The Part Of AHS: Apocalypse That Fans Agree Is A Problem
There are tons of things to love about "American Horror Story." Each season features a talented cast, amazing production design, and intriguing storylines that keep viewers on the edge of their seats. When fans started to realize that there were connections between the different "AHS" seasons, it added even more excitement to the experience; trying to pick out Easter eggs while watching each season was its own thrilling feat. There are even Easter eggs that connect the entirety of "AHS" together if you look close enough.
While most would agree that "AHS" is amazing as a whole, some seasons are more favored by fans than others. There are fairly unanimous rankings of the seasons from worst to best, and similar lists exist for different characters in the show. One of the most controversial seasons in terms of fan reception is "AHS: Apocalypse." Though it sounded intriguing, fans were underwhelmed once it finally aired — and there was one particular element of the season that they had a huge problem with.
Apocalypse attempted to cross over popular seasons
When fans first heard rumors of the premise for "AHS" Season 8, they were rightfully excited. According to buzz on social media, "AHS: Apocalypse" was set to be a crossover between some of the show's most popular seasons, including "Murder House" and "Coven." Fans would even get to see some of their favorite characters from earlier seasons, like Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson), Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga), as well as the problematic yet, fan-favorite couple Violet Harmon (Farmiga) and Tate Langdon (Evan Peters).
Aside from the returning characters, fans knew that "AHS: Apocalypse" would center around an apocalyptic event that causes a few chosen elite and a handful of ordinary survivors to live in hidden outposts. Things would get even crazier with the return of the infamous Michael Langdon (Cody Fern), aka the Antichrist baby from "AHS: Murder House." The mystery of the newest season was just how the writers would tackle the feat of bringing back such different characters and making a new plot that was just as exciting as its predecessors.
Apocalypse messed with the AHS timeline
The odd mixture of "AHS" elements didn't quite work for fans. In fact, some thought "AHS: Apocalypse" did a disservice to the entire show. A Reddit user named u/telekineticeleven011 wrote "Now I kinda don't like Apocalypse because I realize that [it] messes up the timeline a bit. I now realize that pretty much everything that happened in the original timeline was all for nothing ... Sometimes I just forget Apocalypse was a season because I realized that it messes up the other seasons timelines."
The timeline started blurring once the witches from "AHS: Coven" decided to go back in time to reverse the impending apocalypse, which made for a confusing and muddled plot. Other users agreed, noting specific moments in earlier seasons that seemed either contradicted or downright pointless after "Apocalypse" aired: Madison Montgomery's (Emma Roberts) entire redemption arc, the "happy ending" for the characters in "AHS: 1984," and the fate of The Countess (Lady Gaga) in "AHS: Hotel."
While we can appreciate the fan service of bringing back beloved "AHS" characters, it seems that the writers got a bit in over their heads.