Ryan Murphy Talks 'American Horror Story' Season Finale, Season 3 and Much More

Last night was the finale to season 2 of 'American Horror Story.' Co-creator Ryan Murphy spoke with Collider about the season finale, the alien aspect of the storyline, what we can expect for season 3 and much more.

On the season finale:

"RYAN MURPHY:  I don’t know.  The thing that we were the most interested in this season was the stuff in the last episode, with the documentary series that Lana (Sarah Paulson) made about shutting down Briarcliff.  That’s one of the first things, when I, with the writers, landed on the idea of Asylum, with that period of time and those documentaries that were made.  There was a very famous documentary that Geraldo Rivera made, in that time period, that this is a loose homage of.  If you haven’t seen it, that’s on YouTube and it’s quite fascinating.  That made Geraldo’s career.  Also, there was a brilliant movie that we were very influenced by for the last episode, which is this documentary called Cropsey, that was about the unraveling health care system in our country and how so many people were dumped there and left to rot. 

All those abuses that you see, we studied pictures of and recreated all that stuff.  We did a lot of research.  That was actually our jumping off point, for the whole season.  We knew we were going to have that character go in there, become a prisoner, do her shock corridor tenure, and then go back to tear the joint down.  That was the ending, which we actually had from the very beginning.  I start working with the writers on Season 3 on Monday.  I already know what the season is, so I’ll work the writers and flush it out.  And then, I go and talk to John Landgraf and Dana Walden, and I’ll pitch the whole season.  That’s a really great thing to do.  And then, after we pitch it, we start writing it."

On Lana's Fate:

MURPHY:  "Yeah!  I always knew that she would survive.  I did not know how fantastic her wigs would be.  That was a lot of fun, too.  Sarah Paulson had so many dark days, but she loved it.  She actually was weepy when the show ended because she said, “I’ve never had a character that had a beginning, middle and end, like that.”  But, we took extra care with Sarah, in that last episode, to give her those wigs and the fur and the jewels.  I also like that meditation on fame, which was loosely modeled after all that Capote/In Cold Blood stuff that I have always been obsessed with, from when I was a journalist.  I thought that corruption of fame stuff was really interesting.  I know that a lot of people were furious with Lana for leaving all those people there to rot, but I love that she goes back and I love that she does try, even after everything that Sister Jude (Jessica Lange) had done, to go back to get her.  She does succeed in closing down that place, which I thought was a very heroic ending for her."

On the Alien storyline:

MURPHY: "I thought the alien stuff was interesting.  I always thought it was so metaphoric and take-it-or-leave-it, but it was so polarizing for people.  The thing I thought people would not like was Lily Rabe possessed by Satan, which was by far a great fan favorite this season."

On Season 3:

MURPHY:  "The thing that I really wanted to do next season was something that’s funnier.  I love this season and I think it was successful, but I really miss that Jessica Lange as Constance stuff, and I know she missed it, too.  The only thing I’ll say about [Season 3] is that it’s a mixture of several cities, and it’s really about female power.  I got Jessica to do it because I did everything she asked, which was the location, and I also told her that she would have complete hair and make-up and the best designer gowns, ever.  She said, “Please don’t put me in a wimple again, ever!”  So, she’s going to play a real glamour cat lady, in Season 3.  But, I’m just now meeting with a lot of actors, so I don’t want to say too much.  They’re actors that Jessica wants to work with.  She’s become a non-credited producer on Season 3.  She loves doing this show and she loves the 13 episode nature of this, so she can go do films, theater or whatever.  This was a very hard thing for her.  She’s never played a character like this.  I think she is the most sensual actress around, so to put her in a black thing with no make-up was [difficult].  But, she loved it, by the end of it.  She loved [the finale].  But, you will see a very different [character next time].  It’s a modern-day story, next season, with her.  I’m sorry, I can’t say more."

Read the full interview here