The dark revelations in American Horror Story worked because of its season-long length. It had time to develop the story up to a reveal, then deal with the aftermath. That’s what gave poignancy to Violet’s (Taissa Farmiga) death in Murder House. In Hotel, detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley) realizes he’s the savage serial killer he’s been busy investigating. There is only so much time to the episodic format of American Horror Stories. In its sophomore year, Stories is still finding the right balance between its own identity and how much to replicate from its predecessor. The spinoff can get caught up trying to shock rather than be genuinely shocking. The slow-burn episodes are usually guilty of this, going big for a finale to compensate for the gradual developments. In Season 2, not all episodes do this, making for a hit-or-miss watch.

"Drive" Puts a New Spin on an Old Urban Legend

In “Drive,” club girl Marci (Bella Thorne) lives out a famous urban legend. After a night out, she finds herself being followed by a driver flashing their high-beams. Seconds later, it rams into her car. Marci escapes, deciding to find out who the aggressor was. This brings her to Paul (Nico Greetham), who was only trying to alert her of someone in the backseat. Except, there was never a killer in the backseat; what Paul saw was a drugged victim. Marci injects Paul with a tranquilizer, claiming him as her next victim. Due to the slow burn approach, not much happens for a while after the cold open. An earlier reveal, one that comes before the final ten minutes, would have subverted the familiar story that gets told.

american-horror-stories-nico-greetham-bella-thorne

It would have made thematic sense to get into Marci’s murderous mind sooner. What doesn’t help is her motive. It’s too vain; it verges on comical. A large birthmark on her face caused her to endure intense bullying when she was younger. Show, don't tell, please. She uses makeup to hide it and gets with pretty much anyone she wants to while out at the clubs. There isn't anything that makes her seem small. For a motive, it doesn’t pack a punch. Two following episodes succumb to finale issues like “Drive.” But these two endings feel lackluster because they insist on a double-twist hitter to bring things to a close.

Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary, Bloody Mary...

american horror stories bloody mary

In “Bloody Mary,” the spirit has a master plan to be free from within the mirror, needing the blood of innocents to do so. Bloody Mary (Dominique Jackson) promises to grant sisters Bianca (Quvenzhané Wallis) and Elise (Raven Scott), along with two friends, a wish if they do awful things. When the friends are killed, the sisters team up to find a way to stop Bloody Mary. Plot twist number one flies in. Elisa is the one killing the girls. She wants to get rich and escape a life of abuse and poverty. By killing her friends and her sister, Bloody Mary can make this dream come true. When Bianca fatally wounds her older sister, in comes the second shock.

RELATED: Why ‘American Horror Story’ Season 10 Was the Show At Its Best (For At Least 4 Episodes)

Elise’s death works just as well for the blood ritual. Bloody Mary is out and about with the living; Bianca is trapped in the mirror in her place. Frightened, Bianca cries out how she doesn’t want to be “evil.” Bloody Mary tells the girl she doesn’t need to be. Not long after, someone beckons to the spirit and Bianca appears in the mirror, taking on Bloody Mary’s duties and appearance. When she does, Bianca looks very evil. There are no complications to her being forced into this life. Like flipping a switch, Bianca goes bad. Corrupted characters are nothing new to the world of American Horror Story. Take detective Lowe and the messiness in being a detective/serial killer. Female characters get to ditch playing for the good side; Jessica Lange’s stock of roles are all kinds of corrupted. But Bianca’s quick transition rings false. She’s set up to be the most innocent of the girls, frightened to even begin the Bloody Mary chant. It’s a leap in character logic, which happens again in “Facelift.”

Ah, To Be Young Again

Virginia (Judith Light) is an older woman desperate to be youthful again. Light’s performance channels a disheartened attitude and is prone to stammering. Great material in feeling sympathetic for her. Virginia jumps at the chance to undergo a mysterious procedure. There’s a painting in the office she visits, of a monstrous hog and the men hunting it. At first glance, it fuels the feeling that something isn’t right. Wrapped up like a mummy, Virginia recovers, suffering nightmares and pain. She snaps at step-daughter Fay (Britt Lower) who’s only trying to give support. At a special retreat, Virginia’s bandages are taken off, her new face resembling a pig. The retreat is really a cult and Virginia is their sacrifice. Fay, on the other hand, is welcomed, inheriting a place among them thanks to her biological mother. The biggest clue to make sense of this is a necklace Fay mentioned earlier, seen vaguely in a flashback. Fay doesn’t think twice; she easily takes the membership. The logical mind established with her character, is more of an afterthought in order to finish up the final minutes.

