My Review of American Horror Stories: "Daphne"

 

Written by Brad Falchuk And Manny Coto

Directed by Elegance Bratton

Will: "I think I'm falling in love with you."

Daphne: "Don't tease me."

Oh great, just what we needed - a lockdown episode and a COVID replacement varient to boot. This was something they probably could've done as an episode in the first season. In here, it feels a tad too late.

Saying that, in spite of my dislike of part of the premise, the majority of this one was actually decent enough. Collector dude Will Cazwell (Reid Scott) made for a protagonist caught in a relationship that veered between reality and cyber fantasy.

Being stuck in lockdown with nothing to do and no human contact, Will found himself becoming increasingly dependent on Alexa stand in Daphne (Gwyneth Paltrow) and soon their relationship takes several turns.

Daphne becomes an initial dream to Will by dealing with his mother, arranging deals and ultimately informing him on things that he needed to know. However you can't replace an AI with human contact and Will's girlfriend Sarah (Allegra Heart) became a thorn for Daphne's hold on Will.

Yes, the story took the predictable twist of Daphne going all murderous by killing Sarah and then a whole gallery full of people. In between that, there was also a virtual sex scene with Will and a simulation of Daphne.

In the end, Will learned a very harsh lesson - you can't reason with AI and soon, he ended up framed for Daphne's crimes. Yes, it was predictable and ended the episode on a rather harsh note to boot. Silly boy, Will.

- Gwyneth Paltrow is married to co-creator and writer of this episode, Brad Falchuk. I'm surprised it's taken this long to get her in the American Horror Story universe, though this was a voice role.

- There was a dedicated to Manny Coto credit at the closing credits. Manny Coto passed away in July.

- Reid Scott is another actor I would hope the main show can get next season.

- Chronology: Lockdown lasted for over four months in this episode. 2023 based I assume.

Daphne was the type of episode that's been done quite a bit and no better than when The Simpsons did it in one of their specials. It's not bad but a bit middle of the road.

Rating: 6 out of 10