Fans Are Saying AHS: NYC Episode 9 May Just Be The Saddest AHS Episode Ever

Over 10 seasons in, "American Horror Story" fans have learned to expect certain things from the show's numerous season finales. The conclusion to each installment of the terrifying anthology usually sees the seasonal conflict come to a head, with bizarre forces getting most of the cast brutally killed off while those that survive meet their own strange fates. In short, it's usually a bloody, uncomfortable affair without much in the way of a happy ending.

In certain ways, Episode 9 of "American Horror Story: NYC," which serves as the season's two-part finale, stays true to the show's precedent. It features a lot of deaths among the main cast and it wraps up most of the major plot threads while also leaving a select few open-ended. In many other ways, however, it's a major departure from what has come before, eschewing the anthology series' horror and gore hallmarks for something more heartfelt and tragic. That bold new direction proved to be a hit with fans, who are now identifying the episode as one of the saddest chapters of "American Horror Story" ever created.

Episode 9 of "American Horror Story: NYC" doesn't hold back when it comes to featuring some absolutely tragic moments. The two-parter centers upon Patrick (Russell Tovey), Sam (Zachary Quinto), and several of other main characters as they confront their regrets before they succumb to the AIDS epidemic. There's no sugarcoating it — it's a dark, bitter, and surprisingly poignant turn for the series. As it turns out, the episode's willingness to scale back the horror in favor of confronting a real-life tragedy hit home with many fans. "I ain't never cried to AHS before," one fan tweeted following the episode's premiere. "This season gave us a REAL American Horror Story."

Some viewers felt the episode was exceptionally depressing by series standards. While there have been several "American Horror Story" moments that made fans cry, such as the death of Jessica Lange's Sister Jude in "Asylum," the series has rarely managed to pull on its audience's heartstrings to this extent. "Is this the saddest AHS episode of all time?" another user tweeted.

As is to be expected with such an unprecedented tonal shift for the series, the ending of "American Horror Story: NYC" didn't prove popular with every fan. Still, many were quick to defend the episode for nailing what it apparently set out to do: make viewers bawl their eyes out. "IDK how y'all are saying the ending was awful," one viewer tweeted. "I was literally crying for 2 hrs straight. This was beautifully done."