The "American Horror Story" franchise thrives on a foundational premise that daringly poses the question, "What truly terrifies?" It then embarks on a phantasmagorical quest, gathering an eclectic array of horrors – some immediate, some lingering – and assaulting them with an absurdity that borders on the hilarious. The outcomes are an unpredictable tapestry of jarring shocks, campy extravaganzas, and occasional misses that fall flat, yet they consistently entertain with unbridled verve.
"American Horror Stories" distinguishes itself from its mother ship, deviating into a format where each episode stands as a solitary, self-contained narrative. These standalone tales often breathe new life into the horror genre by employing a diverse cast beyond the usual AHS ensemble, leading viewers on thrilling journeys through the antics of murderous Santas, bloodthirsty woodland hybrids, and the ultimate nightmare – teenagers. In delightful surprises like the season one finale, "Game Over," it seamlessly blends the nostalgia of classic AHS characters like Dr. Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott), revisiting their haunted pasts as settings for fresh stories, where lesbian spirits grapple with the eternal dilemma of doomed immortality within the Murder House.
Season two's premiere, "Dollhouse," presents a captivating blend of old and new, with AHS stalwart Denis O'Hare transforming into the deranged dollmaker Van Wirt. His macabre obsession with turning a woman into a living doll not only uncovers the backstory of a beloved character from "Coven" season, but also ushers him to the doorsteps of Miss Robichaux's Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, where he encounters a youthful Myrtle Snow, poignantly portrayed by Ellie Grace Pomeroy in "Dollhouse" and Frances Conroy in "Coven."
The innate flexibility of "American Horror Stories" keeps AHS aficionados immersed in the eerie landscape they cherish during the off-season, while venturing into uncharted territories, each tale neatly wrapped up in a taut 45 minutes. It also masterfully expands the AHS universe, weaving intricate storylines from past seasons that keep the franchise's sinister heart pulsating. Without "American Horror Stories," we might never have uncovered the unexpected link between Coven's Fiona Goode (Jessica Lange), her aversion to knotty pine, and her seemingly innate fascination with the quaint charm of old Americana and Edwardian aesthetics, all thanks to a young Otis Spalding (Houston Jax Towe) in "Dollhouse," whose grown-up persona, played by Denis O'Hare in "Coven," unravels a deeply rooted family tale of dolls and their enigmatic allure.
"Dolls have been a fascination since the dawn of Egyptian civilization," Van Wirt begins his chilling narrative in the prologue of 'Dollhouse,' painting a haunting backdrop. "A testament to their enduring charm lies in the very tomb of King Tut, where one such doll was unearthed. Even in the realm of the afterlife, it was deemed inseparable."
Nestled within the Van Wirt Toy Company's offices in the heart of Natchez, Mississippi, sits a radiant young woman named Coby (portrayed by Kristine Froseth), who initially ventured there for a mundane clerical interview, only to find herself at the mercy of a far more sinister assessment.
"But what truly is a doll?" Van Wirt's menacing monologue deepens, his voice echoing through the room. "Merely humanity's futile endeavor to complete what divine forces had initiated."
As these words resonate, a flicker of realization crosses Coby's features, a fleeting thought of escaping with her resume intact. Yet, it's 1961, a time when job opportunities for women, especially those as overqualified as she, were scarce and precious. Before she can contemplate her exit, Van Wirt's mute accomplice, Eustace (Matt Lasky), jolts her with a cattle prod, swiftly ushering her into a life-sized dollhouse that houses other unwitting captives, its confines as impenetrable as a fortified vault.
Once Coby regains her composure, Van Wirt reveals his intentions bluntly: she will be confined for at least a week, undergoing a series of rigorous tests and trials to ascertain if she possesses the qualities to become the surrogate mother to his son, Otis. The dollhouse, he boasts, is a harmonious blend of Victorian elegance, old Americana charm, and Edwardian sophistication, a reflection of his boundless passion for dolls that transcends the confines of any single era.
The full picture of Van Wirt's twisted motivations unfolds as Coby uncovers the tragic tale of his spurned love. Betrayed by his wife's infidelity with a younger man, both parties met their fate at the bottom of a wishing well, pushed by Eustace's unforgiving hand. Should she fail to capture Van Wirt's favor, the doomed dolls' ultimate destination might very well be a similar, fateful plunge into the abyss.
The rigorous tests these "dolls" undergo serve as absurd yardsticks, foreshadowing the absurd expectations they'd face should they triumphantly emerge as Van Wirt's and young Otis's perpetual companions in their dollhouse domain. From setting elegant luncheon tables to concocting bizarre, fragrant sprays used for ironing and folding (not creasing) dress shirts, the dolls are trained in a myriad of tasks. Yet, towering above all else is the paramount importance placed on their obedience.
Coby, initially conforming to the norms, ultimately rebels against this mold when her extraordinary abilities as a witch are revealed. She discovers a loophole in the form of Otis, enchanting his toy firetruck to move with merely the flick of her mental powers, thus winning his favor. Attempting a cunning bargain, she offers to adopt him as her son if he convinces his father to spare the other girls, but her plan falls flat.
On the eve of the final judgment, when a victor would be crowned, Coby unleashes her powers, blasting open the dollhouse's door, offering a glimmer of escape. As the dolls scramble for freedom, Eustace ruthlessly eliminates the final contenders of Van Wirt's twisted game. Undeterred, Coby bravely turns back, determined to save Otis from the horrors of his childhood.
Van Wirt, realizing her scheme, initiates a twisted transformation, trapping Coby within a plasticizing press, condemning her to a living hell for a week's duration. Just as hope seems lost, two witches, seemingly from the same coven that welcomed Fiona to Miss Robichaux's Academy, storm in, rescuing Coby and Otis, engulfing the dollhouse in flames.
At the sanctuary of Miss Robichaux's, Coby counsels Otis on the wisdom of adopting a new name, inquiring if he possesses a middle name. When he reveals it to be Spalding, a part of me yearned for Coby to confess that her own middle name was Fiona, unveiling her as the town's most formidable witch in a captivating origin story. Yet, logic dictated the timeline's implausibility. Nevertheless, I harbored a stubborn belief that the narrative could have twisted to accommodate such a revelation, given the proximity in age between young Myrtle, who arrives at the academy gates declaring her future leadership, and Otis's middle name, Spalding, as compared to the timeline established in "Coven." But alas, in the realm of television, particularly American Horror Story, where fantastical possibilities abound, anything is indeed, possible.
