Diksha Sundriyal
Nearing the end of its thirteenth season, FX’s ‘American Horror Story’ brings more violence and gore into the mix. Following the revelation that Ben is Satan’s son, events unfold in an unexpected way. Having accepted Mr. Nas’ offer to become his successor on Earth, Ben gains the powers that allow him to know and see things that had been hidden in plain sight all this time. One of those things turns out to be Ashley, and the discovery of her betrayal does not sit well with Ben. In their next meeting, he confronts her, and the outcome is not something Ashley would have expected when she walked into his apartment. SPOILERS AHEAD.
Ashley’s Betrayal Leads Ben to His First Murder
Ashley is introduced in ‘AHS: 13’ as a friend of Ben’s girlfriend, Kira. She is also on the plane when it crashes, becoming one of the few lucky people to survive it against all odds. But Kira and the crash are not the only things that bring them together. Ashley reveals that, like Ben, she also has a fear of the number 13, which she developed after surviving a mass murder where 13 of her family members were killed. Ben is happy to finally have someone he can share his fears and insecurities with, especially as things start to become even more unhinged with the mysterious Mr. Nas at his penthouse in the Apollyon. Later, she points out the 616 tattoo on his lower back and is there when he starts to have flashbacks of his forgotten childhood.
While Ben himself is confused, it turns out Ashley knows more than she lets on. When Ben starts to remember things, she rushes to Constance to tell her something is wrong with him. This proves that she had been in on the plan since the beginning, or at least since the crash, which is when perhaps she was saved, or brought back to life, by Mr. Nas. This also means that she had been manipulating Ben all this time, spying on him to keep Mr. Nas and Constance updated, in case he stumbled upon something he shouldn’t have. Eventually, Ben finds out the whole truth from Mr. Nas himself, and when he agrees to being Satan’s successor, he gets the power of mindreading, among other things.
Ben reads the mind of the bedridden Mr. Nas and realizes that his whole life had been one big orchestration. From his birth, to the death of his parents, to the childhood that he doesn’t actually remember as well as the fear of number 13, everything was set up to bring him to the Apollyon and accept Satan’s offer. This also includes the details about the people who helped bring him there, and Ashley turns out to be one of them. This is a huge shock for Ben because he never thought that she’d be involved in all this. He really thought that the connection between them was real and that she was someone he could rely on when things took a turn for the worse. To discover that she is one of the people who put him in this position is a betrayal he cannot forgive.
Ashley Meets a Gruesome End at the Hands of Satan’s Son
When Ashley meets Ben again, she does not anticipate the extent of his anger. Or at least, she is unable to predict his reaction. She has known him as sweet, timid Ben, whom she had so easily deceived all this time. Even now that he knows the truth, she thinks he will overlook her transgressions because he likes her. And didn’t it all work out for the best anyway? Ben, however, does not appreciate this betrayal or the audacity of believing that she did all this to help him. When he senses that she is trying to manipulate him again, his anger gets out of control, which is not a good thing with his new powers.
He accuses Ashley of making his head spin with all her lies, so he decides to make her head spin for a change. The problem is that he does it literally. He uses his powers to turn her head around and rip it off her body, killing her in one fell swoop. Later, as he tells Madison about it, he wonders if he went too far, though he doesn’t seem too apologetic about it. It also explains why he suddenly started flirting with Madison when he arrived at the witches’ place. He is single again, after all! This, however, does not mean we won’t be seeing Ashley again.
In the world of ‘AHS,’ death is a revolving door, which characters use to pass through worlds pretty frequently. Ben himself makes quick visits to Hell to bring back Queenie and Myrtle to life. If he can do it so easily, Mr. Nas can surely bring Ashley back too, especially after the failed assassination attempt. Satan does not take Ben’s betrayal lightly. As a punishment, he could send Ben to a hell where he is stuck with Ashley. Or better yet, he could bring Ashley back to life to avenge her murder at Ben’s hands. The possibilities are endless.
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