Why Theta In AHS: Death Valley Makes No Sense To Fans
"American Horror Story: Double Feature" saw the highly anticipated return of aliens to the "AHS" franchise, something fans have been holding out for since Season 2. Rather than lurking around an insane asylum, the new aliens have forced politicians into helping them repopulate their fallen planet.
The "Death Valley" episodes focus on the tense relationship between the U.S. government and their extraterrestrial companions, who abduct Americans, feed them jelly cubes, and treat them like perpetually pregnant, futuristic livestock.
After decades of attempting to create a viable alien-human hybrid, Theta (Angelica Ross) declares that their perfect specimen has been born via Kendall Carr (Kaia Gerber) in the season finale. Fans on the show's subreddit, who were admittedly disappointed in the ending, said they were also confused by Theta's role at Area 51.
One detail about the character just didn't make any sense to fans, who tried to unpack it themselves on a thread started by u/cyberss.
What is Theta?
Unlike the other aliens with their near-constant floating and glowing white eyes, Theta has one human eye and one very large, alien-like black eye. She appears more like the rejected hybrid alien babies she is tasked with delivering than the rest of the "Death Valley" aliens.
"American Horror Story" fans jumped on a comment that asked, "if there was never a good alien/human hybrid then wtf is theta bc she looks like a hybrid to me?" Many left responses agreeing that this didn't make sense, especially without any clues in the four-episode arc.
"I was thinking Theta was a hybrid that was obviously not viable but maybe she somehow had a valuable education or knowledge in the breeding process?" suggested u/Neozx27.
"Maybe she was intelligent and able to survive Earth, but not capable of reproducing," replied u/sthetic, adding that Theta's process for determining whether or not the babies were ready was "confusing."
Overall, "Death Valley" viewers couldn't quite determine what Theta was, why she was in charge of the research, and why she kept killing off the hybrids that seemed similar to her alien form. Maybe this theme will be explored in future seasons and viewers can gain more insight into the character.