The American Horror Story Season Viewers Think Was Full Of Fan Service
With social media acting as a megaphone for avid fans of media, it's not surprising that franchises sometimes give in to the desires of their viewers. The term "fan service" originated in Japan to describe this phenomenon that frequently occurs in manga and anime to maintain fan approval (via Japanese with Anime). Now, it's used more broadly — and often in a negative context.
A perfect example is the FX anthology series "American Horror Story," fans of which are no strangers to openly criticizing it online. The show's subreddit is filled with creative reimaginings of storylines, threads compiling the least likable characters, and theories that often dig deeper than the show goes. However, while there's plenty of praise for the series, fans are often quick to point out what doesn't work for them. A recent thread reveals why some think one "AHS" season in particular caters to fans too much.
It's the end of the world as we know it
The question of whether or not "American Horror Story: Apocalypse" is filled with fan service is a common one on stranger to the show's subreddit. Fans have gone back and forth over this since the season premiered in 2018 and quickly strayed from its promised theme of an apocalyptic wasteland. While the show's 8th season was lauded by critics and received five Emmy nominations, many fans felt the crossover of "Murder House" and "Coven" lacked substance.
In a separate thread on the "AHS" subreddit, one fan, u/sasukeisverygay, said they liked "Apocalypse" until they watched Season 1, "Murder House," for the first time, which recontextualized things for them. "I watched ahs out of order so this was the fifth season I watched. I watched apocalypse before this and now I know that apocalypse was purely for fan service because there were so many plot holes in that season," they wrote, pointing out the absurdly romanticized relationship between Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet (Taissa Farmiga) and the underwhelming season finale. "Tate and Violet's ending after Madison's [Emma Roberts] words make absolutely no sense. Also, the ending to apocalypse makes no sense because it doesn't follow the lore."
Agreeing with the criticism, Redditor u/johndeaconshands said, "It had a lot of possibilities but someone didn't take the writing seriously." However, they admitted they appreciated the casting in "AHS: Apocalypse," which included the long-awaited returns of Taissa Farmiga and Jessica Lange. The divisive season and the accusations of fan service don't appear to be ending any time soon.