Returning from Murder House , Taissa plays Zoe, the "new girl" with a tragic power: deadly vagina (yes, you read that right). She is the audience’s eyes into this bizarre world. Zoe is sweet, confused, and desperately trying not to kill her boyfriend during sex. Farmiga plays the innocence perfectly against the chaos.

The underrated secret weapon of the season. Nan is a clairvoyant with a sharp tongue and a moral compass that eventually snaps. Jamie Brewer delivers deadpan one-liners that rival Jessica Lange’s. Her subplot with the neighbor, Luke, brings a surprisingly tragic sweetness to the chaos. The Forces of Darkness (and Voodoo) Angela Bassett as Marie Laveau The queen of the screen. Angela Bassett enters AHS as the immortal Voodoo Queen of New Orleans. With a cobra draped around her neck and fire in her eyes, Bassett matches Jessica Lange blow for blow. Their rivalry (spanning centuries) is the backbone of the season. Marie Laveau is powerful, sensual, and brutal—and Bassett makes you root for her even when she’s summoning a Minotaur.

Playing Fiona’s meek, emotionally battered daughter, Sarah Paulson gives a masterclass in vulnerability. Cordelia starts the season as a fragile flower, blind (literally and figuratively) to her own power. Watching Paulson transform Cordelia from a pushover into the fierce, all-seeing Supreme is the emotional heart of the season.