American Horror Story – The End

By: Kelly Kearney

“American Horror Story” is back and it’s taking us on an “end of days” ride. Chocked full of panic, couture, cannibalism and lesbian undertones the season premiere contains all the ingredients for making an outrageous season; which is the reason this show has been so popular for eight seasons. Ryan Murphy just gets it; he has his finger on the pulse of what makes today’s TV watcher’s hearts pump in pure terror. With our current political climate in chaos and the world warring over conflicting ideologies the episode bases its fear factor on a very real possibility: World War III and a nuclear fallout that changes the very fabric of our society as we know it.

The End Begins with a BANG

It’s a normal sunny day In Los Angeles.  A billionaire heiress and Social Media influencer, Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt (Leslie Grossman) is snapping pics of her new look from the salon chair while her assistant Mallory (Billy Lourd) scurries around trying to please her boss while offering advice on trends dominating the internet. Behind the scissors is Mr. Gallant (Evan Peters), the fashion forward master of all thing’s hair and attitude. As the three discuss what it takes to make a career out of nothing, Coco gets a Facetime from her father (John Getz) and the news is not good. Nuclear war is on their doorstep and humanity has about an hour left before they melt in the flames of a ballistic missile strike. Luckily, the Vanderbilt’s paid for a spot in an underground fallout shelter and Coco’s father tells her to grab her husband Brock (Billy Eichner) and head to the Santa Monica airport. There is a plane waiting to take them to a bunker the Vanderbilt family paid to enter. Unfortunately, Coco’s family (minus Brock) are stuck in Hong Kong and won’t make the trip, leaving a few spots open in the bunker. Coco says her goodbyes to the family and along with Mallory, races to the airport. Sadly, Brock gets stuck in traffic and starts screaming at Coco on the phone about the horrors of dying in Santa Monica. Poor Billy Eichner, going out doing what he loves; screaming at people in the street.

After a hectic trip filled with suicide jumpers and car crashes, Coco and Mallory reach the airport. Right behind them is Mr. Gallant and his fabulous grandmother Evie (Joan Collins) who show up knowing there are extra seats in the shelter. After all, who will manage Coco’s post-apocalyptic hair style?  All four board the plane just in time to watch a mushroom cloud of fire and radiation explode across the Southern California horizon.

While Coco and Co. are fleeing the end of the world, a suburban family’s celebration is cut short when a group called The Cooperative shows up to inform them that the apocalypse is coming and (SURPRISE) their teen son has been chosen to survive in an Outpost. The boy, Timothy Campbell (Kyle Allen), was given this opportunity thanks to his “ideal DNA” on record at an ancestry site. The boy, who was just cheering about his college acceptance letter, is taken against his will and loaded into armored vehicle headed for safety. According to the Cooperative agents, there are a few Outposts and bunkers designed for this purpose and a handful of chosen survivors have been whisked away to wait out the nuclear winter.

Welcome to Outpost 3

A few weeks later, Timothy and another DNA lottery winner named Emily (Ash Santos) are fitted with anti-radiation suits and marched through the desolate landscape. Within minutes of them exiting the vehicle, the teens witness two people in similar suits murdered with a bullet to the head. The murder was methodical and emotionless, as if they were putting down an injured animal or executions happen there every day.  If this is how the Outpost throws down the welcome mat, it needs some work because Tim and Emily were hoping to survive and not die by pistol in a burned-out field.

After a scrub down in the decontamination chamber, the teens meet the superbly dressed “right arm of The Cooperative,” Ms. Wilhelmina Venable (Sarah Paulson). She explains the strict rules of the Outpost and what happens if you break them; death or banishment, otherwise known as death and slow death. These are not great choices, but the rules are fairly simple; no leaving the Outpost, no copulation, everyone dresses for dinner, tardiness is not acceptable, and all must adhere to an archaic caste system that’s been put into place. Purples are the elite and Greys are the servants. Tim and Emily have been chosen to be in the upper crust thanks to the great minds that built this gothic den, which kind of looks like something out of an Anne Rice novel.

