The second half of American Horror Story season 10, otherwise known as Death Valley has reached its climax, despite leaving a lot of unanswered questions. The episodes are full of conspiracies, alien abductions, and extraterrestrial goings-on.
Although American Horror Story has been known to include fictionalized versions of real people, Death Valley features more than ever before with President Dwight Eisenhower, Marilyn Monroe, and even Steve Jobs making an appearance. As the story features lots of different time periods and locations, many characters feature within the four episodes.
Kendall Carr
While Death Valley does begin as a black and white period piece, the story changes back and forth to the modern day. During this, the audience meets four young people who are going traveling before being drawn into an extraterrestrial nightmare. One of these young people is Kendall (Kaia Gerber) who previously starred in American Horror Stories.
While Gerber's performance in the spin-off show was certainly divisive, Kendall is a much more likable character than her previous one. When things begin to unfold, she is genuinely concerned for her friends and determines to find out what is going on when they find themselves in Area 51.
Jamie Howard
Rachel Hilson is best known for playing one of the best characters on Love, Victor and she ed the cast of American Horror Story for season 10 in Death Valley. Hillson portrays Jamie, one of the four young people in the modern-day setting.
Jamie is recovering from a traumatic breakup and is the most skeptical when the alien happenings begin. Unfortunately, she doesn't get much screen time in the four episodes and does overshare a little too much about her private life. Despite this, the character is still likable and refreshingly down to earth.
Valiant Thor
When Death Valley begins, the cast consists of mostly new actors to the franchise. That being said, later Cody Fern is added to the mix as the strange yet enigmatic Valiant Thor.
Fern played one of the most terrifying villains from American Horror Story with Anti-Christ, Michael Langdon and it soon becomes apparent in Death Valley that Valiant is not entirely human either. He appears to be an Android of sorts that was built by the aliens in order to infiltrate the humans. As always, Fern puts in a stellar performance as the unusual character and his peculiar relationship with Mamie Eisenhower is particularly fun to watch.
Theta
While many fans were hoping Angelica Ross would return as her character The Chemist from Red Tide, she instead takes on a new role in Death Valley. When she first appears, Theta is wearing a large mask and her true form is hidden. However, in a terrifying cliffhanger for one of the episodes, Theta takes off her mask to reveal that she is half human and half alien.
Theta appears to be in charge at Area 51 and also knows what the perfect human-alien hybrid should look like as shown when she callously disposes of the imperfect ones. While the character believes she's doing the right thing, many of her actions are quite villainous such as when she kills Mamie.
Calico
When the young characters are abducted and taken to Area 51, they meet Calico. Through her, they learn about the rules and regulations in place at the facility and their purpose there.
While she is in high spirits, Calico has given birth to many alien hybrid babies since she was first abducted after learning the truth about the moon landing. The moment when the historical story collides with the modern-day story and Calico and Mamie interact is certainly a rewarding time in the season. Ultimately, Calico becomes an important part of Death Valley as she stands aside as Theta kills Mamie and decides it's time the aliens have a chance on Earth.
Cal Cambon
Cal is another of the young people who is abducted by the aliens and he is in a relationship with Troy. While he does share Jamie's flaw of oversharing, the character becomes more likable and interesting as the episodes go on.
Although somewhat unconventional, his determination to make a family with Troy and their alien-human hybrid baby is actually quite endearing. The two develop a solid relationship over the four episodes and they are up there with some of the best American Horror Story couples. Cal and Troy genuinely care for each other and the scene where they are killed is quite upsetting.
Troy Lord
Arguably, Troy is the most likable of the younger characters by the end of the season but he certainly doesn't get an easy ride. While his relationship with Cal does start off quite playful, their bond really grows across the four episodes and they constantly look out for each other.
They both each other through their pregnancies and stand by one another. The scenes where Troy gives birth and is forced to watch his baby be killed are certainly some of the most upsetting from the season. Ultimately, Troy's ending is a tragic one with the couple dying together in what they thought was a heartfelt moment.
Maria Wycoff
Death Valley begins with housewife Maria and her young son playing outside. However, things suddenly turn sinister with the young boy being abducted and Maria being possessed by the aliens; once her husband returns, the newly possessed Maria brutally kills him.
The aliens use Maria's body in order to infiltrate the White House and attempt to strike a bargain with President Eisenhower. Although viewers are only given a brief look at the real Maria, the possessed version of the character certainly proves to be a chilling antagonist for this half of the season. The aliens don't use her body for long before dispatching her which seems a shame as the possessed Maria could have become one of the scariest characters of the season.
President Dwight Eisenhower
One of the historical figures portrayed in Death Valley is President Eisenhower who is ed by the aliens. He is uneasy about the possible consequences of his deal with the aliens but is constantly reassured by his peers and his wife.
At one point, Mamie is possessed by the aliens which leaves Dwight with no choice but to bargain with them. The president bargaining with the aliens as well as his unconventional relationship with his wife are some of the most interesting moments from Death Valley. The unique spin on this historical figure makes this character one of the most compelling.
Mamie Eisenhower
At the beginning of Death Valley, it feels as if President Eisenhower will be the key focus of the historical portion of the story. While this is true for the most part, Mamie certainly steals the show with her fun one-liners and her quirky personality.
Mamie becomes one of Sarah Paulson's most likable characters from American Horror Story. Paulson truly shows her range here as the character seems eccentric and ditsy, but is also quite sinister when she is taken over by the aliens, and then becomes one of the masterminds behind everything. The character of Mamie is delightful in every scene she's in and the viewer never can be quite sure what they're going to get when she appears on screen.