Entering "American Horror Story: Asylum"

My expectations for the second round of "American Horror Story" were not high. I'd enjoyed the first for being a campy, schlocky smorgasbord of shocks and squicks, that never got too graphic for basic cable television. I knew "Asylum" had a few more prestigious actors joining the fun, including James Cromwell, Chloë Sevigny, and Joseph Fiennes, but then the setting was to be a mental institution run by Catholic nuns in 1964. Surely we were in for more ham galore.

And boy is there ever a lot of material in "Asylum" to fuel the ostentation. Nuns and mental patients are just the tip of the iceberg. Storylines in this series include Nazis, alien abductions, demon possessions, a serial killer named Bloody Face, mad doctors, mommy complexes, nymphomaniacs, and the most terrifying Santa Claus you ever met. If you liked the unpredictability of the "Murder House" season of "American Horror Story," "Asylum" keeps it up, springing new surprises every week.

At the same time, "Asylum" is far more structurally sound and consistently watchable than "Murder House." The writers have embraced the notion of a limited anthology series and constructed "Asylum" to end with finality at the thirteenth episode. There are fewer characters who are developed more fully, and most of the action stays in one place and time, aside from a framing story that takes place in the present day. Also the actors are far better utilized, given a chance to really bring something to the macabre material.

The insane asylum at Briarcliff Manor is headed by Monsignor Timothy Howard (Joseph Fiennes), but run day to day with an iron fist by Sister Jude (Jessica Lange). She clashes regularly with the facility's chief physician, Dr. Arden (James Cromwell), and bullies her meek underling, Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe). Among their charges are Kit Walker (Evan Peters), recently arrested for the Bloody Face killings, accused axe murderess Grace Borden (Lizzie Brocheré), and the sexually fixated Shelly (Chloë Sevigny). Rounding out the cast are psychiatrist Dr. Oliver Thredson (Zachary Quinto), and an ambitious young reporter, Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson), who lies her way into Briarcliff to chase a story.

One of these characters is a lesbian, and another is in a secret interracial relationship, two end up pregnant, at least three are killers, and several are in love with or at least in lust with one of the others. And then there's the Nazi, the demon possession, and the one who was abducted by aliens. Logic is constantly being thrown out the window as the plot convolutes itself into knots, and at a certain point you have to wonder if some of these poor characters are ever going to catch a break between disasters.

The show also does take some stabs at becoming a more thoughtful, serious piece of work, particularly in its ending, but mostly it's aim is to deliver scares and salaciousness in bulk. To that end, the show is sometimes a completely mess, with loose ends and too-abrupt developments everywhere. Some of its wilder conceits simply do not work, and there's too much going on. Many promising ideas are abandoned, like the things that inhabit the woods outside Briarcliff.

And yet, more often than not the show does manage to be compelling. The characters are strong and many have good arcs, particularly Sister Jude and Lana Winters. There's a lot of thematically interesting stuff going on when you dig past the genre scares, and "American Horror Story" remains one of the only shows on television that will look at issues like abortion, church abuses, mental health problems, and sexual deviance up close and personal. The show's treatment of them is fairly exploitative, but there's still some bite.

I found "Asylum" to be more sure-footed than "Murder House" in almost every way. Though there is still the feeling that the writers are dumping in a new abomination into the story every time things slow down, there is also a greater willingness to venture outside the normal horror story constructs to pursue good, solid character drama. There's hardly anything campy about the finale episode, where we get some real resolutions for the characters.

The production designs are gorgeous, with all the period sets and props, and there is a big upgrade in the quality of the cinematography. Some of the imagery in this year is just stunning. Performances are strong all around too, particularly Sarah Paulson, who I'll no longer immediately associate with "Studio 60" after this, and an irresistible Ian McShane as the evil Santa.

I find it strangely wonderful that "American Horror Story" is doing horror the way that horror movies aren't these days, giving us stories with some real substance, and characters we can care about. It's enough to make you wonder if the future of the horror genre might be the small screen.
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