‘American Horror Story: Apocalypse’ Season 8 Premiere ‘The End’ Recap

It’s going to be a hell of a season for American Horror Story: Apocalypse. Tonight’s season premiere packs everything you ever wanted from creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk—there’s death, impending doom, and the overbearing sense of hopelessness and bleakness. Aptly titled “The End,” Apocalypse does make everything about the new season even more interesting, seeing how the Murder House and Coven crossover will be this season’s revolving theme.

On this week’s American Horror Story season premiere episode, the apocalypse is more devastating than previously teased. We’ve speculated about the cause of the world’s end (zombies, virus outbreak, military coup, etc.), and it turns out that nuclear warheads were sent out by an unidentified terrorist group to the major cities of the world. As millions were wiped out by the catastrophe, an odd group of survivors tries to rebuild life like it was before albeit sinister ways and evil intentions. There’s not that much to process in “The End,” but it has the marks of another great American Horror Story season ahead.

So, this is how the world ends, huh?

“The End” opens with a harrowing glimpse at the apocalypse. In Los Angeles, Billionaire heiress Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt (Leslie Grossman) gets a professional haircut from Mr. Gallant (Evan Peters). In a typical Paris Hilton-esque fashion, Coco shares her plans of becoming an Instagram Influencer. Coco’s assistant, Mallory (Billie Lourd), is also present, offering the best Personal Assistant service she could render. Suddenly, chaos erupts outside. Everyone in the salon gets an emergency text warning them of an incoming missile to Los Angeles. At first, Coco has none of it but changes her mind when her father Facetimes her from Hongkong about the incoming attack. He instructs her to go to Santa Monica Airport where a plane will take her to safety. The call gets cut when another missile hits Hongkong. A news broadcast also confirms the incoming missile. In a panic, Coco, Mallory, and Mr. Gallant bolt out of the salon.

Coco calls up her partner, Brock (Billy Eichner), and tells him to go to the airport. Mr. Gallant arrives at his upscale mansion and has his undeterred mother, Evie Gallant (Joan Collins), evacuate with him. Later, Coco and Mallory arrive at the airport, with the private jet waiting for them. Once again, she dials Brock and asks where he is. Stuck in a traffic jam, Brock says it’ll take him a while before he can arrive. Coco’s security urges everyone to board the plane as some of the airport staff make a beeline for them, seeking refuge from the incoming missile. In a half-assed manner, Coco breaks up with Brock so she can save herself. Mr. Gallant and Evie also arrive, and Coco is forced to have them come along. The plane takes off, and everyone in it wonders where they’re going. When Mallory checks up on the pilot, she finds the cockpit abandoned, with the plane operating on autopilot. They all panic, then the missile hits Los Angeles, wrapping the city in warm, orange light.

The Survivors

Minutes before the missile hit, Timothy Campbell (Kyle Allen) nervously checks his email to see if he got into UCLA. When he sees that he did, Timothy celebrates with his mom and brother. Everything is cut off when the emergency alert system sounds off. Timothy’s dad marches in with bags of clothes with him, telling his family to evacuate. But just as they’re about to leave, two agents barge in their house and demands for Timothy to come with them. Apparently, a mysterious group known as “The Cooperative” selected the boy as one of the few “survivors” of the missile attack. Timothy’s genetic makeup makes him a “prime candidate for humanity’s survival.” Despite Timothy’s efforts to at least have his brother come along, the agents only take him.

They bring Timothy to a prison-like chamber where he meets Emily (Ash Santos) another “selected survivor” like him. A few moments later, the missile hits, leaving Timothy and Emily fearing for their lives.

Two weeks later, as Los Angeles is ravaged by radiation, the agents bring Emily and Timothy to a bunker. People dressed in plague doctor-like masks and hazmat suits greet the two teenagers, leading them underground where they are sanitized. On their way down, Timothy and Emily see two teenagers executed outside the bunker. After the sanitation, the door opens to reveal Miss Wilhemina Venable (Sarah Paulson), welcoming them to Outpost Three, the name of the shelter.

