The tenth season of Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s frightening series,American Horror Storydid what no other season of the show has done. Murphy and Falchuk made the unique choice to divide the season’s 10 episodes between two very distinct storylines. It is currently the lowest-rated season of the series, with an average 6.7 rating on IMDb.
American Horror Story: Double Feature’sfirst 6 episodes were under the name ofRed Tide, while the remaining 4 episodes had the title ofDeath Valley. Each set of episodes stuck to their respective storywith no apparent linkbetween either narrative. By including one subtle detail inDeath Valley, the entirety ofDouble Featurecould have received much more positive feedback from its viewers.
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Given the criticismDouble Featurehas received, it may have been wiser to haveRed TideandDeath Valleyserve as two individualseasons ofAmerican Horror Story. This would have given both narratives and the accompanying characters a chance to have better pacing and stronger backstories. It also would have given audiences a chance to form a stronger bond with the theme of the season and its characters. The choice to combine the two ideas was a bold decision, but it had the potential to be a meaningful choice had there been a link betweenRed TideandDeath Valley.
Red Tidewas the bulk ofDouble Feature, with an interesting premise.Red Tideis centered around the Gardner family who move to Provincetown, Massachusetts for what they believe will be a three-month business venture. The hope is that the change of scenery will allow Harry (Finn Wittrock) to finish his screenplay, while his pregnant wife Doris (Lily Rabe) remodels the home’s interior. As Harry continues to struggle to finish the screenplay, he meetsAustin Sommers (Evan Peters)and Belle Noir (Frances Conroy) who give him a black pill that is said to cure his writer’s block.
Reluctant at first, Harry eventually takes the pill and produces his best work. There are a few catches to the miracle pill that Harry takes. The pill is meant to bring out the talent of those who are truly talented while eliminating those that are not. If someone possessing great talent takes the pill, it creates an intense thirst for blood that they must fulfill. If someone without talent takes the pill, they turn into a horrifying, cannibalistic pale creature.
The premise ofDeath Valleyarrives inDouble Feature’sseventh episode. It periodically switches between the 1950s, 60s, and 70s before returning to the modern-day.Death Valleyfocuses on a strange allegiance betweenthe U.S. government and aliensin order to deal with the ongoing conflict between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. The deal between the U.S. and the aliens allows for the latter to abduct 5,000 Americans each year in exchange for their technology. The modern day reveals what the aliens are using the abductees for, as they are impregnating humans to create a perfect alien-human hybrid. Before the end ofDeath Valley, the firstperfect hybrid is bornfrom one of the recent abductees. To make matters worse, it is discovered that the aliens actually had the intention of taking over the earth and killing all humans once they had enough hybrids to populate the planet.
Given that Harry and even Mickey (played by Macaulay Culkin) furiously wrote screenplays throughoutRed Tide, some sort of reveal thatDeath Valleywas actually one of their creations would have provided a much more meaningful conclusion toDouble Feature. ThroughoutDeath Valley, countless historical events were seen asstagings by the aliensto help distract humans from the abductions that were taking place. For instance, the moon landing is revealed to be faked on a set at the Area 51 facility where the abductees are being held. HadDeath Valleyincluded a small nod toRed Tide, it would’ve brought intention to the choice of combining two distinct storylines into a single season.
The hypothetical reference toRed Tidedidn’t need to be big. It could have been as small as a director shouting “Cut!” withLeslie Grossman’s agent character, Ursula, wandering the set ofDeath Valleyto give instructions to the actors on behalf of the late-writer Harry or Mickey (given that they both die by the end ofRed Tide). Another option could have been an audience’s applause following the premiere ofDeath Valleyhad it been framed as a movie or television show.
Unfortunately, the return ofAmerican Horror Storyalumnilike Paulson, Peters, Rabe, Wittrock, Conroy, and Grossman, along with the new additions of stars like Culkin and various faces from the spin-offAmerican Horror Stories, wasn’t enough to save the issues presented inDouble Feature. The premise ofDouble Featureand its sub-plots ofRed TideandDeath Valleyhad potential both individually and collectively, but it ultimately still missed the mark.
