

[Straycat80]

The first 45 minutes were WTF am I watching? Nothing but scenes intended to shock and make no sense. And, well, just ick! The last 45 minutes at least started to tell a story about the characters but I don't know if this will hold my interest because it's just so out there.

I've watched all the AHS and I liked all of them except Coven. This one feels disjointed to me. If this is going to be a lot of rapey , murder, blood and gore I might pass on this season. I'll give it a couple more episodes.

[tennisgurl]

Ok so, the first 20 minutes or so were just so fucked up, I almost checked out. I just...did not expect to see rape by whatever the fuck that was in the first like, 15 minutes. Who the hell came up with starting the show like that?

 

But the last half actually had me intrigued. And yeah, great use of Hotel California. This show, for better or worse, does make pretty good use of music.

 

Who am I kidding? I am just as much of a pathetic addict as half the characters in this thing. I`ll keep coming back, no matter how stupid/fucked up it gets, just for the few moments of actually creepiness or intrigue.

[Sakura12]

Well, it was better than Scream Queens. I guess instead of ghosts like Murder House, we have Vampire like creatures in a Hotel. Plus the usual billion other storylines that will probably never get explained.

 

Murphy really needs to learn to tone down his shocks and tell a compelling story. Shocks do not make a story interesting.

 

Also on the shallow end Matt Bomer is so very yummy.

[DrivingSideways]

Loved the first season of AHS... tried each of the succeeding seasons, and lost interest in all... the excessive amounts of gore and sex really turned me off.  Sounds like Hotel will be more of the same.  Ryan Murphy, why does everything you touch suck?

[RazzleberryPie]

So came back here to check - did it get any better, or is this all glam vampire/drug addition metaphors (that weird rapey thing in the mattress and junkie Sarah Paulson).

[Valny]

Well for a first ep, it was a bunch of crazy shit being thrown all over the place and sure it didn't necessarily gel together but I am intrigued and as usual, I am in for it all of it. I can see where it would bother some folks, this is Ryan Murphy after all, he loves to shock.

 

random thoughts

The hotel is a beautiful looking set. I haven't read many articles, but is some of that a real hotel?

The chandeliers were so cool looking.

 

I'm thinking somewhere down the line, there's going to be a body part showing up in that ice machine

 

Mare Winningham!!  I had no idea she'd be popping in, so that was a nice surprise.

 

Scariest dildo ever! Max G. did a great job of well... what he had to do to convey that feeling.

 

Loved Kathy Bates' two lines of "woof*. and "You dumb Swedish meatballs"

 

I was getting tired of those two girls, I didn't think they'd be around so long. And no way I am cutting a bed open after smelling a dead odor in my hotel room.

 

So are most people supposed to be dead who live at the Cortez?

[Chrissytd]

The reveal of the kidnapped son being a part of Gagas bunch.

I liked that Nosferatu was the movie being played in the park.

The set design on this show is gorgeous.

[ShadowHunter]

Mare Winningham was the right mix of crazy and creepy. I look forward to more of her.

 

Naturally Ryan had to throw in a rape scene.

 

Glad Kathy doesn't have an accent this season lol.

 

I don't know what to make of Lady Gaga yet. I don't like or hate her yet.

 

Nice to see Marcy from S1.

 

I saw Evan Peters standing in the shadows when John was yelling put your hands up.

Edited October 8, 2015 by ShadowHunter

[dizzyd]

As a hotel manager, I should have laid off this season.  But I have watched every episode of this show and now I'm going to pay for it IRL, lol.  As others have said, it was pretty bad for the most part and didn't really get intriguing till the end.  If RM was going for shock value, he failed, I found it just repulsive and choppy. Hotel California was predictable.

[Valny]

I adore the set too.  I want to go there... but not room 64!

 

I was a bit worried when Wes Bentley's daughter followed after him(nice job looking after his kid you idiot officer) I really thought he might shoot her accidentally.

 

and was that guts coming out of those dead guys stomachs who were hanging there?

 

That Lady Gaga/Matt Bomber/couple sex scene.  It wasn't super graphic(to me) but still... whoa!  I was just waiting for them to devour them. So much blood!

 

That was a pretty gruesome scene Wes Bentley and the cops discovered. And the guy was still alive! Geez! Well at least we didn't see any  eyes and tongue taken out.

