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Flavorwire: ‘American Horror Story: Hotel’ Trades Lange for Gaga — and It’s Surprisingly Refreshing
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(...) What’s American Horror Story without Jessica Lange?
As it turns out, the answer might be “refreshed.” Lange wasn’t in the habit of doing anything less than excellent work during her four seasons with AHS, but as Freak Show made clear, the arcs Murphy and Falchuk wrote for her characters were becoming increasingly tired. And though Lange can act the hell out of whatever’s thrown at her, she could only have “aging diva reacts badly to loss of looks/power/etc.” thrown at her so many times before it gets old. Enter Lady Gaga, who as a 29-year-old acting novice is about as far from Lange, and the thematic ground her characters cover, as one can get.
(...) Those turned off by Ryan Murphy and his many excesses won’t find a palatable entry point in Hotel. Though FX only provided a single episode for advance review — a setup, no less than Quentin Tarantino noted, that leaves critics’ ability to evaluate a show’s strengths and weaknesses somewhat hamstrung — the early warning signs of classic Murphy deal breakers are there. Anyone sensitive to tactless portrayals of sexual violence and addiction will want to look elsewhere; sticklers for coherence will see red flags in the half-dozen subplots squeezed into the premiere alone, with more sure to come.
Instead, Hotel‘s tweaks will appeal to viewers who, like this one, are generally willing to meet AHS halfway unless the Lana Del Rey covers outweigh the insane asylum dance numbers. Gaga, whose theatricality fits in perfectly with American Horror Story‘s precise-yet-chaotic aesthetic, is a breath of fresh air. So, oddly enough, is Wes Bentley as a detective whose search for both a serial killer and his missing son leads him to the Cortez. After four seasons of Lange as antiheroine, it’s interesting to see a straight-up hero at the center of Hotel, particularly — I can’t believe I’m typing this — a male one. (This is what happens when you’ve spent more time in the Murphyverse than any sane person should.)
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