Despite where the story ended up going later in the first season, I actually thought that the Pilot episode of this series "Rubber (Wo)man:Part One" got the AHStories series off to a strong start. This clever, creepy, and disturbing episode really did a good job of re-visiting and paying homage to the original series best season "Murder House" but also tying it in with the new family the Winslows, a married couple Michael and Troy and their daughter Scarlett. The daughter Scarlett (excellently played by Sierra McCormick) is a lonely, disturbed, rebellious, sadomasochistic teenager. On their first day in the house, Scarlett finds the infamous demonic rubber suit from Murder House. The 2 Dads (well played by Matt Bomer and Gavin Creel) find Scarlett's internet obsession and implore her to see a therapist (convincingly played by. Merrin Dungey) while putting limits on her internet access. During her punishment, Scarlett sneaks out to a slumber party with her new friends, who are led by. Maya (a surprisingly effective Paris Jackson). During the party, they play an awful prank on Scarlett and she gets her revenge in the end. I feel like this episode would have been remembered more fondly if it had just been a standalone. It had all the ingredients of a successful one-off story with good setup, an effective middle act, and a satisfying conclusion. Why the writers didn't leave this one as it's own thing and dragged it out in more episodes later in the season is a mystery to me, especially as this show is supposed to be an anthology series. Just looking at this episode in a bubble, it's actually one of the better episodes of the show so far.
Review of Rubber (Wo)man: Part One
