Another year has come and gone, and thus, so passes the end of the current season of "American Horror Story: Hotel." The show made die-hard Jessica Lange fans question whether or not they would watch this season with Lang's departure. However, the season slayed its way into our hearts.
The announcement of this season stirred many feelings. Pop star Lady Gaga released the theme of the show as a surprise to social media. Many thought that Lady Gaga would lead the season to ruin. However, she changed minds as the season progressed. Fellow past stars returned, such as Evan Peters, Lily Rabe, and Sarah Paulson. This season was the first to have Peters and Paulson portray antagonists.
"American Horror Story: Hotel" was a vividly different season, and it promised to reintroduce past characters of different seasons. We were all happy to see the return of season one's "Murder House" and fan favorite Queenie of "American Horror Story: Coven."
This was the most stylish season to date. The elaborate. art-deco style of the "Hotel Cortez" gave the season an old Hollywood feel. The show also balanced dark imagery, such as bleeding walls, along with witty humor, such as Iris shouting at her three Instagram followers.
The basic plot of the season was the Countess (Gaga), a vampire, with a Freddy Krueger-meets-Daphne-Guinness bladed gauntlet, finding her lost love while throwing past ones away. It also featured detective John Lowe with his family as they traveled through a failed marriage, loss of a kid, and later, him being a serial killer. Other smaller parts were the troubled parent-child relationship of Donovan and his mother, Iris. In addition, Hypodermic Sally was trying to find a way to love and her way in the world, Ramona Royale plotting to kill the Countess, Mr. March trying to sway the Countess' love, and Liz Taylor finding herself. Moreover, the season had so many small things that just added to our pleasure and dread, such as "Hotel California" playing and ending on the lyric, "You can check in but never leave."
The final episode took everyone by storm. The season ended with the filling of many plot holes. The ghosts decide to stop the violence to get the hotel to be award-winning. Liz Taylor ends up becoming the leader, and is "mercy killed" by the Countess and many other ghosts. The finale also brought back "Murder House" favorite Billie Dean Howard (Paulson), a psychic to see Devil's Night at the hotel. One of the highlights of her return was, while speaking to the dead, "Mr. Wu doesn't pay for what?" My favorite part was the ending, with the Countess approaching a man to only say, "You have a jawline for days."
"AHS: Hotel" ended up living up to its hype. I mean, Lady Gaga got a Golden Globe for her role. This season was a breath of new life into the series. Honestly, I think the show needed a break of Jessica Lange. It allowed for many new visual things that we wouldn't have seen from her (like the bloody orgy in the pilot.) "Hotel" was a season to try something new. This season was very luxurious compared to past seasons, and it makes you wonder how the sixth season will be.
As of the sixth season, it makes you wonder who will come back. Who will lead? Lady Gaga has been asked to return, but we can't hold too much hope, as she is releasing an album this year. "American Horror Story: Hotel" ended up slaying its way to one of the best seasons in the show's history. Just little things like the flawless music, use of the "It Follows" theme, and "The Shining" imagery made this season deeper. This season had much more depth than previous ones, as you somehow found a way to relate to every character. If you haven't checked this season out yet, you have to. "Hotel" was what the show needed to reinvent itself. Here's hoping the sixth season will be just as good. We can also hope supreme, Jessica Lange will come back.
