“American Horror Story” they may have put together their toughest cast ever for Season 13, but one scene from the premiere is already being ripped apart online. The program introduces a man who is afraid of his number 13 Taylor Swift– girlfriend, and her 13 closest friends before they board a plane that seems to be going down. A clip of the series has been making the rounds on social media, with viewers describing the script as “corny,” “weird,” and compared to a “bad TV movie.”
‘AHS 13’ introduces a man who is afraid of the number 13
Episode 1 introduces viewers to Ben, played by Joey Pollari, a well-mannered hospital worker living with triskaidekaphobia, who is terrified of the number 13. That situation immediately pits him against his girlfriend, Kira, played by a “Riverdale” alum. Madelaine Petsch.
Kira is a devoted Swiftie and her love of the number 13 seems to dominate almost every part of her personality. The reference connects her to Taylor Swift, who has often spoken about the importance of the number throughout her life and career.
Despite his deep discomfort with the number, Ben reluctantly agrees to join Kira and her 13 best friends on a birthday trip built entirely around the very thing he fears. His decision seems to quickly backfire when their plane begins to experience serious trouble.
The scene seems designed to establish the season’s obsession with the number 13 while deliberately mixing horror with humor. However, the combination didn’t land with everyone who met the scene online.
Viral scene leaves viewers wondering if it’s ‘real’
As soon as a clip of the flight sequence started circulating, social media users wasted no time in jumping into it. “This season is so corny,” wrote one viewer. Another was surprised the scene made it into the finished episode, asking, “someone pls tell me this isn’t true.”
The criticism only got harder from there. “This sucks lmao,” read one reply, while someone else added, “The season is already good.” Another viewer compared the scene to a lower-budget production, writing, “This looks like a bad TV movie.”
Others were just as confused by the tone of the program. One person said simply, “This is so weird,” while another said the creative choices were “Incredibly bad writing.”
Ryan Murphy Says The Season Is Bigger Than ‘Coven’
Prior to its premiere, speculation was rife as to whether the new installment would revisit “Coven.” Photos from the New York City set seemed to support that theory, especially since several of the favorite actors have returned to the franchise.
However, co-creator Ryan Murphy he previously insisted that “Coven” represents only one part of a much larger story. “Everybody thinks it’s ‘Coven’ season and it’s not. It’s the seasons,” Murphy told Entertainment Tonight.
The producer then revealed how ambitious the crossover would be. “Sarah Paulson playing six or seven roles. Jessica Lange playing her four iconic characters. Evan Peter playing five characters… It’s like the Avengers. They all come together to defeat the ultimate evil.”
Jessica Lange and other fan favorites return
The Season 13 cast includes several of the franchise’s biggest names, including Jessica Lange, Evan Peters, Emma Roberts, Angela Bassettand Sarah Paulson. Lange’s return is particularly significant because she released the collection after “Freak Show” in 2014. She later reprized her “Murder House” character, Constance Langdon, for “Apocalypse” in 2018, but had stated several times that she did not plan to make another comeback.
According to Murphy, the concept of Season 13 was strong enough to change her mind. “As soon as I contacted them, a lot of them had said ‘no’ over the years, they were like, ‘Well, okay, I’ll have to come back for that’,” he explained.
Murphy recalled Lange having the same reaction when she heard what he had planned. “But I put in Jessica Lange, and she was like, ‘Oh sh-t, now I have to do it,'” he said.
Ryan Murphy Spent Years Planning ’13’
The creator of the show has made it clear that the number 13 is much more than a title. “They’re all in one season and it’s 13 episodes because it’s called ’13,'” Murphy said. “I spent many, many months and many years writing it. I wanted to do 13 in a certain way.”
With Lange, Paulson, Peters, Roberts and Bassett involved, Season 13 still has plenty of star power waiting in the wings. The biggest question is whether the promised “Avengers” of the “American Horror Story” universe can overcome the first moment that some viewers have called a major creative disaster.