'American Horror Story' Finale: The Murder House Leaves Us With More Questions Than Answers

Well, that was some end to the first season of "American Horror Story." If I didn't know better, I would have thought it was a series finale.

Luckily, the Ryan Murphy series was picked up for a second season in October. But I'm afraid that "American Horror Story" fans will have to wait a while for some of the most pressing questions to be answered... like how does the Murder House have all of this power?

[Note: If you did not see "American Horror Story's" first season finale on FX on Wed., Dec. 21, there are spoilers ahead.]

After a season full of shocking deaths and gruesome surprises, here's what we did learn in the Harmons' final hour:

Ben did die, and the Harmons definitely got their macabre happy ending.
Tim Burton couldn't have written a more beautifully morbid Season 1 ending for the Harmon family. Sure, Hayden (Kate Mara) did manage to hang Ben (Dylan McDermott) from a chandelier and kill him, but in the end, he was reunited with his wife Vivien (Connie Britton), teenage daughter Violet (Taissa Farmiga) and a permanent ghost baby. Remember that stillborn Vivien delivered? Yeah, it's a ghost baby. It was touching to see mother and baby reunited in the afterlife. Plus, with the help of ghostly housemaid Moira (Frances Conroy), the finally peaceful, happy-looking Harmons were able to celebrate Christmas together. And that's the last image we have of them.

Of course, that's not to say that they won't be back for Season 2. After all, the Murder House is still there, and some unknowing family will have to move in ... right? Or has Ryan Murphy closed the book on the Harmons?

The Murder House is a total ghost world.
We already knew that the mysterious Murder House trapped spirits, but I have to admit, at some point, seeing all of the ghastly spirits pop out of nowhere was a bit comical. After Hayden killed Ben, a new family moved into the Murder House. Vivien, Ben and Violet knew what they had to do: save this family from their own fate. So the Harmons decided to scare off the new family. It was pretty apparent that Vivien and Ben took a few notes from "Beetlejuice" because they had a little too much fun killing each other off in front of the terrified new owners.

The Harmons successfully chased away the new mortal Murder House inhabitants, and then they realized that's essentially their new job for all eternity. As long as Ben, Vivien and Violet are all on the same page, they should be able to keep the not-so-nice ghosts from killing off any new home owners.

Violet said goodbye to Tate... but for how long?
To prove his love to Violet, Tate (Evan Peters) tried to kill the new teenage boy that moved into the Murder House. Luckily, Violet talked him out of his sociopathic spell, and the two shared a simple, yet heart-breaking goodbye kiss. But it wasn't goodbye for long. We later saw him outside the house with Hayden, watching the Harmons decorate their Christmas tree. He said he'd wait forever for Violet, and judging by his expression, he meant it. While the possibility of Tate and Violet is still there, it definitely seemed like Tate and Hayden were on the outside looking in for a reason.

Constance (Jessica Lange) is raising the demon baby, and he's a little killer.
Constance ended up rescuing the demon baby from Hayden and telling the cops that Violet stole him and ran away. Then, the show flashed forward three years. Sure enough, the now demon toddler murdered his nanny and viewers discovered that he indeed turned out to be a little sociopathic killer like his father Tate. Like father, like son certainly applied here.

In the very last scene of the finale, Constance asked demon toddler Michael, "Now what am I going to do with you?" Perhaps, that's the most pressing question "American Horror Story" viewers are left with at the end of Season 1. What is Constance going to do with the demon toddler? And why does she call him a child of great importance? Since the Harmons got their happy ending, is Season 2 going to revolve around antichrist Michael?

Constance definitely knows something that we don't, and it looks like we're just going to have to wait for the rest of our questions to be answered until the second season.

Comments

[giagul]

01:50 AM on 12/29/2011

i love the show. but where was vivien and violet when ben was getting killed. ughhh....but love jessica lange. great actress

[the lady mcgiusti]

12:49 PM on 12/27/2011

I am shocked at the amount of posters on HuffPo are complaining that the show is too gorey, and "isn't there enough horror in the world already...blah blah blah. The show is not about horror or ghosts, but about the CHOICE OF REDEMPTION...i.e. Tate...even the worst of us have a bit of good, and you can either chose to nurture that good or not. I personally became obsessed with this show. The ghosts in the murder house have more soul than any living character on tv these days.

I really cannot believe the decline in quality readers and posters on HuffPo since AOL bought it.

[fifiwereking]

03:39 PM on 12/23/2011

It took american horror story for me to suddenly realize i don't like dylan mcdermott... sure, maybe it's just the characters he plays, but there's something arrogant and cold going on... once i realized that - and that the audience would continue to see mcdermott get seduced by creepy old conroy, i just couldn't take any more...

(although i ALMOST, almost considered watching just for jessica lange's bravura performance - she is just wonderful....)

if she returns with new characters, i may give it another chance...

[Yonomeaburro]

08:42 AM on 12/23/2011

Mi crítica: http://yonomeaburro.blogspot.com/2011/12/american-horror-story-1x12-finale.html

Dónde está el cuarto hijo de Constance que falta?

