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‘American Horror Story: 1984’ Finale Recap: The Ones that Got Away

*Warning: Spoilers ahead* 

Last week on American Horror Story: 1984, the ghosts of Camp Redwood teamed up against Mr. Jingles (John Carroll Lynch), while Margaret (Leslie Grossman) planned her next big massacre at the upcoming festival.

And now, we finally have an answer to this season’s most burning question: Who is the final girl? Here’s what went down in the finale of AHS: 1984, titled “Final Girl.”

2019

The episode opens on an Uber driver trying (and failing) to locate Camp Redwood because the road is no longer accessible. The passenger (Finn Wittrock) decides to walk the rest of the way and ignores the “Keep Out” sign as he enters the premises, which look like a low-key ghost town.

When the stranger stumbles upon Montana (Billie Lourd), she raves about his smartphone before demanding to know his intentions. He says he’s on a mission to find out what happened to his father and then reveals his name: Bobby Richter (aka Mr. Jingles’s son).

Montana shows him to the cabin, and Bobby wastes no time asking questions. In particular, he can’t get over the fact that Montana is alive. You see, he did his research on Camp Redwood and knows that Montana died back in the ’80s

When Trevor (Matthew Morrison) joins them in the cabin, Bobby is even more overwhelmed.

“This doesn’t make any sense,” he says.

Montana explains that Mr. Jingles came to Camp Redwood to avenge Bobby’s mom’s death. Although Mr. Jingles returned as a ghost, he hasn’t been seen since 1989.

“Dark forces took him away,” she says. “Last time I saw him, he was dragged into the lake.”

Montana goes on to say that everything changed after Margaret’s music festival in 1989.

1989

Flashback to the day of the music festival. None of the bands are on time, and Margaret is livid. She soon learns that Trevor is blocking the roads, forcing people to turn around.

So, Margaret tracks down Trevor and fatally wounds him…but not before ensuring he’s outside of Camp Redwood and, therefore, unable to return from the dead.

Montana sees what’s happening, and she’s devastated. The problem is she can’t reach him, since she’s unable to leave the camp’s perimeters.

In a weird twist of events, Brooke shows up out of nowhere and helps Trevor across the border right before he dies. (Montana is just as shocked as we are.)

Now that they’re reunited, Trevor and Montana make it their mission to right their wrongs at Camp Redwood. After Trevor kills Bruce (Dylan McDermott) outside the property line, the only person left is The Night Stalker (Zach Villa), aka Richard Ramirez.

So, Montana seduces him and lures him into a shed, where the ghosts of Camp Redwood are waiting to kill him.

On his death bed, The Night Stalker says, “I’ll come back for all of you.” (More on this later.)

2019

Montana tells Bobby that they’ve been keeping The Night Stalker at Camp Redwood to ensure Bobby’s safety.

“All this time—all these years you’ve been saving my life?” he says. “Thank you.”

Although Montana suggests he leave ASAP, Bobby refuses to go home until he gets answers about his dad.  

Just then, The Night Stalker rises from the dead and bursts through the doors of the cabin. Bobby barely manages to escape with assistance from Montana, who directs him to Red Meadows Asylum for answers about his dad.  

His journey brings him to Donna (Angelica Ross), or Nurse Rita. Donna explains that Margaret is the real killer, even though there’s no evidence to support it.

“She almost got away with it,” Donna says. “Almost.”

In 1984, Margaret is whining on the phone when the power suddenly goes out. She discovers that she’s completely surrounded by the ghosts of Camp Redwood, who capture her before putting her body through a woodchipper.

Back in present day, Donna explains that Brooke couldn’t leave behind what happened at Camp Redwood, making her the last victim.

“So, you were the last one?” Bobby asks. “The only one?

“The final girl,” Donna confirms.

However, we soon learn that’s not entirely true. When Bobby mentions that he’s been receiving checks from an unknown person, he’s shocked to learn that they didn’t come from Donna. This means there was another survivor.

So, they follow the address and track down Brooke, who says, “What took you so long?”

In another flashback to 1984, we see how Brooke escaped. Ray (DeRon Horton) discovers Brooke’s lifeless body and treats her gunshot wound. Once she’s been revived, he carries her to the Camp Redwood border, where she gets picked up by the paramedics.  

Back in present day, Bobby asks why Brooke sent him the money. She explains that she wanted him to be comfortable—comfortable enough to never explore his dad’s past.

“We’re the ones that got away,” Donna says.

The episode concludes with Bobby revealing that he’s returning to Camp Redwood.

“You’re not gonna find what you’re looking for,” Donna warns. To no surprise, Bobby couldn’t care less.

And that’s a wrap, folks.

Scary-Good News: ‘American Horror Story’ Isn’t Going Anywhere Anytime Soon



greta

Senior Editor

Greta Heggeness is a California-based editor at PureWow and has been writing about entertainment since 2015. She covers everything from awards shows to exclusive celebrity...