S05.E02: Chutes And Ladders

[aurora296]

 

 

ETA: also, the music playing in an early scene with the vampires was Lakmé by Delibes that was memorably used in the film The Hunger.

 

And last weeks episode they played Bela Lugosi's Dead. So predictable.  I'm willing to wager we'll also hear some of Iggy Pop's Funtime. If so, I might as well cancel my DVR of AHS, watch The Hunger and offer my opened jugular to Catherine Deneuve.

[Captanne]

I am pretty much straight (at 54, I've got that mostly figured out) but I would kiss Catherine Deneuve into next Tuesday.  I thought I would share that.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Captanne

[hatchetgirl]

Catherine Deneuve is delicious!  Just fabulous.  Lady Gaga is NO Catherine Deneuve.  

 

This episode was a bit better, but still not the greatest.  

 

The room that Evan is in is actually the owner of the Oviatt building personal penthouse, Mr. Oviatt.  I noticed the furnishings right away.  He was tiny (I'm 4'9") and his furniture fits me.  LOL.  But, yes the red velvet, the walls, just lovely.  

 

I don't know where that pool is though, it's not Oviatt or Pac Mutual.  It's in the style of the time but not in the building. The Biltmore has a lovely pool like this, but it's all teal blue tile.

[ShadowHunter]

On rewatch I realized why the vampire story is not working for me it feels like a True Blood knockoff. The sexy vamps having crazy sex and feeding while covered in blood. I saw that for years on that show.

Though it seems Mr.March was right about Tristan he did have it in him to kill.

I actually started FF through alot of stuff the second time but not James and Miss Evers. They are morbidly cute together. I think that has been the highlight of the first 2 episodes so far.

[Snookums]

I am pretty much straight (at 54, I've got that mostly figured out) but I would kiss Catherine Deneuve into next Tuesday.  I thought I would share that.

 

 

Hee hee, when I saw the fabulous documentary The Celluloid Closet, about gay images in the history of cinema, Susan Sarandon was interviewed about that film and how she had to argue with the director about that scene: he wanted her character to be drunk, and Sarandon did not agree. "I mean, you don't have to get drunk to bed Catherine Denuve! I don't care what your sexual orientation was up to that point."

[MissJoy]

Newbie here, longtime lurker firsttime poster.

I'd like this show more if they'd pare it down to Lady Gaga & her vamp boys, Sarah Paulson & Liz Taylor...sooo much kitchen sink here, it's kind of a lot.

Anyway everyone's covered my gripes.

I'd like to add though that Finn Whitrock is a full head shorter than Matt Bomer and is built like a duck...I've seen enough ANTM to know he wouldn't get a first round giftbag with his photo in it, let alone still in the running to continue towards becoming. PUHLEEZE. Team Bomer! hopefully he gets some sweet revenge.

Oh and YES to all the music choices for the Gaga-related scenes. Yeeeeeessssss yes.

Edited October 19, 2015 by MissJoy

[Johnny Dollar]

Does anyone else find watching this show to be a tremendous chore, like cleaning your oven?

[locomoco]

Bad fashion show? Sure. Finn looked like Rufio? Yeah. But i really liked his Rufio jacket and I'd look ridiculous in it,but I thought it looked neat.

[caracas1914]

Is there any one other than the Wes Bentley Cop who is even morally grey at the Hotel Cortez? Everyone else seems perfectly fine with all the murders of many of the guests , including Liz Taylor, and it's hard to believe the Cheyenne Jackson character could stay oblivious for long.

Edited October 19, 2015 by caracas1914

[rubinia]

I'm enjoying the show so far even though there's waaay too much going on. Gaga was cracking me up with her 500 costume changes each day. She changed lingerie two or three times within the evening that she seduced Tristan alone.

[Tallulahbaby]

I am enjoying it. Hell, even if it was bad, I would still watch. Because THAT SET. I'm mesmerized by the art deco set and Lady Gaga's costumes. She is loving those costumes and it shows.

