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Frank Ockenfels/FX

There May Be More To Dr. Rudy Than Meets The Eye On 'AHS: Cult'

by Chrissy Bobic

So far this season on American Horror Story, they’ve managed to bring some focus to not only politics, but the media and even mental health. And since it seems like it’s Kai’s mission to get people from all walks of life involved with what he’s working toward, no one is safe from his reach. Not even Ally's psychiatrist. So is Dr. Rudy working with Kai on AHS: Cult? The psychiatrist definitely seems like an important piece of the AHS puzzle this season and given that Kai has already recruited and has control over a lot of other people, it would make sense.

When Kai subdued the protesters outside of Ivy and Ally’s restaurant, it seemed like he already had some kind of control over them. Then he recruited both Harrison and Meadow fairly easy, even convincing Harrison to murder his boss at the gym. He also convinced Gary to cut off his own hand and from that, it would seem that Kai will now have the grocer added to his cult. And honestly, it didn’t look like it was all that difficult for Kai to get reporter Beverly Hope to get behind his cause. So what's to stop him from aligning himself with the one person who knows Ally's fears most? But really there are a ton of different ways to explain Kai’s connection to Ally’s doctor on AHS: Cult.

Viewers have already seen that Kai is on medication when his Adderall bottle was shown, and who is the only doctor on the show so far? Dr. Rudy Vincent, of course, who also happens to be treating Ally both in-person and over the phone. Not to mention the fact that Kai’s background is still a little sketchy, meaning that he could have ties to the doctor that no one even knows about yet. Kai has given a couple of different stories about his own past, from being a veteran to working at home as a coder and not getting out much, but one thing that’s clear is that he is smart and knows how to manipulate people.

He even has that pinky holding ritual that almost seems like something a child would learn from a psychiatrist. All of these factors are perfect lead ups to where Dr. Rudy comes in as yet another main character working with Kai. But — now bear with me here — what if Dr. Rudy is actually the real leader on AHS: Cult? In fact, it wouldn’t be totally out of the question to theorize that Dr. Rudy and Kai are blood related in some way that viewers don’t yet know. Kai and Winter have been shown in their large house alone, with Kai mostly sticking to the basement, but who's to say they're the only ones that live there?

On Reddit, user lisandra819 commented that they too believe Dr. Rudy is working with Kai on AHS: Cult in some way, whether they’re related or just part of the same cult together. "I think the doctor is the mastermind for some reason. More than likely taught Kai how to direct people’s mind," they wrote. I know, it’s a pretty big stretch to assume that Dr. Rudy and Kai are related, much less working together, but he has to serve a bigger purpose other than a sounding board for Ally’s phobias.

Like those smiley face pins, for example that he was fiddling with as he talked to Ally on the phone. They could have been a red herring, meant to shift some of the cult focus onto Dr. Rudy even if he has nothing to do with Kai, but I refuse to believe that the psychiatrist would be so under utilized. Redditor Jesse_Allen3 posted about which AHS: Cult characters are actually part of the cult and mentioned that Dr. Rudy could be a part of it, given his close proximity to Ally, who’s been a clear target since the season premiere. The Redditor described Dr. Rudy as: "Ally's therapist who prescribes her drugs and always checks up on her, could there be something in the medication. He also keeps a bit of coral in his office maybe to trigger Ally."

Dr. Rudy is also the same psychiatrist that the woman Rosie went to see in Episode 3 when dealing with her fear of being trapped in a coffin. It wasn't merely a coincidence that when she and her husband got home, there were two coffins and a group of clowns waiting for them. Dr. Rudy might end up being one of the only good guys in the end, but he also might be the ultimate ring leader of this entire thing.

Right now, all Dr. Rudy is officially guilty of is being as annoyed with Ally's screams, cries, and paranoia as much as most fans are at this point, but maybe his sigh and abrupt end to their session on the phone was a big clue to who he really is. Maybe Dr. Rudy is working with Kai and, instead of trying to help Ally, he’s been feeding the information to Kai all along about her phobias so the rest of the cult could play on them and torment her. For now, why Ally is the target on AHS: Cult is still a big mystery, but so many of the main characters have proven themselves to be part of Kai’s cult, so there’s no reason to rule out Dr. Rudy too.

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