 

I can see Lady Gaga is going to be getting some great costumes this season. I bet Jessica Lange would have looked awesome in that white outfit with the turban.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Valny

[sluggish neko]

The layout of the lobby reminds me a bit of the Grand Budapest Hotel but the style is totally different. It really conveys a suffocating, creepy atmosphere. I can't believe those tourist girls decided to stay. Did they not read the Yelp reviews? I wonder what the Yelp reviews actually are. Then again, if no one really ever checks out... it probably has no reviews.

 

At times, I felt like I was watching a Lady Gaga video... with the blood, gore, and sex amped waaaaay up. It's too much for me. I hope they tone it down for the later episodes and add more story. It only got interesting when they showed how Donovan (and Iris & Sally) ended up at the hotel... and not just 'cause Matt Bomer's pretty.

 

I so wanted to get those poor vampire/ghost kids an Xbox or Playstation or at the very least, a Wii. The Gameboy version of Tetris? With the earwormy Tetris song? I spotted old-school Donkey Kong too. So wonder they're so anemic looking.

[Bruinsfan]

I loved the hotel set—unlike the Swedish meatballs, I would have been thrilled to be staying in an Art Deco hotel straight out of the Jazz Age. At least until I smelled the mattress gremlin funk, anyway.

[Stinger97]

My one thought after watching this schlock tonight? If I had to sleep with Ryan Murphy to land a role on this show, you can bet that I'd first make him agree to give me 5 lines of dialogue so that I could at least get my SAG card out of it. So many attractive, dead extras being degraded tonight! 

 

Also, Matt Bomer and Lady Gaga are some terribly inefficient vampires. You slice open someone's jugular and barely lick their neck? Like, the mattress got more blood than the actual vampires did. Oy. 

[Valny]

 

 

I don't know what to make of Lady Gaga yet. I don't like or hate her yet.

 

.

Yeah, me too.  She was ok so far. I did however, not care for the way she said that last line to Kathy Bates, something like, your boy has a jawline that something something.  (lasts for days? goes on for days?)  Anyway, it was just her delivery that didn't sound right. Like it was too....too  I don't know. Didn't flow? or didn't sound natural. 

 

Naturally Ryan had to throw in a rape scene

 

He's just never going to stop is he? *sigh*

 

Mare Winningham was the right mix of crazy and creepy. I look forward to more of her.

 

  I hope so!  But a little more than a couple of lines please!

 

On the preview for next week, I don't know if I saw right(it went so fast) but I think I saw the actress who plays Pepper. I didn't see her face, but she had short black hair and looked pretty short.  Did anyone notice?

Edited October 8, 2015 by Valny

[Dewey Decimate]

The first bad sign was that the opening credits did nothing for me. I was so looking forward to the weird-freaky factor - I think the credits have been awesome every season so far - and they just fell flat. Albino oompah-loompah kids - meh. So much violence upon rape upon violence... I've enjoyed every season (to varying degrees - Coven was my least fave) and am not even close to squeamish, but it kinda made me feel unpleasant. Plus, crime stories do not interest me at all, and drug addiction elicits little sympathy or interest from me. Lady Gaga was fine, the sets/costuming were lovely, and there's so much pretty man-flesh, but shit, I cannot bother watching a show that appears to have no plot. Very sorry to say that I've removed this one from the DVR.

[DB in CMH]

Note to FX: that last terrible season of Sons of Anarchy completely ruined any sort of musical montage for me, even with a song as cool as Hotel California. All I could hear was Gemma warbling Greensleeves.

[FiveByFive]

I think I am going to like Hotel. It looks like it went back to what made Murder House and Asylum so successful. I am going to enjoy Hotel. It is shaping up to look like the place murderous ghost go to live. I like when the show is creepy and disturbing.

The big difference for me is that they actually attempted to tell a story from the beginning of Murder House.  There were clearly only a couple of leads and the cast wasn't as gigantic as it is now. You had the couple's story and you had Violet's story.  Everything else connected with that and they connected with the house and each other.  The season was about a couple that was going to have a baby and everything else revolved around that. In Asylum the went more "broad" but still there was a main focus. By the time Coven came they were all over the place.  Sure, there was a main story or two but that's when they started to add in all of these random nonsense subplots and the conclusions didn't even make sense.  "Okay so Queenie brought back a girl from the dead last week but this week she can't? Oh so the Supreme has to be in perfect health but she doesn't have to be initially, by becoming the Supreme she will suddenly heal herself?" 

 

I think Ryan is going to try to serve them all this year and that's when things can get crazy. 

