Warning! This article contains spoilers from American Horror Story: Roanoke, "Chapter 3." Read at your own risk, or bookmark for later!
It's still fresh in the season, but "Chapter 3" of American Horror Story: Roanoke has officially left viewers with that familiar feeling that this series is seriously awesome.
Up until this point, fans have been left wondering what the hell is really going on this season. Three episodes in and we now have surrendered to the fact that it will take time to see how the mysterious colony, the Millers and the killer nurses all connect. Until then, we are just waiting for that big twist in episode six.
We also have been waiting for more Gaga after getting teased a glimpse of her in the woods alongside The Butcher's minions in episode two. And now finally she speaks!
Wednesday night's AHS reminded us how quickly things can start to get good. Showrunners Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk brought back the gore and put some heart into this season - literally.
This is where Lady Gaga's character comes into play.
After Flora goes missing, the Miller clan gets a visit from a psychic by the name of Cricket (Leslie Jordan) who gets contact with The Butcher (Kathy Bates). After Matt (re-enactment played by Cuba Gooding Jr.) kicks him out of the house, Lee (re-enactment played by Angela Bassett) goes to visit him the next day after he whispered something about her other deceased daughter that made her a believer. It is in this conversation that Cricket reveals he was enlightened by the backstory of The Butcher.
The wife of the governor of the Roanoke colony, Tommasin White is left for dead in the forest with an iron maiden on her head and told to repent for not letting the colonists move inland in search of more food.
On the brink of starvation, a wild boar (or shall we say pig to keep with the theme of the season) comes chasing after White and she runs for her life. Falling to her knees to pray for forgiveness, White repents for her sins when suddenly Lady Gaga's mysterious wild character comes to her rescue. Killing the pig, Gaga offers White its heart and frees her from the cage, and in turn White must hand over her soul.
This is when we finally hear Gaga's voice, which sounds monstrous and demonic.
"Eat. Surrender your soul to me," she whispers.
White takes a big bite, sealing her fate to then become The Butcher.
While graphic, this scene is so bloody good thanks to the interaction with Gaga. But this isn't the only time she graces us with her presence.
At the end of the episode, the Millers head out into the forest when Shelby (re-enactment by Sarah Paulson) learns that her husband agreed to have the house burned down if The Butcher helps bring back Flora. But Matt vanishes from the group and Shelby finds him up against a tree having sex with Lady Gaga's character (while two hillbillies watch alongside a dead pig).
What we don't know is the name of Gaga's character just yet, or who or what she exactly is. But there are already some clues as to whom she could be.
The character looks savage and mad, seen as dirty with wild hair and an animal skull headdress to suggest she lives in the forest. This could mean she is a wendigo, a cannibal monster from an old folklore.
Another fan theory is that she is a character from an Iroquois legend called the Jo-Ga-Oh, who were also described as dryads from the forest who emerged at night. This could make sense perfect sense since viewers were introduced to the word "Croatoan," which was the name of a neighboring tribe of Native Americans that some believe played a role in the disappearance of the Roanoke colonists. There could be some Indian connection here.
Then again, since we are talking about colonists, Gaga's character could be some evil witch that was banished into the forest for her magic and ties to the devil. This could make sense since White called upon great forces in a vulnerable moment, a perfect time for demons to come swooping in.
One redditor pointed out that this could mean that she isn't an evil ghost, witch or fallen nymph of the forest, but rather a Maenad. These are immortal female followers of the god Dionysius, who represents madness and ecstasy, with the actual name translating to "raving ones."
"The hint Lady Gaga gave of her character was that she is 'very in the earth; very grounded.' Maenads are part of the earth, the air, of everything," redditor ash_dub69 writes. "Also, if you're one of those who watched True Blood, and remember their whole plot around Maryanne (the Maenad), her powers and influence would put people into a trans-like state and they would have orgies in the woods or have sex with her, and not even remember it the next day (lookin at you, Matt)."
Maenads are also known for feeding the hearts of animals to people (also like in True Blood), which is exactly what Gaga made The Butcher do.
We can only hope that we get a full Gaga backstory about her character sooner than later. Until then, her crazy eyes and creepy voice will continue to haunt us.
American Horror Story airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET on FX.
