It’s been two weeks since the latest series of ‘American Horror Story’ debuted in the US, but we’re pleased to say that ‘Apocalypse’ has well and truly landed with a bang here in the UK - there’s more twists, more scares and more wigs than ever before.
Teased as a cross-over between past ‘AHS’ series ‘Murder House’ and ‘Coven’, ‘Apocalypse’ kicked off - as the title suggested - with the news that nuclear bombs had hit major cities all over the globe, triggering the end of the world.
And while we’re excited to see some old favourites from past seasons return in future episodes, we were pleasantly surprised to see that ‘Apocalypse’ more than stands on its own two feet, and exists as far more than just a crossover gimmick.
Already, the first episode of the series has left us with a number of questions, and here are the ones we’ve found the most intriguing…
1. What is it that made The Cooperative target Timothy and Emily?
We already know it was “something in their DNA”, but what specifically? And how come Timothy had it, but not his younger brother?
2. Was Timothy’s dad somehow involved in having Timothy targeted by The Cooperative?
He was the first to come through the door with the news that, as he put it, “World War III” was coming, and seemed a lot less distressed by him being taken away than the rest of the family was.
3. How did Coco and the others wind up at Outpost 3?
The last we saw of them, they were stranded in the air on board Coco’s family’s private jet, watching LA being blown to smithereens. So how did they wind up at Outpost 3, with comfortable positions in the small society (well, for the most part, at least)?
4. Who are the other greys?
Dubbed the “worker ants” by Venable, Coco’s assistant Mallory quickly took her place as one of the “greys”, who serve the rest of Outpost 3. But who else is a grey, and how did they end up there?
5. And similarly, who are the other visionaries?
Venable explained that at the head of The Cooperative are 12 of the greatest thinkers in the world, dubbed “the visionaries”. We know now that Michael Langdon is among them, but who else is involved, and what are their plans?
6. What exactly does Venable mean by “no unauthorised copulation”?
Our assumption is that it’ll eventually fall to the residents of Outpost 3, and the other Outposts, to repopulate the planet, so why is Venable punishing sex with death? And should we assume that “no unauthorised copulation” suggests “authorised copulation”, or even “enforced copulation”, is to come later down the line?
7. What’s in the drink the purples are given every night?
Newcomers Timothy and Emily were curious as to what was on the menu at “cocktail hour”, to which Andre casually told them it’s “mineral water”, though this seemed an odd thing to be serving in champagne glasses. Our suspicious mind is thinking something more sinister may have been at play.
8. Also, what’s the deal with the radio?
The residents of Outpost 3 grew convinced that The Cooperative was trying to send them a message through the song choices in their radio, though the same song ended up being played on a loop for 18 months at a time. Was this intended as a torture device, a true message from the outside, or none of the above?
9. Who wrote ‘666’ on Timothy’s mirror?
We know the anti-Christ is coming (as has been heavily teased in the lead-up to ‘Apocalypse’), but for those who were too distracted by Timothy’s shower scene, what you’ll have missed was a mysterious figure writing the number “666” on his mirror, and a whispered voice telling him to beware. Where did that come from, and did he notice it?
10. Why do Venable and Mead want to be purples so badly?
From the impression they initially gave up, the quite-literal-gruesome-twosome were running the show at Outpost 3, but when they got into their private quarters, sit around playing cards in purple like the so-called “elite”.
11. Why did Mead kill Stu (but not Mr Gallant)?
She had the chance to shoot both of them (and, presumably, serve them up for dinner), but ultimately chose to spare one of their lives and kill the other, seemingly at random. But perhaps there was more to her choice than meets the eye.
12. What happened to Michael Langdon’s horses?
They met a rather grisly end towards the end of the episode - did it have anything to do with the “monsters” Venable told Timothy and Emily about upon their arrival at Outpost 3.
13. Is it finally time for Joan Collins to get herself an Emmy?
Why yes, we believe it is.
‘American Horror Story’ airs on Thursday nights at 10pm on Fox, after which episodes are made available to stream on NOW TV in the UK.