 

• Fisheye and freaky camera angles worked well in an episode or two of Asylum but here is just seemed try hard.
• I still can't tell if Gaga can act or not.  I'm afraid she's going to move into camp territory.  As long as she does more than prance around in outfits and say a couple of lines here and there I'll be okay.
• Ryan Murphy continues his trend of using rape as a plot device. He has to have heard people tell him how much they hate that but obviously he does not care or else he'd at least not make it "shock value" and pointless.  Plus with this one he just had to make sure you saw it from all angles. Initial assault. Assault in the mirror a few minutes later. Overhead assault. Time passing as the assault continues. ENOUGH! Did we even KNOW his name?!?!?!
• I'm so glad Wes Bentley is back this year and that he will apparently have something to do.
• So many characters made stupid nonsensical decisions that I stopped caring after the first few scenes about any of that. I know it's a "Horror Story" but what makes horror interesting is when you make the right decisions and you still end up in trouble.  The two girls that opened the show could have left at any point and two normal people would have.  Why is Wes just laying down randomly on a bed in a hotel where he thought a killer might be? Where was his backup? "Oh! Let me take a rest now!" 

 

The highlight of the episode for me was multiple Matt Bomer butt sightings.  I didn't even make it a bullet point. I needed to put it in a paragraph that stands alone because it deserves it. 

Edited October 8, 2015 by FiveByFive

[Bama]

Would it kill the cop to turn on a light?

 

In Room 64 and the house where he found the two dead guys - after being sent to one by a stranger telling him he is about to commit a murder at said location and the other where an alarm is blaring and a place where he thinks his wife is in danger - he just roams around with his gun out in the damn dark.

 

Switch on a light!

[buttersister]

Thanks for the Bomer shots, Gaga's vamping and the nice sets. And thanks for all the fish, I think I'm out---too much shock, shlock and bling.

[marsha]

Yeah, it was ok and all. The hotel is gorgeous and Lady Gaga looks divine. I'll surely stick with it for awhile and then either love it or make myself stay with it to find out how it ends.

 

My favourite character though is Liz. Denis O'Hare was flawless and I hope we get an episode All About Liz!

[candall]

I'm in. The last 10 minutes sold me.

I woke up on the couch about 1a.m. and only caught the ending--from Kathy Bates desperately pleading with Denis O'Hare, who directed her to the ATM.  It all looked gorgeous and thriller-chiller.

 

Sounds like I lucked into the tenderloin.

[marsha]

Kathy Bates desperately pleading with Denis O'Hare, who directed her to the ATM.

 

 Yes, "right by the maxi pads"!

[Snookums]

Murphy really needs to learn to tone down his shocks and tell a compelling story. Shocks do not make a story interesting.

 

 

Can I get an Amen? Why hire compelling actors if you're just going to have them wander through nonsensical vignettes while having them reprise earlier roles? Kathy Bates can be more than just a mom in distress, Ryan! Get some damn therapy already!

 

 

I know it's a "Horror Story" but what makes horror interesting is when you make the right decisions and you still end up in trouble.  The two girls that opened the show could have left at any point and two normal people would have.

 

 

And AMEN AGAIN. Murphy throws a few bones in that direction--Kathy Bates's character refusing to refund their money so presumably they can't afford to go elsewhere, threatening them that they have to stay at the hotel to answer the police's questions, etc. But frankly after a horrid mutant crawled out of my fucking mattress I would take my chances. Leave, grab a cab, call my parents to wire me some money and go directly to the police station. Seeing the girls attempt that and still get caught would have been much more compelling. 

 

I don't know about Gaga. She's okay so far and can really wear diamond sparkle pasties but if they're asking her to step into Jessica Lange's shoes carrying-the-story-wise this thing is going to crash and burn. That not something you ask somebody with limited acting experience to do. Especially when you have somebody like Sarah Paulsen showing up and just having a fab time Sid and Nancying it all over the place and basically ramping the curve up to unattainable heights.

 

So, what have we got so far, rip off/ Murphy Bingo wise?

 

Ripping off: The Hunger, The Shining, The Chelsea Hotel, Seven, Village of the Damned.

 

Murphy Bingo: Man butt, interchangeable lovely young men with dark hair possessing said butts, fucking Mommy Issues up the wazoo, RAPE SCENE, creepy little kids, tragically inadequate police work, fish eye lens abuse.

 

Shaping up to be a helluva show!

[LeighAnne]

Like every other Ryan Murphy/Brad Falchuk show ever, I have mixed feelings about this.  Bad:  lurid sexual violence for shock value, batshit craziness right off the bat (at least in Murder House, they built up to the batshit craziness).  The problem is, this show features some of my favorite actors (Kathy Bates, Frances Conroy, Angela Bassett, Sarah Paulson).  And Denis O'Hare as a drag queen.  And a frequently naked Matt Bomer.

