American Horror Story: Coven introduced Lily Rabe's Misty Day. Despite her unforgettable presence, she is still the show's most wasted character.

Ryan Murphy's American Horror Story has been on air for nearly a decade, with several cast members making reappearances as their characters from previous seasons, but Lily Rabe's Misty Day has been the show's most wasted one so far. The witch with the power of resurgence starred in AHS: Coven, season 3 of the series. When AHS: Apocalypse brought back the women of Miss Robichaux's Academy, Misty was undervalued and ultimately wasted despite her incredible popularity among longtime fans. Here's why Lily Rabe's Misty Day is American Horror Story's most wasted character.

In 2011, American Horror Story season 1 premiered as AHS: Murder House. Lily Rabe had a recurring role as Nora Montgomery, the wife of Dr. Charles Montgomery (Matt Ross), who built the haunted home the Harmon family moved into. By season 2, AHS: Asylum, she was cast in a much larger role as Sister Mary Eunice McKee, appearing alongside Jessica Lange's most iconic character, Sister Jude Martin. Once AHS: Coven was announced, it was clear that Murphy was intent on making Rabe a major part of every season of his horror anthology, as she took on the role of Misty Day for Coven. The character itself gained incredible notoriety for her love of Fleetwood's Mac's music and lead singer, Stevie Nicks, rare power of resurgence, and her Earthly influenced practice of wicca.

Now, Misty Day is a fan favorite among longtime viewers of the series. When it was announced that she might return for season 8, the anticipation that the witch who almost became the supreme could finally escape her own personal hell was insurmountable. Much to the disappointment of fans, she played a minute role in the overall storyline of AHS: Apocalypse. Misty Day's appearance in season 8 was wasted in comparison to the other returning witches from season 3, and did the character a disservice in numerous ways.

It's typical for characters from other seasons to make appearances in later installments of the horror anthology television series. For instance, Lily Rabe's Sister Mary Eunice McKee from Asylum returned for season 4, AHS: Freak Show, to welcome Pepper (Naomi Grossman) to Briarcliff. Even Queenie (Gabourey Sidibe) had a brief cameo in season 5, AHS: Hotel, when she visited the Hotel Cortez after winning tickets to be on a game show. What these returning characters have in common is that they served a larger purpose to the American Horror Story timeline and connected each season's universe fluidly. In regard to Misty Day, she only appeared as a form of fan service.

With the knowledge that Misty Day is one of the most popular characters Ryan Murphy has ever created, it would've been a massive disservice to exclude her from AHS: Apocalypse, but that doesn't mean that she did anything extraordinary. Rabe's character was largely wasted when she could've actually been a much bigger part of season 8. Due to the fact that she has several incredible powers and has mastered resurgence, Murphy could've expanded her talents to be equal to Mallory's (Billie Lourde). In turn, this could have made them equals who joined forces to stop the apocalypse, but this didn't happen. Essentially, Misty Day was killed off in AHS: Coven and her fan favorite status led to her return in AHS: Apocalypse. 

While other witches and characters were able to contribute more meaningfully to the series during their return, Misty only ever played the role of assisting in another character's progression towards their goal. There were several opportunities that could've allowed for her to return if she hadn't been left in her own hell, but they were squandered when this event took place. Despite the fact that Michael Langdon (Cody Fern) brought her back, she failed to be anything more than a stepping stone towards the death of humankind. There is no true reason behind why she was wasted other than the fact that, traditionally speaking, Lily Rabe's characters almost always die or have story arcs that were never meant to expand beyond their specific season. It's possible that the future of American Horror Story could feature another Misty Day return, but, as of this writing, it will not happen in season 10, and there are no official announcements on Ryan Murphy's intent to bring back the character, though he has hinted at the witches returning again at some point.

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