Spoilers below for the latest episode of American Horror Story, so be sure to watch the crossover madness before reading on.
American Horror Story has gotten exponentially weirder since the first season, called Murder House, and the cast of that first season was called upon to reprise their roles for Apocalypse. In the latest episode, Violet came to the realization that Tate had been used as a vessel for evil inside of the house and therefore wasn't really guilty of the awful things he'd done, and the two former lovebirds got an unlikely happily-ever-after. Actress Taissa Farmiga was torn over the events of the episode, saying this:
You know, it's funny because I have conflicting feelings because I have me as Taissa and I have me as Violet. Because I realized when we filmed that scene I was kind of nervous to go back and play someone I played seven years ago and someone who's not supposed to have really aged or changed in any ways mentally or emotionally in these last few years. So it was kind of frightening going back having to play someone who's stuck in that time. And then we filmed it and all of the sudden it was like, 'Oh, right. I know Violet. She never left me.' Part of me was, I guess the part that was Violet was happy that she didn't have to cry anymore and the part that's Taissa was sort of --- you know, I like things that aren't tied up in a neat little bow. I like when things are ambiguous. So you know, I think I was more happy with the Season 1 ending but I think the Violet inside me is more happy with this ending.
As fans will remember, Murder House ended with Violet and the rest of her family dead and existing as ghosts in the house. They seemed surprisingly happy for a dead family, but Violet was still troubled by the fact that Tate was a mass shooter, murderer, and rapist. His terrible acts understandably threw a wrench in their relationship, and they seemed likely to spend eternity at odds unless she somehow forgave him.
Well, Apocalypse found a way to give Violet and Tate a happily-ever-after together. Madison blew a dust of clarity -- which is apparently a thing in the American Horror Story universe -- onto Violet, leading Violet to the conclusion that he wasn't responsible for his many crimes and was in fact no longer malicious after Michael Langdon (whose actor maintains isn't evil) fled the house.
For this story, Taissa Farmiga had to step back into the shoes of a character who was technically supposed to still look 15 years old and get back into the headspace of a character she'd occupied seven years previously. Her comments to TV Guide indicate that she was able to slip back into her character once she started filming. While she was glad that Violet got a happy ending and resolved her issues with Tate, she preferred the more ambiguous and open-ended conclusion to Murder House.
Fans may have mixed reactions to the twist as well. Although Tate is a popular character and his twisted relationship with Violet from Season 1 was also a hit with many viewers, the reveal that it was the evil house that made him do his terrible acts may strike other viewers as an all-too-easy way to absolve him and give him a happy ending. Of course, nothing is ever entirely straightforward on American Horror Story, and Apocalypse's wild crossovers with actors playing multiple rules is even less straightforward than usual.
For more AHS weirdness, tune in to FX on Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET for new episodes. There are plenty of shows in the fall TV lineup this year, so you have options even if you're not into all the creepiness that American Horror Story has to offer on a weekly basis.
