Why Do I Keep Watching This Show

Review of American Horror Story Season 13

The reviewer returns to American Horror Story, a show he keeps watching because its badness can be weirdly entertaining. This season, however, feels less like a story than a parade of callbacks. Familiar characters and locations return as Satan’s power rises, with the number 13 repeatedly linked to evil and sacrifice.

The reviewer compares the season to Avengers: Endgame, except the nostalgia mostly amounts to recognizing old characters before they’re quickly killed off or shuffled away.

What Doesn’t Work

The season’s treatment of real-life killers and victims strikes the reviewer as especially bizarre. Jeffrey Dahmer is played for dark comedy, while the Black Dahlia is introduced and then sacrificed almost immediately.

The dialogue is another low point. After Dahmer kills Madison, she says, “Am I your first girlfriend? … it’s kind of an honor”—a line that leaves the reviewer baffled.

He also criticizes the show for repeatedly spelling out its simple plot in short episodes, as if viewers couldn’t follow along. One particularly ridiculous example involves Cordelia, the powerful Supreme: after stopping one sickle attack, she turns away and is killed by another, only to return in the next episode.

The reviewer says the actors seem to be trying their best, but the writing and plotting feel lazy.

Final Thoughts

For all the criticism, the reviewer concedes that there are a few entertaining moments. Mostly, though, the season is “drowning in trash.” He jokes that, like a dog making a mess, the show can’t really be blamed—he should have known better than to press play.

He ends by admitting he isn’t quite sure why he bothered reviewing it, other than that sometimes he feels compelled to.

Personalities and Characters Mentioned

• Evan Peters
• Sarah Paulson
• Cordelia
• Madison
• Jeffrey Dahmer
• The Black Dahlia