Spoilers below for American Horror Story S8.04 — Could It Be…Satan?

American Horror Story S8.04

Flashbacks upon flashbacks in the fourth episode of this season of American Horror Story, which almost entirely takes place 3 years before the bomb.

Before we go back in time, we learn that Michael actually was raised by a human in the form of AI Miriam Mead — a devil-worshiping husband killer — and not his grandmother Constance (Jessica Lange) like we all thought. We don’t know where human Miriam came from, but it’s lucky for him she loved the devil, given that he is the Anti-Christ.

After he murders a butcher for making fun of human Miriam, Michael attacks the cop who is beating him in the interrogation room. He catches the eye of the coven of warlocks who live in Outpost 3 before it became Outpost 3. They think that he might be their Alpha, a male warlock who can challenge the power of the Supreme.

Michael feigns naïveté about the strength of his powers and three out of the four warlocks in charge of their coven fall for it. After giving him their tests, they determine he is the Alpha and call Myrtle, Cordelia, and Zoe to their headquarters to ask that they give him the Seven Wonders test.

In New Orleans, Zoe is training a new batch of witches, which includes Mallory, Coco, and Dinah. We don’t know how or when or even why, yet, but we do know that these three were under an identity spell so they didn’t know anything about their past lives when the bomb hit.

After the witches arrive at pre-apocalypse Outpost 3, there is a fairly long conversation in which the men basically cry about how unfair it is that the women are more powerful. Oh boo hoo.

Cordelia admits that despite being the most powerful magical creature, she couldn’t rescue Queenie (Gaborey Sidibe) from the Hotel Cortez, the evil, ghostly setting of Season 5. She is powerless around Satan’s forces. Michael, apparently eavesdropping from his room because why not, finds his way to the hotel and immediately brings her out. To further prove his point, he finds Madison in her own personal hell (she’s working at Walmart, basically, and people don’t really know who she is) and takes her, as well. They stroll up on the witches and Cordelia passes out.

Now that we know that Cordelia’s powers are lessened or even completely drained by being near Satan’s powers, it does not bode well for an altercation between her and Michael. I don’t think she fainted just from the surprise of seeing Queenie back in the world of the living, this was the first time she sees Michael.

Of the four main warlocks, only John Henry Moore (Cheyenne Jackson) believes there is something nefarious within Michael and the other three choose not to see it because they are so excited about finally being stronger than the women. Get OVER it, guys.

I think the main witches will go into hiding in the 3 years ago flashback and they will send the rest of the coven out under identity spells to protect them. Not sure how their powers will work now if they didn’t before, but I’m sure we’ll see soon!