American Horror Story: Asylum, which is on FX, wrapped up its second season on January 23, 2013. With the season II premiere reaching a total of 3.82 million viewers, according to Screenrant.com, American Horror Story: Asylum had a stronger start than Season I, American Horror Story. However, many viewers are still arguing over which season is better.
According to Fxnetworks.com, Season I aired last year and took place within the Harmon household. The show consisted of flashbacks, drama, and cliff-hangers as it took the audience through the story of the Harmon family. The family moved into a new house in hopes of starting fresh after an affair. What they were not expecting was to purchase a haunted house. Unlike Season 1, as seen on Fxnetworks.com, Season II takes place in an insane asylum run by nuns in 1964. Occasionally the show goes forward to present day where the story focuses on a couple that is visiting the old asylum. Adam Levine guest starred as a character in present day, capturing even more audience members.
Except for some actors, such as Evan Peters and Jessica Lange, who have come back to Season II (but with completely new roles from the last season), the two seasons are completely different. Noshin Chowdhury, a senior at Hawthorne High School, noted the difference between the two characters played by Evan Peters. She felt that Tate, the character he played last season, was a much more interesting character than Kit, the character from this season. Chowdhury said, “We liked him and hated him at the same time, and it made the story so much more interesting, while Kit is kind of boring.” Having watched last season, Chowdhury feels that the first season was much better than this one because it followed one plot, had more suspense, and was not all over the place.
Contrary to Chowdhury’s opinion, Tara Terminiello likes both seasons, but prefers Season II to Season I. When asked what Terminiello liked best about Season II so far, she said, “Pepper. Because she’s awesome.” Pepper is one of the many interesting patients of the insane asylum and has stirred up quite a bit of popularity amongst viewers. Steven Prieto and a fellow senior, Yazeed Atieh, both feel that Pepper adds a lot of depth to the show. Atieh stated, “Pepper adds a thrilling twist to AHS with her mysterious personality and random appearances.” Another senior, Danial Qureshi is a big fan of the show as well and had a lot to say about Season II. He said, “I think the season has been exciting and unpredictable. It has been full of edge-of-the-seat action. As for what I think of the show, I’d say it definitely capitalizes on the creepy and gross-you-out aspect that horror is known best for. It leaves you pretty shaken up to say the least.”
Whether you are a fan of Season I or Season II, what makes this show so captivating? For senior Prieto, it is the thrill that is packed into nearly every episode. He feels that every week will pack a punch.
With a title like American Horror Story, just how scary is it for the viewers? Prieto said, “It does certainly give an excellent thrill factor and without a doubt makes me jump out of my seat at times.” Qureshi however feels that it does not scare him in the traditional sense, but that is what makes it so great. He feels it leaves you intrigued and creeped out rather than horrified. Renee Buchanan, however, is absolutely terrified by the show. She admitted that she sometimes cannot sleep at night after watching it. Senior Alexis Miele has to watch the show the next day because she does not want to watch it right before she goes to sleep, or she will have nightmares. No matter how scary the show is, it seems to be very entertaining according to all these viewers.
Recaps of episodes and information about the seasons can be found on Fxnetworks.com, and Season I is available to be viewed now on Netflix.