SPOILER ALERT: This feature contains major plot details for American Horror Story: Hotel (and the other seasons also)
Each American Horror Story is infamous for leaving few survivors in its wake. With Hotel (the fifth story) freshly ended, we saw some further interconnected-ness between the stories, which we’ve known since last year were in the same shared universe. Each iteration also takes place in different parts of the timeline, so even characters who’ve died can appear in earlier segments. So, let’s catch up with who could appear in Season 6, and a general look at where last we saw the ones who missed the axe.
Murder House
Hallie, the Harmon family pet, was adopted by Marcy (the silver tongued realtor we came to love and hate). Those two fates were sealed during Hotel, but we’re counting them here. Vivien Harmon‘s sister Jo was spared, too, and headed back to Florida. Whether it was Jupiter, the setting for Freak Show, is anyone’s guess. Violet‘s scarred friend Leah, Nurse Angie, and Security Guard Luke made repeated appearances but managed to escape as well. Would-be Murder House residents, the Ramos family, were driven away by the ghostly presence that should have dissuaded the obsessed (and imprisoned) arsonist Larry Harvey. Everyone’s favorite Eternal Darkness Tour guide Stan did well to stay off the property himself.
The big thrill: Nasty neighbor and integral part of the story Constance Langdon ran off with Michael, her grandson by Vivien. The child has a papal prophecy attached to him (according to two-time survivor Billie Dean Howard, see Hotel below) that he’s the Anti-Christ, and when last we saw him he was on an auspicious start (having freshly eaten his babysitter). There was much speculation that we would see Michael in Los Angeles during Hotel, but it was not to be. The less said about whether undead toddler Thaddeus Montgomery (or his brother in spirit, the afflicted premie Bartholomew of Room 33) is alive or dead, the better.
Asylum
Even fewer managed to get out of Briarcliff Manor alive. Kit Walker‘s progeny Thomas and Julia became luminaries in their fields (perhaps due to some extraterrestrial influence). Presumed dead Missy Stone became a successful nurse. Pre-teen family annihilator Jenny Reynolds lived on past her encounter with her demonic mentor. As far as major players, though, don’t count out journalist Lana Winters, last seen in the final frame.
Coven
The war between the witches and the voodoo devotees took its toll, with a shadow organization of witch hunters pulling the strings. Neither side liked being played and they took their revenge with heavy losses. This tale of immortals and resurrection made it a little more difficult to tell permanently dead from alive, but let’s count the ones that are breathing and walking around: Cordelia Goode, Zoe Benson, and Queenie (see Hotel below). This list is short indeed, so we’ll throw in Kyle Spencer (now the butler at Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies) even though he’s a reanimated zombie.
Freak Show
On a brighter note, there were a handful of happy endings for “Fräulein Elsa’s Cabinet of Curiosities“. Lobster-Boy Jimmy Darling found love with conjoined twins Bette and Dot Tattler, with babies on the way. Triple-breasted Desiree Dupree found a family with old flame Angus T. Jefferson. Magician and puppeteer Chester Creb turned himself in to police, but it’s unclear whether he ended up in an asylum or prison. Perhaps the best shot at a normal life could be had by the traumatized ex-captives of Twisty the killer clown, Corey Bachman and Bonnie Lipton.
Hotel
Now that we’ve seen the end of Hotel, we can confirm the deaths of Murder House‘s Marcy and Coven‘s Queenie. Why the Coven has not torn Los Angeles apart looking for her is a mystery itself. Liz Taylor‘s (no, not the famous one) son Douglas, his wife and daughter, will still come for visits to the haunted hostel. Permanently banned from re-entry is two-time-survivor medium Billie Dean Howard, as enforced by the unaging afflicted Iris and Ramona Royale (assuming you consider the ‘don’t-call-them-vampires’ afflicted alive). Also living in exile: the Thacher School students Lachlan Drake and Scarlett Lowe.
Some have speculated that the repeated reference to the Thacher School may be a hint about Season 6, as the real life boarding school has a colorful past. Even if it is, that season is most likely to be set (as even numbered stories are) in the past, too early to see the children of the Cortez.
We are sure to see more of these connections in the future stories, so be on the lookout for these characters and any clues for the next story. Until then, checking out!
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