“AHS: NYC” Review – “Smoke Signals” and “Black Out” Contaminate the Body and Mind

More corpses and police ignorance force Gino to take measures into his own hands, but darkness looms and infection spreads in AHS: NYC’s latest.

“Protect and fucking serve.”

Shame is an all-consuming emotion that doesn’t discriminate in the same way that a serial killer does with its victims or police do with their casework. Everyone is capable of some modicum of humility, but the disenfranchised figures who are under the thumb in American Horror Story: NYC are especially susceptible to palpable shame. This is a season that’s full of deeply closeted characters. Killer. Adulterer. Homosexual. Shame often spirals and takes on many forms, but it’s frequently steeped in the lies that we tell ourselves, even when we should know better. And what’s a bigger lie than a conspiracy theory, which has the power to become an echo chamber of psychosis as desperate individuals get lost in circuitous group thought. It’s the lie, after all, that gets people off, feeds the shame, and gives these conspiracy theories life. Rampant paranoia and mounting fear increasingly take control in American Horror Story: NYC’s “Smoke Signals” and “Black Out,” two meaningful installments that force these characters to confront their worst impulses and painfully separate right when they need each other the most. 

“Smoke Signals” and “Black Out” descend its characters into literal darkness, but these installments are also tonally nihilistic. The Mai Tai Killer’s web of victims continues to grow larger and yet the NYPD are more ambivalent than ever. A misunderstanding with Zachary Quinto’s Sam engages in questions of consent that reflect the very real ways in which cops would fail to recognize the difference between foreplay and a felony. Serial killings are reduced to just “another gay corpse” and these marginalized lives only mean something after they’ve been lost; and even then it’s only until it’s no longer convenient. 

Patrick’s crusade begins to heat up and he makes it onto the Mai Tai Killer’s radar. It’s not long before this dynamic forces Patrick to engage in laborious games with this killer where he lacks the power. It’s pretty obvious that Patrick’s suspect is a red herring and basically functions as a personification of his tension with Gino. What begins as an earnest attempt at police work turns into a lurid affair that hardly feels like the end of Patrick’s desire to color outside of the lines. The bigger question is if this toxic behavior is so strong and his resolve is so weak that it could culminate in him operating alongside the Mai Tai Killer as some hedonistic pair of Murder Husbands who are now free to live their best lives. That’s not necessarily a disappointing resolution at this point in AHS: NYC, but Patrick’s trajectory shouldn’t be so telegraphed if that’s the case.

The most striking aspect of these two episodes is how much they lean into the investigative reporter aspect of this story, especially “Smoke Signals.” These episodes, and this season, have the tonality and pacing of bureaucratic detective work rather than the predatory nature of a serial killer. This season of American Horror Story continues to experiment in restraint and these episodes don’t break what the first two established. This tonal consistency is crucial. The police procedural vibe of AHS: NYC is becoming a more comfortable fit for the series, especially as certain noir themes bubble to the surface like pervasive helplessness and characters who take action because they’re tired of waiting for this world to fix itself. Then again, Leather Daddy burns an entire building of people alive so it’s not as if these episodes are without their standard Ryan Murphy murder exuberance. 

This season’s patience allows for an exceptionally tense sequence in a hospital where Gino, Patrick, and Mr. Whitely, the Mai Tai Killer, are all in the same building at the same time. It’s extremely frustrating that Gino lets Whitely get away, especially since their initial run-in is so incidental and built purely out of panic. It’s evidence that Whitely isn’t some polished serial killer and his days are already numbered even if he’s yet to be caught. It’s a smart way to build upon both the relationship that exists between Gino and Whitely as victim and captor, but also intensify his desire to catch this killer. It’s such a suspenseful and effectively orchestrated scene that ends in a truly terrifying place. This, as it turns out, isn’t the end of Gino, but it would be an absolutely awful way to perish. It’s the most successful that American Horror Story has been with one of its set pieces in a long time, let alone one that’s devoid of blood and based purely out of tension.

Much of “Smoke Signals” and “Black Out” functions as variations on a theme, but there’s at least a little more for Patti LuPone’s Kathy to do. Her frank discussion with Gino is undeniably emotional, but it kind of just echoes the same message that’s been present in these first four episodes. The city needs to acknowledge and do something about these missing people instead of society collectively keeping their heads down and sweeping it under the rug. It’s an important issue that’s hard to begrudge, especially when it’s still painfully relevant today. However, it’s hard for these characters not to feel like a broken record at this point when there’s at least one monologue an episode about being invisible and not warranting help. If nothing else, it’s an effective way to unify some of these diverse characters under a single umbrella cause.

American Horror Story: NYC has mostly focused on its rogue killers, but these episodes do a lot of work for the mysterious rash that’s spreading across New York City. “Smoke Signals” boldly insinuates that this infection is a ripple effect of Project Paperclip and that gene warfare could be in everyone’s immediate future. This remains the most fascinating wild card of the season even if it’s baked into an unsubtle AIDS metaphor. As it stands, this virus is the work of the government in an effort to silence political enemies and threats. It’s unclear who specifically the target is for this biological attack, but–much like shame–this virus doesn’t discriminate in who it infects. 

The two-episode release model for American Horror Story: NYC continues to pay off for these slow-paced installments. It’s actually a smart decision more than it feels like a lack of confidence in these episodes or a desire to burn off the season at a faster rate. While it’s more present in “Black Out” than “Smoke Signals,” this pair of AHS: NYC episodes also channel some Spike Lee intensity as these crimes carry over to the hottest day of the year and everyone’s growing rage reaches a boiling point.

“Smoke Signals” and “Black Out” are promising episodes of American Horror Story: NYC that further build upon this season’s growing mysteries and dueling serial killers, but are also guilty of spinning their wheels several times over. It’s appreciated that at this point the series hasn’t indulged in radical non-sequiturs and infinite subplots that take this season all over the place (it’s a relief that the 1952 “Project Paperclip” flashback only lasts a few minutes rather than half of the episode). This level of control is rare in American Horror Story, but necessary for it to survive. It admittedly results in episodes that cover less ground, but they’re of greater substance and it feels as if this season is actually building to a powerful finish instead of getting ready to go off the rails. The characters in AHS: NYC tell each other that “something’s gotta’ change,” but there are far worse things than American Horror Story maintaining this tempo and atmosphere. 

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