American Horror Story: NYC Review: Bad Fortune and The Body (Season 11 Episodes 5 & 6)
American Horror Story: NYC Season 11 Episodes 5, “Bad Fortune,” and 6, “The Body,” are unquestionably the season’s strongest outing since the season premiere.
The first four episodes have centered around Patrick, Gino, and Adam, so it’s nice to take a step back and flesh out other characters. Even if it is only for “Bad Fortune.”
Most importantly, both episodes have the quintessential AHS feel and are riddled with character progression and backstory.
Fran’s Newfound Talent
Fran has been a compelling and exciting character since her introduction, so it pleases me immensely that “Bad Fortune” puts her front and center. It’s not often you have secondary characters that draw the audience’s attention as captivatingly as she does.
On “Bad Fortune,” we follow Fran and gather more backstory on her as she pursues other avenues of work, leading her to Kathy’s fortune-telling business. As the episode progresses and Fran learns how to read the tarot cards, we’re exposed more and more to the supernatural aspects of the season. It’s a lovely unfolding of events and provides one of the season’s best scenes.
From her first reading, it’s clear that Fran has a hidden gift she’s unaware of possessing. However, the telltale sign is when she gives Adam and Hannah a reading, and her entire deck transforms into the death card. And later, when she speaks in a demonic tone while providing Theo and Adam a reading.
We need more time before the end of the season for Fran to have more of a spotlight.
Gino’s Face-to-Face with the Devil
The real fun occurs when Gino decides to confront Kathy, convinced she’s conning people with a fake business. One thing about Kathy, she’s going to make her money any way she can. She’s a natural-born businesswoman.
The supernatural aspect of the season has been missing sorely up until now. And let me tell you, it was well worth the wait. I’m still unsure how it correlates and will tie into the overall theme, but it’s thrilling nonetheless.
Not only does the scene lowkey terrify me, but it also gives major Coven vibes, which will always be a plus in my book. The only downside is how quickly it begins and ends. In all honesty, we need more scenes like this.
If the pacing and content in the beginning half of the season had been more fitting to “Bad Fortune,” it’d be ten times more enjoyable.
Patrick’s Past Revealed
“The Body” works meticulously to link individual storylines together, making daring reveals directly affecting the storyline.
Henry, the mysterious older man who lingers in gay bars, is actually a hitman who uses Whitely as his cleaner. Sam has mob connections, with Henry on speed dial, and Patrick is forced to reveal himself as a murderer.
After spending the first half of the season questioning whether to trust Patrick, it’s clear my instincts were right. In addition to cheating on Gino, lying, bringing diseases into the relationship, and living a completely secret life, Patrick is also a murderer.
It’s not a shocking moment per se because Patrick has been acting suspiciously for most of the season. However, it’s a twisted moment that showcases Sam’s depravity and the type of life Patrick seeks to live behind the scenes.
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“Bad Fortune” and “The Body” are thrilling and jaw-dropping, an unexpected highlight from the material presented at the beginning of the season.
With four episodes left, there’s still time for the series to back a comeback and keep this same momentum going moving forward. With the lengths gone to on these episodes, I’m intrigued to see how the series will address the newfound paranormal aspect.
Stray Thoughts:
- Kathy’s bathhouse auditions are always highly entertaining, and I hope we see more.
- With Patrick’s past revealed, the question of who and what Big Daddy is is even more prevalent.
- Patti LuPone has been given table scrapes for screen time, and she gets to shine in this outing. She’s given time outside the bathhouse to flex her acting abilities, which pays off tremendously.
- The pacing of “Bad Fortune” might end up being my favorite from the whole season.
What did you think of this episode of American Horror Story: NYC? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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American Horror Story: NYC airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.
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Cade Taylor
Cade Taylor is a television and film critic living in St. Louis, Missouri. He is a Senior Writer for Tell-Tale TV. His love for television developed at a young age, with a concentration on queer stories, sitcoms, teen dramas, and science fiction thrillers. In addition, he works full-time as a news producer, telling the stories of Missourians and helming "Produced in the Bi-State," a segment spotlighting actors, musicians, and entertainers from the St. Louis area. He can be reached by email at cade@telltaletv.com.