Kim Kardashian Leads a Twisted 'Utopia' in Bloody AHS: Delicate Finale

Just like a demon baby, American Horror Story: Delicate went out kicking and screaming. The gobsmacking finale, which aired on FX Wednesday night, brings another chapter of Ryan Murphy’s twisted anthology series to a close. And what better way to end this season than with a showdown between Emma Roberts and Kim Kardashian?

While the 12th season of American Horror Story has been more funny than scary overall, the finale strikes a satisfying balance between dark humor and horror as Siobhan (Kardashian) and her Satanic cult’s ultimate endgame is revealed at last. 

"The Auteur” sees Anna (Roberts) suffering through an early, bloody labor en route to the hospital immediately after collecting her Oscar. The ambulance ride quickly devolves into a bloody nightmare when the driver, revealed to be Ivy (Cara Delevingne), kills both Dex (Matt Czuchry) and Anna’s bodyguard, Kamal (Maaz Ali), then drives into an ominous underground facility. The vibes are, to put it extremely mildly, not good. 

The episode then makes a quick pit stop in the 1980s, where we see Siohban threaten Anna’s fertility specialist, Dr. Hill (Denis O’Hara), into making a deal with her. “I’m gonna give you the life of your dreams,” she says, digging her horrifyingly long, sharp nail into his neck. “I will send you every high-profile, wealthy patient who will do anything for a baby, spend anything for a baby. And all you have to do is do exactly as I say.” We already knew Siohban was bad news, but this is the first time her role in this whole thing has been spelled out so clearly — she’s not just part of the twisted scheme, she’s the one orchestrating it.

Against all odds, Anna delivers a healthy baby boy at the hands of the cult members. But when she asks to hold the baby, she’s quickly reminded that she already chose something else over motherhood: her Oscar. In “Preech,” Siohban asked her if she wanted the award “even more than a baby,” and she confirmed that she did — no take backsies, Anna! 

Things really go off the rails the next morning, when Anna awakens paralyzed from the waist down and surrounded by Siohban and her cult members, whom she calls the “Delicates.” In a bombshell twist, Siobhan reveals that Dex is (er, was) actually her son, and Anna’s baby was conceived with her egg (yup, they just waded into Game of Thrones incest territory). As if that weren’t deranged enough, she also reveals that she saved Dex’s testicles and plans to keep using Anna as an incubator. 

This is all part of the cult’s profoundly disturbing mission to breed super “creatures,” who will “restore humanity to the greatness intended for it.” In other words: we’re dealing with eugenics here. Siohban’s reason for all this? It’s all about defeating the patriarchy, babe! The Delicates’ ultimate goal is to use these super creatures to create a matriarchal “utopia” where they can finally be free from the confines of toxic masculinity — it’s as if Siohban watched Barbie, but wildly misinterpreted the message. When Anna calls her a monster, she fittingly replies, “Oh no, babe. I’m so much worse.” 

Siohban’s entire mission is supposedly about defeating toxic masculinity, yet she’s punishing Anna for daring to want both motherhood and a career. “You were selfish. Ambitious. Entitled. Conceited. Vain. Exhausting,” the cult members chant when Anna questions what she did to deserve this horrible fate. In other words, she wanted to have it all, and that makes her unforgivably selfish. The Delicates claim to hate the patriarchy, but their entire mission is built on it. 

Anna ultimately decides to abide by Siohban’s terms and join the Delicates and their “mission” if it means she can keep her baby. It’s technically her choice, but it sure doesn’t feel like much of one. As much as the Delicates claim to advocate for women, they can’t stop themselves from being influenced by the deeply ingrained principles of the patriarchy. The timing of this episode also feels chillingly relevant as right-wing extremists in the U.S. continue to wage a battle on reproductive rights, including banning abortion and even IVF. 

Of course, the finale is still AHS at its core: horrifying, but ridiculous enough that it’s also funny. With Kardashian delivering incredible lines like “Don’t gaslight a gaslighter, babe,” and “I am the auteur, b*tch!” it’s hard to take any of it too seriously. Still, this Barbie-like “utopia” is a nightmare we won’t be able to shake off any time soon. In the end, a lifetime under Siobhan’s thumb isn’t any better than being stuck in a crappy marriage with a guy like Dex — and that’s pretty terrifying.

American Horror Story: Delicate is streaming now on Hulu. Join the discussion about the show in our forums.

Kelly Martinez is a TV Reporter based in Los Angeles. Her previous work can be found at BuzzFeed and People Magazine, among other outlets. She enjoys reading, spending time with her cat, and explaining the plot of Riverdale to people.