(Warning: Major spoilers ahead for the premiere of “American Horror Story: Apocalypse.”)
Never fear, Outpost 3 — Mr. Langdon is here! Wait, who?
In the final moments of the “American Horror Story: Apocalypse” premiere, Ryan Murphy fans were reintroduced to “Assassination of Gianni Versace” star Cody Fern in his debut “AHS” role as Langdon, a man with epic hair who has come to save Wilhelmina Venable (Sarah Paulson) and the other survivors in her nuclear shelter. Well, not all of them, just those he deems worthy after examination. Devilish, no?
Though Fern himself is new to the franchise, the name of the character he’s playing on the big “Murder House”-“Coven” crossover might ring a bell to you, as he has been an important part in the series since its beginning. Allow us to explain.
Season 1 of the long-running FX anthology series centered around the Harmon family — Dr. Ben (Dylan McDermott), Vivien (Connie Britton) and their daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga) — and their nosey next door neighbor, Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange).
The Harmons move into the titular Murder House at the start of the season, after Ben is caught cheating on his wife and the couple tries to pick up the pieces. The 12-episode installment ran through the past and present horrors that occurred in the house, including Vivien being impregnated via rape by Tate, Constance’s dead teenage son (played by Evan Peters) who is stuck inside the Murder House with the other ghosts.
In the penultimate episode, Vivien died giving birth to two babies (one Tate’s, one her husband’s). Constance managed to snatch one of the boys, her grandson, after Dr. Ben was murdered by his former lover Hayden. Constance took the child, whom she later named Michael, and fled Los Angeles.
The other baby (Ben’s child) took one breath before dying and was reunited with his parents and sister in death. Yes, the whole Harmon clan kicked the bucket by the end of the finale, with us learning Violet had actually died of an overdose earlier in the season and was a ghost all that time.
Now Michael is a special boy, as a medium called Billie Dean Howard (Paulson) explained a child born of ghost and human would be the Antichrist himself, destined to usher in the End of Days. The “Murder House” finale flashed forward to give us a preview of that mess, when Constance found a three-year-old Michael, covered in blood, having murdered his nanny. And the two laugh over the moment.
When Murphy announced Fern’s casting over the summer, he revealed he was playing a grownup version of Michael Langdon. And with Britton, McDermott, Farmiga and Lange all set to reprise their “Murder House” roles this season, so we’re really hoping for a hellish family reunion.
“American Horror Story: Apocalypse” airs Wednesday at 10/9c on FX.