Organ

The more episodes I watch of this season the more I feel like I'm in the Black Mirror universe. Seriously, what happened Ryan? Where is the guy who gave us Murder House and Asylum? As much a fan I am of Black Mirror, it's not what I want from you. It's not entirely bad. There are some okay plot twists. Although...the acting is below average and honestly I sometimes feel like I'm watching an episode of Goosebumps...feels like teen horror. If you really want to grab my attention then do what you did in a previous season. You went back to Murder House. Go back to Asylum or bring back the FREAKS. The plot has been lost. These episodes feel like you're trying to run in a dream but ultimately you go nowhere.

I'm not sure what's really going on with season three of "American Horror Stories". It might have just been truncated by the SAG-AFTRA strike, or that might be it for this run and the show will return with season four at a later date? For now, I'm going to review these as 'season three', and if more are added I'll review those as 'season 3B'.

A young girl is encouraged to acts of violence and self-harm by a friend she meets online. During a pandemic, an art dealer bonds with his new virtual assistant, until she becomes fixated on him. An aspiring model goes to extreme lengths to maintain her weight loss and stay at the top. A sexist womaniser has his kidneys stolen following an online hookup, but a new unidentified organ is there in its place.

I keep saying this about all forms of "American Horror Story" at the moment, both these and the main show, they're not scary - they're just boring. Again, I wonder if the problem with this series is that, what could be a high-profile showcase for new and inventive writers, is largely dominated by the existing team that Ryan Murphy uses. Two episodes of these four are written (or co-written) by Manny Coto, who unfortunately passed away last year, but has been a regular contributor to Murphy's work. The rest are written by regular producers on other Murphy shows.

The scariest is probably the first one "Bestie" and that uses the unfortunate trope of a physical disfigurement as the basis of the horror. That one at least had me guessing as to what might be going on, and I maintain that my idea for the resolution of the episode would have been better. The other three are all painfully obvious from the premise, each of which can be explained in a couple of words and none of which have a resolution worth talking about. The opening credits of each episode remain the best aspect of show, maybe whomever does those should be asked to contribute an episode.

I'm disappointed to learn that I've been alive long enough that Seth Gabel now plays, father of protagonist, rather than slightly unhinged, charismatic protagonist though, that was a shock to the system.

It's an anthology series still, so I guess at any point one could come along and be brilliant, but it still feels like a pedestrian show, unwilling to do anything too interesting or clever to be worthwhile.

I thought he was great! I can see some criticisms on here surrounding the actor that plays the main lead. I thought he was the right fit for the role. His acting was a bit odd and out of place but that's the whole point!! The way his character goes, he's supposed to be a mediocre looking guy that's awkward, flaunts his wealth to attract girls, is extremely unlikable and strange: the embodiment of a guy with a Napoleon complex. Toby is extremely misogynistic. As such, I think if Toby was played by a handsome, 6'2, blue-eyed guy, it wouldn't be convincing because he wouldn't have this innate inferiority complex to begin with.

This story felt really unique and exciting compared to the other episodes from the same season. I was thoroughly entertained and amused from beginning to the end. I don't know what the hate is all about.

This episode did not land or even take off in the beginning to have a place to land from. Where do I start? First, the lead actor was so off-putting it was an effort to watch the episode through to the end. His acting was soulless and the actor himself not appealing in the least. Sure, the character he's playing is a misogynistic, entitled dick-wad player who I wouldn't use for a toe rag, but that is not the issue here. It was the actor himself who was annoying, superficial and not convincing. It seemed obvious that he was trying too hard and not a "natural" actor, which is not what should come across in a well written and acted scene. To be fair to the actor, the role was extremely one-dimensional so there wasn't much for an actor to flesh out personality and character-wise. The writing is second-rate, stilted and lacking in conversational flow. The premise is not so implausible - organ harvesting does happen - this is just not a well designed or written story with very one-dimensional characters. This is the worst episode so far in a mediocre series.

I hope this show has many more seasons to come. Every episode is iconic and a reminder to me of just how much I appreciate this show exists and continues to be produced.

This episode in particular amazed me with it's runtime. It's astonishing how they manage to setup such a solid story and complete it, all under 40 minutes.

Another thing I've noticed is that the more the average rating for this show goes down, the more I enjoy each episode! Surely I mustn't be the only one who thinks this way, or maybe I am, who knows. Anyways, I truly believe every episode of this show to be a cult masterpiece that'll hopefully be rediscovered and appreciated for all it's worth in the future.