The finale of American Horror Story: Apocalypse was epic. An intense, high octane ride, THIS is the episode we have all been waiting for. Heightened by a rapid editing style and an insane body count (and we are not talking nuclear victims), my doubts leading up to the finale were immediately vanquished. The transition from the past back to the present was smooth and rapid, tidying up many unanswered questions that had been looming since last episode (in some cases all season). As frustratingly dull as the previous two episodes had been, this episode blew them out of the water, culminating in a mind-blowing conclusion with AHS style.
Final moments in the past
Not much time was spent wrapping up the events that lead up to the witches’ appearance in Outpost 3. But the time that was spent was a series of finely tuned minutes intricately and effectively filling in many of the holes that still remained from the season. Launching immediately into action, the past began its final curtain call with the grandiose entrance of Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) into the robotics lab belonging to Mutt (Billy Eichner) and Jeff (Evan Peters) – with a brief yet satisfying interaction with Ms. Venable (Sarah Paulson).
As the young men are plotting the locations of the fallout shelters, Myrtle manipulates the mind to allow for a few spots in Outpost 3 to become available. These will now be intended for purchase by a family that will contact them shortly – the two spots Coco’s father gives to her just before the bomb drops.
With measures in place to protect Mallory (Billie Lord) – the future Supreme – from annihilation, Coco (Leslie Grossman) and Mallory are mystified with an identity spell, a trick to hide them under the nose of Michael Langdon (Cody Fern) in Outpost 3 until such time Mallory is ready to turn back the hands of time. With tears of sorrow as the remaining coven may never see each other again (and Coco knowing her sacrifice will be her family when the time comes), the witches part.
Snippets of scenes in previous episodes are interlaced, creating a montage that cleverly brings us back to one of the biggest moments of the season – the arrival of the witches in Outpost 3. Yet, how did the witches survive? Louisiana swamp mud of course! Breaking through the dirt into the nuclear winter above, Cordelia (Sarah Paulson), Myrtle Snow and Madison (Emma Roberts), healed from the effects of the bomb 2 years earlier, make their way to Outpost 3.
There was so much excitement that was built upon each revelation and each moment leading up to the present time. I was impressed with the fluidity and heightened intensity as each cut was made in editing, each scene strewn together with fierce intention. This, however, was only the carefully-laid ingredients folded into one epic showdown.
The Final Showdown
In minutes, viewers will once again be watching the witches at the start of their showdown with Langdon, the identity spell broken and their cover unveiled. Where at the beginning of the season it had seemed more of a frantic return to save their sisters, Langdon getting the edge on them before they could escape, the urgency between the witches was planned and intentional. There was not an urgency to flee, but to fight – the final fight. Each move made up to this moment and each move made after was planned.
One of the biggest pieces to the puzzle was Dinah Stevens (Adina Porter). In “Fire and Reign”, Langdon had exacted his revenge, bringing the wrath of hell to the heart of the Coven, taking out almost every member. This, however, was only made possible by the New VooDoo Queen – Dinah Stevens. Having accepted the hell Langdon promised, she swore allegiance, using her powers to bring down the protection spell around the school. At the beginning of “Apocalypse Then”, Madison had cried for her own vengeance, to burn Dinah at the stake for the crimes she had committed against the Coven – a request that was denied due to its untimeliness.
Tonight viewer questions surrounding Dinah were finally answered, as well as Cordelia’s show of mercy, as Dinah’s life was sacrificed in a bargain with Papa Legba, exchanging her life for the life of the real VooDoo Queen Marie Laveau (Angela Bassett) – a VooDoo Queen who would side with the witches in exchange for her escape from Hell. Honestly, I am not ashamed too admit, there was much cheering the moment this twist was revealed. What an ingenious way of continuing the Coven crossover within a season finale shocker.
It is from this moment, however, that the cheering stops and the anxiety once again begins to build. Bodies begin to pile up as Langdon brutally picks each resisting force off one by one. Before embracing her first truly selfless act, an endearing moment made humorous by the wonderful Emma Roberts, Madison states “I guess it’s back to retail.”, accepting the inevitable return to her own personal hell. Though it was not all fun and games, as each death brought the witches closer and closer to failure. Until one death in particular changed it all…
Changing the past… and the future…
The moment the knife plunges into Mallory, viewers will find the shock reverberate through them much as it does for those on screen. Yet, in this moment, the swiftly descending failure of the witches will hit its high mark, the pace of the events on screen slowing down for just a moment – whether it be for the characters on screen or for the viewer at home, I am not sure (probably both). In this moment, a few scenarios will play out in many viewers’ minds – there has been so much speculation as to what Mallory would do, but what if she couldn’t do anything?
Calling back to the selfishness of Fiona (Jessica Lange), Cordelia defies what her mother would have done, not only identifying her successor but putting the Coven first. Making the ultimate sacrifice, Cordelia and Mallory plunge to their destiny’s. From the moment Mallory descends into the water, the speed of the episode is ripped back, giving viewers not only a moment to catch their breath, but to heighten the majesty of power to alter time. As Mallory slips deeper into the watery darkness, the tranquility of the water rushes relief through the veins of those watching, viewers instantly hit with the deepest nostalgia the series could offer – a return to Murder House.
As the excitement wanes, viewers are brought back to Langdon as a young teen, innocently playing his video games alongside a clergyman he had slain earlier – as was told to Mallory and Behold (Billy Porter) earlier in the season. Constance (Jessica Lange), however, does not close the door, turning a blind eye. Instead, she kicks Michael out of her home, sick of being the mother of evil. As Michael leaves, he, like Adie (Jamie Brewer) in the first season, is struck by a car, leaving him for dead. Constance, finding another child to have fallen a similar fate, runs to Michael’s side, catching a glimpse that turns into a moment with the driver. As Michael lays dying, begging to be brought to the Murder House to live forever, Constance turns her back on him, effectively ending the Anti-Christ – and changing the future.
The Devil always finds a way…
While Mallory remembers everything that had happened and everything she had done, no one around her does. Practically getting a do-over herself, Mallory enrolls in Miss Robichaux’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies, embarking on a new journey that presents a new future for all. Or does it?
As the final moments of AHS Apocalypse came to a close, viewers are reminded of two characters whose stories have not found their explanation yet. Emily (Ash Santos) and Timothy (Kyle Allen), the two genetically perfect individuals that needed to be saved, remember them? Since the first episode, many have wondered why the Cooperative had chosen to save them, and in the finale moments, AHS once again proved that every element has a purpose – and the devil always finds way. These two are the perfect genetic match for the creation of a new Anti-Christ – and create him they do.
Conclusion: A Constant Tipping of the Scales
There is a sadness in the ending, yet a surge of hope all the while. Even with all the fighting and sacrificing the witches made to save the world and maintain hope, the Devil still outwitted them, always finding a way – never resting from his unending crusade to bring an end to the world. With the state of the world today, it’s a cynical representation that as hard as we fight, there will always be evil pushing back. Yet, there is the unrelenting hope that the ending instills – there will always be those who are willing to fight back, taking the wins and victories when they can.
Good and evil are a double-pan balance scale, the favor constantly changing sides. Yet, as evil rises in favor, so too must those who are willing and able to fight back. If we allow evil to tip the scales, in that moment it has won. Yet, if we fight against injustice, we can tip the scales back, making the world a better place. We just have to be willing to fight.
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