The much awaited American Horror Story: Hotel premiered on Wednesday, October 7 at 10 p.m. The suspenseful first episode of the fifth season began with two young Swedish girls entering the mysterious Cortez Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The cast of this season includes Lady Gaga, Matt Bomer, Kathy Bates, Cheyenne Jackson and Wes Bentley. Also in episode one were Sarah Paulson and Chloe Sevigny. Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, Fhin Wittrock and Max Greenfield are also  part of the cast (not included in episode one), and Naomi Camble is expected to guest star. Unfortunately the cast does not include Emmy Award-winning favorite, Jessica Lange, who has played lead roles in all four of the previous seasons. This was a huge let -own for many. 

Hotel Cortez has a very ominous vibe, and if you have watched any of the previous seasons of American Horror story, you can predict that something creepy or alarming is soon to happen. Sure enough, shortly into the episode the two young girls discover a zombie-like creature that emerges from their bed. The girls panic and ask Iris (Bates) what that creature was. Iris responds with, “I have no idea. I’m just as shocked as you are,” in a very unconvincing, reassuring tone.

The episode continues with Lady Gaga’s dramatic appearance as Countess Elizabeth with Donovan (Bomer) who seduce another couple and then unexpectedly slash the victim’s throats. Elizabeth and Donovan are killers but there is also an unidentified killer on the loose who threatens Detective Lowe’s (Bentley) family and is thought to have kidnapped his son. Similar to the previous seasons Murder House, Asylum and Freak Show, there is an anonymous killer yet to be identified by the end of the season. The idea of an unknown killer is very suspenseful but some say that this idea has just been outdone by Ryan Murphy in previous seasons.

According to Rotten Tomatoes, the percentage of people in favor of each season was 80 percent for Murder House, 88 percent for Asylum, 73 percent for Coven, 66 percent for Freak Show and 62 percent for Hotel. Not casting Jessica Lange in the season hurt the show greatly. Some critics say that without her there is no “centerpiece” to the show. However, Gaga contributes a new fresh face to the show and that was needed.

Later into the episode when the buyer named PaleyFest (Jackson) is shown the hotel by a realtor, his son is lead into an interesting secret room by Countess Elizabeth. In this white-walled, strange room, pale-looking children in black school uniforms sit on couches and appear to be brainwashed as they stare blankly at video game screens. Detective Lowe’s missing son is shown sitting on one of the couches. The creepy children in uniforms were highly criticized because the idea of them was already outdone.

Overall the scenery was well made and the cast remained strong but the premiere was described by viewers as very weak because it was “too flashy” and all over the place, just like the first episode of season two, Asylum. We’ll see what the rest of the season has to bring us and hopefully some of the most urgent questions will be answered soon, such as who is the unidentified killer? What do they want with Alex and John Lowe’s family, and why did they take Holden? What’s with the servant children in the hotel? And why do Countess Elizabeth and Donovan kill?