Sorry if this is a long post; I want to include all of the relevant info and then bring it back around full circle. So, we see throughout the show that Monsignor Timothy Howard is a man with a lot of ambition. He does a lot of good, but mostly to further his own cause of becoming Pope one day. As the series goes on, he becomes more and more transparent in this, and, despite a brief moment of redemption, seems to be back to his old ways by the end of the show.
Or was he? Early on, a teenager is brought into Briarcliff, and Sister Jude decides he's not crazy, but possessed. Mary Eunice was always a little slow, but very pure of heart, which is why the demon chose her: It uses her purity as a shield against the holy symbols and ideals present around the asylum. Toward the end of the show, Monsignor Timothy Howard believes a ruthless killer wants to redeem himself, so Timothy tries to baptize him, after which the killer nearly drowns Timothy and then crucifies him. While hanging on the cross, Timothy sees the Angel of Death, who tells him he isn't allowed to die yet, because God wants him to cast the devil out of Sister Mary Eunice. After many failed attempts, Timothy goes to Sister Jude for help. Jude tells him the only way to cast the devil out is to kill Mary Eunice. Timothy confronts the demon directly, after which Mary Eunice finally finds the strength to take over again. The Monsignor takes this opportunity to throw her from the balcony, and Mary Eunice dies, presumably along with the demon. Howard is successful, but almost immediately returns to his old ways. Not only that, he's worse than before. His temper is shorter, he snaps at Jude, the other patients, and his staff more often. He doesn't try to hide his ambitions. In one scene, Jude is convinced that Howard still cares for her, but Pepper (who is now blessed with the gift of superhuman knowledge by the aliens) pulls her aside and tells her . The other 3 seasons of American Horror Story were good, but Asylum blows them away. I would recommend watching the other 3 seasons first if you can, because you'll.Jude tells him that giving her false hope would be the cruelest thing he could possibly do, but he assures her he's telling the truth. Flash forward two years, and this turns out to not be the case. American Horror Story is an American horror television series created and produced by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk. Monsignor Timothy Howard. Our recap of episode 6 of AMERICAN HORROR STORY: ASYLUM. Maybe Timothy got busy being a Cardinal and never got around to it (much like Lana does once she's famous), but maybe there was something more going on. My theory (and one I'm not convinced of myself, but I certainly find it intriguing) is that when Timothy threw Mary Eunice from the staircase and she died, the demon left her and took over him. The first problem is that the demon could only use Mary Eunice because it used her purity . It would certainly explain his final act at Briarcliff being one of extreme cruelty: telling Jude she's going to be released, but not doing it. Jude was among the first to figure out Mary Eunice was possessed, and had many encounters with the demon. This could be the demon's . This is first seen in the exorcism of the teenaged boy, but again several times while it's in control of Mary Eunice. Often times, when Mary Eunice looks on the verge of breaking through (and then eventually does before the Monsignor kills her), it's when the demon is confronted or otherwise angered. Here's why this is important: When Lana finally decides she wants to be a reporter again, one of the first things she does is confront Timothy, now a Cardinal, about the horrors that occurred at Briarcliff. Howard becomes extremely upset, even shouting at Lana despite being filmed, and very soon after, he kills himself. Theoretically, he was overcome with guilt over his past actions and killed himself, but this seems odd for a man so blindly ambitious, especially one who is finally getting what he wanted (appointed Cardinal) and who rode worse storms of controversy, such as being in charge of Briarcliff through Lana Winters's and Kit Walker's false confinements, the numerous deaths and disappearances, letting Jude run Briarcliff, and employing Bloody Face. Perhaps the confrontation with Lana caused the demon to let go enough for Timothy to take over again, and then he finished the job the Angel of Death gave him: While he was alone in his room, with nowhere else for the demon to go, Timothy slit his own wrists and killed himself, taking the demon with him. It's also worth noting that Timothy dies in a Christ- like pose, lying in the tub with his arms spread out, perhaps to signify his return to grace. Also interesting is that Timothy killed himself as he was on the path to Rome, something the demon offered him but he declined; this shows the Monsignor was, in the end, willing to give up his dream for the greater good, so it seems odd that he would pull a 1. The one thing I don't like about this theory is I think if this were the case, the show would've actually focused on it, not hidden it away. Then again, there was a lot going on that season, so maybe they didn't have time/didn't want to re- hash the same storyline again. In any case, it's fun to wonder. Mary Eunice fled her body and possessed the Monsignor after he killed her, which is why he goes back to being a dick and later kills himself. He is a character in Asylum portrayed by Joseph