One has to wonder if the intent is to keep the fans on their guard or confuse them a bit since Aura is the type of episode that comes out with a premise that’s not tough to believe in but is still kind of slow for AHS, considering everything that has come along to date. But there are times when it’s necessary to slow down, if only because going too fast might create a pace that could come to a screeching halt soon. But Aura is the kind of tale that hearkens back to the classic ghost stories, creating a feeling that isn’t quite as nerve-rending as one might think unless one is scared of ghosts that aren’t out to tear a person to pieces. One face in this episode is instantly recognizable as Gabourey Sidibe shows up as Jaslyn, who, along with her husband Bryce, has just moved into a new home in a gated neighborhood that a private security firm also polices. One would think that this is the perfect setup.
American Horror Stories, much like their parent series, at least tries to lull the fans into thinking everything is okay.
That’s usually the goal, even if the setting is bleak and dreary. Still, the feeling that everything is okay is usually a false sense of security that a lot of people don’t fall for since the name of the game in these stories is that something terrible, creepy, or both is about to happen at any given moment. No matter what it looks or sounds like, there isn’t much chance for a happy ending in these stories. Aura is no different since it almost immediately plays upon the fears of people who fear home invasions and rely so heavily on technology for everything. That kind of puts many of us in the same boat, doesn’t it?
Aura starts innocently enough, but it doesn’t get going until later in the episode.
Some episodes take their time as the slow burn process is something that benefits some tales and kind of forces others to fizzle and fade before anything good can get going. Aura initially takes a stab at many people’s fears when Jaslyn picks up the new home security device, especially since security is a big thing these days, and some people feel that one can’t have enough of it. But when Jaslyn takes the device home, discovered by her husband, Bryce, it’s pretty clear that he has little to no patience for it but is willing to humor his wife and set it up. Once the Aura starts pinging to let Jaslyn know that someone is outside, she grows suspicious when she sees no one at first but creeped out when she sees an older man with long, stringy hair that asks her to let him in. That’s reasonable, he looks like a bit of a creep, but his melancholy, insistent need to come in sounds a little more pathetic than threatening, even if his insistence makes it hard to imagine that he’s there for anything good.
Like all AHS stories, though, there’s a twist to come, and it’s an interesting one.
If you’re an avid lover of ghost stories, then it’s likely that there aren’t a lot of twists, if any, that you haven’t seen at this point. That’s why this one wasn’t surprising since, as it turns out (spoilers), Jaslyn’s ghost was a former janitor at her school who took her kindness as more than it was and started sending her notes and candies that freaked her out. While there’s nothing wrong with being nice, this story makes it clear that some folks are bound to take things way too far, and this is no exception. Once Jaslyn does some research on her ghost, following further research on the Aura. What other people have experienced, she allows the ghost into her home, where he openly apologizes for frightening her. When she forgives him and apologizes for making fun of him when she was younger, the older man dissipates into dust.
If only that were it, right?
It wouldn’t be AHS if that were all that happened, as not long after her ghost is dealt with, another spirit shows up on Jaslyn’s front door, though she has no idea who it is. After a quick bit of deduction and searching, Jaslyn discovers that the woman is connected to Bryce, which only makes sense. It turns out that the woman is Bryce’s former fiance, and worse, she was pregnant. However, when the woman takes her vengeance on Bryce and turns him to dust, it’s not quite over. Not too much time passes before Jaslyn moves into her place and has her Aura installed as part of the building policy. And who should come calling soon after? Bryce, of course.