 

The use of "Hotel California" was a little on the nose, but it's not like Ryan Murphy has ever been noted for his subtlety.

 

I really want to know Liz Taylor's (Denis O'Hare) backstory.  I'm in for now, but if this season goes seriously off the rails (chance of this happening:  99%) I'm out.

 

 

[Surrealist]

Ripping off: The Hunger, The Shining, The Chelsea Hotel, Seven, Village of the Damned

I also felt there was a slight nod toward Hostel.

Foreigners visiting a different country and a murderer wearing black rubber apron and mask. A similarly dressed guy came out of one of the hotel rooms.

Edited October 8, 2015 by Surrealist

[Mya Stone]

At the fair where Holden (is that the detective'a son's name?) went missing I got a distinctly Lost Boys vibe.

[joelene]

It was fine. I'm always excited about a new season (shame on me) but my expectations weren't very high. I liked the Swedish girls, probably mostly because I'm Swedish so it's always fun to watch and listen to some Swedes on American television. However, not one of the regular characters drew me in one bit or even peaked my interest very much at all. They were all "Ok", and I always love me some gore and sex and eye-candy, but there was no Harmon family or a Constance. No Sister Mary Eunice-Satan, Myrtle Snow, Dandy and Gloria Mott, no Lana Winters or Madame LaLurie or Amazon Eve. No one that made me go: Ah, yes, I am watching characters! Fun, interesting characters!

Gaga was fine as a vampire, I guess? Too early to tell, but she certainly didn't suddenly make me a fan. Bentley's cop was boring and while I get that people find him hot he doesn't do much for me for some reason. Boomer, though, is another story, but apart from the sexy sex his character wasn't immediately intriguing or especially fun. Kathy Bates... I don't know, I usually love her but maybe I'm over her? Who knows at this point in AHS time. Mare Winningham's maid seems like a riot, but she was hardly there, but at least she's someone to look forward to. I loved Marcy in season 1 but for some reason there was no oomph to her character in this episode, probably because she mostly got to interact with Cheyenne Jackson who didn't exactly leave a lasting impression. A fabulous drag character is almost always, well, fabulous but Liz Taylor did little for me. I think I'm just blah about Denis O'Hare at this point too.

I'm apprehensive about Evan Peters (yawn) but looking forward to Angela Bassett and Finn Wittrock and Mädchen Amick. According to imdb Frances Conroy is appearing in episode 10 (YAY) but that's a long way of.

There really isn't much to say about the story, seeing as there was none?

Edited October 8, 2015 by joelene

[Rhetorica]

Murder House and Asylum had suspense and mystery. That's what drew me in. But each season since has progressively become more shock and awe and gore. It just detracts from the storyline and surely doesn't enhance it. I hate to give up on a show but I may this one.

[obxchick]

Well...that was a bit disappointing. One episode into the season and we've already witnessed a bushel of violent sex-related deaths. Seems like Hotel will be all about the body count and pushing the envelope, which I'm meh about.

I just watched The Shining the other night, and this season definitely borrowed from that. Creepy kids in the hallway, apparent ghosts, and a sinister room. I'm kinda hoping they throw in the infamous axe scene, too. And of course they played Hotel California! At least the soundtrack seems pretty good this season.

I'm still undecided about Lady Gaga, but she does seem to be having fun playing a creepy bleached eyebrowed sanguinist with a killer wardrobe and Freddy Krueger-esque gloves.

[qtpye]

Oh my God...this was such a disappointment. The fact that there are so few comments today shows how far the Ryan Murphy brand has fallen.  He did not even utilize Lady Gaga in an interesting manner. It actually sometimes reminded me of a parody of a Gaga video.  I have followed Murphy's career and I know he is capable of some very entertaining and interesting stuff.  If this was the first thing I ever saw of his...I would suggest he leave the business.

 

I agree the reviews that replacing the acting leadership of Lange with Gaga is a big mistake.  Lange's is superb...she has the ability to anchor the craziness, while being the queen of crazy herself.  It is unfair of asking someone as green as Gaga to take up that mantle.  It is also stupid when you have talent like Bates, Paulson, and Basset as part of the line up.  I do not even need to go into all the talented male actors in the cast.

