Leyla Hamedi

Despite introducing yet another plot line, this is actually a well-done episode that explains both the Countess's origins and her connection to the infamous Hotel Cortez, even while the other storylines flounder.

While this episode contains a few gleeful moments, like the hipster-killing huzzah and Liz Taylor's origin story, the plot barely moves at all and relies on the tired trope of vampires to keep audiences interested.

In a special Halloween episode, the story veers off the main track to play murder musical chairs with both real-life serial killers and the fictional killers within.

This episode closely examines the theme of death through the scope that not all killing is murder, nor all murder is bad, while introducing Angela Bassett as the foxiest blaxploitation star, ever.

Diving into the backstory of the Hotel Cortez itself gives the present storyline credibility, and allows its key themes to take center stage.

While it's fun to guess the references and inspirations of various plot points, the fifth season premiere of American Horror Story shows the same cabinet of morbid curiosities without adding anything new.