AHS Asylum: Why Was Kit So Important To The Aliens?
"American Horror Story" is filled with terrifying tales, monstrous beings, and vengeful spirits — but in Season 2, "Asylum," Ryan Murphy used something different to scare audiences: aliens. Briarcliff Manor is already an evil place when the season kicks off, as its staff doesn't really care for the patients living there, treating them with utter disrespect the entire time. But things go from bad to worse as demons plague some nuns like Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe). At the same time, former Nazi scientist Dr. Arden (James Cromwell) conducts horrific experiments on a few unlucky patients.
After "Murder House" won over audiences and critics alike, "Asylum" really pushed the boundaries of what the anthology series sets out to do. It's an uneasy watch at times — the Raspers are still incredibly gross — but it tells a fascinating story about the evil that breeds in Briarcliff Manor. All the heinous things that go on under the asylum's roof attract the aliens in the show, although it's not entirely clear what they're after.
The aliens are a terrifying bunch, with giant heads and long, creepy fingers. They're only seen a handful of times in "Asylum," but their influence is felt throughout the season — mainly because they are obsessed with Kit Walker (Evan Peters). But why do they keep coming back for Kit, and why is he so important to them?
They're a godly metaphor
The aliens are the very reason Kit's in the asylum in the first place, since they abduct him and subsequently leave him in a place where the serial killer Bloody Face dumps his victims. When he's at the asylum, the aliens appear whenever he's on the brink of death — clearly shown when Arden tests his theory by injecting potassium chloride into Kit's heart muscle. The aliens also seem keen to make sure that Kit's bloodline continues by resurrecting a pregnant Grace and returning his wife, Alma.
The aliens have been a hot topic among fans ever since they first appeared in "Asylum" — but Reddit user dudagouveia has an interesting theory about why they're obsessed with Kit. The Redditor suggested the aliens wanted Kit "because he was ahead of his time." An example of this is that he's married to a Black woman in the 1960s, when interracial relationships were frowned upon. The viewer went on to say, "they wanted Kit's DNA because they could spread his kindness and use [it] on other humans" before adding, "then the earth can become a better place." This would make sense as to why they want Kit's family to grow and why they're fiercely protective of Grace when she's pregnant.
Ryan Murphy's comments about the aliens also back this theory up, as he explained to Entertainment Weekly, "For me, [aliens] were always an obvious metaphor for God." He also added, "It fit very easily into the world of a Catholic sanitarium asylum. ... It was also about science versus faith so it made sense to me." The aliens are clearly playing with life and death when it comes to Kit, so it isn't surprising that the show's creator wanted to give them a religious meaning.