Female characters in American Horror Story — Part 1
With FEUD: Bette and Joan, Ryan Murphy proved for once that he is one of the best writers and directors for female parts — and especially for veteran actresses. His first anthology series — a series in which every season has a new theme and storyline — was the now widely popular American Horror Story. In this series he presented veteran actress, two time Oscar winner Jessica Lange to newer audiences, and created strong, challenging and complex roles specifically for her. He also started working with several female directors, until he made the recent promise of having women directing 50% of all his series.
With this analysis we rank the female characters in American Horror Story per season. We don’t want to put characters against each other or compare considering beauty and sex appeal. We want to see the evolution of female representation in the series, and if it was caused by the presence of female directors and screenwriters. It’s a long, ambitious work, so let’s start:
OBVIOUSLY, THIS POST HAS SPOILERS
Season 1 — Murder House
Episodes directed by women: zero
Episodes written by women: 4
Female characters, from most to least complex:
1- Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange): Constance is, at first, the helpful new neighbor for the Harmons. With time, we find out she is much more — and not all her ‘roles’ are sympathetic. She is a severe, yet loving, mother to her daughter with Down’s syndrome. She is a grieving mother and wife. She has been cheated on, has killed more than one person. And, oh, she has second intentions with Vivien. Constance is a brilliant character — no wonder that Jessica Lange won an Emmy for playing the part with her usual talent.
2- Moira O’Hara (Frances Conroy / Alexandra Breckenridge): the whole concept of Moira is fascinating. She is seen as a hot, provocative young woman by men — who see what they want to see — and as an old woman with a glass eye by women — who see who she really is in her soul. Besides that, Moira is usually an enigma: whose side is she at? And this is what makes her amazing.
3- Nora Montgomery (Lily Rabe): Nora is a ghost — but this is not the reason why she is interesting. Nora lived in the 1920s, and was engulfed by what it was expected from a woman back then. She could only be a mother, even if she didn’t have the instinct. Her son was kidnapped and killed, and then her husband went full Dr Victor Frankenstein with the child’s remains. Wouldn’t you be traumatized if you were in her place?
4- Violet Harmon (Taissa Farmiga): she is rebellious and harms herself. Violet is a sad, suicidal teenager who feels abandoned and out of place. She only finds happiness in Tate’s (Evan Peters) arms. Her doomed first love may be the main arc for the character — and the subject of a weird internet shipping — but she is also a clever girl and worried daughter, although she is reluctant to show how much she cares for her father and, in special, her mother.
5- Addie Langdon (Jamie Brewer): if you cried during season one of AHS, it was probably because of Addie. Constance’s daughter may seem creepy at times, but she idolizes Violet and ONLY WANTS TO BE A PRETTY GIRL. Although Addie doesn’t appear in many episodes, she leaves her mark and crushes the public’s heart.
6- Vivien Harmon (Connie Britton): in many horror movies there is one female character whose only reason for existing is suffering, screaming and crying. Vivien is this kind of woman in AHS: Murder House. Although everything is connected through her — we wouldn’t have this season without her — poor Vivien is the victim of gaslighting, rape, cheating. And her shit husband doesn’t believe what she says.
7- Hayden McClaine (Kate Mara): Hayden is Ben’s obsessive lover — and that’s all. Her whole existence revolves around Ben. After the Harmons move to a new neighborhood, she goes there to claim ‘her man’. She has no backstory and no reason to exist besides pursuing Ben — and this is very upsetting.
Season 2 — Asylum
Episodes directed by women: zero
Episodes written by women: 4
Female characters, from most to least complex:
1- Lana Winters (Sarah Paulson): Lana ‘Banana’ Winters went through so much — and although in distress, she never was a helpless damsel. As the investigative reporter sent to the asylum for being a lesbian — and she goes through a horrible but unfortunately too real aversion/conversion therapy (see below)–, Sarah Paulson shows all her potential. Lana suffers a lot, goes through horrible experiences, and we root for her more as the episodes pass. Lana is, probably, the best female character in AHS so far.
2- Sister Jude (Jessica Lange): Contrary to Sister Mary Eunice (see below), sister Jude has a past that makes her character more interesting and believable. We come from hating her to being sorry for her to liking her. She is at first the severe nun who runs the asylum, but she has vices and traumas and is hiding from her past. And then she has her redemption. Sister Jude rules.
3- Grace Bertrand (Lizzie Brocheré): Grace started as an enigma, and with time we found out that solving this enigma was incredibly rewarding. With a rich, yet blood-covered, back story, Grace grows on us, becomes one of the best characters and has an awe-inducing development arc. In three words: she is abducted!
4- Shelley (Chloe Sevigny): She was a young woman sent to the asylum to be cured from her sex addiction. Shelley’s demise was too soon, but she didn’t leave before saying some truths to Doctor Arden:
5- Sister Mary Eunice (Lily Rabe): Sister Mary Eunice is the most uninteresting nun of all time. She only becomes interesting when the devil possesses her body. In a quick flashback, we see her as a young woman, deceived by false friends and becoming the clown of a pool party, but nothing else is shown — the past could have given more depth to the character of the young nun.
