‘American Horror Story: 1984’ – Here Are the Biggest Questions We Have After Episode 7
(This post contains spoilers for “American Horror Story: 1984” through the episode that aired October 30. You have been warned.)
It would have been tough to imagine coming into “AHS: 1984” that a season with such a seemingly straightforward premise could match the madness of last year’s “Apocalypse.” And, to be sure, it hasn’t quite reached that level just yet. But with two episodes remaining, it’s certainly in the running, and it’s no small feat just to be in that conversation.
The seventh episode, which aired this week, was all about setting up what the teaser for next week calls the final showdown, answering one of the biggest questions of the season. And it also introduced several new wrinkles into the situation that we don’t quite understand. And because there’s already been so many twists, we can’t help but wonder: how many more turns could Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk and the rest of the creatives behind “AHS: 1984” have in store for us?
See below for TheWrap’s list of the biggest questions we have and check back next week to find out which ones have — and haven’t — been answered. Since we’re not quite at the end yet, we don’t expect many big answers.
Also Read: 'American Horror Story: 1984' Star Zach Villa on What the Night Stalker Wants With Brooke (Video)
Is Mr. Jingles’ mother responsible for Camp Redwood turning into Ghost City?
This week we learned that there was yet another massacre at the camp, way back in 1948. Mr. Jingles’ (John Carroll Lynch) mom worked as the cook, and one of her sons died in a swimming accident that year, causing her to go on a murderous rampage until Jingles, as a child, killed her. Since all the ghosts at the camp died after that whole thing, the implication seems to be that Mama Jingles’ (Lily Rabe) murder spree is what set off whatever this supernatural stuff is that’s been happening on the previous six episodes.
But that explanation is merely implied, and since this twist and that previous massacre had never really even been hinted at before this episode we still don’t really know what to think about this. So did this Lady in White somehow cause all of this madness?
Who killed Mr. Jingles’ wife?
We still don’t have an answer to this. The Night Stalker would be the prime suspect — and Jingles himself thinks that’s who it was — but he was in prison in California and Jingles’ wife died in Alaska. Jingles’ ghost mom is also a prime candidate, but none of the other ghosts have been able to to leave the camp. Maybe it was another pawn of Satan?
What does Bruce the hitchhiker have to do with all this?
It’s wild that “AHS: 1984” would continue to introduce major characters we’ve never heard about before now, but Mama Jingles wasn’t the only one. We also met a serial killer named Bruce (Dylan McDermott) this week. He tried to kill Brooke (Emma Roberts) and Rita (Angelica Ross), but they turned the tables on him, tied him to a post, cut off his thumbs and left him to rot.
But since we’re talking about a character being played by a returning “AHS” actor, it’s not likely that Bruce’s story is done. We just aren’t sure what the point was in introducing him or why he is inserting himself into the story at this stage.
What did the Night Stalker do to Christopher Hamill?
So the Night Stalker (Zach Villa) made it back to Camp Redwood and got back to doing murders immediately. But first he approached Christopher Hamill from the band Kajagoogoo and said something about how he had made a deal with the Devil and it was time to pay up. In the teaser for next week’s episode we see the band dead in the bus, but we didn’t see what happened to Hamill specifically. So does Satan and the Night Stalker have some plan for him or what?
What’s Margaret trying to do with this festival at Camp Redwood?
So our ghost friends who are stuck at Camp Redwood forever killed some random people and didn’t clean up their bodies. And in Episode 6, it’s revealed Margaret (Leslie Grossman) is doing a big music festival there to try to do some capitalism on this whole situation. But why? Surely she knows this is gonna end with more murders — the question is what is she actually trying to get out of it? She must have some kind of secret plan for the event.
What exactly is Satan trying to accomplish with all this?
In Episode 4, The Night Stalker (Zach Villa) went toe to toe with Mr. Jingles (John Carroll Lynch) and lost, suffering a gruesome death via tree limb through the skull. But as the episode ended, his body hovered in the air as his wounds healed, and he stood up looking good as new.
At the start of Episode 5, whoever or whatever is inside that body told fake Rita (Angelica Ross) they want her to go kill, just like her father did. And then by the end, that same presence in the Night Stalker’s body resurrected Mr. Jingles. And then the two took off toward Los Angeles in a stolen police car.
And now we have the Night Stalker calling in debts on Satan’s behalf? But why? Is there a point to all this?
What’s the endgame for the ghosts?
In Episode 6, Ray astutely notes that none of them know why they’re still stuck at Camp Redwood long after their deaths. Presumably, Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk wrote that line in there because there’s significance to that question — like there’s some way for them to move on, or some purpose they need to fulfill. But what could it be? It doesn’t feel like “AHS: 1984” has given us any hints about that yet. Jingles’ mom told him this week that Satan can prevent people from coming back as ghosts, but we don’t know the significance of that revelation yet.
How many more secret relationships will be revealed before the season ends?
The fourth episode of r”AHS: 1984” dropped a couple doozies right at the beginning, when it explained how Montana and the Night Stalker knew each other, and that Montana hated Brooke because the Best Man at Brooke’s wedding massacre was Montana’s brother and Montana blamed her for the whole situation.
The whole season has been like that, with major new reveals every week. We can’t help but assume more of those types of revelations are in store since they keep introducing major new characters even as we get close to the end the season. But how many more could there be?
Also Read: 'American Horror Story: 1984' Fact Check: Is the Night Stalker's Origin Story True?
What’s up with that gay porn subplot?
In the middle of the first episode, a guy named Blake shows up to hassle Xavier. Apparently Xavier had done a gay porn film for Blake and Blake wanted him to do more. And then about a minute later Blake got murdered. Why introduce this plot point? With Blake dead (and now Xavier dead, for that matter) is this whole thing just supposed to be character building for Xavier or what?
Also Read: Watch the 'American Horror Story: 1984' Title Sequence Here (Video)
Who is going to live and who is going to die?
It’s the standard slasher movie question that has to be asked about an “AHS” season that’s a tribute to slasher movies. Actually, this has to be asked about every season of “American Horror Story,” but we’re particularly worried about the fates of this crop of characters, considering the installment’s theme and the fact that we’re got all these dead people returning as ghosts constantly. Right now, we’re not willing to count anyone truly dead or alive, because honestly we don’t really understand what’s actually going on.
“American Horror Story: 1984” airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.
Jessica Lange on Why She Doesn't Think She'll Return to 'American Horror Story' Again
Watch the 'American Horror Story: 1984' Title Sequence Here (Video)