Forget everything you thought you ever knew about American Horror Story because I'm about to throw a crazy AHS theory your way. What if AHS: Asylum was all a fantasy in Pepper's head? You're totally freaking out right now, aren't you? Maybe even starting to question my sanity? (Get in line, my friend.) But please let me assure you that I did not come to this stance lightly. In fact, I thought long and hard on the matter. But honestly, the more I think about it, the more I believe this idea could potentially hold some serious weight.
Granted, there have been a ton of crazy theories flying around out there ever since Ryan Murphy revealed that all seasons of AHS are connected in one way or another. And while some of them have been proven wrong — like the possibility that Elsa Mars and Sister Jude are actually twins — there are still some out there that could very well be true. And I happen to think that this is one of them. Because if you think about it, it actually makes perfect sense.
Though the details of how Pepper eventually goes from Elsa's sideshow to Briarcliff Manor remain a little fuzzy, we've seen firsthand how this particular institution likes to heavily medicate their patients. What if these pills result in the side effect of Pepper either dreaming or imaging the entire Asylum storyline? It would certainly help to explain why most of the characters at Briarcliff look exactly like her friends from Freak Show.
We know for a fact that Asylum and Freak Show are connected through Pepper. Murphy has confirmed as much. So why wouldn't Pepper ever make reference to the fact that her inmates looked an awful lot like her performer buddies back in Jupiter? At the very least she should've looked extremely confused every time they were around her. Even when the aliens came and altered Pepper's mind, thus allowing her to communicate better, she still didn't acknowledge the similarities. Though she did call back to her life prior to Briarcliff, which sounded oddly familiar…
But let's go back to that whole alien arc for a minute. Remember how that part of the season made pretty much no sense whatsoever? In fact, it never really even developed into an actual organized thought. That could be due to the fact that this was all in Pepper's mind. And, as we all know, the mind doesn't always make sense. Just think of the all dreams you've had that seem to make complete sense while your unconscious, but the moment you wake up, clarity strikes and you wonder what made you think such crazy things in the first place. The aliens could've been Pepper's WTF moment, so the speak. Well, truthfully the entire season could fall under that category, but you know what I mean.
There are also certain pieces of Asylum's plot that feel eerily connected to that of Freak Show's. Almost as if someone's subconscious was weaving in bits of reality amid a fantasy scenario. Like how Shelley lost her legs. Who else do we know that shared a similar fate?
Oh yeah. Elsa.
Is it starting to sink in yet? No? How about the fact that the main villain in Asylum wore a mask and had major mommy issues? I can think of one Freak Show character who fits such a description…
Helloooo, Dandy.
Then there's Sister Mary Eunice to consider, who eventually becomes possessed by the devil. Could this be because that is how Pepper views her in her mind? After all, given that Lily Rabe is set to appear on AHS: Freak Show , it seems safe to assume that her character will be the one who brings Pepper to Briarcliff later on. Such an act could easily make her the villain in Pepper's eyes. The big bad devil lady who came to take her away from everything she knew and loved.
Face it, folks — Season 2 could be a complete and total fake-out. Murphy has proven multiple times this season how fond he is of fantasy dream sequences on AHS . Maybe he's been using them on us for a lot longer than we ever thought.
Images: Michele K. Short/FX; sr-mary-eunice-mckee/Tumblr; harmless-pepper/Tumblr; ithinkmurderersaresexy/Tumblr; a-h-s-freak-show/Tumblr; Giphy
