American Horror Story - Asylum

The second season adhered to the rule that a continuation must bring significantly more in order to hold the viewer's attention. Literally, it overwhelms with a flood of motifs that together create an incredible tangle that is more laughable than it is suspenseful or scary. The team of writers seems to have not formed a cohesive unit, but each did their own thing and played in their own sandbox, thus Asylum mixes motifs of aliens, psychopaths, serial killers, war criminals, purely ghostly motifs, and even the devil himself. Again, there are great acting performances and very interesting film characters, but their stories often get lost because the series loses any logic and internal coherence, so I have to ruthlessly give it two stars. Overall impression: 40%. (12/23/2014)

I haven’t seen a more unnecessarily forced and artificial series than the first season of American Horror Story. But, I was getting a mass of recommendations from left and right for, allegedly, the best – second – season, so I simply had to start watching it. Well, and the first half was in a similar vein to the first one. The creators jammed everything they could into the asylum. At times I thought that the only thing that was missing was to connect it with some concentration camp… and what do you know. During the very next episode, I was met with an Auschwitz-Birkenau flashback. The second half of the season was a lot more interesting and I actually finished it thanks to that. Unnecessary scary scenes were exchanged for gradual refinement of the characters, to whom I was gradually getting used to. The finale went to the very core. In the end, hats off. Finally, a series that doesn’t have a problem with raising questions and answering all of them. (04/21/2016)

This creative team never stops surprising me. I boldly thought I knew what to expect from the continuation of the most unpleasant TV experience, but all the horrifying twists or suggestive scenes took my breath away right from the start. And there were still plenty of terrifying moments, resistance, and viewer enthusiasm to come. If this story is capable of anything, it is of forcing the viewer to watch more attentively as the main characters are tormented by fate or the whims of the villains. And the new crazy group, with only a partial change in the cast, is perfect for fans to cheer on. Eventually, both the likeable Kit and the unpredictable "sister Jude" and even doctor Arden got under my skin. Therefore, it's a shame that the story, which seemingly has everything a horror movie could have, lacks tempo and occasional intensity in the last quarter. This is offset by a satisfying all-encompassing finale, where, thanks to the pleasant mystery, I am willing to overlook the absence of some answers. Thanks to this, the tour of the asylum confirms that the FX network has a perfectly specific and truly unique production after two seasons. (04/19/2015)

Asylum pushes the boundaries so far that it's no longer bearable (or fun). But making it into an Iron Sky sequel? That would be a pipe dream. From the second episode with Anne Frank onwards, it went completely downhill, so the only positive things left were the small acting performances. (10/23/2015)