Fiennes. He was instrumental, with Dr. Thredson, in the exorcism and resulting death of Jed Potter, especially after visiting priest Father Malachi was incapacitated by the demon's power. Jude regarding her reported inebriation during the storm. In reality, for ambitious reasons, he is in league with Arden, both defending him against and warning him of the encroaching suspicions of the law and Sr. This changed after his encounter with the horribly- mutated Shelly in a local hospital . Disgusted at the effects Arden's mutation on Shelly, the scientist goes from being a beacon of hope to a monster in Timothy's eyes. Despite his sudden change of heart Arden silents the monsignor reminding him that he allowed the mutations to take place and would be held accountable as an accomplice. After surviving a near death encounter with Leigh Emerson Jude awakes tied to a bed and Timothy, sitting next to her, mournfully fills Jude in on, what he has been manipulated into believing, her crimes. He strips Sister Jude of her title and announces that she is now a permanent inmate at Briarcliff. The mass murderer's, seemingly, contrite and tamed disposition baits the Monsignor into considering redeeming the fallen man. Leigh persuades him of his dedication to living in the right and Timothy agrees to baptize him to usher in Leigh's rebirth. After the baptizing Leigh reveals his true motives when he quickly grabs Timothy and forces his head underwater, keeping it there until he is unconscious. He finishes the monsignor off by crucifying him to the sanctuary's cross, leaving him there to die. Shachath appears before the dying priest, and he pleads for her to take him. The angel tells him that the devil resides inside Sister Mary Eunice and that it is his duty to cast her out. In every encounter Timothy is visibly nervous of being in her presence. It is while she is tending to his wounds distracted by her own ramblings that Timothy Howard quickly grips the Sister and places his rosary upon her forehead and attempts to exorcise her. It appears that the bold maneuver only slightly flusters the demon who quickly brushes the monsignor off, sending him flying back into his bed. His body pinned down and his arms outstretched at both sides, again crucified, forced into this position by unseen force Timothy finds himself at the mercy of Sister Mary Eunice as she mounts him. As she undresses and gyrates atop of Timothy she taunts and toys with the priest, ignoring his pleads for her to stop. Ultimately she rapes him, an absolute violation for a man of such stature. She tells him that he has to kill Mary Eunice. The monsignor returns to Mary's office and prays until he is again confronted by the demon. Mary taunts him with her body again, he rejects. She then promises to fulfill his ambitions as she rehashes her plan that includes the Vatican and him as pope. Timothy eyes widen at the proposition but, clinging to his virtue, he declines. Mary Eunice walks out to the landing of the asylums stairway berating Timothy as she departs. Timothy shoots back and reminds the demon that he can since the real Mary Eunice and will cast it out. At that, Mary lashes out and grabs the monsignor by his shoulders and pins him against the stair railing. The demon promises to omit the priest from any future plans and to also eradicate any remaining reminisce of Mary's soul. At this, the real Sister Mary Eunice breaks free and cries out to the Monsignor. She is tired and no longer can fight the demon, she is ready to let got. Timothy softly tells her to then let him go, she obliges, and swiftly he grabs Mary and tosses her over the railing. She falls to her death, effectively killing both the nun and the demon inside her. Timothy reads Lana's published article where he is specially ousted for allowing Bloody Face to work at Briarcliff, and realizes that Briarcliff is being threatened. Jude appears to Timothy in the common room, stating how ironic it is that he was robbed of his virtue by the devil, and continues to challenge him until Timothy orders her to be sent to solitary. When Kit is freed, he requests that he get his baby back and that Grace leaves too. Timothy refuses but Kit argues that Grace is still officially presumed dead so he doesn't have to lie and Kit doesn't have to tell the truth about Briarcliff and forces Timothy's hand. Timothy tells them that Jude committed suicide and even shows them a death certificate. In reality, the death certificate is a forgery and Jude still lives in solitary with a new name. Howard interrupts a game of Candyland, telling Judy (renamed . Judy demands to see Cardinal Howard, and realizes she has been trapped for 2 . During Lana's interview in the present day, she reveals that she conducted an expose, one on Cardinal Howard and Dr. Arden that exposed Howard's awareness of Arden conducting human experiments while serving as a doctor at Briarcliff. The Cardinal denies the mistreatment on camera, and speeds off in his car. The Cardinal would later commit suicide by slitting his wrists in a bathtub, following Lana's expose. Why was I so stubborn? And now she's destroyed me. My virtue is gone, Jude. She took it from me, violated me. I tried to resist, but I don't know where else to turn. I'm struggling with whether I should renounce my vows. Should I confess and walk away from my beloved Church and my dream? How to Address Priests and Religious: Titles and Signs of Respect.
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