'American Horror Story: Roanoke' Season 1 Episode 1 Review
The premise of the new season of 'American Horror Story' has been shrouded in mystery leading up to the season 6 premiere. It seemed like every day for weeks we got a new promo video teasing a new premise for the season, throwing fans off the scent. But after watching the first episode, the season is officially titled 'Roanoke'. The title stems from the mystery of the Roanoke colony in Virginia that mysteriously had its inhabitants "disappear" without a trace.
The episode, titled "My Roanoke Nightmare" followed the story of a woman named Shelby and her husband Matt, as they move to Virginia after Matt was attacked by a gang in Los Angeles. As they bid on an old farmhouse, they draw the ire of a group of hillbillies that were also trying to buy the house. Strange things begin happening around the home, and Shelby is attacked while Matt is away. With little help from the police, Matt's sister, Lee (a former cop) comes to stay and keep an eye on Shelby, as Matt is a traveling salesman and is often out on trips.
Matt, away on a business trip, sees the hillbilly group marching on his house, as he installed security cameras and can view the footage from his phone. The torch-wielding men invade the home, as Shelby and Lee hide in the basement. The two view a home video on a TV that was already on and playing the video. The tape shows footage of what looks to be a man wearing the head of a pig in the woods. When things quiet down in thr house, Lee and Shelby emerge from the basement to find what look to be hanged men figures made of sticks a la 'The Blair Witch Project'.
Matt arrives home and Shelby begs him to leave. Unhappy with Matt's answer, she takes off in her car and strikes an old woman at high speed. The woman gets up and walks off into the woods, with Shelby in tow, as she wants to help her. Shelby becomes lost in the woods and becomes circled by the hillbillies and aforementioned torches.
This episode was the most different from any from any prior season. It was from an interview aspect, with the story unfolding in bewteen. Shelby, played by Sarah Paulson, is also played by Lily Rabe. Rabe serves as the "real" version of Shelby, with Paulson serving as the "re-enactment" version. It's almost like a true crime show. I enjoyed this new style, as it set itself apart from anything they've done in past seasons. Cuba Gooding, Jr. was a surprise, as I hadn't heard he was going to be on the show. Angela Bassetts character, Lee, comes with a lot of baggage and should make for a real loose cannon.
I really like the premise of Roanoke and what they can do with it. I'm a fan of historical myth and mystery, and this season could really have a lot of fun things in store for us. That scene where Shelby tripped in the woods and fell to the ground and the ground seemed to be "breathing" was insane. I like all of the main characters so far and am excited to see more familiar faces popping up in the next few episodes. I really hope this season doesn't fall into the trap that most of the past seasons have, in the sense of staying on track with the plot. Too many times have past seasons started really stretching it to fill out episodes and started getting away too much from the main storylines.
My rating: 8 out of 10
