For months now, many die-hard “American Horror Story” fans have been eager to find out the secret theme of season six. The infamous multitude of diverse trailers had done what they were intended to do: perplex fans as they try to anticipate what the season will entail.

“I think it’s going to revolve around the Anti-Christ baby back in season one,” Sam Ahearn, Fordham College at Lincoln Center (FCLC) ’20, said, regarding her prediction of the theme. “I think it’ll be a way to tie the seasons together somehow.”

“From the first commercials, I thought it was going to be a ‘Children of the Corn’ type of theme, but I’ve seen so many different ones that I can’t tell,” McKeon resident Rachel Meyer, FCLC ’20, said.

When asked what they are most excited about for this season, many students voiced their expectations and excitement toward the return of their favorite actors and actresses. “I want to know what part Evan Peters is playing this season!” Meyer exclaimed. “Lady Gaga did a fantastic job last time, so [I’m] excited about that,” Ahearn said.

Wednesday night at 10 p.m., many resident freshmen and RAs gathered in the 16th floor movie lounge of McKeon Hall to experience the spine-tingling performance. It was clear how invested and serious these students were about the show.

Contrary to the expectations held by many students of a children-related theme, it turns out the actual theme is one that was rumored by many tabloid websites following the release of the first trailer for the season— “My Roanoke Nightmare.” The episode starts off different than any other “American Horror Story”(AHS) season, in that it begins with some familiar actors speaking directly to the camera as they would in a documentary. This is new ground for the horror drama, as there hasn’t been any instance of “breaking the fourth wall” at any other point during the history of the show. The audience was also assured that all events portrayed within the show are based on true accounts, which is something not usually promised in this science-fiction-heavy program.

It soon became apparent that this was much calmer than the average episode of “AHS.” When remembering the gruesome nature of the premiere of the previous season, this one seemed eerily lax. Everyone in the movie lounge hardly seemed shocked or afraid at any point other than the one or two jump-scares. But the students did voice their excitement when a familiar actor was shown on screen, such as Lily Rabe, Sarah Paulson, Angela Bassett and Kathy Bates. However, during the commercials, many students voiced their curiosity as to where their favorites were, mostly in regards to Lady Gaga and Evan Peters.

Despite the initial excitement of seeing a few familiar faces, there was also great disappointment when certain faces never appeared. This letdown wasn’t the only one of the night, as the episode plot in its entirety left many students feeling underwhelmed. “It was anti-climactic,” Callaghan Bartlett, FCLC ’20,  who attended the viewing event said. “I was left with more questions than answers,” another disappointed attendee, Paolo Estrella, FCLC ’20 said. “I felt like so much more could have happened,” Meyer expressed.

The quality of the episode seemed to be hindered by its apparent brevity, especially compared to the two-hour long premiere of the previous season. Besides a few minor jump-scares, many students agreed that the episode was very uneventful, which is not something “AHS” viewers are used to worrying about. Writer and producer Ryan Murphy changed his approach this season, and according to Fordham students, this isn’t necessarily a positive thing.

However, despite this lack of appreciation from most students, none were put off enough to give up on watching. Many expressed their desire to return to the movie lounge next week for the viewing of the second episode, in hopes that the show will pick up. But will Ryan Murphy redeem himself? We’ll just have to wait until next week to find out!