AHS: NYC Fans Are Questioning Where Patrick's Loyalties Lie
Season 11 of "American Horror Story," subtitled "NYC," began airing on October 19. The two-episode "AHS: NYC" premiere introduces viewers to its 1980s New York City setting, in which a masked serial killer known as Big Daddy targets LGBTQI+ men. Attempting to apprehend the killer are a cop named Patrick Read (Russell Tovey) who hides his queer identity from most of his coworkers, and his journalist partner Gino Barelli (Joe Mantello).
Fans, naturally, began proposing theories about Big Daddy's identity as soon as the season premiered. For example, one "AHS: NYC" fan theory about the killer posits that an outwardly threatening art dealer named Sam (Zachary Quinto) may be Big Daddy's secret identity. Others think that Big Daddy in "AHS: NYC" is an apparition, and not even its serial killer but a ghost attempting to warn victims away from the real culprit.
Episodes 3 and 4 of "AHS: NYC" then aired on October 26, renewing interest among viewers over the identity of Big Daddy with the new information they provide. As it turns out, these two episodes have certain viewers looking differently at Patrick, who some suspect may be up to something more sinister than he's letting on, seemingly unbeknownst to those closest to him.
Fans think there's a chance Patrick is one of the season's villains
In "American Horror Story: NYC" Episodes 3 and 4 — though some of the façade he puts up begins to fade — Patrick largely continues to live a double life between his job as a cop and his involvement in NYC's queer community. Certain moments in these episodes that may point to Patrick's double life, however, could also suggest that he's actually connected to the season's criminal element.
For instance, Twitter user @StR8_IGNANT called attention to a phone call in which an unknown party implores Patrick to find him, suggesting the nature of Patrick's relationship with the caller is suspicious. Meanwhile, user @buckeyehunk insinuated that Patrick is living a double life outside of the divide between his job and sexuality. One Twitter user even proposed outright that Patrick is a killer, while user @Dina_Marie0221 theorized that Patrick is working with Sam and Big Daddy in some implicitly sinister capacity.
On Reddit too, at least one user in a discussion thread about Episode 4 proposed that Patrick is the second-most-likely possibility for the killer's identity. That said, in a discussion thread about Episode 3, user ventodivino outlined why they think Patrick can't be the season's big bad. Of course, this doesn't preclude him from wrongdoing altogether.
With its two-episodes-a-week schedule and ten episode order, fans will presumably find out by November 16, when the season concludes, whether or not Patrick is worthy of such suspicion.