If the pilot episode of “Hotel” is like rapid flashing images of what’s to come, the second episode, “Chutes and Ladders” is like a robust documentary. The pilot boasted of shocking imagery and superficial glimpses into everyone’s life. Which, in my opinion, was fun for a pilot. But it took a drastic turn and became super development-thick in “Chutes and Ladders,” which had me checking the time every few minutes. And even while primarily focusing on just a few storylines, there’s still that classic flavor of Ryan Murphy discontinuity.
Having said that, I didn’t hate the episode, though to be fair, my ‘AHS’ bar is set really low. I will say I was bored though. Really bored until the flashbacks to 1925. Accomplished with a stunning black and white, Hollywood, art deco vibe, the history of the murderous Hotel proprietor, James March, felt more like a Baz Luhrmann film than torture porn. Or an interesting mixture of the two. I don’t know if it was the story of March, Evan Peters (who, with the exception of “Freak Show,” has been fantastic in ‘AHS’), or the stark contrast in tone vs. actions that had me loving this portion of the episode, but I really did. Peters does extremely well in old-timey style and the way the flashback was carried out was short and sweet and graphically to the point. My only issue with it is that I have a hard time believing a detective (Det. Lowe) wouldn’t know the sordid past of such a historic hotel. Which brings me full circle to last week’s review about how lame I find Wes Bentley’s character and plot.
Another thing I brought up last week was how excited I was that the “Hotel” tone is very similar to the “Murder House” tone. And as much as I love the throwbacks to “Murder House,” I’ve decided it’s also one of my biggest annoyances. The rules of the hotel are very reminiscent of (or just straight up the same as) the house from season one. I love the Easter egg connections but I wasn’t expecting for so many similar themes. One of the only things that keeps me coming back to ‘AHS’ each year is the fact that I can always rely on it to be so different every season. But so far, this whole season feels like it could and should be part of season one. I’m slightly let down by that but will also continue to be stoked whenever a fun connection is made, like the real estate agent.
I loved Gaga in this episode. She had more lines than in last week’s and I think she delivered them really well. I know some people are annoyed by her in this role, and some think that Ryan Murphy is using her as a ploy to get viewers (that part could very well be true and if so, he’s a smart businessman) but I think she fits the role incredibly well and has so far pulled it off nicely. However, some of her scenes feel more like moving paintings than television. Every time she’s on screen it’s like time stops and everything because very stunning and momentous. They’re going to need to cut back on that shit if they want her to gel with the show a little better. Obviously, she’s the Countess, she deserves more attention and decadence, but it doesn’t need to feel like Michelangelo’s David just came to life every time Gaga steps on set.
The pilot allowed me to get my hopes up for this show again. And they’re not totally crushed, not yet, but the road that ‘AHS’ started down in this second episode is a road too often taken by Murphy. It’s just loaded down with fact after fact, after detail after detail. Here’s an example of how busy this show is just by episode two: I totally forgot that there’s a real life murderer on the loose until the scene in which Det. Lowe comes up with his 10 Commandments theory. That’s supposedly a large plot point of this season, yet it was completely glossed over, or it just got buried amongst the 17 other huge things going on. This is the main aspect of ‘AHS’ that I’ve come to find so infuriating. There’s simply always WAY too much going on. Ghosts, vampires, rape, torture, kidnaping, marital problems, creepy children, serial killers, ghost serial killers, junkies, ghost junkies…
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, Murphy excels at making really tedious plot lines really boring. But I guess I can say I didn’t hate it because there’s still some highly stylized, murderous, and bonkers fun.
Stray Observations:
I could have done without what seemed like a vaccinations hidden agenda speech in the first few minutes.
What’s going on with Finn Wittrock’s dated-ass Adam Lambert hair?
I’m dying to know how Iris, a worried and doting mother of a junkie, has now become a blood-peddling accomplice to murder and kidnap.