WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for American Horror Story season 11, episodes 5 & 6.During a tarot card reading, American Horror Story: NYC features an appearance from a black-clad Angel of Death, which connects back to a memorable figure in AHS: Asylum. While American Horror Story season 11 seemed to be making itself a standalone installment, episodes 5 and 6 have given the NYC storyline several connections to the franchise’s past. The most notable link occurred in American Horror Story: NYC episode 5 when Gino had a tarot card reading from Kathy. His three cards were Judgment, The Devil, and Death, with all three leading to an appearance from the Angel of Death.
In true American Horror Story fashion, Gino seeing the Angel of Death ties NYC to season 2’s AHS: Asylum, where patients at Briarcliff Manor were confronted with Shachath, A.K.A the Angel of Death, if they were dying or wished for death. Just as the entity did in AHS: Asylum, the Angel of Death is dressed in her black mourning garb with feathered wings as she appears with smoke and light, aiding her callers as they receive her kiss of death. While Gino manages to run away and escape Shachath’s guidance to the afterlife, AHS: NYC suggests the Angel of Death will return for several characters.
Who Played The Angel Of Death In AHS: NYC Episode 5
While frequent American Horror Story actress Frances Conroy portrayed the Angel of Death in AHS: Asylum, she didn’t reprise her role in season 11. Rather, Shachath was portrayed in AHS: NYC episode 5 by Hannah Jane McMurray. Although Frances Conroy had a big role in AHS: Red Tide, it doesn’t seem like the actress will make a cameo in NYC considering Ryan Murphy cast the Angel of Death with a new actor. However, AHS: NYC episode 5 kept Shachath’s face hidden during her appearance, which leaves the door open for Conroy to play the dark angel again in American Horror Story’s future.
What Does Shachath's Appearance Mean For AHS: NYC's Gino?
As was typically the case in AHS season 2, Asylum, a visit from the Angel of Death when not purposefully summoned likely means that Gino will die in AHS: NYC. Gino’s tarot cards indicated that both he and Patrick would die in American Horror Story season 11, with the same fates also being predicted for Hannah and Adam. However, American Horror Story: Asylum’s mythology suggests that characters must accept the kiss of death from Shachath in order to die, so Gino may keep the angel at bay until he is finally able to capture AHS: NYC’s Mai Tai killer.
Considering AHS: NYC is hinting that most of the characters are afflicted with HIV/AIDS, it seems Gino is just one of many American Horror Story season 11’s characters who will be visited by Shachath. From those who are being brutally murdered by the Mai Tai Killer to those that are slowly dying from the yet-undiagnosed illness, the tarot cards are foreshadowing plenty of victims for the Angel of Death to guide into the afterlife. Since Gino is the first of AHS season 11's characters to receive a visit from Asylum’s Shachath, it seems his death is inevitable in American Horror Story: NYC.