10 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Asylum

10 Unanswered Questions We Still Have About Asylum

Today, American Horror Story is a lengthy mishmash of ideas that’s threatening to rival the Marvel Cinematic Universe in terms of complexity. With crossovers, time distortions, and other unbelievable events, it’s a decade-spanning monolith of a series that might come across as a bit overwhelming to new viewers.

RELATED: Top 10 Scariest Scenes From American Horror Story Asylum

Yet, that’s not to say that older seasons of American Horror Story were any more straightforward. From the return of Anne Frank to Aliens and zombie mutants, Asylum, the show’s second season, was undeniably weird, and there are more than a few storylines stemming from it that were never completely resolved.

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Updated on April 10th, 2022 by Tanner Fox: Double Feature, which debuted in August 2021, was American Horror Story’s tenth season, and it adopted a unique approach, splitting the story into two halves. As is the case with most AHS entries, it was largely disconnected from the show’s other seasons, though some subtle nods to previous episodes and installments could be inferred. In fact, the season’s seventh episode, entitled “Take Me To Your Leader” brought extraterrestrials back into the fold which caused many fans to theorize parallels to their introduction in Asylum. That storyline, of course, wasn’t wrapped up all that cleanly and had many wondering why they were involved in the first place.

Where Did Kit Go?

In the season finale of American Horror Story: Asylum, “Madness Ends,” it was revealed that Evan Peters’ Kit developed pancreatic cancer at the age of 40. It is then implied that he disappeared without a trace. However, in reality, he was re-abducted by the aliens who previously resurrected Grace and abducted Kit initially.

It is likely that this second abduction was more of an agreement between the aliens and Kit after they proved to be a positive effect on his life. But, where did they take Kit? Did they take him away to die? Did they heal him again and release him somewhere back on Earth? Or did they take him back to their home planet, perhaps?

Why Were The Aliens Fixated On Kit?

It’s never really explained why the aliens in AHS: Asylum had a complete fixation on Evan Peters’ Kit. Not only did they abduct him twice, but they resurrected the mother of his baby, sending her into labor, and they took him away with them in the season finale when he developed pancreatic cancer.

RELATED: Every Evan Peters American Horror Story Character, Ranked

This is what happened, but why did it happen? What was it about Kit that the aliens were so fascinated by that caused them to continually surface and meddle in his life? It is briefly explained that they chose him because of his kindness, but that can’t be the sole reason.

What Was The Point Of The Raspers?

Although smart, Dr. Arden is, obviously, not someone to be trusted, but his shady reputation turns downright foul once the true nature of his sick experiments is revealed. He’s been performing cruel procedures on the patients, transforming them into zombie-like cannibals known as Raspers. It’s a disgusting turn of events, but he doesn’t seem to have much of a reason for doing what he does.

There’s a fairly thin explanation given for the affair; he says something about creating a new breed or generation of human, but, in reality, it seems as if he simply wants to play God. Much like the unexplained aliens, these zombies seem like a cheap way to scare the audience.

How Did Judy’s Mind Heal?

American Horror Story Asylum Jessica Lange

Thomas and Julia, the children of Kit and Grace/Alma (Britne Oldford), are pretty special. While one was born naturally by Alma—or so fans presume—the other was born via the influence of the aliens who resurrected Grace and brought her back on the verge of labor. This meant that these kids had some strange connection to the aliens, which came to fruition with Judy—now going by her real name after the collapse of Sister Jude.

After the mentally ill Judy chased the kids around Kit’s house with a broom, the children simply took her hands and lead her into the woods. Judy then came back with her mind inexplicably healed, and she became genuinely happy for the first time in her life. Did the children themselves heal her with powers granted from their alien connection, or did Thomas and Julia take Judy to the aliens, and they healed her? What exactly happened in those woods?

Why Did The Aliens Abduct And Impregnate Grace?

It is no surprise that most of the mysteries from season 2 of American Horror Story have to do with the poorly-explained extraterrestrials. The aliens were the chief criticism detractors of the season would point to, accusing them of being easy plot devices. Whatever the case, their inclusion certainly raises a lot of questions.

