American Horror Story Apocalypse: The five biggest questions we had after episode five

Warning: contains spoilers for episode five of American Horror Story: Apocalypse

Other shows may have their shelves of Emmys, their trophy cabinets of Golden Globes, but only American Horror Story has the ability to keep a member of Fleetwood Mac on speed dial. This week’s episode of Apocalypse saw Stevie Nicks, the White Witch herself, return to perform “Gypsy” to our witches and warlocks. It was another in a long line of creator Ryan Murphy’s enthusiastic concessions to fan service, which are increasingly forming the backbone of this season, but also an emotional coda to another major character return: Misty Day (Lily Rabe).

Misty has always been one of American Horror Story’s more tragic characters, stuck for so many years in a personal hell which forced her to kill, revive, and kill for all eternity, and Apocalypse finally opens up a pathway to a happier resolution for the character. She’s back with Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) and gets to listen to Stevie’s enchanting voice once more – we can only hope now that Apocalypse doesn’t have any nasty tricks up its sleeve for Misty. With episode five’s short but eventful episode continuing Michael Langdon’s ascendancy, here are the five biggest questions we had about where the show will go next.

Who is the next Supreme?

Apocalypse has now set up a great mystery at its centre: is there a next Supreme, and who will that be? There must be some truth to Cordelia’s concerns that her powers are fading, since we saw her examining a gaping wound in the mirror, but there’s some ambiguity surrounding the cause of her decay. It surely can’t be Langdon, despite what everyone thinks, as it’s clear the powers he wields aren’t the same as the warlocks and witches around him, even if it means he’s able to complete the Seven Wonders. It could be that Cordelia’s powers are being affected by her own proximity to such great evil, in the same way she felt weakened in the Hotel Cortez.

Another option is that the next Supreme is, in fact, Mallory (Billie Lourd). When she not only revived the deer, but turned into a fawn, Myrtle (Frances Conroy) noted that she “undid” its wounds. This would suggest Mallory has some kind of time-reversing powers, which would not only be incredibly useful in destroying Langdon and undoing the Apocalypse, but could be a first for witchkind – Myrtle tells Cordelia that she’s never seen this kind of magic before. And, if she’s truly this powerful, how could she not be the Supreme? Why was Langdon so afraid of her back in episode 3, during the meeting in the Outpost?

One issue that needs explaining, however, is how Cordelia appears to be back to her full powers in the post-apocalypse period and is able to revive three witches at the same time. Perhaps the identity spell she put on Mallory was able to slow the development of her powers and allow Cordelia to flourish once more? The stronger the new Supreme grows, the weaker the current Supreme becomes so perhaps the reverse can be true.

Is Coco really just a gluten detector?

We do know that powers in the American Horror Story universe exist on a sliding scale, making it entirely plausible that Coco (Leslie Grossman)’s only gift is the ability to tell rich women when their upmarket grocery store has been lying to them. Furthermore, it could be that Cordelia’s only interest in her was her father’s money and the knowledge Coco’s protection would ensure Mallory landed a place in Outpost 3. Then again, if she really was that useless, why would Cordelia have wasted the energy in reviving her? The Supreme did believe Coco could, in more general terms, “sense danger”, so it’s likely this will come in handy later.

Where is Nan?

When Cordelia said that Langdon “brought back all my girls”, there was a little righteous fury among American Horror Story fans. How could she have forgotten Nan (Jamie Brewer)? What a monster! Although Cordelia’s phrasing here could have been a little more mindful, there’s a very good reason Nan could not have been brought back by Langdon – she’s not in hell. And, therefore, she’s outside of Langdon’s own jurisdiction as the spawn of Satan. After she was drowned in the bathtub by Fiona and Marie as a makeshift sacrifice to Papa Legba, during the events of Coven, Nan was led away by the Voodoo spirit to a place he promised will be filled with treats. “Anywhere is better than here,” she said. Clearly, not only is it impossible for Langdon or the witches to bring Nan back, she would be absolutely furious if they did.

Where did Miriam Mead come from?

Mead (Kathy Bates) not only continues to be Langdon’s closest confidante, but we’re slowly discovering how integral she is to Langdon’s master plan; she not only dispatched John Henry Moore (Cheyenne Jackson) before he was able to put a halt to the Seven Wonders, but she seems aware and supportive of Langdon’s apocalyptic end goal. Which sets up an intriguing question: what are her own motivations? If the android Mead’s implanted memories are the same as the real Mead’s memories, how does a Mossad agent suddenly become a reclusive Satanist? Is her support for Langdon sincere? Or could she have been sent by another force with a vested interest in the oncoming of a nuclear winter?

Are we going back to the Murder House?

Cordelia has sent both Madison (Emma Roberts) and Behold (Billy Porter) to the Murder House, “where it all began”, to dig up some dirt on Langdon’s past. Which is about to result in a bumper 55-minute episode, directed by Sarah Paulson, with appearances from Vivien Harmon (Connie Britton), Ben Harmon (Dylan McDermott), Violet Harmon (Taissa Farmiga), Tate Langdon (Evan Peters), and, drumroll, Constance Langdon (Jessica Lange). Madison may even get her own family reunion, since it’s been theorised she’s a distance relation of the house’s original owner, Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross).

American Horror Story: Apocalypse continues in the US on FX at 10/9c, every Wednesday. In the UK, the season continues on Thursdays on FOX at 10pm.