‘American Horror Story: Apocalypse’ Season 8, Episode 5 ‘Boy Wonder’ Recap: The War Begins

American Horror Story: Apocalypse keeps on feeding the embers for the fire. This week’s powerful episode, titled “Boy Wonder,” makes for a great introduction to the Murder House and Coven crossover. Five episodes in, and we’re finally beginning to understand the overall narrative of this season of AHS. After last week’s revealing chapter, tonight’s episode picks up right after Cordelia Goode (Sarah Paulson) passed out when Michael (Cody Fern) arrived with Queenie (Gabourey Sibide) and Madison (Emma Roberts). It’s also a harrowing glimpse into the future, as the Coven and some of the warlocks realize the immense evil that Michael possesses.

The Threat

“Boy Wonder” opens with Cordelia walking in a vast wasteland. It’s the apocalypse, and no one’s around. She screams out her witches’ names, but it’s not until a horde of zombies (are they?) rip her apart. A man looks on, laughing at the ordeal. Finally, Cordelia is woken up by Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) and Zoe Benson (Taissa Farmiga). She tells them about her vision just as Queenie and Madison greet her.

The warlocks, headed by Ariel Augustus (Jon Jon Briones), Behold Chablis (Bily Porter), Baldwin Pennypacker (BD Wong), and John Henry Moore (Cheyenne Jackson) then bring Michael into the room. Cordelia thanks him for bringing Queenie and Madison back. And because of the scope of Michael’s power, Cordelia finally agrees to administer the seven wonders test—much to Myrtle’s dismay.

Back at Miss Robichaux Academy, Myrtle tries to de-convince Cordelia from having Michael undergo the test. No man has ever been made the Supreme, and Myrtle wants it to stay that way. She even suggests Mallory, who demonstrates exceptional power. But Cordelia then reveals that she’s fading and dying, that’s why the search for a new Supreme has to be done in haste. As if on cue, Mallory knocks to inform them that Cordelia’s next appointment has arrived—the St. Pierre Vanderbilts.

It’s then revealed that Coco St. Pierre Vanderbilt (Leslie Grossman) was enrolled by her father because of her ability to detect gluten. Coco thinks it’s a mediocre power, but Cordelia tells her that it can be shaped to have something of greater value. Mallory then escorts Coco around the academy.

Back at the warlock academy, the four headmasters perform a ritual to bless and protect Michael. As the ritual finishes, Michael shows his true form to John Henry, fuelling his fear that Michael isn’t just a warlock—he’s something more sinister. John Henry packs up to inform the Coven as Behold tries to stop him. Despite his tries, though, John Henry is determined to let the Coven know about the evil that is in Michael.

That night, as John Henry gases up, a car pulls over next to him. Michael’s devil worshipper foster mom, Ms. Miriam Mead (Kathy Bates)—in her true non-robot form—gets out of the car and tries to refuel. John Henry helps her with it, but she slashes his throat, pours gasoline all over him and drives to the warlock academy. Michael meets her when she arrives, and she also reveals that Ariel knows about it too. But Ariel is only in it because he badly wants a warlock to become the Supreme.

The Test

Cordelia and the rest of the Coven return to the warlock academy to perform the seven wonders test with Michael. And so he begins each test—Telekinesis, Concilium, Transmutation, Divination, Pyrokinesis, and Vitalum Vitalis. Michael passes each of them, shocking the Coven and delighting the warlocks.

Cordelia then brings him to the final test, Descensum. It’s also the same test that killed Misty Day (Lily Rabe). However, Cordelia changes the rules—Michael is to retrieve Misty from the underworld. Ariel expresses his outrage at Cordelia’s rash decision and calls her weak and afraid to finally let a man be the Supreme—something that her mother, Jessica Lange’s Fiona, used to believe. Cordelia, on the other hand, just wants to make sure that Michael is the Supreme by stretching the limits of his power. Michael, on the other hand, appears to be more than ready.

Michael then descends into the underworld, where Misty is stuck in an eternal ordeal of having to dissect a live frog in a science class. Every time the professor forces her to kill the frog, she brings it back to life, and the same cycle continues. But it finally breaks when Michael spills the professor’s guts and saves Misty. He wakes up back in the warlock academy, bringing Misty along with him. The Coven has a tearful reunion with her. As they exchange hugs, Misty sees the same evil in Michael that John Henry saw.

That’s when Cordelia bleeds from her nose. When a new Supreme rises, the old one fades away. The warlocks then demand the transfer of responsibility to Michael. Cordelia finally confirms him as the next Supreme and faints right after.

The Plan

Cordelia wakes up to Myrtle and Misty taking care of her. Misty then reveals what she thinks about Michael. He’s not what he seems to be. Back in hell, when Michael saved her, the demon kids around her were chanting something, and Michael was listening intently. “I’m not educated, but I’m no fool,” Misty says. “Evil was speaking to him.”

Seemingly convinced, Cordelia finally says to Myrtle that he will never be the Supreme. She only gave Michael the test so she could know the extent of his powers. With that knowledge and the Coven finally reunited, they can defeat Michael. The apocalypse is coming, and Cordelia also knows that it’s Michael who will be bringing forth the destruction.

Misty also says that she can’t fight anymore. After being stuck in hell for a long time, she doesn’t know who she is anymore. But Cordelia has a fix in mind—bringing in the White Witch, Stevie Nicks. She then performs Fleetwood Mac’s “Gypsy” for Misty to affirm that she will always be a witch.

After Stevie’s number, Cordelia has Madison on a mission to find out everything about Michael. Behold overhears her plan and offers to come, saying that he also senses something evil in Michael. Their destination? The Langdon residence.

‘American Horror Story: Boy Wonder’ Overall Verdict

After the cryptic first three episodes, it’s good to see where American Horror Story: Apocalypse is going. It’s now hard to choose between “Boy Wonder” and “Could It Be… Satan” as the best episodes of the season. Tonight’s episode also showed us a great correlation between the vast universe of the AHS franchise, making it a solid show that anchors itself on each other. It may be an anthology series, but the relationship between each season is evidently executed in “Boy Wonder.” This is arguably American Horror Story’s best yet. Now we’d better prepare for the Murder House next week!

American Horror Story: Apocalypse continues next Wednesday, October 17th, with “Return to Murder House” at 10/9c on FX.