I'm intrigued, so I'm staying. I'm checking into Hotel Cortez.

[Chaos Theory]

I don't think there is too much going on. I actually like all or most of the stories. I think this is a full on ensemble like it was meant to be and eventually it will all circle around to a main plot. I mentioned above why I don't mind Lange being gone and one of the reasons is that she became too much of a central figure even when she shouldn't have been. I loved her in 1 and 2 but with Coven and Freak Show they should have been more ensemble but each time the story began to focus on another story it suddenly dropped it to focus back on Lange. Now with Lange gone for better or worse the show has no central force at least of yet but that doesn't mean if isn't building toward one.

[Captanne]

I think Lange in the Gaga role would have given it that gravitas I'm missing -- but, that said, I completely agree with the idea that Lange had started to become the focal point of the series and that isn't necessarily a good thing (or, necessarily, a bad thing.)

 

I like this ensemble and -- two episodes in -- I like the way the plots are intertwining.  (And, yes, I do see very specific, developing plotlines.)

[Mattipoo]

If Lange were playing the Gaga role in this, I am afraid her "boy toys" will be a very naked Danny Huston (the axe man from Coven) and James Cromwell, so no thanks! I much prefer naked Matt Bomer and Finn Wittrock even if I have to endure Gaga.

[jnymph]

I am enjoying it. Hell, even if it was bad, I would still watch. Because THAT SET. I'm mesmerized by the art deco set and Lady Gaga's costumes. She is loving those costumes and it shows.

I'm intrigued, so I'm staying. I'm checking into Hotel Cortez.

Ditto.  I've check in as well..... solely for the set/costumes.

[buttercupia]

 

And last weeks episode they played Bela Lugosi's Dead.

when did they play that?

[Chaos Theory]

I don't mean to offend any older people. Hell I am getting up there myself but Lange is just wrong for Ageless vampire. In Coven and Freak Show she played aging whatever trying to get back her youth. If that was the roll then yeah....Gaga might not be the best actress in the world; and honestly I would love to have seen what Paulson or even Lily Rabe would have done with it; but she does have an aire about here that screams "otherworldly".

Edited October 21, 2015 by Chaos Theory

[JenE4]

I don't mean to offend any older people. Hell I am getting up there myself but Lange is just wrong for Ageless vampire. In Coven and Freak Show she played aging whatever trying to get back her youth. If that was the roll then yeah....Gaga might not be the best actress in the world; and honestly I would love to have seen what Paulson or even Lily Rabe would have done with it; but she does have an aire about here that screams "otherworldly".

Right, it's obvious (speculation not spoiler) that she's Mrs March and hasn't aged in 90 years. Meanwhile Lange would be like, looks about right!

[caracas1914]

My issue isn't with utilizing a younger actress to play the role, but that there are indeed scores of good and even great ACTRESSES in the range of , say, 30-45 years old they could have gotten.

Lady Gaga is stunt casting for such a pivotal role.

[Petunia13]

She is someone who has a star quality which makes all if this believable and accepted.

I do think her role could have been played by Michelle Williams or Alison Lohman or Rosario Dawson but she's doing a fine job.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Petunia13

[DollEyes]

 Great second episode. A bit overlong in parts, but some of the new characters made up for it. The hotel is definitely affecting Det. Lowe. Between his visions of Drill-do, the zombie sex in the shower and seeing Holden again, he already had too much on his plate, but with the case of the family who accidentally died of carbon monoxide poisoning and the father/husband who not only blamed hid himself, it's a wonder Lowe's still sober. The last thing Lowe needed was to deal with Sally's skanky, psycho ass, who pissed away what little real talent she had decades ago because of heroin. No wonder Patti Smith blew her off when she had the chance. Maybe if Sally had stayed off the smack, she wouldn't be the hot mess she is now. Then there's Sally's treatment of Gabriel, the junkie whom she not only let get raped, she imprisoned him in the mattress. At least Lowe had sense enough to resist Sally. On top of all that, Lowe had to contend with the "Ten Commandments" murders, in which the victims were killed in the style of the Ten Commandments. Even crazier was that the murders were committed by James Patrick March, the self-made multi-millionaire/serial killer who built the Hotel Cortez as his own personal torture chamber/slaughterhouse.