Miss Venable gives them a tour of the place (considerably old-fashioned), which used to be an exclusive boys’ school. She proceeds in laying out the house rules and emphasizes the strict law against illegal sex—lest they end up dead like the pair they saw outside the bunker. They are also not allowed to leave the bunker. Timothy and Emily are branded as one of the “purples,” or the elite few “chosen to survive” by The Cooperative. The greys, on the other hand, are the designated workers. Venable leads them to their suites and instructs them to prepare for dinner.

As Timothy finished his shower, the numbers “666” appear on the fogged-up mirror.

The two finish preparing and are dressed up in old-timey purple clothes. They proceed to the rec area, where they meet Mr. Gallant, Coco, Mallory (now a grey), Dinah Stevens (Adina Porter), and a gay couple. As Mr. Gallant grumbles about their old-school and unfavorable living conditions (significantly far from their wealthy lifestyle), and the overplayed Carpenters song in the background. Venable calls them for dinner.

At the table, a cube that contains all the vitamins they need is served as their food. Coco, being the diva that she is, complains that she is tired of how they’re living. Venable arrives to slap and calm Coco down. Venable then announces that they had a perimeter breach. Miss Miriam Mead (Kathy Bates) explains how a contaminated pigeon came flying in with a message from The Cooperative. “There are no more governments, only rotting mounds of corpses to many to bury. Starving people kill for a piece of bread. Three outposts have been overrun. We are the last vestiges of civilized life on the planet. Be vigilant,” reads the message.

Venable and Miriam’s cohorts then inform them that some of the elite are contaminated with radiation. Miriam checks each of them with a radiation detector, exposing Mr. Gallant and Stu (one of the gay couple). The two are then brought to the cleansing chamber, stripped naked, and hosed down. When Miriam checks them for the last time, Stu’s readings go off, leading her to shoot him in the head.

A sinister power

Later that night, Miriam visits Venable’s suite and shows off her new dress. It’s then revealed that Miriam and Venable are the only ones making up the rules, without The Cooperative’s knowledge. Stu and Mr. Gallant weren’t also contaminated, but Miriam had to fake it so they can have one less mouth to feed.

Back at the dinner table, the group bickers about Stu’s loss. And since everyone is a bit rattled by the ordeal, Venable gives them a treat—stew for dinner. But as they eat, they notice that the bones in the meat appear to be human hands, leading everyone to suspect that it’s Stu that they are eating. Everyone freaks out, except Evie, who’s savoring the meal entirely.

In the rec room, the guests lament their hopeless situation. Stu’s boyfriend blames them all for his death and calls them monsters for eating him. As they break out in argument, Mr. Gallant notices that the background song changed. He analyzes the lyrics and deduces that it’s a message from The Cooperative; that they will be coming to save them—or so he thought.

Eighteen months pass, and it’s still the same song that’s playing. There’s no hope, after all. That’s when things begin to go south. Emily and Timothy engage romantically, while the others brood over their hopeless situation. To make matters worse, Venable also announces that they’re cutting back to one meal a day. This ticks Mr. Gallant off, encouraging the other guests to rise with him against Venable. But his shouts are cut short when a visitor arrives via carriage.

It’s Michael Langdon (Cody Fern)—the Antichrist child of Tate Langdon and Vivien Harmon. He comes bearing good news (at least, for the guests) that there is another outpost. However, he was sent by The Cooperative to evaluate each of the guests (including Venable and Miriam), if they are worthy of transferring to the other outpost. If not, they will be killed. We also see Michael’s horses gunned down and an unseen force from the woods grabs the dead horses.

‘American Horror Story: The End’ Overall Verdict

Call me a sucker for post-apocalyptic shit, but I can already see American Horror Story: Apocalypse as one of the horror anthology’s best season yet. “The End’s” premise is gripping, all the more made tasteful by the foreboding sense of danger and possible creatures lurking in the radiation-infested corners of Los Angeles (zombies?). The flow of the story also builds up the anticipation for the next episode well, and I can’t wait to see more of the Murder House and Coven crossover. For now, let’s get ready to freak ourselves out from here on.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse continues next Wendesday, September 19th, with “The Morning After” at 10/9c on FX.