WARNING: This post has "American Horror Story: Hotel" spoilers for days.
After taking a quick turkey break, "American Horror Story" is back with a new episode Wednesday night. It's called "The Ten Commandments Killer," which gives us good reason to suspect we may finally learn who's been killing people in line with the Bible's quick guide to morality.
Many of you likely suspect the killer is Detective John Lowe (Wes Bentley), whose sanity and sobriety have both been drawn into question throughout the season. But we're here to suggest some other, more creative possibilities.
1. The killer is Liz Taylor's son.
A few people on Reddit have pointed to "Room Service," the series' fifth episode, as a clue to the serial killer's real identity. The episode details Liz Taylor's (Denis O'Hare) backstory as a married transgender woman who first came to the Hotel Cortez on a business trip in 1984 and ended up staying for good. We see Liz, then a man named Nick Pryor, cruelly criticize a drawing by a young son at the home Nick shared with his wife and family in Topeka, Kansas. If we fast forward to present day, that son would be close to 40. And if he (or his mother) had turned to extremist religion after Liz left the family, that son might be filled with enough long-simmering rage to turn to carefully orchestrated homicide. Or so the theory goes.
2. The killer is Will Drake.
Will Drake (Cheyenne Jackson) is one of the few main characters whose backstory we don't yet know. Perhaps Drake isn't really interested in the hotel for sartorial inspiration, but because he knows its dark history, as some Redditors have suggested. In the third episode, Drake remarks how the blueprints differ from the building's true layout. But when asked by Tristan (Finn Wittrock) how he knows that, Drake fumbles for a reply. Was it really a casual observation, or does he know about the hotel's secret rooms and passageways?
Another Redditor, AmericanDragStory, pointed out that the murders began around the time Drake showed up in Los Angeles looking to buy the Hotel Cortez. If Drake were the killer, James Patrick March (Evan Peters) might consider him a pupil, explaining why March wants to drive Detective John Lowe insane. Alternatively, March might find a copycat serial killer irritating -- especially if Drake plans to marry March's wife, The Countess -- pitting the two against each other.
3. The killer is Will Drake, who is also Liz Taylor's son.
Let's go one stop further on the theory train! Drake is around the same age in present day as Liz's son. Given that we know very little about his past, it doesn't seem like too much of a stretch that Drake might have come to the hotel with the aim of eventually confronting his father, as Reddit user BoccoCHutternut claims.
4. The killer is a character played by Jessica Lange.
Supposedly, Lange took time off from "Hotel" to do a play in New York, "Long Day's Journey Into Night." That play, however, is not set to debut until March 31, and "AHS" filming is still ongoing. Crews were scheduled to shoot in Los Angeles as recently as last week, which means Lange might have some time to squeeze in a surprise guest appearance between rehearsals. Given series co-creator Ryan Murphy's (and every fan's) adoration of Lange, we wouldn't be that surprised if she appeared in Season 5.
5. The killer is someone else we haven't met.
Remember, "Scream Queens" star Emma Roberts is still slated to make an "AHS" appearance this season, and supposedly "everyone's in for a great shock," the actress told EW. Whatever that means, we'll find out soon enough.
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