‘American Horror Story: Double Feature’: ‘Red Tide’s Bloody Ending, Explained

The second American Horror Story: Double Feature introduced a pill that turned untalented wannabes into blood-sucking monsters, we all wanted the same thing: we wanted to see absolute zombie-level chaos. That’s exactly what Red Tide‘s finale delivered in one of the bloodiest endings in AHS history.

If you need a refresher, Red Tide, the first story in this twofer of a season, revolves around a struggling writer who spends his winter in Provincetown. Once Harry (Finn Wittrock) learns that a single pill can make him the best writer possible, he starts drinking the local Kool-Aid. The only problem is the black pill gives the talented an unquenchable need for blood and transforms the untalented into literal monsters. Wondering how American Horror Story: Double Feature‘s first season ended? Unlike every writer in Provincetown, we have your back.

How Does American Horror Story: Red Tide End?

Get ready for bloodshed, because that’s what this finale was all about. It all started with a town hall meeting, of all things. After Chief Burleson’s (Adina Porter) corpse appeared in the bay, her replacement Trooper Jan Remy (Glee‘s Dot-Marie Jones) took charge and demanded answers. Of course the town hall already knew about all those murders. And if they wanted to keep these artists returning winter after winter, they had to stop the police from learning the truth. That’s why Holden Vaughn (Denis O’Hare) issued our favorite karaoke pair an ultimatum: either Austin (Evan Peters) and Belle (Frances Conroy) kill the Hollywood phonies who’ve been getting the attention of the cops or the town hall will make their lives a bureaucratic hell.

Naturally, they took the path that involved murder. But before they enacted their plan, those Hollywood phonies had some drama of their own. Between eating multiple people and gaslighting his wife, Harry (Finn Wittrock) developed a conscience. He told his daughter Alma (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) that they’re were going to give up the black pill once and for all. Alma didn’t love this plan, and neither did Harry’s agent, Ursula (Leslie Grossman). But they were both willing to go along with it.

At least that was the case until Belle and Austin stole Harry’s baby son. Harry and Alma immediately fell for their trap to lure them in, but Ursula made some assurances. She convinced several pale people that they weren’t actually failures but Laurence Fishburnes, great artists that haven’t been given the right opportunity. So when Belle and Austin started to attack Harry and Alma, Ursula was ready with her army of desperate, blood-drinking creatives.

It was a solid plan, but the ever-crafty Alma had another one of her own. After Belle and Austin were murdered, Alma attacked her father, saying, “I’ve got to be the greatest. I can’t let you stop me.” Apparently, this antagonism and rivalry was one of the side effects of the Chemist’s (Angelica Ross) latest batch of pills. It was certainly an alarming side effect, but it didn’t stop Ursula from packing up the whole operation and taking it to Los Angeles.

The rest of the episode saw Ursula, the Chemist, Alma, and her brother form a family of sorts. As Alma practiced the violin and murdered anyone who got in her way, the Chemist used her pills to turn the LAPD against one another. Meanwhile, Ursula gave any aspiring actor, screenwriter, or director one of her special black pills. And since this is LA we’re talking about, that meant a whole lot of people were in danger of being pale people. The final minutes of the episode showed the streets of LA in a full-on apocalyptic rage as these untalented vampire knockoffs feasted while Ursula gave a monologue about finally leveling the playing field. Bottom line? Don’t mess with Ursula.

Who Died?

This mini season has more survivors than you may think. Two episodes ago saw the death of Chief Burleson, and last episode we witnessed Tuberculosis Karen (Sarah Paulson) killing herself and her friend Mickey (Macaulay Culkin) for the greater good. After the finale, you can add Austin Sommers, Belle Noir, and Harry to that body count.

Who Survived?

Poor, poor Doris (Lily Rabe). She may have made it out of this season alive, but since she will forever be trapped as a pale person, what’s the point? Speaking of Provincetown locals, the prim and rule-obsessed Holden Vaughn made it out alive, so we can be certain the town hall will keep turning a blind eye to endless murder. Also, tattoo artist and dentist Lark (Billie Lourd) survived. Though she didn’t get much screen time, Lark was an effortlessly cool blast. Hopefully, we’ll see her again.

As mentioned before, both Ursula and Alma survived the season. But the most interesting survivor has to be the Chemist. Toward the end of the finale, the Chemist comforted Alma’s crying baby brother by promising that she’ll take him away from the blood-soaked streets of LA. Maybe she’d even make them both a drug that will make them immortal. In the world of American Horror Story, that’s as close to a promise as we’re going to get.

New episodes of American Horror Story: Double Feature premiere on FX Wednesdays at 10/9c p.m. Episodes are available on FX on Hulu the following Thursday.

Where to stream American Horror Story: Double Feature