Once dressed in their purple fashion throwback best, Emily and Tim meet the other survivors and quickly learn that money and connections are what led most of them to underground safety. Coco is there, as well as Gallant and Evie, who were both given the Purple status thanks to their connections to Vanderbilt. Unfortunately, Mallory is now a Grey, which is awful but maybe a step up from being Coco’s lackey. Others are there too, like celebrity Dinah Stevens (Adina Porter) and the warden of the Outpost, Miriam Mead (Kathy Bates). But overall the group is not coping well with the dank conditions and the protein cubes they’re surviving on. So much so that Coco has a hangry, frizzy haired meltdown until Ms. Venable slaps some sense into the panicked diva and orders them all to eat what’s given to them. After all, the Greys are happy to be alive, the Purples should be grateful too, even if most of them paid their way to get there.

As the weeks and months tick by, Emily and Tim venture into a romance of one kiss per week while the rest of the group starts to get a little stir crazy. Maybe the drama stems from a single 70’s ballad that’s been blasting on an endless loop, maybe it’s the mysterious 666 that was written in steam on Tim’s mirror or maybe it’s the one protein cube per-day? Whatever it is, the survivors are starting to unravel, all accept Venable who seems more pleased than ever.

Behind closed doors, the Madame of Apocalyptic Mayhem meets with Miriam to discuss The Cooperative and how they plan to run things their own way. Both women are above the class system and do not adhere to the color codes, but in secret they meet in the finest purple couture while flirting over ideas on how to keep the survivors in line. It seems all the rules are not coming from The Cooperative but from Venable and her sick desire for power. She gets off on watching these elites scurry and scrounge for every measly morsel of normalcy, but Miriam is having second thoughts. The Cooperative has always been good to her and while murder is her particular forte’ she’s not sure their bosses would approve of how things are gong underground. After a drink and a few flirtatious eyelash battings Miriam agrees to Venable’s plan, which kicks off with a radioactive set up. During their final breakfast (rations are running low) they’re all informed that there’s been a breach of the Outpost walls. Miriam’s radiation meter goes haywire when she approaches Stu (James Buchanan) and Gallant. After dragging both men to the decontamination showers and scrubbing them raw, Stu is still showing signs of radiation. Rather than let him infect the others, Miriam shoots Stu in the head.

The next day we find out just what happened to radiated Stu’s body when Venable serves the Purps fresh meat in the form of Stu Stew (pun totally intended). With a smirk, Venable swears the dish is not made of human, but fingers and cannibalism aside Evie is savage and finds the meaty treat delicious. After all, Venable wouldn’t eat infected meat, right? Others, especially Stu’s boyfriend Andre (Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman), are not buying the chicken excuse and all of it becomes too much for the hairdresser.  Gallant throws an epic tantrum that would’ve normally gotten him killed if it wasn’t for the fact a black horse drawn carriage has arrived at the doors to the bunker.

The Antichrist

Enter Michael Langdon (Cody Fern), the “Murder House” Antichrist baby we met at the end of Season One. Michael enters to a surprised Ms. Venable and proceeds to announce that he’s there to rescue them. Just like in Outpost 3, the other Outpost survivors have been losing their minds in a post-apocalyptic fury that’s left enough dead bodies and untouched supplies for this Outpost to enjoy. This new bunker is stocked with enough food and water to hide underground for decades. Venable, whose been running her Outpost like a wannabe mob boss, contains her excitement long enough to find out Michael will be deciding which survivors are worthy. He could take all of them, some of them or none of them and it’s clear Venable and Miriam have been out ranked. As the episode closes, Langdon’s flunkies murder the black steeds he arrived on and instantly the beasts are dragged into the surrounding woods by some unseen force.

Did someone or something survive the end of the world? Who will Langdon choose to rebuild the human race? More importantly, what will he make them do to secure their spot in the new Outpost? When it comes to “American Horror Story” it’s anyone’s guess but after nuclear blasts, human meat stew and forced celibacy, whatever the Antichrist has in store for the group, fans can their fingers crossed it leads them to the promised “Coven” and “Murder House” cross over. Perhaps, Mrs. Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, survived the fall out? Bring on the SUPREME!