Evan Peters' teen serial killer Tate.
Over subsequent seasons, American Horror Story established its formula of shock twists, gore and twisted sexuality in one glossy package. Some seasons have worked better than others - season 6 "Roanoke" is commonly cited as one of the weaker outings - but it's still going strong. Case in point is the arrival of spin-off American Horror Stories in 2021. Instead of the main series, which usually devotes an entire season to one continuing storyline, American Horror Stories feature tales that only run for an episode or two, max.
The first two episodes of American Horror Stories took viewers back to a familiar setting. "Rubber (Wo)man" revolves around a teenager named Scarlett (Sierra McCormack) who moves into the "Murder House" with her parents. She also has dark fantasies and later uncovers the rubber suit formerly worn by Tate. While the latter doesn't physically appear in "Rubber (Wo)man," his presence is in both episodes, including a mirror of his romance with Violet (Taissa Farmiga) in Scarlett's affair with a ghost named Ruby (Kaia Gerber). One major easter egg reference is that Ruby wears Tate's famous "Normal people scare me" t-shirt during the second episode, which really seals the connection between the two spirits.
"Rubber (Wo)man's" Tate Easter Egg
While Tate or the other spirits from the first season aren't shown in "Rubber (Wo)man," it's likely they're still around and he may have even given her the shirt. Ryan Murphy must have a real fondness for the first season, as the show has come back to the "Murder House" a few times, including in season 8's "Apocalypse." This even saw Tate reunite with estranged love Violet, though given the time travel shenanigans of that outing, it appears this was later undone by the end of the season.
Given the ing of time, it's doubtful Peters or Farmiga will return as Tate and Violet in a future season either, given that they can't really for teenagers anymore. Still, American Horror Stories had fun with its dark mirroring of their love story, with Ruby wearing Tate's t-shirt being a nice callback for longtime viewers.