The Ramirez Detail That Has American Horror Story Fans Scratching Their Heads
The ever-expanding universe of American Horror Story involves interwoven references and connections to various entries in the series. Whether that means a full-fledged crossover season like Apocalypse, or just a character like Pepper who's been in two separate installments of the series, the show is rich with lore and world-building. In the case of the show's most recent chapter, one character anchors 1984 to the fifth season, Hotel.
The character in question is Richard Ramirez, a serial killer who briefly makes an appearance as a ghost in Hotel and is based on the real-life Satan worshipper and murderer. Viewers are introduced to this character in the episode titled "Devil's Night," which takes place entirely during Halloween. Well-versed AHS fans will know that it's on this night that the dead are allowed to walk among the living. However, this is not the last time Richard appears on-screen. In 1984, the same character reappears, this time alive, and there is a slight continuity error regarding Richard's storyline.
It's literally impossible for Richard Ramirez to exist in American Horror Story: Hotel
In Hotel, Richard explains that he died of liver cancer after spending several years on death row in prison, hence why he's a ghost. However, this clearly turns out not to be the case when Richard's story is expanded on in 1984. During this season, Richard is never brought into custody. In fact, he doesn't even die of liver cancer. After going on a killing spree in an effort to "protect" Camp Redwood, Richard eventually meets his doom at the hands of the camp's ghostly residents.
To make this plot hole even more chaotic, Richard's story ends with him constantly getting revived and killed by all the ghosts of the camp. This not only contradicts his backstory in Hotel, but it also means that it would be very unlikely that he would even be a ghost since he's able to constantly resurrect himself due to his deal with Satan. It's almost entirely impossible for Richard to be at the Hotel Cecil on Halloween at all unless he managed to escape from Camp Redwood. Even then, it doesn't explain how he was imprisoned, or if liver cancer is a loophole in his immortality contract with Satan.
This glaring mistake is not the first time an AHS plotline hasn't made sense. In fact, it can be argued that most of Apocalypse retcons a lot of the supernatural elements put into place in the show's first season. This is mostly demonstrated by the fact that Satan is still able to produce the Antichrist without needing a ghost and a human to copulate, despite Murder House establishing this rule. In the case of Richard and his deal with the devil, it looks like Ryan Murphy is willing to bend the AHS rules a little bit when it comes to anything related to Satan.