Don't be afraid to watch AHS:Cult

When I heard that American Horror Story was going use the previous years election as backdrop, I cringed. I had totally had enough of the rhetoric and was ready to be done with the whole thing. It doesn't matter which end of the argument you fall on, the whole circus gets old after a while (pun not intended). The over-exaggerated reactions were comical at times. Millennials and the homosexual community as a whole wringing their hands and sure they were headed to determent camps. Flag wavers and neo-fascists getting gutsy and threatening and verbally assaulting people in the streets . It was enough to make one go totally off the grid.

And to have one of my favorites show-jacked by the this idiotic mess of fears was almost too much for me to take.

But, being the open minded person I am, I watched anyway. 'Give it a chance' I told myself. And, I have to admit, I wasn't disappointed.

The theme had went through a lot of changes as they approached production last year. The first I heard was Apocalypse. Then Phobias. Then, after the three ring election, they turned their focus on the whole fiasco I had hoped to forget.

The opening sequences with the reactions to the election made me worry, I will not lie to you.

But, as I watched, I got to see AHS do what it does best; tell a damn good story.

Now, I'm not sure I could compare it to some of the great seasons in the past just yet. But I have been pleasantly pleased so far.

The theme they settled on was 'CULT'. But what they're really dealing with is Phobias aka what scares you. It centers around a lesbian couple (Sarah Paulson and Allison Pill) and their young son and begins with one of the moms violent reaction to the election results. It also features a disheveled, charismatic figure played by Evan Peters who celebrates the results with a rather unnerving enthusiasm. At first glance, this seems like the creators of AHS just decided to jump on the bandwagon and milk the idea for all it's worth. But, as the story continues, we find it to be a bit more complicated than that.

The story gravitates around what scares people. And, not just what scares them, but irrational phobias that effect their lives in such an adverse way that it damages everything they touch. Sarah Paulson's character is a survivor of her phobias, but it suffering a relapse due to her controlling concerns over the election. One by one, her fears begin to spiral out of control. She begins to see clowns (who weigh in prominent in the whole CULT idea) everywhere and all of her other fears assault her from all sides. It's almost as if someone has some inside information on her...hmmmm.

She is obviously targeted as is her neighbors who find that what they fear has arrived and is fatal. We also get to see these fearful things through the eyes of their small boy which escalates the anxiety. Everything bad swirling around Sarah Paulson's character seems to originate with the Evan Peter's character. But that's as far as I'm going to spoil it for you.

My point was that instead of them using the election fears being a bad idea, it was a stroke of genius.

I believe they had a frame work for the whole Phobia/Cult idea and all of the vastly irrational fears concerning the election and its results played right into to the story. Fears about Trump, wildly misplaced fears of racism and the stigma that comes with just the mere suggestion or appearance and the errant use of patriotism to shame and berate people are just a few of the things that worked perfectly into the 'Phobia' motif.

The good news is that it's about more than just last years election!

NEWBIES make CULT even better

Thank God, right? No, it has more meat and depth to it. We get to see people cut open and their fears displayed for the world to see. It reminds us of our fears and revisits them. It becomes more of a study on getting to the bottom of what fears a populace has and how it drives them to desperate ends. Now, I'm not saying that this is the greatest season at all. I'm just saying that were three episodes in and there's potential. I mean, come on. With great performances by AHS alumni, Sarah Paulson and Evan Peters, along with a great supporting cast, there's always a great chance for a good scare.

SO, don't be afraid to give AMERICAN HORROR STORY: CULT a chance.