How American Horror Story Fans Would Rewrite Cult
"American Horror Story" has had seasons based on all kinds of scary creatures in the past. Ghosts, witches, and serial killers have all popped up at least once throughout the show's run, but Season 7 focused on perhaps the most terrifying beast known to man — politicians.
The season, appropriately titled "Cult," took place in the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election, where a sizable portion of the population felt devastation when Donald Trump won. "Cult" sets its sights on a small Michigan town with various people reacting in different ways to the changing of the guard. People's paranoia only becomes compounded when a series of mysterious murders occur throughout the city involving killers dressed as clowns.
The idea that you can't trust your neighbor is a prescient theme in the modern age, especially after the 2016 election. The spooky clowns are just the icing on the cake. However, no season of television is perfect, and some fans have gotten together on social media to figure out how to improve "Cult" with a relatively simple change.
Ally needs more backstory
While every season of "American Horror Story" tends to be an ensemble, a good portion of "Cult" centers on Ally (Sarah Paulson). She suffers from extreme phobias, particularly coulrophobia (fear of clowns). It's only made worse after the election when clowns stalk her, and she lives in fear everywhere she goes, which gradually progresses as the season goes on. She functions as the emotional crux of the season, and many fans would've loved to learn more about her and how those phobias developed in the first place.
One Reddit thread asks fans, "How would you rewrite a season?" Numerous opinions emerge, but when it comes to redoing "Cult," u/BalkiBartokomous123 offers the following suggestion: "Why is Ally so fearful? We got some backstory about Kai but adding some idea of why Ally has so many phobias and anxiety would make the story more interesting." Another user follows this up with, "Something traumatic had to happen to her when she was younger for her to be scared of clowns that much."
It would make for a fascinating transition for her character. After all, the show depicts Ally going from a fearful business owner to a Senate seat winner. She overcomes much of her fears, and ultimately, she's the one who comes out on top. It would be even better if we had a chance to see how her many fears materialized in the first place. That way, we see how she overcame that traumatic experience to beat out Kai (Evan Peters). The season still works even without that information, but it could've made for an intriguing extra.