Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
At long last the American Horror Story spinoff has arrived. And American Horror Stories‘ first two episodes didn’t waste time, heading back to Murder House to tell the story of another crop of ghosts and the sadistic Rubber Woman.
Each episode of American Horror Stories tells a different, self-contained story within Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk’s warped universe. This first installment was especially twisted. Remember how Tate (Evan Peters) and Violet (Taissa Farmiga) fell in love but Violet dumped Tate because he was an unhinged monster? “Rubber (wo)Man” Parts 1 and 2 ask: what if that wasn’t the case? What if the person who falls in love with a murderous ghost is just as vindictive and cruel as their undead lover?
It was a lot of teen angst crammed into two hours. And there were also just as many Easter eggs from American Horror Story. Wondering what you missed? Here are some of the biggest AHS connections hiding in American Horror Stories‘ first two episodes.
You've seen Scarlett before.
Wondering who plays the sociopathic and rubber suit-loving Scarlett? That would be none other than Sierra McCormick. And there’s a reason why she looks familiar. Prior to joining this twisted universe, McCormick starred in Curb Your Enthusiasm as Emma and in Disney’s A.N.T. Farm as Olive Doyle.
That second role is extra interesting when it comes to this universe. A.N.T. Farm premiered two years after Ryan Murphy’s Glee and was often described as Disney’s take on Fox’s mega hit singing dramedy. It’s only fitting that McCormick would eventually land in Murphy’s orbit.
We know the other therapist trapped in Murder House.
Repeatedly Dr. Andi Grant (Merrin Dungey) mentions that there’s another therapist in this house. She even laments that she has to battle them for office space. Though he never appears in Episodes 1 and 2 we’re confident that second therapist is none other than Dr. Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott). Ben often saw his clients in the same space Dr. Grant uses, which helped no one. Let it be known that ghosts and therapy are never a good match.
The Piggy Man Michael saw is a big part of 'American Horror Story'.
At one point in Episode 2 Michael (Matt Bomer) admits that he’s been seeing ghosts. He says this to the deceased Dr. Grant by the way, so no duh. But it’s the specific ghost that Michael sees that’s important. Michael describes a bare-chested man wearing a dead pig head as a mask.
That disturbing creature is the Piggy Man, who was one of the main ghosts that haunted the house in Roanoke. But that’s not all. Murder House’s “Piggy Piggy” almost completely revolved around this ghost. The episode explored Ben treating one of his clients (played by Eric Stonestreet) who claims he’s been seeing a pig man. Of course right after Ben convinces him this is all made up, Derek the client is shot and killed by a burglar hiding in the bathroom.
"Tonight You Belong to Me" made another major appearance.
If American Horror Story: Murder House could have a favorite song, it would be Patience and Prudence’s “Tonight You Belong to Me.” The song first appeared in the show’s pilot as twin brothers destroyed the abandoned Murder House. It then reemerged in Season 1’s final episode as a couple ran from the house screaming. Naturally, the song also appeared in Apocalypse, AHS‘ crossover season that combined Murder House and Coven. That time around the song played in “The End” as well as “Return to Murder House.”
So of course Patience and Prudence came out of the shadows for American Horror Stories. While Scarlett murders the girls who bullied her, the cheerful tune plays. Spooky.
There were some nods to classic Murder House ghosts.
No one from the original Murder House made an official appearance. But there were some nods to some lesser known ghosts. At one point Maya (Paris Jackson) is scared by someone who looks a bit like Thaddeus Montgomery, aka Infantata, the Montgomerys’ son who was dismembered, sewn back together, and reanimated thanks to this horrible house.
There was also a nod to a deceased Langdon. In Apocalypse, we learned that Constance had two other children who died in this house: Beauregard and Rose. Rose was born with anophthalmia, meaning she was missing both her eyes. The mask Ruby (Kaia Gerber) wears looks a bit like Rose.
