American Horror Story: Cult

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > American Horror Story: Cult

McSpanky: Jan 16, 2005

Wait, what's wrong with Emma Roberts?

# ¿ Aug 2, 2017 20:16

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 19:40

McSpanky: Jan 16, 2005

evan_peters_humping_tv.gif

# ¿ Sep 28, 2017 20:08

McSpanky: Jan 16, 2005

A bunch of this show is played straight, as proper camp should be.

# ¿ Sep 30, 2017 08:06

McSpanky: Jan 16, 2005

Facebook Aunt posted:

The bully boys were a blunt instrument. They let Kai use direct intimidation and beatings. They all wanted basically the same things, and they had self-selected to join his group based on what they saw on TV.

The initial cult was a comparatively delicate and subtle instrument. Vulnerable individuals who each required significant cosseting and manipulation to keep them on script. He only had a handful of followers, so each one was a big project. He was a master manipulator because he had to be to keep his disparate group of high maintenance misfits together.

The boys required much less work each. Who they were before they arrived wasn't important, he didn't even use their names and instead gave each a nickname he used constantly. They aren't individuals, they were an army. They wanted to be a part of something bigger than themselves. Totally different mindset.

At which point he started dropping the ball with his original crew. The new boys weren't going to respect women and homosexuals. So to keep his army happy he had to put the misfits in a subordinate position. Put them on the shelf, think about them when their unique talents are needed. He probably still intended to get them what he'd promised them once he had more power so everything was fine. He didn't stop to think about how it would look from their perspective, because he was too busy sucking adoration from his new followers.

He lost them because he stopped trying.

That's often how cults evolve in real life. Begin with a core group of true believers, cult hits an expansion phase and the leader now has to tend to his flock, the individuals who were formerly in the inner circle get alienated and the scales may fall from their eyes, some combination of dissidence/power struggle/exodus fractures the base while the leader gets high on his power and leads the flock to a violent and/or suicidal apotheosis.

If anything, the most unrealistic aspect of AHS was half the blue shirts not having an immediate breakdown or killing themselves when "Divine Leader" got his brains liquefied.

McSpanky fucked around with this message at 22:13 on Nov 25, 2017

# ¿ Nov 25, 2017 22:11

McSpanky: Jan 16, 2005

esperterra posted:

I loved the alien element to Asylum, I just wish it had rubbed up against the religious elements of that season even a little.

I didn't realize until now how much I needed Frances Conroy in alien grey makeup as the angel of spacedeath.

# ¿ Dec 12, 2017 01:24

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# ¿ Apr 26, 2024 19:40

McSpanky: Jan 16, 2005

Chris James 2 posted:

https://twitter.com/MrRPMurphy/status/1026876449175695360

Stevie Nicks? :regd08:

# ¿ Aug 7, 2018 18:29

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > TV IV > American Horror Story: Cult