FX’s “American Horror Story” returned to prime time for its fifth season Oct. 7.

“American Horror Story” became a pop culture phenomenon after the premiere of its first season, “Murder House,” in 2011. The show features a new plotline every season, but uses most of the same actors in different roles every season, in different settings, throughout different time periods.

Season five’s cast has been in the news since season four ended with the news that “American Horror Story” veteran and star, Jessica Lange, would not be returning to the show. Talk only grew as it was revealed that Lady Gaga would make her acting debut as the hotel’s vicious countess.

This season takes place in a modern-day Los Angeles hotel, which harbors a violent and bloody past. The guests are haunted by patrons who have died in the hotel, bound forever to the premises in a hellish afterlife. Much like “Murder House,” the ghosts of “Hotel” are imprisoned and confined to wreaking havoc on the lives of the hotel’s living guests.

Like every season of “American Horror Story,” the first episode throws the audience multiple twisted storylines at once, haphazardly and with the expectation that most of these storylines will be forgotten by midseason or simply left unresolved. The first episode features a bloodthirsty countess, drug addicts, actors, hotel guests and, of course, a murderer on the loose, pursued by a detective with a dark past. There are zombies, bloodsuckers, demons, ghosts and every other typical horror character imaginable.

Episode one is a jumble of interlocking and horrific scenes, sometimes revealing exposition and sometimes simply creeping out viewers. Guests are attacked by demons in their room and then moved, only to be eaten by vampire children.

Detective John Lowe is tipped off about a clue to a murder investigation in the hotel and accidentally sees his kidnapped son. The Countess and her young boyfriend seduce and murder a young couple. A drug addict dies after a violent attack from a demon. These plot points may somehow be connected, but more than likely, new storylines will be introduced before any connections can be made.

The show’s goal is pretty simple: to disturb and to provoke audiences by any means necessary. This sometimes entails old-fashioned scare tactics, with unexpected ghosts appearing suddenly, disturbing images of death and characters with demonic appearances. Sometimes, it is psychological; it takes a toll on the viewer to try to figure out who to trust and who to fear. Sometimes, however, the show goes too far in its attempt at horror.

This show has always intertwined violence and death with sexual undertones. Every season has aired at least one explicit rape scene, and this season is no different. In the first episode, a demon attacks a drug addict in a gruesome scene that left little to the imagination. Seasons one and three also began with similar attacks. While this season uses this demon to represent addiction, the images of rape are both horrifying and unnecessary.

At this point, it seems “American Horror Story” uses rape indiscriminately for shock value. Such a heinous act really has no place in entertainment, and its constant use does more to sensationalize sexual attacks than it does to portray the real horror of addiction. While the image is evocative, rape should never be used as a plot device, and five seasons in, “American Horror Story” still does not seem to get that.

“American Horror Story” airs on FX Wednesday’s at 10 p.m.