Who is Papa Legba? ‘American Horror Story’ 13 Episode 8 ending explained as witches prepare to stop Satan
‘American Horror Story’ Season 13 is unleashing its witches for one last big hurrah, as the apocalypse looms. In Episode 8, ‘Hell No,’ viewers are treated to a reunion, a resurrection, and the gory details of what Satan has in store. But now that Mr. Nas is finally ramping up his powers here on Earth, is there any way that Cordelia Goode and her Coven will prevail against the Devil?
After James Patrick March and his fellow serial killers go after Miss Robichaux’s Academy, Supreme Cordelia Goode ends up dead. However, she has a trump card. Cordelia calls her mother, Fiona Goode, from hell to back her up. Fiona wastes no time seeking revenge and turns March’s people against him before using her magic to resurrect Cordelia. The mother and daughter get a second chance to correct their past mistakes, but must face an even bigger threat. Turns out, Satan is plotting something much more dangerous than attacking the Coven. Elsewhere, other witches are trying to level up. Queenie and Coco face the Zodiac Killer, Mallory takes on the Night Stalker using her new powers of manipulating time, and Papa Legba delivers the biggest news that Satan is attempting to open a portal to the abyss. The 13 sacrifices that Satan needs to get the portal up and running could bring hell to the mortal realm, and the Witches need to fix this.
So, how can they beat Satan? Cordelia and Fiona seek Papa Legba for assistance, but it appears that a sacrifice would be necessary to bring back Marie Laveau from the underworld. In the end, it is Queenie who offers to sacrifice her soul so that the returned Marie can join the fray. With Fiona, Cordelia, and Marie, the witches have a much stronger shot against Satan, perhaps even enough to stop a threat that traditional witchcraft can’t resolve. But could defeating Satan require another sacrifice? Papa Legba’s bargain suggests that interfering with the boundaries between life and death comes at a price. It could mean that Fiona Goode will willingly return to Hell to help them, or Madison Montgomery may become a sacrifice to stop Mr. Nas.
For now, this is not guaranteed, but all that “bargain” talk in the episode suggests it’s not going to be any easier than previous battles. Maybe it’s Mallory’s time-travel powers that will turn the tide. When she sent the Night Stalker back to his fate, she demonstrated her ability to influence matters rather than wage open war against supernatural villains. She could use Tempus Infinitum to prevent Satan from opening that devilish portal in the first place. Given Mallory’s actions in ‘Apocalypse,’ the show hasn’t announced whether or not she has the ability to undo the current catastrophe, but it’s definitely a potential she could explore in future episodes.
Then there’s Ben DeSoto. His possession of the mysterious “616” tattoo and connection to Mr. Nas has led to speculation that Ben could be Satan’s son, a vessel, or a critical piece in the Devil’s grand plan. If Ben is indeed Satan’s bridge to the mortal realm, severing that connection can potentially weaken or even stop the Devil. While the titles for the next two episodes (‘The Devil Is in the Details’ and ‘The Prodigal Son’) don’t necessarily give anything away about what might happen to Ben, they still leave lots of possibilities to consider. Whatever happens to Satan, with all of this knowledge, the Coven may best turn the tide with a one-two punch of unified magic, sacrifice, and Mallory’s history-bending powers. Now that Fiona is back and Marie has joined their team, they finally stand a chance.
