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Kai & Winter's Relationship Is Complicated On 'AHS: Cult'

by Chrissy Bobic

Even though Season 7 of AHS didn’t have nearly as much mystery surrounding it as AHS: Roanoke did, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t still tons of questions about this new batch of characters, namely the Shining twins reincarnated, a.k.a. Kai and Winter Anderson. It’s unclear yet how they’re related, but since they share a last name and apparently live together, are Kai and Winter siblings on AHS: Cult? Their relationship is difficult to understand so far.

Since there’s only been one episode of the new season that's aired, almost all of the storylines and character motives are up in the air as far as fans are concerned. For all we know, Winter could end up being the mastermind behind the creepy posse of clowns terrorizing Ally and Ivy's neighborhood, although I highly doubt that Kai isn’t in control since he’s been nothing short of menacing so far.

Still, how Kai and Winter are related on AHS: Cult hasn’t officially been revealed, even though plenty of fans on Twitter are sure they’re meant to be siblings, and those fans may not be wrong. Take that pinky linking ritual, for example. However weird and almost intimate it was to watch, it definitely seems like something siblings would do as children that would carry over to adulthood, especially if they’re as seemingly deranged as Winter and Kai. They also look alike, which could mean that they’re even twin brother and sister.

Another possible link to Winter and Kai’s relationship on AHS: Cult could indeed be romantic on top of being blood related though. As gross (and very Game of Thrones) as it sounds, there seemed to be some kind of sexual tension or intimacy between them that made it appear like they were going to kiss any minute to seal the pinky ritual. Could this be because Kai and Winter are actually lovers of some kind?

On the other hand, Kai is also on the path to becoming a cult leader this season, so maybe the shared last name is all part of the cult he plans to form, starting with Winter. As some fans have pointed out, Winter already does have the look of one of Charles Manson’s female followers from the '60s, most of whom took on the name of Manson out of loyalty rather than actual relation.

The possibilities of their relationship are virtually endless, though the most logical explanation would be that Kai and Winter are siblings on AHS: Cult. If she was anyone else, I highly doubt that Kai would allow her to vote for Hillary Clinton in the election or really do anything that didn’t serve a purpose for him. As it stands, viewers already saw that he has some kind of control over her. During their pinky ritual (really, there’s no other term for it), Winter admitted that the thing that scares her the most is Kai. Same, homegirl, same.

But that goes to show that Kai has control over Winter, regardless of how they’re related or connected. To be honest, though, I wouldn’t rule out some kind of physical connection that goes beyond mind control or whatever power he has over her. No one necessarily wants to see the AHS version of Jaime and Cersei Lannister, but in a show like this, you can’t really rule anything out. AHS has never been shy about pushing things very close to the line and sometimes even crossing it in order to shock viewers. But even if Kai and Winter don’t end up being some incestuous brother and sister cult duo, there will be plenty of creepiness surrounding them this season.

Kai started the season by covering his face with pureed Cheeto dust and Winter showed a 10-year-old videos on the dark web of actual murders. They’re bound to do a little more than ruffle some feathers. Thankfully, there’s an entire season ahead to figure out how Kai and Winter are related on AHS:Cult, if at all, and what their motives truly are.