RELATED: 10 Scariest Moments On American Horror Story So Far, Ranked

Grace was killed by Frank after jumping in front of a bullet to save Kit, after which Dr. Arden (James Cromwell) took her body outside to be consumed by the Raspers. However, the aliens then abducted Grace’s body only to later return her on the cusp of labor with Kit’s child. Did the aliens do this to save a pure soul? Did they wish to offer some good to a victim of the asylum? Or did they do it for Kit? They were inexplicably fixated on him, after all.

Was Johnny Morgan Genuinely Remorseful?

Dylan McDermott as Johnny Morgan in American Horror Story

In the then-present day segments of “Madness Ends,” the asylum season finale set in 2013, an older Lana is confronted by Johnny Morgan (Dylan McDermott), the son of Lana and Bloodyface, who was easily one of American Horror Story’s scariest villains. Morgan initially vows to kill Lana, believing his mother kept him and his ‘loving’ father apart. Lana convinces him otherwise, telling him that he is not a killer like his father.

Morgan then proceeds to break down, sobbing at his life of torment, and lowers his gun, admitting that he had “hurt people.” Can someone who did the things Morgan did truly be remorseful? Lana prevented viewers from finding out by shooting Morgan in the face.

Did Dr. Arden Have a Past With Nazi-Hunter Sam Goodman?

James Cromwell’s Dr. Arden remains one of the creepiest American Horror Story antagonists thanks to a great performance, terrifying experiments, and a great backstory for the character—one that revealed Arden to be a Nazi doctor by the name of Hans Grüper. Charlotte Brown, convinced she is Anne Frank, identifies Arden as Grüper, leading to Sister Jude hiring Israeli Nazi-hunter Sam Goodman to investigate the case.

Goodman is eventually killed by Mary Eunice, but how did Goodman identify Cromwell’s Arden as Grüper so quickly? It is reasonable to believe that the Jewish Goodman and Nazi Arden had a past. Perhaps Goodman crossed paths with the Nazi doctor during the war?

What Happened To Leigh Emerson?

Ian McShane as Leigh Emerson in American Horror Story

Ian McShane’s threatening performance as asylum inmate Leigh Emerson is pretty memorable. Emerson attempts to attack Jessica Lange’s Sister Jude before faking repentance and crucifying Joseph Fiennes’ Monsignor.

RELATED: 10 Things AHS & Slasher Does Better Than The Other

The Monsignor survived the ordeal, while Emerson managed to escape the asylum. Fans don’t know what really happened after this, but Lana tells Kit that she heard that Emerson went on a murderous rampage upon his escape, killing seven nuns. Did Emerson get caught? Did he kill even more nuns? Or did he retire somewhere and live quietly? It seems as if an explanation will never be given.

Was Alma Possessed When She Killed Grace?

It seemed out of character for the previously-passive Alma to have a sudden moment of madness and kill Grace with an ax. Sure, she was living in complete fear that the aliens might return someday, was frustrated by Grace’s hopes that the aliens would return, and struggled with the polyamorous relationship she was in with Kit and Grace, but would those things really make her a killer?

Perhaps Alma, like Mary Eunice, was possessed when she wielded the ax. This would certainly explain why a character would switch to murder and evil so quickly and would reflect Mary Eunice’s transition from innocent and naive to pure evil.

Where Did The Aliens Come From?

An alien from an episode of American Horror Story Asylum.

While Asylum is one of American Horror Story’s most celebrated outings, it’s not without its faults. Fans often consider the bizarre inclusions of aliens to have been a glaring issue in the season’s overarching plot. Seemingly there to advance or expedite the narrative, they feel very out of place rubbing shoulders with demons and serial killers.

Viewers are only treated to seconds of footage of the E.T.s themselves and only have characters’ jumbled exposition regarding them on which to go on. So much concerning these aliens was left unsaid, and it felt like a total oversight.

NEXT: The 10 Bravest Characters In AHS Asylum

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Jacob Sarkisian
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Jacob Sarkisian is a freelance writer who has written for Screen International, Gold Derby, and more. He loves film and TV awards in particular, and has covered several BAFTA ceremonies and interviewed many filmmakers and stars.

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