American Horror Story: Apocalypse: The 5 Biggest Questions We Have After “The Morning After” (Season 8 Episode 2)

We’re only two episodes into the new season, and it’s already clear that Apocalypse is going to be a wild ride.

American Horror Story: Apocalypse Season 8 Episode 2, “The Morning After,” picks up shortly after where the season premiere left off: with the arrival of the mysterious (and kinda creepy-sexy) Michael Langdon at Outpost 3. Things very quickly get bizarre, and the central plot of the season has still yet to come into view.

For now, it seems like the writers are more interested in building atmosphere, introducing character dynamics, and ramping up tension — all the while leaving us with about a million questions each week. Here are five of the most pressing ones we have after watching “The Morning After.”

1. What’s up with Venable’s back?

In a moment that seems to be equal parts power play and seduction, Langdon convinces a reluctant Venable to allow him to look at her back. He peels away her dress to reveal some kind of scarring.

What the heck is it? Did something happen to her? Was it an accident? Is it something she was born with?

Whatever the case may be, this scene is significant for a few reasons.

For one, it’s the first time we see the normally chilly Venable looking truly shaken and thrown off her guard. For another, it proves that Langdon’s got some kind of weird mind reading thing going on — he calls her out on the scarring being her biggest shame and greatest pain.

And did I mention, it’s also kinda sexy? In a sick way. Which basically describes all of this show. (But seriously, Cody Fern has sizzling chemistry with just about every cast member he shares a scene with!)

2. How does Langdon have a working laptop with an internet connection?

Timothy and Emily sneak into Langdon’s room in the hopes of finding some clue about the Sanctuary that’ll allow them to get there themselves. What they find instead is Langdon’s open laptop, revealing that Venable is going against the Cooperative’s orders and making up her own rules.

The fact that there’s a working Macbook begs the question: How? How is there internet, allowing Langdon to send and receive emails? Does the mysterious Cooperative just have some kind of dedicated server, or does this maybe indicate that the entire world outside the doors of the Outpost didn’t actually end? Maybe it’s all a big lie — or at least an exaggeration.

3. Who (or what) is under that Rubber Man suit?

Well, Michael Langdon doesn’t pull any punches when he cruelly informs Gallant that it wasn’t him, and never would be. So who was that, sexin’ up the hairdresser?

Is it Tate Langdon, from Season 1’s “Murder House”? It probably is, in which case, Evan Peters had sex with himself. Basically. And if it is Tate, that begs the further question: Why? Is he in cahoots with his Antichrist son, helping Langdon screw with the Outpost survivors’ minds?

Given how Gallant is mind-tricked into killing his grandma, Evie, when he thinks it’s the Rubber Man, I think it’s safe to assume that this is somehow Michael’s doing.

4. What the heck even is Miriam Mead?

Timothy manages to grab a gun and shoot Mead before he and Emily are about to be executed for having sex. In the closing moments, we see her gushing some sort of weird, goopy white substance instead of blood. Wires also seem to be going haywire inside her body.

So she’s definitely a robot, right? There doesn’t seem to be any other logical explanation for that brief flash of what we see.

What’s more interesting is Mead’s reaction. Is it just me, or does the look on her face read shock — as if she herself had no idea she wasn’t human? Hm…

5. Does the Cooperative actually exist?

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and suggest that, at the very least, the Cooperative is not what it seems.

I’ll be shocked if it ends up existing at all. More than likely, it’s part of Langdon’s Antichrist trickery. My current theory is that all of these people are actually dead and Langdon is simply screwing with them for… I don’t know, Devil reasons?

Stray Thoughts and Observations:

• I get that Timothy and Emily have sex on principle once they figure out the no-sex rule is garbage. But c’mon — was it really worth the trouble? They should’ve just kept it in their pants! (If it’s not clear, I don’t care much about these two teens. At least not yet.)
• It’s a little silly that there’s a gun within arm’s reach of Timothy while they’re about to be executed. Too convenient.
• RIP, Evie! If that was truly the last we’ll see of Joan Collins on this show, I’m a little sad about it. But also, Evie was kind of the worst, so I’m not too sad.
• Where are the damn witches?! We’re getting soup snake resurrections and Rubber Man visions, so things are swiftly becoming supernatural. But I’m getting a little antsy to see the Coven ladies make their long-awaited returns.
• Is Jeffrey Bowyer-Chapman going to eventually do something besides complain about how they maybe ate his boyfriend?

What did you think of this episode of American Horror Story: Apocalypse? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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American Horror Story: Apocalypse airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on FX.

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