american horror stories - dollhouse

In “Dollhouse,” there are hints to a story getting flipped on its head. Coby (Kristine Froseth) finds out a job interview with Mr. Van Wirt (Denis O’Hare) is a trap. She’s kidnapped, forced into playing a part in a life-size dollhouse. Mr. Van Wirt is on a search for the right mother figure to his young son, and this dehumanizing competition is the best he could come up with. Stuck with other women, Coby is forced into wearing a costume, staying still like a doll, and being a friendly presence with the Van Wirt boy. The whole story is unnerving. Whichever woman wins, doesn’t actually win. The reward is more punishment. When Coby demonstrates possibly telekinetic abilities, there’s a new tension. Maybe this could save her? It captures the boy’s attention. Ultimately, Coby gets Van Wirt’s reward, imprisoned in the life-size body of a doll. Suddenly, a group of cloaked women arrive to rescue her. These are witches from New Orleans, from the academy in Coven. Coby is a witch, resolving the story thread of the telekinesis. As for the Van Wirt boy who gets taken in, he grows up to be the doll-loving, corpse-snatching Spalding (also Denis O’Hare). “Dollhouse” does the neat trick of adding to an established character, a greater use of the original’s legacy than whatever was happening in the "Murder House" episodes of Stories Season 1.

"Milkmaids" and Pus

american horror stories milkmaids

The overall macabre tone to “Milkmaids” justifies a grim end. Smallpox is plaguing a 1700s New England village, devastating the community. The men in power, widower Thomas (Cody Fern) and zealot Pastor Walter (Seth Gabel), turn to eating the hearts of the infected corpses in order to stay immune. The women attempt to salvage the remains of rationality. Delilah (Addison Timlin) finds out fellow milkmaid Celeste (Julia Schlaepfer) has cowpox, protecting her from smallpox. The little hope it offers, dies out quickly. Walter, Delilah, and Thomas are all killed from encounters with one another. When Celeste goes to save Thomas’ son, her secret, biological child, the boy kills her without learning their connection. He eats her heart, believing his father’s method of survival. The bleakness of the period-piece setting is only one aspect. Put together with the cannibalism, misogyny, and so much emphasis on pus, it’s one dark ride.

"Aura" and Anxiety

“Aura” expertly sets up its ending too. The anxious Jaslyn (Gabourey Sidibe) gets her husband Bryce (Max Greenfield) to move into a gated community to ease her nerves. Once in, she installs the new doorbell system, Aura. The technology can detect spirits, and they come for a housewarming. When an old man (Joel Swetow) arrives at the doorstep, Jaslyn feels terrorized before realizing he was an old janitor at her high school. He took her friendly gestures too intensely. When Jaslyn lets him in, anyone would rightfully assume he will attack. But he doesn’t. All he wants to do is apologize. And then another spirit arrives, a woman (Lily Rohren) Jaslyn may not know. Bryce does, she’s his ex-fiancé, who he killed. The spirit gets her revenge and Bryce’s death seems justified. A time jump places Jaslyn in a new apartment, with Aura also installed. Guess who comes knocking this time? An angry Bryce, trapping Jaslyn inside as he bangs on the door. Although it’s a double-hitter like others, “Aura” weaves in the pieces to make its ending possible. All Jaslyn wants is to feel safe, to be at peace. Bryce’s spirit ensures she won’t find it.

American Horror Stories shouldn’t wait too long to plunge into the darkness. The spinoff slips into the pitfalls that aren't so unusual for an anthology. Not every entry can be the best or equally favored. Each season of the original can be ranked differently, so to can these episodes. There’s room for improvement though. No doubt American Horror Story will continue to be a source of influence for Stories. The original also delivered shocks for nothing but a whiplash effect. Look no further than how many times, in so many seasons, decently virtuous characters died and turned into murderous ghosts. Those kinds of twists get tiring. In better using the contained, episodic format, this spinoff can only shape better frights. It will help the body horror gross-outs, slow burning tension, and malicious character motivations be more effective.