Just before the premiere of American Horror Story: Apocalypse [1], FX has blessed us with a collection of portraits [2] introducing this season's cast of menacing new characters. Everyone is dressed to the nines as they settle into Outpost Three, which we first heard about in the trailer for the season [3]. There's Ms. Wilhemina Venable, the latest manifestation of Sarah Paulson's genius, and Ms. Miriam Mead, a very welcome return for Kathy Bates, who missed out on Cult. But there's one character who unlocked a very specific memory for me, and I wouldn't be surprised if there was more to her than meets the eye. And that's Emily.
Yes, this is Emily. Just Emily. We haven't heard much about this character. In fact, as someone who is pretty passionate about consuming AHS news ahead of a season premiere, I don't remember ever hearing about her at all. The first time I was aware of her was when she popped up in the trailer for the season. I found it strange that Emily was one of just two characters not to have a last name listed. And Billy Lourd, who plays the similarly surnameless Mallory, has made a sort of gag out of the fact that her character is "just Mallory."
So, then, what's going on with Emily? Her perceived love interest gets a full name! (It's Timothy Campbell.) That's when I was struck by a very specific AHS memory. One that's tied into season six: Roanoke. Do you remember the story about Emily that was included?
The whole thing goes down in "Chapter 3." We're still in the portion of the season in which it's just the show within the show called My Roanoke Nightmare. The producers talk to Lee about Emily [5], her daughter who went missing years and years ago. Lee is shaken, and seems eager to figure out how they knew about Emily in the first place.
After some coaxing, Lee tells the story: "I was young, 17 when I had Emily. She had just turned 4. It was around the Fourth of July. I was running errands, and I just had to run to the grocery stop and grab some sauce real fast. Five minutes. I don't know why I didn't take her in with me. When I came back to the car, she was gone. I never saw her again."
And that's it. Way back when, we presumed it might be a hint about the rest of the season. Then, we figured it could be a clue about season seven. It never panned out, though.
Listen, I know it's a stretch. Emily is a pretty common name. Plus, the character doesn't look at ton like Lee or her other daughter, Flora. But hey, there's a lot of evidence that could support this theory.
Lee said she had Emily when she was 17. We know the real-life events Roanoke take place in 2014. And though Lee never said her age, you could guess she's in her mid-to-late 30s. If she had Emily in the mid-to-late '90s, Emily would theoretically be in her early 20s by the time Apocalypse starts in 2019. And judging by the portrait, it kind of matches up. And, I mean, if Lee had her at 17, we're assuming Emily has a different father, which might explain the discrepancies in resemblance to Flora and even Lee.
All I'm saying is, we never got any sort of closure on that story, and it definitely stuck out as something important when Roanoke aired. And it is strange that there's still some mystery surrounding Apocalypse's Emily. Is it a reach? Completely. But stranger things [6] have happened on American Horror Story [7].
As for what kind of significance this connection to Roanoke might have? That remains to be seen. You have to admit, though: it would be another cool addition to the tangled web of connections [8] woven by the show so far.