Season 8 of American Horror Story was the culmination of two of the show's most popular seasons: Murder House (season 1) and Coven (season 3); the crossover season created a major antagonist out of Michael Langdon, only to kill him off in the most anticlimactic way ever.
Ryan Murphy is always something of a wild card when it comes to twists and plots on his shows. Fans of American Horror Story have come to expect the unexpected. However, Murphy made good on his longtime promise to not only bring back Cordelia Goode and the other witches from Coven in a crossover that would answer questions left behind during the finale of Murder House, such as the fate of Tate and Vivien Harmon's evil child. While the beginnings of season 8, Apocalypse, explored a post-apocalyptic world where survivors live in outposts and wear masks outside - a gripping parallel to some of what is being experienced in 2020 with the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, albeit far more dramatic.
As in other seasons, Murphy and his collaborators set up a powerful villain in the grown-up Michael Langdon who, through his magical abilities and the help of the Satanic Church, realized his potential as the Antichrist. This was a perfect vehicle to bring in Cordelia (Sarah Paulson) - the new Supreme - and other witches from Coven, including Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy) and Madison Montgomery (Emma Roberts). However, American Horror Story ended up squandering some of the best facets of the overall plot - including Michael himself.
Ever since he was an unborn child in season 1, Michael Langdon's birth foretold trouble. Not only did Billie Dean - the psychic - say that a child born from a sexual relationship between a ghost and human would result in the Anti-Christ, but there was also an attached prophecy of sorts relating to the End of Days. It makes sense, given Apocalypse's setting that Michael would be the reason behind why the world had gone to such disarray; he had destroyed it. Though he was looked after by his grandmother, Constance (Jessica Lange), who always had a soft spot for her own flesh and blood - even Tate, who was responsible for a massacre at his high school - he became too much for her to handle.
Eventually, Michael fell into the clutches of Satanists, who helped him discover his true potential. Michael possesses charisma, power, and a deadly amount of charm. The witches from Coven were certainly powerful, particularly Cordelia, who took over the mantle of Supreme at the end of season 3, but they were outclassed by Michael. However, Mallory (Lourd) possessed unique powers, including the ability to use Tempus Infinituum to travel back in time before Michael fully realized his powers and embraced being the Antichrist.
The reason why Michael's death was so anti-climatic was because he was great and powerful, had been teased as a villain since season 1, yet was taken out easily by Mallory running him over with her car. In a bittersweet twist, his grandmother left him to die in the street instead of taking him onto Murder House's property line to join the others in the afterlife. While certainly feasible, as this past version of Michael was far more vulnerable, it seemed like a simplistic way to finish off something that originally looked to be building a more spectacular finish. American Horror Story is known for going big, and the more quiet whisper of season 8's finale felt lackluster in comparison.
Given that Apocalypse was meant to be a crossover, it would have been nice to explore more of Murder House's ghosts and utilize them somehow, or even unite the Coven to stand against Michael rather than hand-waving time travel, resulting in changes to the whole series' timeline. Since everything is connected in American Horror Story, it opens up a host of future issues that could maybe play into something bigger, since Ryan Murphy is known for planning far ahead and has said that he intends to bring back Coven's witches for a third time.
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