American Horror Story: Double Feature Review: Cape Fear and Pale (Season 10 Episode 1 and 2)

After a long year and a half hiatus, American Horror Story returns with an eerie theme and refreshingly new take on an old tale.

On American Horror Story: Double Feature Season 10 Episode 1, “Cape Fear,” and Episode 2, “Pale,” we’re introduced to the Gardner family and their new home in Provincetown, Mass.

There’s a certain je ne sais quoi about American Horror Story: Double Feature. The feel that it gives heavily relates to the original seasons of AHS, specifically Murder House and Asylum, with a dash of Roanoke. There’s still a supernatural element, like previous seasons, but it revolves around difficult situations pertaining to real life struggles. 

“Cape Fear” is the essential introduction to the season and town the Gardner family will reside in for the next three months. However, “Pale” is where the show excels and ramps up the ante with power and fame; some restrictions apply.

The brainless, inept creatures running around the town of Provincetown are revealed to be non-creatives who willingly ingest a creativity pill. They hope for fame and riches but instead waste away into mindless beings because they never had a creative bone in their body. They officially become flesh phantoms.

Only true creatives with natural talent are the worthy ones who make the transformation into greatness. All your dreams come true on the pill; your script sells, you book a new project, or you get an offer from a major television network like Harry. However, the price for fame and riches comes with an unsettling price; blood lust.

What the show does well with is encapsulate the feeling the town is supposed to give. Provincetown is supposedly an average tourist town booming in the summer, but the population dwindles to around three thousand in the winter. However, it fails to string together why the town is desolate besides flesh phantoms, anytime the Gardners are out exploring.

World building is important when setting up any new story, and American Horror Story: Double Feature excels at showing the viewers the lay of the land, but fails to drive a connection between the locals and main couple. 

Police presence on most horror procedurals is reduced down to a stereotypical viewpoint or given the comedic value due to their inability to do the job. Unfortunately, American Horror Story: Double Feature doesn’t stray too far from that fact, just like in previous seasons.

Chief Burleson (Adina Porter) reassures Harry (Finn Wittrock) and Doris (Lily Rabe) that they’re entirely safe, even after being attacked and stalked via flesh phantoms. She chalks the altercations up to them being on drugs and losing their mind, completely sidelining any concerns made by the couple.

Burleson’s stoic composure clearly shows that she is aware of the situation and is actively keeping quiet with the details. I’m hesitant to critique the absence of local or police presence inside the town because there must be a connection, but it needs to come soon.

The lack of other humans throughout town gives off the mysterious feeling that it should but ultimately feels like a weak attempt to instill more fear. All it does is provide further confusion to the story at hand.

While the show’s primary focus is on its troubled couple, Doris and Harry Gardner, their daughter Alma is the scene-stealing genius. Kids in horror movies or television shows are always the creepiest, and Alma is no different.

Putting Alma at the forefront of everything might be a not-so-bad decision for the show. Her infatuation with success and perfectionism is outlandish for a child her age, but the pressure is consistent. She has to live up to her fathers’ name and be just as great as Harry, but there’s a darker, animalistic side that exudes from her actions.

Alma’s one-liners throughout the first two episodes are arguably the best thing about the premiere. Her dark sense of humor and fascination with success leads to bad decisions, which we see at the end of “Pale,” when she eats a little black pill.

Doris’ character lacks a certain depth that requires additional focus to stay intrigued, even though Lily Rabe is a star nonetheless. Harry’s character showcases natural substance, but I’m not sure that Finn Wittrock and Lily Rabe together are enough to carry an entire season. Arguably, the show’s best decisions for the premiere focus on Alma and TB Karen (Sarah Paulson). Harry and Doris are like a nice slice of warm bread and butter, and the side characters will be the full-course meal.

Sarah Paulson’s long-awaited return to the AHS franchise is well worth the wait with her newest character, TB Karen. So far, the show paints her as the only authentic person in the town who isn’t afraid to call out the horror done in the dark, and it’s fantastic. 

The show does exceedingly well in securing an emotional connection between TB Karen and viewers almost immediately after she’s introduced. The realism behind the character is what draws me in straight away. 

Karen may be a homeless woman who has to resort to begging or eating out of the dumpster, but she’s more than that. She’s someone who sticks to her guns and would rather live a hardship life than resort to killing innocent people to keep her dream alive.

There are subtle teasers throughout TB Karen’s arc in the two episodes that could be possible foreshadowing for what’s to come. The show throws subtle hints at TB Karen’s artistic abilities, but her disdain for succumbing to the blood-lust forces her to continue living on the streets.  

I find Belle (Frances Conroy) and Austin (Evan Peters) to be fascinating mystery’s that I hope we explore more of on Season 10 Episode 3, “Thirst.” 

What makes American Horror Story: Double Feature stand out and outshine previous seasons already is its correlation with Hollywood and real life. Red Tide showcases just how far people are willing to go for fame and success in its first half of the season, something more twisted than any supernatural fantasy could ever touch on.

The humanity behind actions and decisions made makes American Horror Story: Double Feature immediately catch the audience’s attention. I look forward to seeing where this engrossing story will lead during the next four episodes before we make it to Death Valley.

Other Thoughts:

• I love seeing Macaulay Culkin on this season, but I’m not sure that I’m enthralled with his character of Mickey just yet, maybe after he’s been fleshed out a bit.
• The dentist scene with Harry and Lark (Billie Lourd) isn’t a terrifying moment by far, but it’s the most disturbing for me. As someone who has a healthy fear of dentists, I never need to see what is truly happening inside my mouth.
• The red lights around town are a mystery, but with Karen’s baby delivering service, I think that it could be the creatures making it known that they need to feed.
• I hope there are more Austin and Belle duets in the future.
• I am aware that the creatures are being called vampires for right now, but I don’t think that they are. The virus is manufactured, doesn’t affect everyone the same, and teeth must be filed down to get a sound bite. They are some form of evil, but vampires, I think not.  

Favorite Quotes:

• “Name one successful person that isn’t a little fucking insane.” – Austin.
• “Has she babysat before? Did you check her references?” – Alma
• “You don’t understand greatness. Sounds fine to you because fine is good enough for you. For people like daddy and I, fine is failure.” – Alma.
• “Did you agree to never murder people and drink their blood, too? Shit happens.” – Lark.
• “I sleep on the street. I eat out of dumpsters. I haven’t been touched by a man in 15 years, so shitting in your bucket is a fucking upgrade for me. But, it’s better than being like Belle.” – TB Karen.
• “In the army, they shoot you for falling asleep on guard duty.” – Alma.

What did you think of these episodes of American Horror Story: Double Feature? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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American Horror Story: Double Feature airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.

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