This Season of American Horror Story Is Still Confusing 7 Years Later

Since its premiere, American Horror Story has quickly become one of the greatest horror TV productions, earning acclaim with each new batch thanks to its anthology season format. But, because it’s so innovative in that way, American Horror Story can sometimes get lost in the story, especially when it’s trying to do a crossover. AHS: Apocalypse was the eighth season of the show, but out of them all, it was probably the most confusing because it mixed stories and characters from previous seasons, and had a main plot with too much happening at the same time. When it first came out, AHS: Apocalypse might’ve been a little clearer that the show could come back to address those issues later on, and it’s been long enough since 2018 that the whole plot of Apocalypse should be cleared up by now.

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Warning: Spoilers ahead for the Apocalypse, Murder House, and Coven seasons of American Horror Story.

The first season of American Horror Story, dubbed Murder House, is where everything begins, as it introduced Michael Langdon for the first time in the final episode. When Vivien Harmon becomes pregnant with twins and one of them dies during childbirth, the surviving child is raised by Constance Langdon, where it’s later revealed that he is actually Tate’s son. The fact that Michael was born from something evil – a human and a ghost – already hints that he’s dangerous, and that becomes clear when he kills his nanny. However, it is in the eighth season that this plot point is explored more deeply.

Once older, Michael’s role becomes central to the new story in AHS: Apocalypse since he is revealed to be the Antichrist. In the season, a group of characters takes refuge in a bunker called Outpost 3 to survive the apocalypse, but once there, mysteries begin to unfold, and all of them end up dead. The concept is interesting, especially since the bunker plays a larger role in the season, but parts of this arc just don’t add up. For example, Wilhemina Venable’s true purpose in this context is unclear, and the secret behind Outpost 3 – along with the revelation that other bunkers exist – is never properly explained. Also, the state of the outside world remains a mystery. While this might have been intended to create suspense, it ultimately feels like an incomplete idea and completely frustrating.

Throughout the episodes, we see Michael, now older, after Constance killed herself because she couldn’t handle her grandson’s evil. As the story moves forward, Michael’s powers get stronger, especially when he’s sought out by a school of warlocks who believe he could be the first male “Supreme.” This is also where the first crossover with Coven happens. After undergoing the Seven Wonders test with the witches, he’s soon regarded as someone incredibly powerful. From there, his connection to the Cooperative – the organization responsible for the apocalypse – begins.

So, what’s the plan to save the world? Kill Michael. How? The witches of Coven play a very important role in this, but in order for that to happen, it’s necessary to understand the origins of the Antichrist. That’s when Murder House comes in (once again, as Michael had already interacted with the ghosts of the house after Constance died). Madison and Behold, a member of the Warlock Council, buy the house and encounter several characters from the first season. Constance, Ben, Vivien, and Tate are questioned about Michael’s history until it is revealed that he’s not exactly Tate’s son, but rather the child of the evil spirit from that haunted house. This is also where the nature of the villain becomes clearer.

Michael’s evolution is quite confusing from the start, especially considering the timeline of the story and how it needs to align with the other connected seasons. Although Apocalypse seems to require close attention to fully understand everything, it is a clever plot point in American Horror Story. He was born in 2012, and by 2021, he’s already an adult. Being the offspring of something supernatural, he experiences a very accelerated physical and mental evolution. That’s why he becomes extremely powerful almost overnight.

However, from this point, the story can become even more confusing when the solution to Michael’s downfall is discovered. Mallory, who was just an assistant to Coco – one of the survivors in Outpost 3 – is revealed to be a potential witch and even close to Supreme. When she passes the Seven Wonders test, she becomes someone capable of killing Michael. While this is a great plot twist, it isn’t hinted at right away, with Cordelia – the leader of the coven – going through many events to figure out what to do to defeat the Antichrist. It’s at this moment that Myrtle Snow reveals an ancient spell that no witch has ever been able to cast – one that can undo past events.

Mallory is asked to try going back in time, and when she succeeds (with a lot of effort), Cordelia suggests sacrificing herself so the girl can officially become Supreme (since Cordelia is said to be dying and losing her Supremacy). At the same time, it’s revealed that the Cooperative is actually the former Order of the Illuminati, who sold their souls to Satan. Another twist occurs when not only Mallory but also Coco is revealed to be a witch. Both had been hidden in Outpost 3 with new identities to ensure their survival during the apocalypse while Mallory’s powers grew.

In the end, Cordelia does sacrifice herself when Mallory is about to die. The witch ascends as the new Supreme and manages to return to the past, running over a young Michael several times. With his death, the events of Apocalypse are prevented. The big problem is that at the end of the season, a new opportunity arises with the son of two individuals who fell in love at Outpost 3 – Timothy and Emily.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse has 10 episodes, but the script feels like it needed more creativity than it really did to wrap things up, mainly because the show was a bit too creative in its approach. This also affects the ending, which feels rushed and makes it harder for the viewer to keep up. But the biggest thing that makes the season so complicated is its timeline, which is never fully explained. Apocalypse has two timelines: it starts with the end of times, then jumps back to explain how Michael became the Antichrist. It’s up to the viewer to piece it all together. In the end, the main problem is there’s just way too much information, when it could’ve been simplified even with all the interesting twists.

All seasons of American Horror Story are available to stream on Hulu.