Catching up with AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT

At first I didn’t think I was going to like this season of the hit TV series. I almost, in fact, stopped watching it. Little by little, it won me over–just the way a charismatic cult leader can win over converts. If that was what they intended all along, it was pretty damn brilliant.

I hate politics. I look to entertainment to get away from such real-world pestilences as politics. When I heard that this season of AHS was going to focus heavily on last year’s presidential election, I bristled. Then, when I watched the first episode, I bristled even more. None of the characters managed to snag my sympathies, either. (The one exception was Twisty. I was thrilled to see him get a cameo.) I didn’t like a single character on the show. (Except Twisty.) By the second episode, when nothing had changed, I vowed to give it one more try, one more week. Then, if it still hadn’t gotten any better, I was done. Episode three saw just enough improvement, slight improvement, to make me give it one more last try. By episode four, I was hooked.

I still don’t like any of the characters–except cult leader Kai. (And Twisty.) Evan Peters is doing his finest work this go-round. He is mesmerizing. It doesn’t matter that he’s the villain; you love him. You root for him. He has turned me and all the other viewers of the show into his cultists. The parallels are obvious, but Donald Trump couldn’t carry this guy’s jockstrap as far as charisma is concerned. Trump’s evil is banal. Kai is evil, but he makes it beautiful, enticing, seductive. Just like Satan.

What at first didn’t even appeal to me might end up becoming my favorite season of AHS overall. And it’s all thanks to Peters.

(But when are we gonna see Twisty again?)

By TheCheezman

WAYNE MILLER is the owner and creative director of EVIL CHEEZ PRODUCTIONS, specializing in theatrical performances and haunted attractions. He has written, produced, and directed (and occasionally acted in) over two dozen plays, most of them in the Horror and True Crime genres. He obtained a doctorate in Occult Studies from Miskatonic University and is an active paranormal investigator. Is frequently told he resembles Anton Lavey. And Ming the Merciless. Denn die totden reiten schnell!

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