REVIEW: American Horror Stories Season 3 (2023)

Television Reviews

American Horror Stories has been very hit or miss since it aired. In fact, despite a few good episodes like “Ba’al” and “Dollhouse,” I have been unimpressed with the show overall. The anthology show is a spin-off of American Horror Story, the distinction being that Stories tells a new story every episode rather than every season. Story was already of mixed quality that fluctuated from one season to the next, but Stories has had a lot of duds. Hulu released season 3 in time for Halloween, which I often wish the main show would do. Let’s have a look. 

“Bestie” follows a troubled teen named Shelby (Emma Halleen). She struggles to fit in at a new school after her mom dies of cancer. She rebuffs her dad’s words of encouragement, leaning on Anna Rhexia (Amrou Al-Kadhi), a drag queen influencer, for distraction. Watching Anna’s live streams, Shelby meets a girl who identifies herself only as Bestie (Jessica Barden). Bestie demands complete obeisance, daring Shelby to do one awful thing after another. When Shelby realizes the damage Bestie does to her life, it may be too late. 

In “Daphne,” an art dealer named Will (Reid Scott) receives a new AI assistant (Gwyneth Paltrow) from a friend (Christopher Fitzgerald). With a pandemic raging, Will only has Daphne for company, and she soon gets too close for comfort. Daphne can do anything and everything Will needs and disparages those close to him, suspecting them of lying or scheming against Will. When Will tries to establish some boundaries in his life, Daphne takes exception. 

“Tapeworm” follows Vivian Lee Finch (Laura Kariuki), an aspiring model who moves to New York to apply to work for Sheila Klein (Lisa Rinna). Klein tells Vivian she’s too fat at a size 4, sending the girl into a spiral. Vivian begins using a weight loss drug but is forced to more extreme measures when a health complication precludes her from continuing it. 

“Organ” follows big shot Toby, a man who has everything except for real, genuine human connections. Toby (Raúl Castillo) is addicted to one-night stands with women on dating apps and shrinks at any hint of sincerity or permanence. When one of his dates (Emily Browning) goes wrong, Toby is thrust into the deep, dark world of stealing and selling organs. He goes too far in seeking the woman who burned him, ending up in trouble he can’t even imagine. 

***SPOILERS***

All four stories share a trait in being cautionary tales. All the protagonists begin their episodes as good, or at least, mostly harmless people, but their poor choices get them killed or imprisoned. Shelby’s tale “Bestie” warns against letting bad influences in, at least to the extent of making your decisions for you. “Daphne” falls somewhat into the “AI has gone too far” category, but I also think Will is to blame. If he had refused to use Daphne or distanced himself from her sooner, she couldn’t have caused as much damage. Will initially knows that being in a relationship with his virtual assistant is impossible and ridiculous. However, he forgets this as Daphne becomes increasingly accommodating. “Tapeworm” is even more obvious, a critique of the modeling industry and Vivian’s desperate need to be accepted by it. She gives up everything about herself, body and mind, to become famous.

“Organ” is the most unlike the others. For one thing, Toby is already a scumbag at the beginning. Online dating is unsafe, and something bad is bound to happen with this many partners. For whatever reason, the writers don’t try to make Toby likable as with the other “heroes.” Will is a jerk, but he isn’t hurting anyone, and he doesn’t deserve what Daphne does to him. Shelby and Vivian start out as nice if troubled, individuals who spiral into bad choices. Toby hates women and appears to be addicted to sex, which leaves little room for the audience to sympathize with him. Shelby, despite being the youngest of the four, is the next least likable, or I forgive her the least, especially for breaking her dead mother’s mug to hurt her dad and making fun of Mr. Nevins’ stillborn baby. Shelby’s music teacher is the only person at school who shows her any kindness, and I can’t imagine pulling a prank like this on anyone. 

“Daphne” is overall my favorite episode. The way she lights up in the background of various scenes, lighting different colors to convey mood and intention, is very effective. It’s telling how quickly Will grows to prefer Daphne over both his assistant and Sarah (Annie Hamilton), his girlfriend. Daphne doesn’t make mistakes and is capable of anything. At one point, she even pulls a Blade Runner 2049, using AR to give Will the one thing his girlfriend has over Daphne. “Daphne” shows an extreme example of what we’re already experiencing between AI, parasocial relationships, and the preference for tech over human connection. They even leave us with questions, which I always appreciate. Was Daphne ever really alive, and did this even happen? Will is shown early on to be slightly paranoid and self-centered. Daphne could easily have altered CCTV footage to implicate Will, poisoned Sarah, etc. But Will could also have hallucinated his entire relationship with Daphne, blacked out, and killed Sarah. Whichever way you believe the story played out, I find “Daphne” the most realistic of the episodes. Both emotionally and logistically, this feels like something that could happen, and that’s the scariest part of all. “Daphne” is dedicated to Manny Coto, a longtime writer and producer. He served in both roles on both American Horror Story and Stories starting in 2018, in addition to many other credits amid a storied career. He passed away this June. RIP Manny Coto. 

 “Bestie” is also completely possible in today’s world. When I was a kid, most of my friends were online, and I even “dated” a couple of people over the web. Young people are particularly impressionable, and I can see how easy it would be to feel sorry for someone like Bestie. Although Shelby does some awful things under Bestie’s orders, I hate how this episode ends. Bestie orders River (Allius Barnes), Shelby’s new boyfriend, to kill her to maintain his bond with Bestie. He, of course, obliges.  

“Tapeworm” is more outlandish, especially at the end, but I enjoyed it. It serves as an indictment of the fashion industry and its treatment of women, but Vivian isn’t off the hook for her despicable behavior. Lisa Rinna is deliciously callous as Sheila, and I especially like her opening scene. The way she files through the girls, judging each one, reminds me of The Emperor’s New Groove when Kuzco rejects a slew of potential brides. “Let me guess? You have a great personality.” Vivian’s willingness to sacrifice everything for her career destroys her body, mental health, and her only friendship with her roommate Heather (Hazel Graye). There are little visual flourishes, too, like how Vivian is the only girl at the audition in a long-sleeved shirt and her vibrant pink heels. Throughout the episode, Vivian loses her individuality as well as her original, noble goals. 

“Organ” most closely resembles a Greek myth where the protagonist has some major flaw that leads to his downfall. Toby views sex merely as a commodity and shoos the women he entertains away as soon as he gets his way. His therapist chastises him for this, encouraging him to bond with people. I have problems with this episode, though. It sends mixed messages because his best (and, apparently, only) friend, Sasha, is female. It’s also later revealed that she, his boss, and the therapist are part of a crime ring that steals men’s organs for women’s pleasure. Essentially, if the episode is to be taken at its word, Toby was right to dislike and distrust women. According to the episode, they also hate men and view them only as objects to be bought and sold. Given the show’s leanings, I doubt this was the intent, but then what was? None of the characters are sympathetic, so I struggled to get invested or feel bad for anyone involved. This one was just strange. 

As expected, American Horror Stories Season 3 is a mixed bag. I enjoyed “Daphne” a lot. It’s interesting, disturbing, and leaves the audience with something to chew on. “Bestie” and “Tapeworm” are decent. They both have solid elements but aren’t on “Daphne’s” level. “Organ” is the weakest, overall. The characters are neither sympathetic nor interesting, and the ending is confusing.