(Spoiler alert: Please do not read on if you haven’t watched Wednesday’s episode of “American Horror Story: Roanoke”)
So, yeah, that happened. All of it. Somehow.
The finale of “American Horror Story: Roanoke” covered a lot of ground, jumping all over the place. First, there was yet another show-within-the-show, a documentary series called “Crack’d” about what happened with Lee (Adina Porter) after she was the lone survivor of the second season of the previous “Roanoke” meta-show. She was tried for all those murders she committed, and acquitted despite testimony from her daughter Flora (remember her?)
Then we got the second show-within-a-show of the evening, with Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson, in her third role this season) from “American Horror Story: Asylum” interviewing Lee live on her TV show. That interview was then interrupted by lone survivor of the redneck family that had tortured Lee — he was trying to kill her, but Lana kept him talking long enough for cops to shoot him.
Then we got show-within-a-show No. 3, a ghost hunters series in which a trio of chasers (including an appearance by Emma Bell) go to the house with the actor who had played Cricket, where they encounter Lee who is looking for her again-disappeared daughter Flora. But it’s the blood moon, and the ghosts kill them within minutes of their introduction — they don’t even make it to the first commercial break after their segment begins.
Then, finally, we get the climax of the season, with Lee trying to talk Flora out of killing herself so she can protect her ghost buddy from the leader of the ghosts. Lee kills herself instead. And the season ended.
The standard reaction to all this on social media was some approximation of “wait, what?” It was a whole lot to take in during a single episode.
Needless to say, Twitter had a lot to say about it.
A show w/in a show, w/in an enigma w/in a reenactment, w/in a reunion show, win a where are they now. #AHSRoanoke you broke my brain
— OSD (@dsweeney247) November 17, 2016
Here’s how a bunch of others reacted to that hour of madness:
The "?6" #AHS hype makes sense now because they didn't even know what it was about #AHSRoanoke
— Parthe Soni (@p_soni11) November 17, 2016
https://twitter.com/lanawintexrs/status/799090162659627009
It went from AHS Ronaoke to AHS My Roanoke Nightmare then Crack'd … Ryan Murphy u can't make up your mind #AHSRoanoke pic.twitter.com/VjF4jXXhJX
— Swaylien SuperstART (@JSwayArt) November 17, 2016
https://twitter.com/katrosenfield/status/799090486191489024
I am so tired of people going back to this godforsaken place during the time of the blood moon #AHS #AHSRoanoke
— сука (@alright_aiden) November 17, 2016
https://twitter.com/letzcommitsinz/status/799095024201990145
https://twitter.com/indie_gogo/status/799095162253275136
Me when i heard Priscilla laugh #AHSRoanoke pic.twitter.com/hXcRnvD8Rm
— Cree (@CookiesandCREE) November 17, 2016
https://twitter.com/lanawintexrs/status/799093760164593664
So the lone survivor…….was FLORA AN UNGRATEFUL CHILD WHOS ONLY FRIEND WAS A DEAD GIRL??? #AHSRoanoke pic.twitter.com/9S4kR3MxKd
— Toothless & Homeless Foundation (@tayausjax) November 17, 2016
girl how are u gonna let your mom kill herself bc u want your ghost friend to be happy like bye sort out your priorities #AHSRoanoke
— hannah-rose (@okhannahh) November 17, 2016
Watching the end of #AHSRoanoke like pic.twitter.com/grSNm3Effy
— Mona Lisa (@ElisaSalierg87) November 17, 2016
Lee literally died for her daughter and is now stuck with a bunch of ghosts forever but my mom won’t even give me $5 #AHSRoanoke
— Neha?? (@ReallyNeha) November 17, 2016
A few weeks back we speculated on who the lone survivor might be — and you can see how close we were in the gallery below.