Es el nieto de Constance el hijo de Dexter? :)

[julesmu84]

10:43 PM on 12/22/2011

I think the author is on to something regarding next season. I have been hoping that the creators would take on different variations of the horror genre, and the "evil kid" scenario definitely fits the bill. Loved this show, glad to know there will be a second season!

[eliteandproud]

12:04 PM on 12/23/2011

Right - the kid was so very "Bad Seed". It will be fun seeing the trouble he gets into.

[charpist5]

05:21 PM on 12/22/2011

Here's my question. Did anyone actually watch this series? Isn't there enough real life horror in America already?

[hottt]

02:29 PM on 12/22/2011

It's Tate, Not Nate

[Dina Sagredo]

02:22 PM on 12/22/2011

Huff post...please please spell check. The "comment posters" can be forgiven but not a professional...articles are hard to read if I have to correct it! Question: Violet cant leave the house? But Tate can and has,,,,he had coffee early on in the season with Ben somewhere AND took Violet to the beach...I love Tate and Hayden. They should join forces. And why IS Moira aged? Believe me I watched every episode...

[Lindsay Heffernan]

02:53 PM on 12/22/2011

That was on Halloween. They can leave on Halloween.

[madcityy]

01:49 PM on 12/22/2011

ANOTHERRRRRRRR CRAP SHOWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW

[shiredogbriar]

01:48 PM on 12/22/2011

I loved the whole show, but of course, I take it with a grain of salt. If they're ghosts, how can they decorate a Christmas tree? Is it a ghost Christmas tree? Jessica Lange is great, but she always is. I agree with what was said in the article... Why didn't Violet and Vivien stop Hayden and the other guy from killing Mr. Harmon? Did they want him to die? I guess if you die and you can still do as much living as the ghosts in this house, and you don't have to work, it's probably a pretty good deal.

[kestboy]

09:07 PM on 12/22/2011

• Christmas tree does not exist in normal time. Symbol of normalcy and family in their new reality, their family in this reality is at peace.
• B. Harmon character always farted to be with family alive or dead. The season's finale required this, dysfunctional family now is functional in death.

[saysaycollins]

01:47 PM on 12/22/2011

I think they will focus on Constance's story line more......I think she'll want to get back into that house. Her character is sooo freaky. She sums alls this pain up to prepping her to be the mother of the anti-christ?! eeak!

Its going to interesting how they do season two. It can't be a repeat of the Harmons scaring people off because that will be terrible. Perhaps just plain interaction between the ghosts could create a storyline I suppose. I dunno, I'm definitely interested to see how they pull it off. I'm taking the bait.

[digitalpug]

01:27 PM on 12/22/2011

I like the ideas in the show but the editing is horrible! There is no time for reaction shots that last more than a second, scenes are clipped to start at the VERY last second necessary and then clipped to end at the very last second necessary. By necessary, I mean the producers' idea of necessary. They know the story. The fast, jerky, choppy editing is head pounding, confusing and gives us little time to think. Perhaps that is the reason they did this terrible chop-job, they don't want us to consider the plot holes and silliness of some of the story.
Jessica Lange deserves better. She got a good script, did a great job but the crappy editing nearly ruined her performance and maybe her chance at any awards.

[jbshu]

12:29 PM on 12/22/2011

With some effort, I managed to make it all the way through every episode of Season 1. And near the end, believe me, I took an effort not to hit the delete key. Started out with so much promise...tis a shame it fizzled.

So that's enuf. No way I'll start Season 2 and let myself get drawn in again. just don't like where it went, nor where it seems headed.. The house needs to let the series die now too.

[kestboy]

09:17 PM on 12/22/2011

...see ya next season! "Your fooling yourself if you don't beleive it"! (lyrics borrowed from Styx, "Fooling Yoursrlf"

[coleagent007]

12:28 PM on 12/22/2011

The actor that plays Tate ( excellent ), Jessica Lange ( phenomenal ), McDermot and Britton ( okay ). Overall one of the better network series on today.

[kestboy]

09:25 PM on 12/22/2011

Agree except for Britton, her lead up
to and including of her break down was exceptional acting.

D. McDermot's Ben had his moments, but was underwhelming. overall.

[NAOMA]

12:04 PM on 12/22/2011

QUESTIONS ARISE!!!! I taped this last episode of the season on two machines in my home. One on a recorder and one via on-line. Was this episode longer than one hour? One ran overtime and had more information on the ending -- the scene in the beauty salon -- then it cut off. The other vcr ended in the house. WHAT HAPPENED????? Can someone post the answer to this question, please???????

[justandra]

12:11 PM on 12/22/2011

The show fast forwarded 3 years later and Constance returns from the hair dresser to find the babysitters throat slashed and the 3 year old sitting in a rocker covered in blood giggling and without missing a beat Constance smiles and says what am i going to do with you and the show ends.

[NAOMA]

05:55 PM on 12/22/2011

Thank you very much. I had no idea that either of my tapings never really concluded the episode.