How American Horror Story Fans Would Rewrite 1984

"American Horror Story" fans love to theorize about the show, which isn't all that difficult given the various Easter eggs hidden across nine seasons (with a 10th one on the way). This creative exercise often leads to lengthy discussions on the show's subreddit, where fans gather to cover the FX anthology series.

One fan, u/OedipusCapulet, asked, "How would you rewrite a season?" and prompted fans to change seasons they either loved or hated. From tying up loose ends to overhauling entire themes, fans weighed in with everything they would've loved to see on screen for nearly every season.

Despite its critically positive reception, the latest season of "American Horror Story," subtitled "1984," didn't impress all fans. With a relatively fresh cast and coming off the heels of the divisive "Apocalypse," the series had odds stacked against it from the start. Some viewers didn't appreciate how "1984" started as an homage to the classic summer camp slashers and suddenly pivoted to a supernatural storyline. Others were let down by the fact that some characters received a lot of screen time while others didn't get very much at all.

So, how would "American Horror Story" fans rewrite "1984"?

Making a minor but meaningful change to "American Horror Story: 1984," Reddit user u/baba-O-riley suggested rewriting the fictionalized version of real-life serial killer Richard Ramirez (portrayed by Zach Villa). They took a cue from "Hotel" and said they'd "change the name and appearance" of the character, "but keep some of the general characteristics" — as was the case with James Patrick March (Evan Peters), who was inspired by H. H. Holmes.

The inclusion of Ramirez in "1984" was controversial among fans, so it's not surprising to see others agreeing with the Redditor's rewrite. User u/RavenCemetery1928 said that the portrayal of Ramirez in the show was "heightened to the point of being romanticized."

With 16 upvotes, Redditor u/Chateaumarmoset said that they would remove both the mid-season time jump (the story skips ahead to 2019) and the Mr. Jingles (John Carroll Lynch) redemption arc. Explaining their choice, the user said "1984" loses steam when it focuses on Mr. Jingles' fights with Ramirez and Margaret Booth (Leslie Grossman). "Nothing in the latter half of the season felt new and it ended up feeling like Camp Murder House with the whole 'ghosts being trapped in one place for all eternity' thing," they wrote. Instead, they would've fleshed out the lore of Camp Redwood further by exploring how the spirits could escape, turning it into a jumping-off point for future seasons of the show. 

Ryan Murphy, if you're ever out of ideas for "American Horror Story," check out what fans on the series' subreddit have to say.