People have so many different opinions on Tate and Murder House, and I love reading different viewpoints. Hereâs why I agree with the outcome of the Apocolypae episode and why I donât believe Tate was evil. (LENGTHY)
Tate Langdon grew up in a very dysfunctional household/toxic environment. His emotional issues were blatantly a direct result of his broken childhood. He believed his dad abandoned him as a young child, leaving him alone with his abusive and neglectful mother, Constance. He told Ben in his first therapy session âHe left me alone with the cock sucker. How sick is that?â, which confirms his anger towards the situation of his father âleavingâ him with his mother, although unaware his father was murdered by his own mother. We also see several times that Constance is both verbally and physically abusive to Tate, such as the scene where she is hitting him in the basement as he cowers in a corner. Thereâs also a flashback to a young Tate, who is seen playing with a yellow truck, whilst Constance is passed out on the sofa. Next to the sofa is a coffee table full of alcohol, and it appears she has passed out drunk, leaving a young Tate to look after himself. This backs up neglect in Tateâs childhood, which combined with his fatherâs absence no doubt left him feeling unwanted and rejected.
Aswell as being abusive to Tate, she is also seen many times being abusive to her other children, Tateâs siblings. She constantly puts down Adelaide, implies she is stupid and fat, even telling her âyouâre not a pretty girlâ. When she first meets Vivien, she even refers to Addy as a mongoloid, which is a HIGHLY offensive term. And then thereâs Beauregard. She keeps him permanently chained to his bed in the attic, eventually ordering Larry to smother him with a pillow. Tate is aware that Larry killed his brother, albeit Constance strongly denies this and blames Beauregardâs death on a ârespiratory ailmentâ. This seems to be the breaking point for Tate, who clearly loves and is protective of his siblings.
Tate was the only one of his siblings who didnât suffer a physical defect, and Constance referred to Tate as a âmodel of physical perfection. He was my giftâ. I think this is another reason for Tateâs resentment towards Constance. She seemed to favour him over her other children because he was âphysically attractiveâ. This likely made Tate feel like he couldnât live up to her expectations, which is implied when he says to Constance, âNo matter how much you want it, Iâll never be your perfect sonâ, after she tells him a smile could open the gates to heaven.
Which also brings me to my next point... Constance appeared to be somewhat of a perfectionist, worried about her own physical appearance and social status, as seen when she stole expensive items and jewellery from the Harmonâs house, or when she told Vivien she used to âhave a pair of diamonds for each day of the weekâ. Parents with this trait can be damaging to a childâs emotional wellbeing because they project their own high expectations and demands on their children, leaving children feeling inadequate or not good enough. She is seen throughout the show to be racist, homophobic, snobbish and just extremely rude.
Itâs pretty obvious that all of these things damaged Tateâs mental health, ability to connect with people and build healthy relationships. But I donât believe these alone are what made him into a murderer, and I donât believe he is evil. A sociopath, perhaps? Yes. But definitely not a psychopath. Even though he displays most characteristics of a sociopath, he does clearly have an ability to love, form attachments with few people and show a small amount of empathy. Which is the difference between a sociopath and psychopath. A lot of people disagree with the outcome of the Apocalypse episode, where itâs revealed Tate was used as a pawn by the house. But I actually agree with this (I just didnât like how the episode felt rushed/barely showed main characters). I definitely believe the house was a catalyst for evil. It drove even ânormalâ people crazy and over the edge. I mean, that was basically the whole point of that season. As Larry said âthat house is evilâ. So anyone who was already emotionally vulnerable was easily influenced and manipulated by the evil forces in the house. I think Tate wouldâve still been a sociopath if he wasnât in that house, I just donât believe it wouldâve escalated to mass murder.
Constance described Tate as a âsensitive boyâ and a âyoung man with too deep feelings; the soul of a poet but none of the grit or steel that acts as a bulwark against this... these horrors of this world.â He was the perfect host for the house. His sensitive nature and emotional state made him easily influenced and manipulated by the forces in the house. I donât believe he wouldâve murdered if he hadnât been in the house. Constance even says âwe were living in that house when Tate lost his wayâ.
Note: I want to make it clear that I donât condone any violence or school shooters. I acknowledge that people with violent upbringings have a higher propensity for criminal behaviour, but itâs never excuse. My opinions on this post are based on a fictional storyline involving the supernatural. School shooters in real life are NOT admirable or something to advocate. People in real life donât get manipulated by houses and âghostsâ donât rape and impregnate human beings.
