APOCALYPSE
The Beginning of the End of the World
American Horror Story…you all have heard these words together before, you all have at least one (girl)friend who is obsessed with this show (or with one of the main actors, Evan Peters), but for those of you who are still not aware of what I am talking about…what exactly am I talking about?
American Horror Story is a tv series created back in 2011 by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk that this year has released its eighth season. What helped this show make a name for itself was the fact that each and every season differs from characters to storylines, but most of the actors are still the same. A customary question that every fan has ever asked himself is whether all the seasons of the shows can possibly be connected in any way and, after seven whole years in which we have discovered worlds of witches, freak shows, murderous hotels and many others, our inquiry has been answered: yes, this is the same universe in which a lot of strange incidences happen. So, what have the directors decided after clarifying this matter? To combine the characters from two of the most loved seasons (the first one- Murder House- and the third one- Coven) in a way that no one would have imagined. And thus, “Apocalypse” has turned to life.
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The season premiered on the 12th of September, and all the fans had been anxious to know how their two favorite seasons are going to link. When it comes to me, I had a feeling that the action was going nowhere and there were numerous times when I clicked on the pause button. Fortunately, I am not that kind of a person that gives up easily so I gave it a try again and again and it was the best decision, as it turned out to be the best season up to date.
After a boring and meaningless first-episode, “Apocalypse” kept getting better and better: a captivating storyline, characters put in the situation of valuing life, as they were thought to be the only remaining beings on planet Earth and unexpected situations, even for a show like this one. But, the best addition to the show would be the return of what was considered an unimportant character in season 1: Michael Langdon, “the bringer of doom” or, shortly, The Antichrist. Ever since he appeared for the first time, he had carried the weight of the whole twist.
In the first half of the season, the action revolves around the gore post-apocalyptic Earth, only for the timeline to be messed in the fourth episode so that we could find out about our most-beloved character, Michael. Raised by a not so loving grandmother, he later is taken away by a mysterious group of people calling themselves “followers of Satan”, only to be recruited by warlocks and to want the position of Supreme (the chief and most powerful witch off all). Even though he seems such a powerful and dominant character, on the inside he is only a teenage boy, wanting to belong. Though he is aware that he has a task (to destroy the world), he is still confused. He suffers of loneliness, which helped a lot of people take advantage of his powers or reputation. In the final episode, one of the main characters describes him the best: “I look at you and I don’t see a man, I see a sad, scared little boy”. Eventually, we’ll be getting to an unexpected finale that does not meet my expectations: he is defeated in a way no one would ever think of (not a positive remark).
I think we can all agree that this season hasn’t been about the story, but about one character: Michael Langdon. Portrayed by a young and charismatic Australian actor, Cody Fern by his name, he did the best he could to fit in the role, and he managed to do it extraordinarily.
Not only did he give the character the dark tones needed for such a demonic presence, but he tried to improve the ordinary perception that people have regarding “the spawn of Satan”. With his fresh looks, perky smirk and fierce way of behaving, Cody took the character to a whole new level. Examined at many stages of life (minor spoiler: he ages 10 years over night), the climax of his acting in this series was episode 6 (“Return to Murder House”) in which he plays a ten-year-old, a teenager and, finally, a grown-up. Please, just give him an award already.
“American Horror Story: Apocalypse” is the escape from reality that you needed, even though this is clearly not a show for everyone due to its strong language and violence. If you consider yourself tough enough: go ahead and binge watch it, as it can easily get addictive.
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