Grace Gummer as Anna's mother holding her baby in American Horror Story season 12 episode 6 While American Horror Story season 12 did give recurring guest star Grace Gummer a role in episode 6, the actor once again fell victim to a dispiriting trend in her guest appearances. Grace Gummer has appeared in three seasons of American Horror Story. Her first role in the anthology horror series came in season 3, Coven, as the witch Millie. Millie appeared in season 3, episode 6, “The Axeman Cometh,” where she hatches a daring, successful plan to take down the episode’s eponymous serial killer. After this brief appearance, Gummer’s character was never seen onscreen again.

Gummer had a second role in season 5, Freak Show, where she played Penny, a nurse who became part of the titular freak show against her will. Even though Penny joined the freak show via kidnapping, she came to like the show’s members and dated Paul the Illustrated Seal. When Penny’s father discovered this, he disfigured her, making her resemble a member of the freak show. This resulted in the rest of the troupe embracing her as one of their own, but Gummer’s character was soon killed off abruptly when Dandy massacred much of Freak Show’s cast.

American Horror Story: Delicate Killed Off Grace Gummer’s Character Again

American Horror Story killed off the actor’s character for a third time

Penny smiling in American Horror Story Freak Show. Millie looking distressed in American Horror Story Coven. Anna's mother looking stressed and sleepless in American Horror Story Delicate Anna's mother sits in bed looking worried in American Horror Story Delicate Blended image of Twisty the Clown in American Horror Story

In a bizarre twist that proved her actor has the worst luck when it comes to the anthology horror series, American Horror Story season 12 cast Gummer as yet another character who was swiftly killed off. Gummer appeared in the cold open of season 12, episode 6, “Opening Night,” as Anna Alcott’s mother. She ended up having a pulmonary embolism and died shortly after Anna’s birth. This meant that although the role of Anna’s mother is a fairly important one, Gummer’s character once again died after only a few brief moments of screen time and little in the way of character development.

Millie, Penny, and Anna’s mother were all characters who could have played bigger roles in their respective seasons, but all of Gummer’s characters were killed off swiftly. American Horror Story season 12 episode 6 was at least justified in this choice, since the death of Anna’s mother was intended to be a shocking, unexpected development that jarred with viewers. However, there is no reason that the resourceful and daring Millie should have appeared in only one episode of Coven, while Penny’s part in Freak Show turned out to be pointless when she was killed off immediately after gaining acceptance.

How Delicate Repeated American Horror Story: Coven’s Mistake

Delicate, Coven, and Freak Show all wasted Gummer’s characters

Shelby being chocked by a black rope, blood on her outfit, face painted, in American Horror Sotry Collage of characters from different American Horror Story seasons Denis O'Hare as Liz Taylor looking at someone offscreen in American Horror Story Hotel Preecher looks intensely at Anna in American Horror Story Delicate Closeup of IO Preecher looking scary in American Horror Story

Although Gummer’s character may not have been killed in Coven, Millie still only got a brief role. Freak Show proved that Gummer could play a compelling character in the series if given a larger role, but Delicate failed to follow through on this promise. Not only did Delicate copy Coven by giving the star a small role, but the series also brutally killed her off, as did Freak Show. Although American Horror Story season 12’s knotty story left Anna’s mother little screen time, casting an underused series veteran like Gummer was still a waste in this American Horror Story outing.