 

I was actually disappointed in Gaga,  I had such high hopes after seeing some of the pictures from the shoots.  She looked like a little girl vamping around in her mother's (or drag queen father's) clothing.  She had no presence or menace.  However, I blame this more on Murphy's horrible directing then her acting ability.  It is like he told her just act exactly how she does in her videos.  A music video and a t.v. show are totally different animals.  Many people who are great in their videos can not translate that easily into regular filming...just ask Madonna.  Again, this is more Murphy's issue then hers.

 

Where the hell was the fun?  There used to be elements of fun to Muphy's best work, no matter how wacky the plot.  I felt like I was watching bad Berlin art house cinema with someone who was trying way too hard.

 

In Freak Show, Murphy had a women get raped by the freaks and then fall in love with one of her rapists (and sadly, I think we were supposed to think this was romantic).  I really hope no one falls in love with drill dildo mummy.

 

I can't believe I am actually thinking about skipping this...something I have never done with American Horror, no matter how bad things got.  Perhaps the rest of the season will get better.

[bc1795]

Nice sets  but that's about it.  what the show really needs are professional script writers who can come up with interesting story lines.  But then this has been the problem from the first season. 

 

Note to the producers....fish-eye lenses do not scary make.

[BeatrixK]

I never ever wondered what would happen if you mixed up The Shining (The carpet is a total shout out!), Se7en, and a Lady Gaga video.   Now, thankfully, I have that information.

 

Matt Bomer is soo pretty.  So very, very pretty.

 

I wanna know how in the EFF that first half got past the censors?  Srsly? 

Edited October 8, 2015 by BeatrixK

[Whitley Trillbert]

God why in heaven didn't Ryan make Angela Bassett The Countess . She would have been absolutely wonderful and boo to her not being in this episode at all. 

 

That episode last night  has disturbed my spirit. I need to figure out life. From a purely shallow standpoint I'm in love. I loved the clothes, the look of the hotel, and that shot of Denis O Hare walking down the hallway had me like weeeeeeeeeerk. 

 

If half of this shit makes sense it will probably be my favorite season after 1 and 2 

Was that Schmidt who checked in for $150/night & got "got" by rapey white thing?

 

It was 

[Duke2801]

This felt like a 90 minute Nine Inch Nails video.  And I loved it.  I'm in!

 

I'm a huge Cheyenne Jackson fan, too, so I was very happy to see that he's involved in this season. 

 

I loved it. Little bit of Hotel California where no one ever checks out and The Shining

 

Totally those.  I was also reminded of the Season 1 episode of Angel entitled "Are you now, or Have you ever been?"  Great episode.

 

Note to FX: that last terrible season of Sons of Anarchy completely ruined any sort of musical montage for me, even with a song as cool as Hotel California. All I could hear was Gemma warbling Greensleeves.

 

Snorted coffee out of my nose. Too true.

Was that Schmidt who checked in for $150/night & got "got" by rapey white thing?

 

Yes indeed.  Talk about playing against type.

 

Matt Bomer is soo pretty.  So very, very pretty

 

 

I mean, this really can't be said enough.  He just is. 

 

Wes Bentley ain't too hard on the eyes either!

[FlowerofCarnage]

I found the blatant rip-off of the Hunger complete with Bela Lugosi's Dead more horrifying than a guy getting sodomized with a drilldo! I am still going to tune in every Wednesday though! Lol

Edited October 8, 2015 by FlowerofCarnage

[ClareWalks]

a guy getting sodomized with a drilldo! 

 

*slow clap* Drilldo! Holy shit, that slays me. 

 

I am in. Psychosexual, extra psycho, extra sexual. Perfect Wednesday night fare. Hated the gaping plot hole of WTF was going on in that house that Wes and his daughter went to, though. So his wife wasn't there? Was there? Huh? All of a sudden they were home and everything was fine. It took a few minutes for me to realize they weren't still in the flashback.

[STFUFrank]

I enjoyed this episode and can't wait to watch this season unfold. Normally I'm not a horror genre fan but this show (minus Coven that season fell flat for me) manages to keep me wanting more.

[qtpye]

Someone said in some of the promos Gaga looks like Marylin Manson..hard to unsee now.

[Febgirl]

Note to FX: that last terrible season of Sons of Anarchy completely ruined any sort of musical montage for me, even with a song as cool as Hotel California. All I could hear was Gemma warbling Greensleeves.

WORD!   I refuse to watch The Bastard Executioner for that reason, among many other things.

 Denis O' Hare giving off a Nosferatu in drag vibe as well.  We shall see if I stick around.   For me, my favorite season was season 2 in the Mental Hospital.

[ShadowHunter]

Sarah Paulson finally died on AHS. The streak is over.