American Horror Story: Apocalypse review: Murder House souls tell the tale of Langdon

American Horror Story: Apocalypse returns to Murder House reveals the horrors of how Michael Langdon came to be.

This episode starts off right where the last episode ended. Madison and Behold Chablis buy the Murder House from a realtor while pretending to be a couple, and before they sign on the dotted line, the realtor tells them that 36 people have died in the house.

The two perform a spell to force the spirits in Murder House out of hiding. After seeing some of the less important ghosts pop up for the scare factor, we see Ben Harmon giving Tate a therapy session. Tate is complaining about how Violet won’t talk to him, and Ben reminds him of all of the horrible things he did like impregnate her mother.

Madison and Behold Chablis interrupt the session to ask if they or any souls in the house can talk about Michael Langdon. Upon hearing about Tate’s plight, Madison admits she wants to help the boy. But they have much more important work to do first.

Both Tate and Ben are unwilling, at first, to give up any info on the Antichrist. Billie Deen Howard, Sarah Paulson’s third character of the season, appears and is just as unhelpful. It isn’t until the mother of American Horror Story herself appears — Jessica Lange — that our witchypoos can get some answers.

Lange, as Constance Langdon, struts down a staircase, questioning why these new faces are in her home. When Madison dares to ask what this fierce female is doing in their newly purchased home, Langdon replies, “This is my f—ing house.”

After pleading with Billie Dean and Constance to give them any info possible on  Michael Landon, Madison and Behold are relieved to know Constance will speak about her evil grandchild. But, these two have to get rid of Moira the maid first.

Madison and Behold dig up Moira’s remains which gives her the choice to leave the Murder House and be set free. She asks the two to bury her remains with her mother in a cemetery. Moira and her mother two reunite in the cemetery and leave together.

Constance begins to tell Madison and Behold about Michael Langdon and how she decided to raise him after Vivien Harmon died in childbirth. She explains that Langdon started his devilish ways by killing small creatures. She would bury all of his “presents” up and cover the graves with a rose bush.

Constance reveals that it was Michael who “made her realize I was put on this earth to raise the monsters.” She reveals how as a toddler Michael took his first human life. Yet, it wasn’t until he aged 10 years overnight that she realized there was something supernatural about him. Constance, in fear of what the boy may do to her one day, decides to kill herself within the Murder House. She does so because she knows the souls of her children live within the home, and now she’s bound to it forever.

Ben Harmon reveals that the day Constance died was the first time that he saw Michael Langdon. Ben reveals that he started to give Michale therapy, believing Michael wanted to be good. Michael soon confronts his father (sort of?) Tate, who rejects him. We see Michael becoming more and more prone to torture and murder, and Ben finally realizes the extent of his evil when a couple is killed outright by Michael. Per usual with the house, their souls reappear. But unlike the other souls who could live somewhat ever after there, Michael burns them out of existence.

Vivien appears to Madison and Behold to tell them that getting rid of Michael won’t be so easy. She quotes the Book of Revelations, and explains that strange things began to occur at the house when Michael lived there. Crows circling overhead, and most telling of all, Satanists appearing and claiming he was the chosen one — including Kathy Bates’ character who would take over as Michael’s guardian.

The Satanists help Michael reconnect with his true father, Satan, with the gory task of a Black Mass. Michael eats the raw heart of an innocent victim and a shadow appears behind him — it is Satan himself, come to greet his son.

Vivien says that she then made the decision to kill Michael following this, and surprisingly it doesn’t work. Michael nearly killed Vivien for trying to take him down, then escaped. We all know where he ended up from there.

Despite this being one extremely gory and grim episode, American Horror Story‘s visit to Murder House offered quite a few souls some resolution. Moira getting to reunite with her mother was a touching scene. But perhaps the sweetest of all was Violet and Tate being able to reunite.

Violet reveals she is still in love with Tate despite the awful things he has done. Madison explains that Tate isn’t evil and that the evil inside of Tate was connected and left when Michael left, Tate could be himself again. The final scene we see is these two undead lovers embracing each other, as the gates to the Murder House close presumably for good.

Little do these souls know, an apocalypse is coming. Who knows if we will ever see them again?

American Horror Story: Apocalypse continues to get more and more intense, and we can only wait to see what happens next.