The Controversial AHS Scene That Fans Are Standing Up For

"American Horror Story" has its fair share of controversial characters and moments. But despite all of the blood and gore, the anthology series' creators Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk have garnered a dedicated fanbase who continue to tune in season after season. 

One character fans still love years later is investigative journalist Lana Winters, played by Sarah Paulson in Season 2, "American Horror Story: Asylum." Lana goes undercover at the mental institution Briarcliff in the hopes of interviewing Kit Walker (Evan Peters), who she believes is the serial killer dubbed "Bloody Face." Unfortunately for Lana, she ends up being admitted to the asylum due to the fact she is a lesbian. 

During her time at Briarcliff, Lana is witness and also subject to a slew of horrors including beatings, torture, and electroshock therapy. Eventually, Lana is able to leave Briarcliff with the asylum's psychiatrist, Dr. Thredson (Zachary Quinto), who takes Lana back to his home for the night. Much to her shock, Lana sees Dr. Thredson's home decor is made up of human body parts and realizes Dr. Thredson is the real "Bloody Face" killer. 

After facing even more horror at the hands of Dr. Thredson, Lana finally escapes Briarcliff once and for all and is able to recount her survival story in a bestselling book, closing Briarcliff's doors forever. Lana's experience at Briarcliff is no doubt a story of bravery, perseverance, and overall badassery, but there's one moment in her life story that "American Horror Story" fans are on the fence about.

Lana's story gets a bit more controversial towards the end of her life. After being brutally tortured and raped by Dr. Thredson, she ends up getting pregnant but gives the baby up for adoption. When she's old and gray, Lana's son Johnny (Dylan McDermott) visits her for answers and attempts to kill her, much like his father, the real "Bloody Face." Lana sees how disturbed her son is and kills him so that he can't kill more people.

While Lana has her questionable moments, there are plenty of other characters throughout "American Horror Story" who are much more horrific. Take Season 1's Tate Langdon (Evan Peters), for example. In the beginning of the season, known as "Murder House," viewers see the character as a somewhat troubled, loving boy, but it's later revealed that he is a killer and a rapist. Despite this, Tate is still considered a favorite character among fans. 

Meanwhile, Lana's character continually receives hate from fans for the fact that she kills her son. Such is the debate of a Reddit thread in which user livetoben wrote: "Some people hate Lana Winters for killing her own son, yet they love Tate even even [sic] though he killed alot [sic] of people and is a rapist ... Is it because he's a good looking white guy? Make it make sense."

Plenty of fans were quick to praise Lana and her decision to kill Johnny. User VeryGreenGreenbeans commented, "she's an icon she's a legend and she is the moment now come on now." User Anfi10b offered an explanation for Lana's hate and wrote: "I strongly believe that people hate Lana because they can't [fathom] a "mother" killing her own son (since mothers are supposed to love their children regardless of anything); when in reality Lana was not a mother. She was a woman who was tortured and suffered greatly and ended up killing one of her perpetrator's offspring."

As to why Tate is still considered a fan-favorite? Many suspect that a major factor is simply that he's attractive. User eppydeservedbetter wrote: "Lana did what had to be done. Simple ... I can't stand the AHS fans who claim to 'love' Tate. He's a murderer and rapist, but those fans ignore that fact." That user added that Evan Peters does an excellent job at portraying Tate's sweet side and his good looks make it easier for fans to fall in love with him. Whether you stand by Lana's decision or not, you have to at least give her a little credit for ridding the world of another "Bloody Face" killer, and stopping Johnny before he can kill as many people as his father.