Although Stevie did appear, playing herself-ish, was it really necessary to give her two musical moments in the episode? Her final appearance, playing the quite lovely track "Has Anyone Ever Written Anything For You?", was almost a music video starring Jessica Lange crying on a fainting couch, as one does. But what or who was she crying for?
The problem with the beautiful tableaux and camp on top of camp bitch fights is that it seems like all frosting and no cake. The fear, the bite, and the real darkness of Season 2 (and even some of Season 1) is gone in favor of a 'lightening up' that has lead to an almost inconsequential air over the whole season. If no one truly dies on this season, where is the scare when they actually, you know...die in an episode? They'll be buried or covered in swamp mud or have a hand waved over them and reappear in a matter of scenes. There's nothing at stake and therefore an endless cycle never stops. Even Patti LuPone's minor character has been reborn, only to die(?) again this episode while chugging down a bottle of bleach.
Only three episodes left. Who will be the Supreme? Who's alive again? Or undead? Or getting their 10 minute allotment this episode?
I hope the fourth season (Lange's last) will bring back the darkness, scares and bite that made 'Asylum' so downright harrowing. Even Myrtle playing the theremin (the musical highpoint of the episode) can't completely save the episode.
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