Last night’s American Horror Story marked the halfway point for the freshman thriller, and as is AHS’s wont, the show is still absent any form of satisfying answers. “Piggy Piggy†gave viewers a few tidbits of clarity about Tate, but Constance continues to defy all explanations, and the internal mythology that governs Murder House itself is still unclear. We have many, many questions about the show, from the nitpicky to the broadly thematic:
1. Is Violet the only one who’s been “chosen,†to use Billie’s word for it? Because Ben can see Tate, too, and so can other people. What does being “chosen†entail?
2. Does Moira appear young only to Ben, or does she appear young to anyone who’s skeazy (like the detective)? Does she control it, or is it a curse?
3. Why does Moira age, yet none of the other ghosts do? Or is it just her appearing as an “old soul�
4. Who is in the rubber suit?
5. What is that monster demon thing we saw Tate conjure in the first episode?
6. Chicken or the egg question: Did the old-timey abortionist’s Franksteining turn Murder House evil , or was it already inherently evil and it was that force that turned the doc Frankensteiningly mad? And if it’s the latter, what caused the house to go evil? Evil bricks or evil ground?
7. After her son was shot and killed in Murder House, why did Constance move right next door? Shouldn’t a “fresh start†involve moving at least three blocks away?
8. Why can’t anyone ever hear anyone else who’s in the house? Is that just convenient staging, good soundproofing, or does the house isolate its residents?
9. Why was the security guy so chill about Hayden escaping from his car? Does this make for a reassuring security force?
10. On the Halloween episode, Awkward. cheerleader said that Tate asked her if she believed in God before shooting her. On last night’s episode, when we saw the shooting, no such exchange took place. Is that important, or just a continuity error?
11. Why did Vivien stop playing the cello?
12. Why haven’t we met the ghosts of half-face Larry’s family yet? If they died in the house, shouldn’t they be hanging out in the nightmare basement with all the other spirits?
13. Why did Constance say, “We need this baby� Will it be able to do something special, beyond being a little demon?
14. Why does Vivien keep accepting disgusting pregnancy-friendly food from Constance, a woman whose bona fides as a parenting expert are a bit suspect? Is Vivien being polite, or does Constance have a psychic connection to the demon-baby’s cravings?
15. What happened to Constance’s other children?
16. Why doesn’t anyone ever, ever say, “What do you mean?†There’s so much vague language on this show, yet no one seems bothered by it at all. For example, Ben is completely unfazed when Violet says “the darkness has me.†Isn’t that sort of an unusual turn of phrase for a teenager? Wouldn’t someone — a trained therapist, especially — be likely to say, “My goodness, can you please explain what you mean by that?â€
17. Why doesn’t Vivien run tours of the Murder House? (Or let someone else run them?) Their mansion is already a stop on a tour, and the Harmons constantly talk about needing extra dough. People are already obsessed with the house. Step three: profit, Harmon family!