 

  Then there was the Hotel Cortez fashion show given by Will Drake, who's also a potential buyer of the hotel, much to The Countess' delight, because she's as broke as she is chic. Drake's son Lachlan also played an important role, unbeknownst to Lowe, as Lachlan was the one who showed Scarlett the little vamps' lair and inadvertently reunited her with Holden. The Fashion show also introduced Tristan, the vapid, junkie male model/actor who caught The Countess' eye. Tristan is also batshit crazy, as his drug addiction, temper tantrum on the runway and his quitting modeling by cutting his face and walking out during the show proved. Tristan's retirement wasn't the craziest part of his night by a long shot, thanks to his encounters with March, his maid Miss Evers and The Countess, respectively. Tristan's breaking into March's room with the intention of robbing him backfired on several levels: 1) He got caught; 2) March & Miss Evers tried to make him kill a hooker and when he refused, March killed her instead & 3)Tristan fled in terror, only to be caught, turned and fucked by The Countess. Unfortunately, the latter was bad news for Donovan, who was dumped by The Countess for literally a younger model, whom he caught/almost killed when he pulled yet another B & E in an attempt to score drugs. Like Donovan, Tristan was a very fast learner, if his seduction of/feeding on Hipster Mc Manbun was any indication.

 

  Acting-wise, Gaga did have some nice moments, especially when The Countess described her heyday in the disco years and the loss of some of her famous friends. Chloe Sevigny's doing a good job as Alex, especially when Alex put that moron mom on blast for not vaccinating her son. Like Alex said, while there are many things that kids can't be protected from, if you can protect them from something-like, say, the measles- you should. Even Peters and Mare Winningham are hilarious, separately and together. Both are having fun with their roles, which makes them fun to watch. As for Finn Wittrock, he's very pretty and very talented, but I wish RM would let him play something other on this show than a childish, gay-baiting, cold-blooded killer.

[Terrafamilia]

What this hotel needs is a visit from Capt. Obvious.

I hope the new owner springs for brighter light bulbs.

[Bruinsfan]

I don't understand how the rooms can be THAT dim with the lighting and color schemes we're seeing. I assume it's something done in post-production rather than a camera trick. If I turned on a bunch of lamps in a hotel room and none of them illuminated anything more than two feet away from them, I would nope out of there immediately. (Not from fear of the supernatural, but of what Housekeeping might have missed if they couldn't see the floor!)

[ebkitty]

Gaga was totally Jimmy's twisted wife, no?

I love that idea but have a feeling it will be someone we never thought of as the wife.

Loving this season especially after how disappointing last years Creep Show.

Edited October 26, 2015 by ebkitty

[Captanne]

Obviously no one here watched Hannibal.  Because this show is a veritable ray of sunshine compared to that doom and gloom.  My goodness that show was literally dark.

[Bruinsfan]

I did, but then I'm loving the baroque music video quality of much of this season.

[Captanne]

"Ed Wood":  Except he's not a transvestite or supremely bad at his job.  And he isn't harboring a dying horror actor.  (I LOVED that movie.)

Edited October 31, 2015 by Captanne

[Peanut6711]

On 10/16/2015 at 3:55 AM, Snookums said:

Good Lord, Murphy, you have an entire season! He's like a kid who gorges on Halloween candy 'til he pukes rather than wait until tomorrow to eat some of it.

Love this!

On that note of gluttony, I found March’s character a bit over the top.  Or maybe it's because we were slammed with the whole story at once. Murphy can’t do subtlety, can he?  Just like it’s obvious he was watching The Shining while writing some of these scenes—the bathtub and the bar. I guess Liz is the new Lloyd.