In 2011, American Horror Story hit screens, and TV hasn’t been the same since. Its unique content and interesting urban legends have definitely put it on the map. The mystery, gore, and madness have drawn a number of dedicated fans and lots of love from critics.
AHS is currently the best mess on television. Each season is full of characters, flashbacks, and plot twists. These things keep fans guessing, but they also create some problems. Like any other show, AHS has its issues. Many seasons end with countless plot holes and loose ends. While some are intentional, others are not. AHS's most recent season, Apocalypse, is full of unanswered questions and plot points that make no sense.
Of course, the season was a success and got great reviews. The theme worked well with audiences and newcomers like Cody Fern impressed audiences, while returning stars like Jessica Lange delighted them. Yet, Apocalypse had many unanswered plot points that were confusing and nonsensical. Thankfully, we've decided to take a look at some of AHS: Apocalypse's biggest problems. Because of this, there are bound to be spoilers -- so if you haven't yet watched the season, please be warned.
With that said, here are the 20 Things That Make No Sense About American Horror Story: Apocalypse.
Rubber Man is still a mystery
Nothing says AHS crossover like the return of Rubber Man. Rubber Man was a major season 1 antagonist and a key part of the very first AHS ad campaign. In season 1, Evan Peters donned the infamous suit. However, in Apocalypse, Peters' character — Gallant — was the one who reacted to the suit. Gallant never found out who was in the suit, and neither did the audience.
While Rubber Man’s identity was a key part of season 1, it's unknown why it would reappear in Apocalypse. We never find out who or what is in the suit or even why it reappears. However, its reappearance doesn't seem intentional. It made a big splash on screen in Apocalypse but was then was dropped almost immediately. Hopefully we'll find out more in seasons.
Was anything Michael said in the first three episodes true?
Michael rolls up to Outpost 3 with a mission. He’s going to decide who should go to the better outpost since all of the other outposts have been overrun -- or so he says. However, Michael's appearance brings with it many other strange things, such as the reanimated snakes and Rubber Man. A lot of this is unexplained, so it’s hard to know what’s really going on. Sure, it’s possible and even likely that Michael is just messing with everybody, but if that's the case, what’s his endgame?
In retrospect, so little of Apocalypse is about the actual end of the world that audiences are left to wonder what Michael’s plan was post-doomsday. Is the Cooperative in charge? Does Michael have anything to do? Spending the end of the world toying with random survivors seems like a pretty hollow eternity.
The new supreme is more powerful than any witch
Apocalypse includes a late-season reveal: Mallory is the new supreme. Not only is she the most powerful witch-in-waiting, but her powers are unmatched -- she can even travel back in time. This left audiences wondering whether or not Mallory was actually a witch at all. Even the most powerful witches on AHS pale in comparison to Mallory’s powers.
Because of this, many fans have wondered whether her time travel ability might be a cue about the scope of her power. However, instead, it seems to be a deus ex machina. Though the show often throws in aliens, demons, and psychopaths, time travel felt a bit lazy. Given her powers, many fans still assume that Mallory might be an angel or a super-witch.
The plane has no pilots for no reason
In the first episode of Apocalypse, Coco and her band of survivors get on a plane and are horrified to discover that the plane is flying itself. Since this is a huge revelation, audiences expected some of time of explanation. Even a throwaway line would’ve helped to cue us in.
Instead, there was no explanation. However, the reason might be easy enough to figure out. Since they didn’t want everyone to know the whereabouts of the outpost, perhaps auto-pilot was used. Though this might seem reasonable at first, it still doesn't quite add up when you consider that they kept menial laborers at the outpost and that this was all happening after the apocalypse. Wouldn't it be safer to have a knowledgeable pilot?
Ms. Mead is at Outpost 3 with no memory because...
Ms. Mead means a lot to Michael. In the final episode, Mutt and Jeff casually mention that Michael wants the Mead robot placed. Michael also wants the robot to have no memories of him. This moment shows audiences how everything from the first episode came to be. However, why does Michael want a memory-less Mead? We can assume that he has his reasons, but the show never makes them clear.
Michael’s placement of Mead raises other questions, too. For example, it reminds audiences that we don't know Michael's final plan. It also comes across as sloppy. There is no motivation for the memory wipe, so it looks like the writers wrote themselves into a corner and then quickly tied everything together at the last minute.
The other outposts are barely mentioned
For a season about the end of the world, we see very little of the actual apocalypse. Most of what we know about it comes from Michael, Mead, and Venable. However, all of these characters lie frequently, especially about the apocalypse.
Michael says that the other outposts were overrun, but we have no idea if this is true. The lack of information about the other outposts makes no sense. It's likely that the outposts would communicate with each other. Even if they were overrun, wouldn't Mead and Venable toy with the guests using this information? Also, what is this final outpost that Michael talks about? Sometimes missing information can make the show scarier. In this case, it's just frustrating.
Two supremes at full power coexist
After Cordelia sacrifices herself to slow down Michael, Mallory becomes the supreme. She then goes back in time, prevents the apocalypse, and enrolls in Miss Robichaux's Academy. When she enrolls, she is still the full-powered supreme who was able to time travel.
This means that there are currently two supremes, Cordelia and Mallory, at the height of their power. This should be impossible based on the internal logic of the show. Cordelia should weaken upon Mallory’s arrival. Also, because Cordelia is so powerful, she should be able to detect Mallory’s true nature. Of course, Mallory might not be what we think she is, which could explain all of this, but these are some big questions to leave for another season.
Tim and Emily make a demon-free antichrist
Tim and Emily may have a purpose to the devil, but they don’t do much on AHS. They both stand out from the other guests at the outpost because they’re less petty and confrontational than the other survivors. They also aren’t connected to the witches vs. warlocks plot. At the end, we find out that they can also conceive an antichrist in case Michael fails. This twist gives them purpose, but it also raises a few questions.
Michael is the unholy union of ghost demon and woman. Tim and Emily’s kid is, as far as we know, completely human. Their epilogue brings the story full circle, but it ends the season with uncertainty. This might have looked like a cliffhanger in the writers room, but on screen, it's just lazy.
Defeating Michael was too easy
For nine episodes, defeating Michael seemed impossible, and then Mallory went back and ran him over repeatedly. Michael was presented as an all-powerful ender of worlds, yet he was felled by something that takes millions of lives every year.
Based on what we know about supremes and alphas, it’s reasonable to infer that Michael was younger and more vulnerable when Mallory took him out. It could make sense that an SUV could hurt Michael as teenager even though multiple machine gun wounds couldn't hurt him as an adult. However, that is a big assumption for audiences to make on their own. This is the climax of the series, and it relies on an ambiguous point.
Ms. Venable’s motivations are never explained
Ms. Venable is one of Apocalypse’s most impactful characters. Everything about her from her hair to her sadism raises questions. We know that she likes to be in control, she likes to put people through the wringer, and she’s obsessed with power. However, it's not clear why.
Venable is one of the cornerstones of Apocalypse, and she is the audience's introduction to apocalypse, but we don’t know anything about her motivations or personality, so everything she does seems weird and abstract. AHS is a show that punishes its characters, and its brutality is effective because we know who the sadists and sufferers are. Venable comes off as a cypher. Her character is pronounced enough to make us wonder, but her motivations are underdeveloped and thus seem artificial.