The new season of American Horror Story opened with a premise so obviously built around the number 13 that the show might as well have called itself a number-themed horror trip. It is the kind of premise that either works brilliantly or falls apart fast, and after the first two episodes, the verdict is clear: this is a promising start, not a masterpiece. Ryan Murphy has packed this season with so many familiar faces from past installments that the show feels less like a standalone story and more like a haunted house built from old Halloween costumes.
Ben’s Plane Crash
The season opens with Ben (Joey Pollari), a hospice worker with a crippling fear of the number 13, agreeing to join his girlfriend Kira (Madelaine Petsch) and her 13 best friends on a birthday trip themed around the number. Kira loves the number 13 so much that it defines her personality, and Ben, who is cursed with triskaidekaphobia, goes along with it despite his better judgment. The decision to fly turns disastrous when the plane starts to go down, setting up the first major scare of the night.
Cordelia’s Premonitions
At Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies in New Orleans, Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson) watches over a young witch named Ophelia (Avantika). Cordelia is described as the world’s most powerful living witch, or “the fking Supreme,” for anyone who remembers her from Coven*. Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts) shows up, spouting her famous line, “Surprise, bh!” before getting dragged into a conversation about a harbinger of doom.
Cordelia receives a terrible vision involving a harbinger of doom, and Madison dismisses it as dramatic. The vision includes flashes of death, which Cordelia describes as “terrifying, vengeful death.” Cordelia quotes the line “Something wicked this way comes,” and the episode cuts to Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange’s character from Murder House) to deliver the payoff.
Constance’s Caretaker
Constance is now the caretaker of a mysterious old man with gross skin, claw-like hands, and what looks like a tail. He starts vomiting black liquid at the exact moment the plane crashes, which is suspiciously convenient. The timing suggests he is feeding off the deaths of everyone on board. The show makes the connection explicit: the old man is bad news.
Ben Survives
Ben survives the crash, apparently because he was sitting in seat 13F. He arrives at a spooky Manhattan apartment building where he has been hired as the caretaker of the mysterious old man, who lives on the 13th floor. Constance welcomes him to the apartment, defending the “misunderstood” Judas and recalling her father’s prejudice toward Italians. She also mentions that all of her children are “alive and thriving,” which is strange given that Constance had several children throughout her life and as far as we know, they are all extremely dead.
Mr. Nas’ Demands
Constance introduces Ben to her client, “Mr. Nas,” who has a list of peculiar demands. His shady doctor (played by legendary filmmaker John Waters) draws 13 vials of blood a week, which he keeps in the same bag as his collection of living snakes. The contract also requires incredibly thorough sponge baths, which finally gives Lange a chance to yell “butt hole!” on screen. That has to be a career first, right?
The sponge bath is not a pleasant experience, but it is illuminating. Constance’s claim that all of her children are alive and thriving contradicts what longtime viewers know about them. On the topic of Mr. Nas, Constance says he was not abandoned by his family and is beloved by many. She praises him for what he has done for the world, which strongly confirms that this guy is the “ultimate evil” Ryan Murphy has been teasing.
Twisty Returns
Episode 2 opens on another sponge bath for Mr. Nas, giving Ben a chance to get acquainted with his cloven hooves. Any normal person would leave, which suggests either that Ben is not normal or that he has no choice. Both options are entirely possible in this world.
Ben becomes curious about Mr. Nas’ prized painting of The Last Supper, which Constance claims is the original. He embarks on an incredibly lazy AI search journey, feverishly learning everything he can about the number 13 until he literally can’t breathe anymore. Meanwhile, the episode takes us to a clown school where a professor (played by Tig Notaro) is pontificating on the art of clownery. Twisty the Clown (John Carrol Lynch) arrives, leaving no body un-stabbed, no face un-carved, and no Tig Notaros left standing.
The Mass Murder
Twisty kills 13 people, and the timing is just as suspicious as the plane crash. Mr. Nas responds by vomiting black liquid again. Ben shares his concerns with Constance over a cup of Sanka, and she explains the old man’s black vomit as an ulcer that never healed.
The episode ends with the promise of more answers to come.
The Verdict So Far
The premiere is a mixed bag. The number 13 is everywhere, from the plane crash to the apartment building to the sponge baths to the painting to the killings. The show plays the gag of Mr. Nas vomiting black liquid after each murder as deliberately silly rather than genuinely frightening. The plot is convoluted, and the callbacks to past seasons are plentiful, but the payoff is not always clear.
The performances are strong across the board. Paulson, Lange, Roberts, and Pollari all bring energy to their roles, and the supporting cast, including John Waters and Tig Notaro, adds depth. The production design is atmospheric, with a creepy Manhattan apartment and a spooky academy in New Orleans.
| Episode | Setting | Main Plot |
|---|---|---|
| Episode 1 | Plane trip / New Orleans | Ben joins Kira’s birthday group; Cordelia’s premonitions |
| Episode 2 | Manhattan apartment / Clown school | Ben cares for Mr. Nas; Twisty kills 13 people |
The season is ambitious, and it is easy to get lost in the callbacks and references. The show has a lot of ground to cover, and the pacing is uneven. Some scenes feel rushed, while others drag on for too long. The central mystery of Mr. Nas is compelling, but the show has not yet delivered a satisfying answer.
The premiere is a promising start, but it is not a masterpiece. The show is clearly trying to do something big, and it has the talent and resources to pull it off. Whether the season delivers on its promises remains to be seen. The next few episodes will determine whether the multiverse crossover is a triumph or a disaster.
For now, the season is worth watching for the performances and the atmosphere. The number 13 is a fun gimmick, but it is not enough to carry the story on its own. The show needs to dig deeper into its characters and its mythology. The premiere sets up a promising mystery, and the next episodes will need to deliver on the promise.
Source material: “American Horror Story Season 13 Premiere Conjures A Langdon Family Reunion From Hell — Grade It,” TVLine.
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