One of the main reasons I didn’t continue with “American Horror Story: Hotel” was because of its length. Now, I’m just learning that “American Horror Story: My Roanoke Nightmare” is allegedly only 10 episodes, making it the perfect binge-watch length for this fidgety writer.
While I’m not digging the docu-style approach to this season, I think I cracked the top secret plans that Ryan Murphy ironically teases in a brand new interview with EW.
First, let’s dig into what he has to say because my theory will make a lot of sense after…
“You’ll see starting in episode 6, the show has a huge turn and the thing that you think you’re watching is not what you’re watching,” co-creator Ryan Murphy reveals to the magazine.
The plot of Roanoke was obviously the major secret that the AHSteam had to protect, but they were also hiding this massive surprise. “Even though the subject matter has gotten out, it’s irrelevant because nobody gets what we’re doing,” says co-creator Brad Falchuk. “No matter what you think it is, it’s not that. Then, episode 6 comes and you’re like, ‘Wait! What happened?’”
Adds Murphy, “It’s a hat on a hat on a hat on a hat that we’ve had to protect.”
While Murphy thinks the twist separates the season into two halves, Falchuk considers it three unique stories. He says, “It’s like [episodes] 1-5, 6-9, and 10 is its own thing.”
While I have no idea what they’re planning for the finale, here’s what I suspect their up to…
I’ve previously shared my distain for the talking heads theme, which feature Lily Rabe and André Holland, as Shelby and Matt respectively, telling the audience all about their Roanoke nightmare. As they recount their story, the audience watches Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr. reenact the “true life” events.
I couldn’t wrap my head around why Rabe and Holland would allow themselves to be such inconsequential characters on the show – I mean, they basically could have shot the entire season in one afternoon in Ryan Murphy’s apartment. I also find it hard to believe that the writers of this show would display such a rookie mistake in removing all the stakes (by revealing that the characters of Shelby and Matt are guaranteed to survive).
So, here’s my hypothesis: the fifth episode will conclude the reenactments by Sarah Paulson and Cuba Gooding Jr., thus setting up the sixth episode as a continuation to the story – only it will then take place in the “real world”, you know, with Lily Rabe and André Holland. Does this make sense?
What do you think?
