Unsteady Start for “American Horror Story”

If you can remember from the first few weeks of U.S history, the lost colony of Roanoke was probably abducted by aliens or, according to the new season of “American Horror Story,” in North Carolina, terrorizing Yogis from Los Angeles. After the first episode, the premise feels strikingly similar to that of “Murder House,” but without Evan Peters which is instantly disappointing.

This season is trying to copy a ghost show format where the real people talk about their experience while actors act it out- all to confuse watchers and double cast characters in order to deal with the insane amount of actors in their repertoire. It also has the same elements as “Murder House,” reminding us of the couple with a need for a fresh start in a creepy house. The angsty teen couples we’ve had and loved in previous seasons have not yet been introduced which leaves us thinking we might have to get used to Sarah the yogi and Matt as this season’s main love interest.

The biggest threat at this point are hillbillies and pig people, something both unoriginal and lackluster. Maybe the writers are trying to connect this new season with the past seasons (references to the Roanoke colony and season one “Pigman”); however, it feels more like they’re grasping at straws and recycling the same ideas in a poor attempt at continuity.

Starting off this season, the main characters find themselves in Los Angeles, the yoga capital of the world according to them?!. They are starting off their lives when Sarah and Matt are attacked in the streets by a supposed gang initiation. While Matt is unconscious for a couple hours, Sarah miscarriages and after two minutes this huge incident is never mentioned again. The plot seems to have many holes and the actors seem to underreact to certain situations that should’ve been given a lot more attention.

After this incident, they decide to move to Matt’s hometown in North Carolina and they purchase a very under priced house, just like in “Murder House,” without questioning why a mansion would only be $40,000. “American Horror Story” is clearly trying to tell viewers not to buy old houses for cheap.

As soon as Matt leaves for a business trip, Shelby spends the rest of the episode as a tense nervous wreck. For someone who’s supposed to be a yoga teacher, she really needs to calm down. But then again, she’s being haunted by alien-hillbilly-Roanoke-ghosts.

Pigs have a prevalent role so far, but after a while you become desensitized to bloody pig corpses. The season seems to be lost within too many problems that are introduced all at once, while still leaving us unsure of the main theme of this year’s new season.

The most menacing thing that whatever it is that’s haunting these people has done is hang up dolls and decorations that, to be honest, look like a cute aesthetic. The episode ends with Shelby running over a colonist. Like an idiot she runs into the foggy, menacing group of trees and possibly discovers a breathing forest and maybe Roanoke? It’s unclear.

While we are privy to some familiar faces: Sarah Paulson as Shelby, Angela Bassett as the addict sister in law and Lily Rabe as… Shelby again, one staple figure is missing: Jessica Lange, who has played various characters. Whether or not the show can survive without her and with the crippling disappointment at her absence is on every fan’s mind. The season is far from over and maybe things will start to seem less like lazy writing and more like a coherent plot- until then “My Roanoke Nightmare” seems more like our fangirl nightmare. See you next week.